This quotation is from Isa 40.13 and is fairly accurate. For is not part of the quotation but an introduction to it in the Greek text, as New Jerusalem Bible makes clear (see other examples in 10.26 and in Rom 10.13). Good News Bible adds “As the scripture says” to make this point clear, especially for people hearing the passage read aloud. In some languages the scripture cannot “speak” or “say” anything. In such cases a translator may say “we read in the Scriptures” or “it is written in the Scriptures.”

In the context of this verse Paul makes no difference in meaning between mind and “Spirit,” so his quoting a text about the Lord’s mind can be used in an argument about the Spirit.

Revised Standard Version‘s so as to instruct him brings out the connection between the two lines of the quotation. Good News Bible, on the other hand, is closer to the meaning of the Hebrew text than to that of the Septuagint, from which Paul quotes.

As in verse 11, the translation “who has ever known” may be more precise than “knows” (Good News Bible). In languages that cannot talk about “knowing” a mind, the question who has known the mind of the Lord…? may be rendered as “who knows what the Lord is thinking?”

But we have the mind of Christ: it is important, though difficult, to get the emphasis of this sentence right. Revised Standard Version‘s literal translation, and even Good News Bible, throws stress on the final word, Christ. The Greek sentence, however, does not stress Christ but we. It is therefore likely that Paul is here taking it for granted that Old Testament texts that speak of “the Lord” refer to Christ. The point of this verse is rather “No one, humanly speaking, can enter into the mind of Christ. Yet because God has given his Spirit to mature Christians, they can now say that they, in contrast to everyone else, do have Christ’s mind.” Translator’s New Testament attempts to convey this in translation: “But we do possess Christ’s mind” (similarly Revised English Bible); New Jerusalem Bible “but we are those who have the mind of Christ.” The thought is similar to that of Phil 2.5, though the language is different.

In some languages it may be necessary to render we have the mind of Christ as “we think the way Christ does.” We here is inclusive, implying “we Christians.”

Quoted with permission from Ellingworth, Paul and Hatton, Howard A. A Handbook on Paul’s First Letter to the Corinthians, 2nd edition. (UBS Handbook Series). New York: UBS, 1985/1994. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .