1 Corinthians 12:8

For to one is given through the Spirit the word of wisdom; and to another the word of knowledge, according to the same Spirit.

Here begins Paul's enumeration of those miraculous gifts with which God endowed certain men in the primitive period of the church's history.

The word of wisdom ... "This was the doctrine of the gospel, communicated by inspiration, ... peculiar to the apostles, and enabling them to direct religious faith and practice infallibly."[13] This is mentioned first because it was first chronologically and first in importance.

The word of knowledge ... This was the gift of that superior order of prophets, among whom were Barnabas, Stephen and Paul himself. As Macknight pointed out, it was this class of persons who unraveled the mystery hidden before times eternal, who discovered the deep secrets hidden in the ancient Scriptures regarding the call of the Gentiles, the rejection of Israel, the salvation of all people through the faith and obedience of Christ, etc. Paul received divine knowledge with reference to all these things; Barnabas apparently discerned the mystery of the new name and Paul as the name bearer; and Stephen unlocked the mystery of the Jewish temple, revealing that, from its inception, it represented a departure from God's will.