1 Timotius 1:3

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 Timotius 3:16

3:16 And we all agree, ⁴  our religion contains amazing revelation: ⁵ 

He ⁶  was revealed in the flesh,

vindicated by the Spirit, ⁷ 

seen by angels,

proclaimed among Gentiles,

believed on in the world,

taken up in glory.

1 Timotius 4:14

4:14 Do not neglect the spiritual gift you have, ⁸  given to you and confirmed by prophetic words ⁹  when the elders laid hands on you. ¹⁰ 

1 Timotius 1:15

1:15 This saying ¹¹  is trustworthy and deserves full acceptance: “Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners” – and I am the worst of them! ¹² 

1 Timotius 3:15

3:15 in case I am delayed, to let you know how people ought to conduct themselves ¹³  in the household of God, because it is ¹⁴  the church of the living God, the support and bulwark of the truth.

1 Timotius 6:13

6:13 I charge you ¹⁵  before God who gives life to all things and Christ Jesus who made his good confession ¹⁶  before Pontius Pilate,

1 Timotius 5:20

5:20 Those guilty of sin ¹⁷  must be rebuked ¹⁸  before all, ¹⁹  as a warning to the rest. ²⁰ 

1 Timotius 3:7

3:7 And he must be well thought of by ²¹  those outside the faith, ²²  so that he may not fall into disgrace and be caught by the devil’s trap. ²³ 

1 Timotius 6:12

6:12 Compete well ²⁴  for the faith and lay hold of that eternal life you were called for and made your good confession ²⁵  for ²⁶  in the presence of many witnesses.

1 Timotius 2:5

2:5 For there is one God and one intermediary ²⁷  between God and humanity, Christ Jesus, himself human, ²⁸ 

1 Timotius 4:15

4:15 Take pains with these things; be absorbed in them, so that everyone will see your progress. ²⁹ 

1 Timotius 5:21

5:21 Before God and Christ Jesus and the elect angels, I solemnly charge you to carry out these commands without prejudice or favoritism of any kind. ³⁰ 

1 Timotius 2:8

2:8 So I want the men ³¹  to pray ³²  in every place, lifting up holy hands ³³  without anger or dispute.

1 Timotius 6:19

6:19 In this way they will save up ³⁴  a treasure for themselves as a firm foundation ³⁵  for the future and so lay hold of ³⁶  what is truly life.

1 Timotius 1:20

1:20 Among these are Hymenaeus and Alexander, whom I handed over to Satan ³⁷  to be taught not to blaspheme.

1 Timotius 1:2

1:2 to Timothy, my genuine child in the faith. Grace, mercy, and peace from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Lord!

1 Timotius 4:8

4:8 For “physical exercise ³⁸  has some value, but godliness is valuable in every way. It holds promise for the present life and for the life to come.”

1 Timotius 6:17

6:17 Command those who are rich in this world’s goods ³⁹  not to be haughty or to set their hope on riches, which are uncertain, ⁴⁰  but on God who richly provides us with all things for our enjoyment.

1 Timotius 5:15

5:15 For some have already wandered away to follow Satan. ⁴¹ 

1 Timotius 2:15

2:15 But she will be delivered through childbearing, ⁴²  if she ⁴³  continues in faith and love and holiness with self-control.

1 Timotius 3:2

3:2 The overseer ⁴⁴  then must be above reproach, the husband of one wife, ⁴⁵  temperate, self-controlled, respectable, hospitable, an able teacher,

1 Timotius 4:16

4:16 Be conscientious about how you live and what you teach. ⁴⁶  Persevere in this, because by doing so you will save both yourself and those who listen to you.

1 Timotius 5:5

5:5 But the widow who is truly in need, and completely on her own, ⁴⁷  has set her hope on God and continues in her pleas and prayers night and day.

1 Timotius 5:10

5:10 and has a reputation for good works: as one who has raised children, ⁴⁸  practiced hospitality, washed the feet of the saints, helped those in distress – as one who has exhibited all kinds of good works. ⁴⁹ 

1 Timotius 6:16

6:16 He alone possesses immortality and lives in unapproachable light, whom no human has ever seen or is able to see. To him be honor and eternal power! Amen.

1 Timotius 3:9

3:9 holding to the mystery of the faith ⁵⁰  with a clear conscience.

1 Timotius 4:9

4:9 This saying ⁵¹  is trustworthy and deserves full acceptance.

1 Timotius 5:7

5:7 Reinforce ⁵²  these commands, ⁵³  so that they will be beyond reproach.

1 Timotius 1:13

1:13 even though I was formerly a blasphemer and a persecutor, and an arrogant ⁵⁴  man. But I was treated with mercy because I acted ignorantly in unbelief,

1 Timotius 4:1

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 ⁵⁵  with deceiving spirits and demonic teachings, ⁵⁶ 

1 Timotius 5:9

5:9 No widow should be put on the list ⁵⁷  unless ⁵⁸  she is at least sixty years old, was the wife of one husband, ⁵⁹ 

1 Timotius 5:22

5:22 Do not lay hands on anyone ⁶⁰  hastily and so identify with the sins of others. ⁶¹  Keep yourself pure.

1 Timotius 6:15

6:15 – whose appearing ⁶²  the blessed and only Sovereign, the King of kings and Lord of lords, will reveal at the right time.

1 Timotius 1:16

1:16 But here is why I was treated with mercy: so that ⁶³  in me as the worst, ⁶⁴  Christ Jesus could demonstrate his utmost patience, as an example for those who are going to believe in him for eternal life.

1 Timotius 1:11

1:11 This ⁶⁵  accords with the glorious gospel of the blessed God ⁶⁶  that was entrusted to me. ⁶⁷ 

1 Timotius 1:14

1:14 and our Lord’s grace was abundant, bringing faith and love in Christ Jesus. ⁶⁸ 

1 Timotius 3:10

3:10 And these also must be tested first and then let them serve as deacons if they are found blameless.

1 Timotius 3:12

3:12 Deacons must be husbands of one wife ⁶⁹  and good managers of their children and their own households.

1 Timotius 4:2

4:2 influenced by the hypocrisy of liars ⁷⁰  whose consciences are seared. ⁷¹ 

1 Timotius 4:13

4:13 Until I come, give attention to the public reading of scripture, ⁷²  to exhortation, to teaching.

1 Timotius 6:21

6:21 By professing it, some have strayed from the faith. ⁷³  Grace be with you all. ⁷⁴ 

1 Timotius 4:6

4:6 By pointing out such things to the brothers and sisters, ⁷⁵  you will be a good servant of Christ Jesus, having nourished yourself on the words of the faith and of the good teaching that you have followed. ⁷⁶ 

1 Timotius 1:1

Salutation

1:1 From Paul, ⁷⁷  an apostle of Christ Jesus by the command of God our Savior ⁷⁸  and of Christ Jesus our hope,

1 Timotius 1:4-5

1:4 nor to occupy themselves with myths and interminable genealogies. ⁷⁹  Such things promote useless speculations rather than God’s redemptive plan ⁸⁰  that operates by faith. 1:5 But the aim of our instruction ⁸¹  is love that comes from a pure heart, a good conscience, and a sincere faith. ⁸² 

1 Timotius 1:19

1:19 To do this ⁸³  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 Timotius 2:2

2:2 even for kings ⁸⁴  and all who are in authority, that we may lead a peaceful and quiet life in all godliness and dignity.

1 Timotius 3:11

3:11 Likewise also their wives ⁸⁵  must be dignified, not slanderous, temperate, faithful in every respect.

1 Timotius 3:13

3:13 For those who have served well as deacons gain a good standing for themselves ⁸⁶  and great boldness in the faith that is in Christ Jesus. ⁸⁷ 

1 Timotius 5:11

5:11 But do not accept younger widows on the list, ⁸⁸  because their passions may lead them away from Christ ⁸⁹  and they will desire to marry,

1 Timotius 5:13

5:13 And besides that, going around ⁹⁰  from house to house they learn to be lazy, ⁹¹  and they are not only lazy, but also gossips and busybodies, talking about things they should not. ⁹² 

1 Timotius 6:1

6:1 Those who are under the yoke as slaves ⁹³  must regard their own masters as deserving of full respect. This will prevent ⁹⁴  the name of God and Christian teaching ⁹⁵  from being discredited. ⁹⁶ 

1 Timotius 6:5

6:5 and constant bickering by people corrupted in their minds and deprived of the truth, who suppose that godliness ⁹⁷  is a way of making a profit.

1 Timotius 6:11

6:11 But you, as a person dedicated to God, ⁹⁸  keep away from all that. ⁹⁹  Instead pursue righteousness, godliness, faithfulness, love, endurance, and gentleness.

1 Timotius 4:12

4:12 Let no one look down on you because you are young, but set an example for the believers in your speech, conduct, love, faithfulness, ¹⁰⁰  and purity.

1 Timotius 5:4

5:4 But if a widow has children or grandchildren, they should first learn to fulfill their duty ¹⁰¹  toward their own household and so repay their parents what is owed them. ¹⁰²  For this is what pleases God. ¹⁰³ 

[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).

[3:16]  ⁴ tn Grk “confessedly, admittedly, most certainly.”

[3:16]  ⁵ tn Grk “great is the mystery of [our] religion,” or “great is the mystery of godliness.” The word “mystery” denotes a secret previously hidden in God, but now revealed and made widely known (cf. Rom 16:25; 1 Cor 2:7; 4:1; Eph 1:9; 3:3, 4, 9; 6:19; Col 1:26-27; 4:3). “Religion” (εὐσέβεια, eusebeia) is a word used frequently in the pastorals with a range of meanings: (1) a certain attitude toward God – “devotion, reverence”; (2) the conduct that befits that attitude – “godliness, piety”; and (3) the whole system of belief and approach to God that forms the basis for such attitude and conduct – “religion, creed.” See BDAG 412-13 s.v.; 2 Tim 3:5; 4 Macc 9:6-7, 29-30; 15:1-3; 17:7. So the following creedal statements are illustrations of the great truths that the church is charged with protecting (v. 15).

[3:16]  ⁶ tc The Byzantine text along with a few other witnesses (א^c A^c C² D² Ψ [88 pc] 1739 1881 Ï vg^ms) read θεός (qeos, “God”) for ὅς (Jos, “who”). Most significant among these witnesses is 1739; the second correctors of some of the other mss tend to conform to the medieval standard, the Byzantine text, and add no independent voice to the discussion. A few mss have ὁ θεός (so 88 pc), a reading that is a correction on the anarthrous θεός. On the other side, the masculine relative pronoun ὅς is strongly supported by א* A* C* F G 33 365 pc Did Epiph. Significantly, D* and virtually the entire Latin tradition read the neuter relative pronoun, ὅ (Jo, “which”), a reading that indirectly supports ὅς since it could not easily have been generated if θεός had been in the text. Thus, externally, there is no question as to what should be considered original: The Alexandrian and Western traditions are decidedly in favor of ὅς. Internally, the evidence is even stronger. What scribe would change θεός to ὅς intentionally? “Who” is not only a theologically pale reading by comparison; it also is much harder (since the relative pronoun has no obvious antecedent, probably the reason for the neuter pronoun of the Western tradition). Intrinsically, the rest of 3:16, beginning with ὅς, appears to form a six-strophed hymn. As such, it is a text that is seemingly incorporated into the letter without syntactical connection. Hence, not only should we not look for an antecedent for ὅς (as is often done by commentators), but the relative pronoun thus is not too hard a reading (or impossible, as Dean Burgon believed). Once the genre is taken into account, the relative pronoun fits neatly into the author’s style (cf. also Col 1:15; Phil 2:6 for other places in which the relative pronoun begins a hymn, as was often the case in poetry of the day). On the other hand, with θεός written as a nomen sacrum, it would have looked very much like the relative pronoun: q-=s vs. os. Thus, it may have been easy to confuse one for the other. This, of course, does not solve which direction the scribes would go, although given their generally high Christology and the bland and ambiguous relative pronoun, it is doubtful that they would have replaced θεός with ὅς. How then should we account for θεός? It appears that sometime after the 2nd century the θεός reading came into existence, either via confusion with ὅς or as an intentional alteration to magnify Christ and clear up the syntax at the same time. Once it got in, this theologically rich reading was easily able to influence all the rest of the mss it came in contact with (including mss already written, such as א A C D). That this reading did not arise until after the 2nd century is evident from the Western reading, ὅ. The neuter relative pronoun is certainly a “correction” of ὅς, conforming the gender to that of the neuter μυστήριον (musthrion, “mystery”). What is significant in this reading is (1) since virtually all the Western witnesses have either the masculine or neuter relative pronoun, the θεός reading was apparently unknown to them in the 2nd century (when the “Western” text seems to have originated, though its place of origination was most likely in the east); they thus supply strong indirect evidence of ὅς outside of Egypt in the 2nd century; (2) even 2nd century scribes were liable to misunderstand the genre, feeling compelled to alter the masculine relative pronoun because it appeared to them to be too harsh. The evidence, therefore, for ὅς is quite compelling, both externally and internally. As TCGNT 574 notes, “no uncial (in the first hand) earlier than the eighth or ninth century (Ψ) supports θεός; all ancient versions presuppose ὅς or ὅ; and no patristic writer prior to the last third of the fourth century testifies to the reading θεός.” Thus, the cries of certain groups that θεός has to be original must be seen as special pleading in this case. To argue that heretics tampered with the text here is self-defeating, for most of the Western fathers who quoted the verse with the relative pronoun were quite orthodox, strongly affirming the deity of Christ. They would have dearly loved such a reading as θεός. Further, had heretics introduced a variant to θεός, a far more natural choice would have been Χριστός (Cristos, “Christ”) or κύριος (kurios, “Lord”), since the text is self-evidently about Christ, but it is not self-evidently a proclamation of his deity. (See ExSyn 341-42, for a summary discussion on this issue and additional bibliographic references.)

[3:16]  tn Grk “who.”

[3:16]  sn This passage has been typeset as poetry because many scholars regard this passage as poetic or hymnic. These terms are used broadly to refer to the genre of writing, not to the content. There are two broad criteria for determining if a passage is poetic or hymnic: “(a) stylistic: a certain rhythmical lilt when the passages are read aloud, the presence of parallelismus membrorum (i.e., an arrangement into couplets), the semblance of some metre, and the presence of rhetorical devices such as alliteration, chiasmus, and antithesis; and (b) linguistic: an unusual vocabulary, particularly the presence of theological terms, which is different from the surrounding context” (P. T. O’Brien, Philippians [NIGTC], 188-89). Classifying a passage as hymnic or poetic is important because understanding this genre can provide keys to interpretation. However, not all scholars agree that the above criteria are present in this passage, so the decision to typeset it as poetry should be viewed as a tentative decision about its genre.

[3:16]  ⁷ tn Or “in spirit.”

[4:14]  ⁸ tn Grk “in you.”

[4:14]  ⁹ tn Grk “which was given to you through prophecy.” Here as in 2:15 the preposition “through” denotes not “means” but accompanying circumstances: “accompanied by prophecy.”

[4:14]  sn These prophetic words perhaps spoke of what God would do through Timothy in his ministry (cf. 1 Tim 1:18).

[4:14]  ¹⁰ tn Grk “with the imposition of the hands of the presbytery” (i.e., the council of elders).

[1:15]  ¹¹ tn Grk “the saying,” referring to the following citation (see 1 Tim 3:1; 4:9; 2 Tim 2:11; Titus 3:8 for other occurrences of this phrase).

[1:15]  ¹² tn Grk “of whom I am the first.”

[3:15]  ¹³ tn Grk “how it is necessary to behave.”

[3:15]  ¹⁴ tn Grk “which is” (but the relative clause shows the reason for such conduct).

[6:13]  ¹⁵ tc ‡ Most witnesses, some of them important (א² A D H 1881 Ï lat sy bo), have σοι (soi, “you”) after παραγγέλλω (parangellw, “I charge [you]”), a predictable variant because the personal pronoun is demanded by the sense of the passage (and was added in the translation because of English requirements). Hence, the omission is the harder reading, and the addition of σοι is one of clarification. Further, the shorter reading is found in several important witnesses, such as א* F G Ψ 6 33 1739 pc. Thus, both internally and externally the shorter reading is preferred. NA ²⁷ places σοι in brackets, indicating some doubts as to its authenticity.

[6:13]  tn Grk “I charge.”

[6:13]  ¹⁶ tn Grk “testified the good confession.”

[6:13]  sn Jesus’ good confession was his affirmative answer to Pilate’s question “Are you the king of the Jews?” (see Matt 27:11, Mark 15:2, Luke 23:3, John 18:33-37).

[5:20]  ¹⁷ sn As a continuation of v. 19, this refers to elders who sin, not to sinning believers more generally.

[5:20]  ¹⁸ tn Or “censured.” The Greek word implies exposing someone’s sin in order to bring correction.

[5:20]  ¹⁹ tn “Before all” probably refers to the whole congregation, not just all the elders; “the rest” is more likely to denote the remaining elders.

[5:20]  ²⁰ tn Grk “that the rest may have fear.”

[3:7]  ²¹ tn Or “have a good reputation with”; Grk “have a good testimony from.”

[3:7]  ²² tn Grk “the ones outside.”

[3:7]  ²³ tn Or “be trapped like the devil was”; Grk “fall into the trap of the devil.” The parallel in 2 Tim 2:26 supports the rendering given in the text.

[6:12]  ²⁴ tn This phrase literally means “compete in the good competition of the faith,” using words that may refer to a race or to a boxing or wrestling match: “run the good race” or “fight the good fight.” The similar phrase in 1 Tim 1:18 uses a military picture and is more literally “war the good warfare.”

[6:12]  ²⁵ sn At some point in Timothy’s life, he publicly acknowledged Jesus as the resurrected Lord, perhaps either at his baptism or his ordination as a minister of the gospel. With this reminder of the historical moment of his good confession, Timothy is encouraged to remain steadfast in his faith and to finish his life as a minister in the same way it began (see G. W. Knight, Pastoral Epistles [NIGTC], 264-65).

[6:12]  ²⁶ tn Grk “confessed the good confession.”

[2:5]  ²⁷ tn Traditionally this word (μεσίτης, mesith") is rendered “mediator,” but this conveys a wrong impression in contemporary English. Jesus was not a mediator, for example, who worked for compromise between opposing parties. Instead he was the only one able to go between man and God to enable them to have a relationship, but entirely on God’s terms.

[2:5]  ²⁸ tn Grk “one mediator between God and mankind, the human, Christ Jesus.”

[4:15]  ²⁹ tn Grk “that your progress may be evident to all.”

[5:21]  ³⁰ tn Grk “doing nothing according to partiality.”

[2:8]  ³¹ tn The word translated “men” here (ἀνήρ, anhr) refers to adult males, not people in general. Note the command given to “the women” in v. 9.

[2:8]  ³² sn To pray. In this verse Paul resumes and concludes the section about prayer begun in 2:1-2. 1 Tim 2:3-7 described God’s concern for all people as the motive for such prayer.

[2:8]  ³³ sn Paul uses a common ancient posture in prayer (lifting up holy hands) as a figure of speech for offering requests from a holy life (without anger or dispute).

[6:19]  ³⁴ tn Grk “saving up” (the continuation of 6:18). Because of the length and complexity of the Greek sentence, a new sentence was started at the beginning of v. 19.

[6:19]  ³⁵ tn Grk “treasuring up a good foundation.”

[6:19]  ³⁶ tn Grk “that they may lay hold of.”

[1:20]  ³⁷ 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.

[4:8]  ³⁸ tn Grk “bodily training” (using the noun form of the verb “train” in v. 7b).

[6:17]  ³⁹ tn Grk “in the present age.”

[6:17]  ⁴⁰ tn Grk “in uncertainty.”

[5:15]  ⁴¹ tn Grk “wandered away after Satan.”

[2:15]  ⁴² tn Or “But she will be preserved through childbearing,” or “But she will be saved in spite of childbearing.” This verse is notoriously difficult to interpret, though there is general agreement about one point: Verse 15 is intended to lessen the impact of vv. 13-14. There are several interpretive possibilities here, though the first three can be readily dismissed (cf. D. Moo, “1 Timothy 2:11-15: Meaning and Significance,” TJ 1 [1980]: 70-73). (1) Christian women will be saved, but only if they bear children. This view is entirely unlikely for it lays a condition on Christian women that goes beyond grace, is unsupported elsewhere in scripture, and is explicitly against Paul’s and Jesus’ teaching on both marriage and salvation (cf. Matt 19:12; 1 Cor 7:8-9, 26-27, 34-35; 1 Tim 5:3-10). (2) Despite the curse, Christian women will be kept safe when bearing children. This view also is unlikely, both because it has little to do with the context and because it is not true to life (especially life in the ancient world with its high infant mortality rate). (3) Despite the sin of Eve and the results to her progeny, she would be saved through the childbirth – that is, through the birth of the Messiah, as promised in the protevangelium (Gen 3:15). This view sees the singular “she” as referring first to Eve and then to all women (note the change from singular to plural in this verse). Further, it works well in the context. However, there are several problems with it: [a] The future tense (σωθήσηται, swqhshtai) is unnatural if referring to the protevangelium or even to the historical fact of the Messiah’s birth; [b] that only women are singled out as recipients of salvation seems odd since the birth of the Messiah was necessary for the salvation of both women and men; [c] as ingenious as this view is, its very ingenuity is its downfall, for it is overly subtle; and [d] the term τεκνογονία (teknogonia) refers to the process of childbirth rather than the product. And since it is the person of the Messiah (the product of the birth) that saves us, the term is unlikely to be used in the sense given it by those who hold this view. There are three other views that have greater plausibility: (4) This may be a somewhat veiled reference to the curse of Gen 3:16 in order to clarify that though the woman led the man into transgression (v. 14b), she will be saved spiritually despite this physical reminder of her sin. The phrase is literally “through childbearing,” but this does not necessarily denote means or instrument here. Instead it may show attendant circumstance (probably with a concessive force): “with, though accompanied by” (cf. BDAG 224 s.v. δία A.3.c; Rom 2:27; 2 Cor 2:4; 1 Tim 4:14). (5) “It is not through active teaching and ruling activities that Christian women will be saved, but through faithfulness to their proper role, exemplified in motherhood” (Moo, 71). In this view τεκνογονία is seen as a synecdoche in which child-rearing and other activities of motherhood are involved. Thus, one evidence (though clearly not an essential evidence) of a woman’s salvation may be seen in her decision to function in this role. (6) The verse may point to some sort of proverbial expression now lost, in which “saved” means “delivered” and in which this deliverance was from some of the devastating effects of the role reversal that took place in Eden. The idea of childbearing, then, is a metonymy of part for the whole that encompasses the woman’s submission again to the leadership of the man, though it has no specific soteriological import (but it certainly would have to do with the outworking of redemption).

[2:15]  ⁴³ tn There is a shift to the plural here (Grk “if they continue”), but it still refers to the woman in a simple shift from generic singular to generic plural.

[3:2]  ⁴⁴ tn Or “bishop.”

[3:2]  sn Although some see the article with overseer as indicating a single leader at the top of the ecclesiastical structure (thus taking the article as monadic), this is hardly necessary. It is naturally taken generically (referring to the class of leaders known as overseers) and, in fact, finds precedent in 2:11-12 (“a woman,” “a man”), 2:15 (“she”). Paul almost casually changes between singular and plural in both chapters.

[3:2]  ⁴⁵ tn Or “a man married only once,” “devoted solely to his wife” (see 1 Tim 3:12; 5:9; Titus 1:6). The meaning of this phrase is disputed. It is frequently understood to refer to the marital status of the church leader, excluding from leadership those who are (1) unmarried, (2) polygamous, (3) divorced, or (4) remarried after being widowed. A different interpretation is reflected in the NEB’s translation “faithful to his one wife.”

[4:16]  ⁴⁶ tn Grk “about yourself and your teaching.”

[5:5]  ⁴⁷ tn Or “left all alone.”

[5:10]  ⁴⁸ tn Grk “if she raised children.” The phrase “if she raised children” begins a series of conditional clauses running to the end of the verse. These provide specific examples of her good works (v. 10a).

[5:10]  ⁴⁹ tn Grk “followed after every good work.”

[3:9]  ⁵⁰ sn The mystery of the faith is a reference to the revealed truths of the Christian faith.

[4:9]  ⁵¹ tn Grk “the saying.”

[4:9]  sn This saying. The literal phrase “the saying” refers to the preceding citation. See 1 Tim 1:15; 3:1; 2 Tim 2:11; Titus 3:8 for other occurrences of this phrase.

[5:7]  ⁵² tn Here καί (kai) has not been translated because of differences between Greek and English style.

[5:7]  ⁵³ tn Grk “and command these things.”

[1:13]  ⁵⁴ tn Or “violent,” “cruel.”

[4:1]  ⁵⁵ tn Or “desert the faith by occupying themselves.”

[4:1]  ⁵⁶ tn Grk “teachings of demons” (speaking of the source of these doctrines).

[5:9]  ⁵⁷ sn This list was an official enrollment, apparently with a formal pledge to continue as a widow and serve the Lord in that way (cf. v. 12). It was either (1) the list of “true widows” who were given support by the church or (2) a smaller group of older women among the supported widows who were qualified for special service (perhaps to orphans, other widows, the sick, etc.). Most commentators understand it to be the former, since a special group is not indicated clearly. See G. W. Knight, Pastoral Epistles, 222-23 for discussion.

[5:9]  ⁵⁸ tn Grk “let a widow be enrolled if she has reached not less than sixty years.”

[5:9]  ⁵⁹ tn Or “a woman married only once,” “was devoted solely to her husband” (see the note on “wife” in 1 Tim 3:2; also 1 Tim 3:12; Titus 1:6).

[5:22]  ⁶⁰ tn In context “laying hands on anyone” refers to ordination or official installation of someone as an elder.

[5:22]  ⁶¹ tn Grk “and do not share in the sins of others.”

[6:15]  ⁶² tn Grk “which.” All of 1 Tim 6:15 is a relative clause which refers back to “appearing” in v.14. The phrase “whose appearing” was supplied to clarify this connection.

[1:16]  ⁶³ tn Grk “but because of this I was treated with mercy, so that…”

[1:16]  ⁶⁴ tn Grk “in me first,” making the connection with the last phrase of v. 15.

[1:11]  ⁶⁵ tn A continuation of the preceding idea: Grk “teaching, according to the gospel.” This use of the law is in accord with the gospel entrusted to Paul (cf. Rom 7:7-16; Gal 3:23-26). Because of the length and complexity of the Greek sentence, a new sentence was started here in the translation.

[1:11]  ⁶⁶ tn Grk “the gospel of the glory of the blessed God.”

[1:11]  ⁶⁷ tn Grk “with which I was entrusted.” The translation is more in line with contemporary English style.

[1:14]  ⁶⁸ tn Grk “with faith and love in Christ Jesus.”

[3:12]  ⁶⁹ tn Or “men married only once,” “devoted solely to their wives” (see the note on “wife” in 1 Tim 3:2; also 1 Tim 5:9; Titus 1:6).

[4:2]  ⁷⁰ tn Grk “in the hypocrisy of liars.”

[4:2]  ⁷¹ 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.

[4:13]  ⁷² tn Grk “reading.”

[4:13]  sn The public reading of scripture refers to reading the scripture out loud in the church services. In a context where many were illiterate and few could afford private copies of scripture, such public reading was especially important.

[6:21]  ⁷³ tn Grk “have deviated concerning the faith.”

[6:21]  ⁷⁴ 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).

[4:6]  ⁷⁵ tn Grk “brothers,” but the Greek word may be used for “brothers and sisters” or “fellow Christians” as here (cf. BDAG 18 s.v. ἀδελφός 1, where considerable nonbiblical evidence for the plural ἀδελφοί [adelfoi] meaning “brothers and sisters” is cited).

[4:6]  ⁷⁶ sn By pointing out…you have followed. This verse gives a theme statement for what follows in the chapter about Timothy’s ministry. The situation in Ephesus requires him to be a good servant of Christ, and he will do that by sound teaching and by living an exemplary life himself.

[1:1]  ⁷⁷ tn Grk “Paul.” The word “from” is not in the Greek text, but has been supplied to indicate the sender of the letter.

[1:1]  ⁷⁸ sn God our Savior. Use of the title “Savior” for God the Father is characteristic of 1 Timothy, 2 Timothy, and Titus. It occurs six times in these letters, but only twice elsewhere in the NT. However, it occurs commonly in the OT, especially in Isaiah. It emphasizes the Father as the initiator and source of salvation.

[1:4]  ⁷⁹ 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]  ⁸⁰ 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]  ⁸¹ 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]  ⁸² tn Grk “love from a pure heart and a good conscience and a sincere faith.”

[1:19]  ⁸³ 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…”

[2:2]  ⁸⁴ tn For “even for kings” the Greek says simply “for kings.”

[3:11]  ⁸⁵ tn Or “also deaconesses.” The Greek word here is γυναῖκας (gunaika") which literally means “women” or “wives.” It is possible that this refers to women who serve as deacons, “deaconesses.” The evidence is as follows: (1) The immediate context refers to deacons; (2) the author mentions nothing about wives in his section on elder qualifications (1 Tim 3:1-7); (3) it would seem strange to have requirements placed on deacons’ wives without corresponding requirements placed on elders’ wives; and (4) elsewhere in the NT, there seems to be room for seeing women in this role (cf. Rom 16:1 and the comments there). The translation “wives” – referring to the wives of the deacons – is probably to be preferred, though, for the following reasons: (1) It would be strange for the author to discuss women deacons right in the middle of the qualifications for male deacons; more naturally they would be addressed by themselves. (2) The author seems to indicate clearly in the next verse that women are not deacons: “Deacons must be husbands of one wife.” (3) Most of the qualifications given for deacons elsewhere do not appear here. Either the author has truncated the requirements for women deacons, or he is not actually referring to women deacons; the latter seems to be the more natural understanding. (4) The principle given in 1 Tim 2:12 appears to be an overarching principle for church life which seems implicitly to limit the role of deacon to men. Nevertheless, a decision in this matter is difficult, and our conclusions must be regarded as tentative.

[3:13]  ⁸⁶ sn The statement those who have served well as deacons gain a good standing for themselves is reminiscent of Jesus’ teaching (Matt 20:26-28; Mark 10:43-45) that the one who wishes to be great must be a servant (διάκονος [diakonos], used here of deacons) of all, just as the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve (διακονέω [diakonew], as in 1 Tim 3:10, 13).

[3:13]  ⁸⁷ sn In the phrase the faith that is in Christ Jesus, the term faith seems to mean “what Christians believe, Christian truth,” rather than personal trust in Christ. So the whole phrase could mean that others will come to place greater confidence in them regarding Christian truth; but the word “confidence” is much more likely to refer to their own boldness to act on the truth of their convictions.

[5:11]  ⁸⁸ tn Grk “refuse younger widows.”

[5:11]  ⁸⁹ tn With a single verb and object, this clause means “pursue sensuous desires in opposition to Christ.”

[5:13]  ⁹⁰ tn L&N 15.23 suggests the meaning, “to move about from place to place, with significant changes in direction – ‘to travel about, to wander about.’”

[5:13]  ⁹¹ tn Or “idle.” The whole clause (“going around from house to house, they learn to be lazy”) reverses the order of the Greek. The present participle περιερχόμεναι (periercomenai) may be taken as temporal (“while going around”), instrumental (“by going around”) or result (“with the result that they go around”).

[5:13]  ⁹² tn Grk “saying the things that are unnecessary.” Or perhaps “talking about things that are none of their business.”

[6:1]  ⁹³ tn Traditionally, “servants.” Though δοῦλος (doulos) is normally translated “servant,” the word does not bear the connotation of a free individual serving another. BDAG notes that “‘servant’ for ‘slave’ is largely confined to Biblical transl. and early American times…in normal usage at the present time the two words are carefully distinguished” (BDAG 260 s.v.). The most accurate translation is “bondservant” (sometimes found in the ASV for δοῦλος), in that it often indicates one who sells himself into slavery to another. But as this is archaic, few today understand its force.

[6:1]  ⁹⁴ tn Grk “that the name…may not be slandered” (a continuation of the preceding sentence).

[6:1]  ⁹⁵ tn Grk “the teaching.”

[6:1]  ⁹⁶ tn Or “slandered.”

[6:5]  ⁹⁷ 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.

[6:11]  ⁹⁸ tn Grk “O man of God.”

[6:11]  ⁹⁹ tn Grk “flee these things.”

[4:12]  ¹⁰⁰ tn Or “faith.”

[5:4]  ¹⁰¹ tn Or “to practice their religion.”

[5:4]  ¹⁰² tn Or “and so make some repayment to their parents”; Grk “and to give back recompense to their parents.”

[5:4]  ¹⁰³ tn Grk “for this is pleasing in the sight of God.”