There is a considerable degree of doubt as to whether the words of God are part of the original text. However, a majority of the editors of the UBS Greek New Testament voted to include them. Scribes may have omitted them, either as too repetitious, or because they were comparing this passage to Rom 12.6 and Gal 2.9. In any case, of God is implied in the text.
Grace for Paul can only be a gift of God (see comments on 1.3), though there is no specific gift mentioned here. God gave Paul what he needed to found the church at Corinth. Good News Bible‘s “gift” is a more accurate English translation. Revised Standard Version‘s given to me must mean “that God gave me” (Good News Bible). Grace can also be translated as “ability.” In some languages it will be necessary to restructure the clause “using the gift that God gave me” (Good News Bible) as “I used the gift (or, ability) that God gave to me.”
The word that is translated master builder is the word from which the English “architect” is taken. The Greek word described someone who not only drew up plans but also directed the building work and assigned different tasks to different workmen. However, Paul probably intended the first meaning here, since in verse 5 he says that the work of assigning tasks is Christ’s own function.
Foundation: certain cultures do not use foundations at all, and their languages may have no word for this type of building part that the Greeks and many modern cultures use in building houses and other structures. Such cultures construct their houses on stilts or poles. In such cases one may say, for example, “the center pole” or “the pole that holds up the building.”
Another man is building upon it: Paul is now using the experience of Apollos and himself as the basis for more general statements. This is shown by the repeated each man of verses 10, 13, and “any man” of later verses. Here as elsewhere Good News Bible avoids male language; it is possible that Paul’s language (literally “another,” masculine) may refer to leading members of the Christian community in Corinth, some of whom may have been women. The present tense in the verb, is building, does not necessarily refer to the time at which Paul is writing. It may refer to any stage after the founding of the church at Corinth, including the work of Apollos, which in verse 6 was referred to in the past tense. It is possible to render this clause as “on which someone else is building,” or one can begin a new sentence after foundation and say “… foundation. Someone else is building on it.” Is building upon it … builds upon it Paul repeats a compound verb, literally “superbuilds,” “builds-on.” It is implied in the Greek. Good News Bible does not repeat “on it” for stylistic reasons.
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 .