διάκρισις

From the study of Hebrews 5:14

Range of meaning

Separating, distinguishing, discriminating between things. It can also mean judging, deciding, or disputing (Rom 14:1, 'quarrels over opinions').

Against the English

'Discern', 'distinguish' and 'recognize the difference' all fit. 'Discernment' in modern church language can carry a special or supernatural sense that this verse does not require.

How it drifted

The same noun appears in 1 Cor 12:10 ('distinguishing of spirits') for a charismatic gift. Readers sometimes carry that meaning over to this verse, which is about a capacity trained by practice.

Used elsewhere in the period

Rom 14:1; 1 Cor 12:10. In classical Greek it is used for discriminating, distinguishing, and judicial decision.

From the study of 1 Corinthians 12:10

Range of meaning

Diakrisis means separating, telling apart, judging between, or evaluating (BDAG: "distinguishing, differentiation"). Elsewhere in the New Testament it appears in Rom 14:1 ("disputes/judgments over opinions") and Heb 5:14 (telling good from evil). The related verb diakrinō is used in 14:29 for weighing prophetic speech. Pneumata in the plural can mean spirit beings, but in 1 Corinthians 12–14 it is also used for the inspired impulses or utterances themselves (14:12, "since you are zealous for spirits"; 14:32, "the spirits of prophets").

Against the English

KJV and WEB: "discerning of spirits". BSB, NIV and ESV: "distinguishing between spirits". NASB: "the distinguishing of spirits". NLT turns it into a statement about whether a message comes from God's Spirit or from another spirit, which commits it to one interpretation.

How it drifted

The Latin Vulgate's discretio spirituum became a technical term in Christian spirituality. Monastic writers such as John Cassian, and later Ignatius of Loyola, used it for an inner skill of judging one's own thoughts and impulses. In modern popular use, "discernment" has also come to mean general good judgment, or an intuitive sense for spotting demons in individuals. Paul's phrase is narrower and more public than either.

Used elsewhere in the period

1 Thess 5:20–21: "do not despise prophecies, but test everything". 1 John 4:1: "test the spirits to see whether they are from God". Didache 11 tests prophets by how they behave. The Dead Sea Scrolls teach about two spirits, of truth and of falsehood, at work in people (1QS 3–4).

From the study of Romans 14:1

Range of meaning

Separating, distinguishing, discerning (1 Cor 12:10, "distinguishing of spirits"; Heb 5:14, "distinguish good from evil"). From there it can mean a ruling or verdict and, when opposing judgments clash, a dispute or quarrel.

Against the English

KJV "doubtful disputations" now sounds archaic. Modern versions split between "passing judgment" (BSB, NASB) and "quarrel/dispute" (ESV, WEB, NIV). Both are within the word's range, and the two shade into each other.

Used elsewhere in the period

In wider Greek it covers judicial decisions and distinguishing. BDAG lists Rom 14:1 under "engagement in a dispute, quarrel" and renders it "not for the purpose of getting into quarrels about opinions." The related verb diakrinō appears in this chapter at 14:23: "the one who doubts" (literally "is divided").