1 Timotius 5:17--6:2

5:17 Elders who provide effective leadership ¹  must be counted worthy ²  of double honor, ³  especially those who work hard in speaking ⁴  and teaching. 5:18 For the scripture says, “Do not muzzle an ox while it is treading out the grain,” ⁵  and, “The worker deserves his pay.” ⁶  5:19 Do not accept an accusation against an elder unless it can be confirmed by two or three witnesses. ⁷  5:20 Those guilty of sin ⁸  must be rebuked ⁹  before all, ¹⁰  as a warning to the rest. ¹¹  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. ¹²  5:22 Do not lay hands on anyone ¹³  hastily and so identify with the sins of others. ¹⁴  Keep yourself pure. 5:23 (Stop drinking just water, but use a little wine for your digestion ¹⁵  and your frequent illnesses.) ¹⁶  5:24 The sins of some people are obvious, going before them into judgment, but for others, they show up later. ¹⁷  5:25 Similarly good works are also obvious, and the ones that are not cannot remain hidden.

6:1 Those who are under the yoke as slaves ¹⁸  must regard their own masters as deserving of full respect. This will prevent ¹⁹  the name of God and Christian teaching ²⁰  from being discredited. ²¹  6:2 But those who have believing masters must not show them less respect ²²  because they are brothers. Instead they are to serve all the more, because those who benefit from their service are believers and dearly loved. ²³ 

Summary of Timothy’s Duties

Teach them and exhort them about these things. ²⁴ 

[5:17]  ¹ tn Grk “who lead well.”

[5:17]  ² tn Or “deserving.”

[5:17]  ³ tn Like the similar use of “honor” in v. 3, this phrase
denotes both respect and remuneration: “honor plus honorarium.”

[5:17]  ⁴ tn Or “in preaching”; Grk “in word.”

[5:18]  ⁵ sn A quotation from Deut 25:4.

[5:18]  ⁶ sn A quotation from Luke 10:7.

[5:19]  ⁷ sn An allusion to Deut 17:6, 19:15.

[5:20]  ⁸ sn As a continuation of v. 19, this refers to elders who sin, not to sinning believers more generally.

[5:20]  ⁹ tn Or “censured.” The Greek word implies exposing someone’s sin in order to bring correction.

[5:20]  ¹⁰ 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]  ¹¹ tn Grk “that the rest may have fear.”

[5:21]  ¹² tn Grk “doing nothing according to partiality.”

[5:22]  ¹³ tn In context “laying hands on anyone” refers to ordination or official installation of someone as an elder.

[5:22]  ¹⁴ tn Grk “and do not share in the sins of others.”

[5:23]  ¹⁵ tn Grk “for the sake of your stomach.”

[5:23]  ¹⁶ sn This verse gives parenthetical advice to Timothy, to clarify what it means to keep pure (5:22c). Verse 24 resumes the instructions about elders.

[5:24]  ¹⁷ tn Grk “they [the sins] follow after others.”

[6:1]  ¹⁸ 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]  ¹⁹ tn Grk “that the name…may not be slandered” (a continuation of the preceding sentence).

[6:1]  ²⁰ tn Grk “the teaching.”

[6:1]  ²¹ tn Or “slandered.”

[6:2]  ²² tn Or “think the less of them”; Grk “despise them,” “look down on them.”

[6:2]  ²³ tn Or “those who devote themselves to service are faithful and dearly loved” (referring to slaves who serve them).

[6:2]  ²⁴ tn Grk “these things teach and exhort.”