1 Timotius 1:3-7

Timothy’s Task in Ephesus

1:3 As I urged you when I was leaving for Macedonia, stay on in Ephesus ¹  to instruct ²  certain people not to spread false teachings, ³  1:4 nor to occupy themselves with myths and interminable genealogies. ⁴  Such things promote useless speculations rather than God’s redemptive plan ⁵  that operates by faith. 1:5 But the aim of our instruction ⁶  is love that comes from a pure heart, a good conscience, and a sincere faith. ⁷  1:6 Some have strayed from these and turned away to empty discussion. 1:7 They want to be teachers of the law, but they do not understand what they are saying or the things they insist on so confidently. ⁸ 

1 Timotius 1:19-20

1:19 To do this ⁹  you must hold firmly to faith and a good conscience, which some have rejected and so have suffered shipwreck in regard to the faith. 1:20 Among these are Hymenaeus and Alexander, whom I handed over to Satan ¹⁰  to be taught not to blaspheme.

1 Timotius 4:1-5

Timothy’s Ministry in the Later Times

4:1 Now the Spirit explicitly says that in the later times some will desert the faith and occupy themselves ¹¹  with deceiving spirits and demonic teachings, ¹²  4:2 influenced by the hypocrisy of liars ¹³  whose consciences are seared. ¹⁴  4:3 They will prohibit marriage and require abstinence from foods that God created to be received with thanksgiving by those who believe and know the truth. 4:4 For every creation of God is good and no food ¹⁵  is to be rejected if it is received with thanksgiving. 4:5 For it is sanctified by God’s word and by prayer.

1 Timotius 6:3-10

6:3 If someone spreads false teachings ¹⁶  and does not agree with sound words (that is, those of our Lord Jesus Christ) and with the teaching that accords with godliness, 6:4 he is conceited and understands nothing, but has an unhealthy interest in controversies and verbal disputes. This gives rise to envy, dissension, slanders, evil suspicions, 6:5 and constant bickering by people corrupted in their minds and deprived of the truth, who suppose that godliness ¹⁷  is a way of making a profit. 6:6 Now godliness combined with contentment brings great profit. 6:7 For we have brought nothing into this world and so ¹⁸  we cannot take a single thing out either. 6:8 But if we have food and shelter, we will be satisfied with that. ¹⁹  6:9 Those who long to be rich, however, stumble into temptation and a trap and many senseless and harmful desires that plunge people into ruin and destruction. 6:10 For the love of money is the root ²⁰  of all evils. ²¹  Some people in reaching for it have strayed from the faith and stabbed themselves with many pains.

1 Timotius 6:20-21

Conclusion

6:20 O Timothy, protect what has been entrusted to you. Avoid ²²  the profane chatter and absurdities ²³  of so-called “knowledge.” ²⁴  6:21 By professing it, some have strayed from the faith. ²⁵  Grace be with you all. ²⁶ 

[1:3]  ¹ map For location see JP1 D2; JP2 D2; JP3 D2; JP4 D2.

[1:3]  ² tn This word implies authoritative instruction: “direct, command, give orders” (cf. 1 Tim 4:11; 5:7; 6:13, 17). See BDAG 760 s.v. παραγγέλλω.

[1:3]  ³ tn Grk “to teach other doctrines,” different from apostolic teaching (cf. 1 Tim 6:3).

[1:4]  ⁴ sn Myths and interminable genealogies. These myths were legendary tales characteristic of the false teachers in Ephesus and Crete. See parallels in 1 Tim 4:7; 2 Tim 4:4; and Titus 1:14. They were perhaps built by speculation from the patriarchal narratives in the OT; hence the connection with genealogies and with wanting to be teachers of the law (v. 7).

[1:4]  ⁵ tc A few Western mss (D* latt Ir) read οἰκοδομήν (oikodomhn, “[God’s] edification”) rather than οἰκονομίαν (oikonomian, “[God’s] redemptive plan”), which is read by the earliest and best witnesses.

[1:4]  tn More literally, “the administration of God that is by faith.”

[1:4]  sn God’s redemptive plan. The basic word (οἰκονομία, oikonomia) denotes the work of a household steward or manager or the arrangement under which he works: “household management.” As a theological term it is used of the order or arrangement by which God brings redemption through Christ (God’s “dispensation, plan of salvation” [Eph 1:10; 3:9]) or of human responsibility to pass on the message of that salvation (“stewardship, commission” [1 Cor 9:17; Eph 3:2; Col 1:25]). Here the former is in view (see the summary of God’s plan in 1 Tim 2:3-6; 2 Tim 1:9-10; Titus 3:4-7), and Paul notes the response people must make to God’s arrangement: It is “in faith” or “by faith.”

[1:5]  ⁶ tn Grk “the instruction,” referring to orthodox Christian teaching and ministry in general, in contrast to that of the false teachers mentioned in 1:3-4.

[1:5]  ⁷ tn Grk “love from a pure heart and a good conscience and a sincere faith.”

[1:7]  ⁸ tn The Greek reinforces this negation: “understand neither what they are saying nor the things they insist on…”

[1:19]  ⁹ tn In Greek this continues the same sentence from v. 18, a participle showing the means by which Timothy will accomplish his task: Grk “fight the good fight, holding firmly…”

[1:20]  ¹⁰ sn The expression handed over to Satan refers to an act of discipline mentioned by Paul here and in 1 Cor 5:5, with a remedial goal, not a punitive one. The Greek word translated taught in this verse is used of “discipline, training of children” to lead them to correct behavior.

[4:1]  ¹¹ tn Or “desert the faith by occupying themselves.”

[4:1]  ¹² tn Grk “teachings of demons” (speaking of the source of these doctrines).

[4:2]  ¹³ tn Grk “in the hypocrisy of liars.”

[4:2]  ¹⁴ tn Or “branded.” The Greek verb καυστηριάζω (kausthriazw) can be used to refer either to the cause (“brand”) or the effect (“seared”).

[4:2]  sn Consciences are seared. The precise meaning of this phrase is somewhat debated. Three primary interpretations are (1) the consciences of these false teachers are “branded” with Satan’s mark to indicate ownership, (2) their consciences are “branded” with a penal mark to show they are lawbreakers, or (3) their consciences have been “seared” (i.e., totally burnt and desensitized) so that they are unable to notice the difference between right and wrong. See G. W. Knight, Pastoral Epistles (NIGTC), 189.

[4:4]  ¹⁵ tn Grk “nothing.”

[6:3]  ¹⁶ tn Grk “teaches other doctrines,” (different from apostolic teaching, cf. 1 Tim 1:3).

[6:5]  ¹⁷ tc Although most witnesses, including some early versions and fathers (D² Ψ Ï sy Cyp Lcf Ambst), have ἀφίστασο ἀπὸ τῶν τοιούτων (afistaso apo’ twn toioutwn, “stay away from such things!”) after εὐσεβείαν (eusebeian, “godliness”; thus, “who suppose that godliness is a way of making a profit; stay away from such things!”), there seems to be little good reason for this clause’s omission in some of the oldest and best witnesses (א A D* F G 048 6 33 81 1175 1739 1881 lat co). It is likely that it crept into the text early, perhaps as a marginal comment, but it should not be considered authentic in light of the strong external evidence against it.

[6:7]  ¹⁸ tc The Greek conjunction ὅτι usually means “because,” but here it takes the sense “so that” (see BDAG 732 s.v. 5.c). This unusual sense led to textual variation as scribes attempted to correct what appeared to be an error: D* and a few versional witnesses read ἀληθές ὅτι (“it is true that”), and א² D² Ψ Ï read δῆλον ὅτι (“it is clear that”). Thus the simple conjunction is preferred on internal as well as external grounds, supported by א* A F G 33 81 1739 1881 pc.

[6:8]  ¹⁹ tn Grk “with these.”

[6:10]  ²⁰ tn This could be taken to mean “a root,” but the phrase “of all evils” clearly makes it definite. This seems to be not entirely true to life (some evils are unrelated to love of money), but it should be read as a case of hyperbole (exaggeration to make a point more strongly).

[6:10]  ²¹ tn Many translations render this “of all kinds of evil,” especially to allow for the translation “a root” along with it. But there is no parallel for taking a construction like this to mean “all kinds of” or “every kind of.” The normal sense is “all evils.”

[6:20]  ²² tn Grk “avoiding.” Because of the length and complexity of the Greek sentence, a new sentence was started here in the translation.

[6:20]  ²³ tn Or “contradictions.”

[6:20]  ²⁴ tn Grk “the falsely named knowledge.”

[6:21]  ²⁵ tn Grk “have deviated concerning the faith.”

[6:21]  ²⁶ tc Most witnesses (א² D¹ Ψ Ï sy) conclude this letter with ἀμήν (amhn, “amen”). Such a conclusion is routinely added by scribes to NT books because a few of these books originally had such an ending (cf. Rom 16:27; Gal 6:18; Jude 25). A majority of Greek witnesses have the concluding ἀμήν in every NT book except Acts, James, and 3 John (and even in these books, ἀμήν is found in some witnesses). It is thus a predictable variant. Further, the earliest and best witnesses (א* A D* F G 33 81 1739* 1881 it sa) lack the particle, indicating that the letter concluded with “Grace be with you all.”

[6:21]  tn Grk “with you” (but the Greek pronoun indicates the meaning is plural here).