4:1 Now the Spirit explicitly says that in the later times some will desert the faith and occupy themselves 7 with deceiving spirits and demonic teachings, 8
4:6 By pointing out such things to the brothers and sisters, 9 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. 10
6:1 Those who are under the yoke as slaves 14 must regard their own masters as deserving of full respect. This will prevent 15 the name of God and Christian teaching 16 from being discredited. 17
3:1 This saying 19 is trustworthy: “If someone aspires to the office of overseer, 20 he desires a good work.”
5:17 Elders who provide effective leadership 24 must be counted worthy 25 of double honor, 26 especially those who work hard in speaking 27 and teaching.
6:20 O Timothy, protect what has been entrusted to you. Avoid 30 the profane chatter and absurdities 31 of so-called “knowledge.” 32
1:18 I put this charge 37 before you, Timothy my child, in keeping with the prophecies once spoken about you, 38 in order that with such encouragement 39 you may fight the good fight.
3:8 Deacons likewise must be dignified, 41 not two-faced, 42 not given to excessive drinking, 43 not greedy for gain,
5:1 Do not address an older man harshly 46 but appeal to him as a father. Speak to younger men as brothers, 47
6:17 Command those who are rich in this world’s goods 48 not to be haughty or to set their hope on riches, which are uncertain, 49 but on God who richly provides us with all things for our enjoyment.
2:1 First of all, then, I urge that requests, 54 prayers, intercessions, and thanks be offered on behalf of all people, 55
1:3 As I urged you when I was leaving for Macedonia, stay on in Ephesus 67 to instruct 68 certain people not to spread false teachings, 69
1 tn Grk “the saying.”
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.
2 sn A quotation from Deut 25:4.
3 sn A quotation from Luke 10:7.
4 tn Grk “teaches other doctrines,” (different from apostolic teaching, cf. 1 Tim 1:3).
5 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).
6 tn Grk “of whom I am the first.”
7 tn Or “desert the faith by occupying themselves.”
8 tn Grk “teachings of demons” (speaking of the source of these doctrines).
9 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).
10 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.
11 tn The Greek reinforces this negation: “understand neither what they are saying nor the things they insist on…”
12 tc Most
13 tn Or “faith.”
14 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.
15 tn Grk “that the name…may not be slandered” (a continuation of the preceding sentence).
16 tn Grk “the teaching.”
17 tn Or “slandered.”
18 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.
19 tn Grk “the saying,” referring to the following citation (see 1 Tim 1:15; 4:9; 2 Tim 2:11; Titus 3:8 for other occurrences of this phrase).
20 tn Grk “aspires to oversight.”
21 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.’”
22 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”).
23 tn Grk “saying the things that are unnecessary.” Or perhaps “talking about things that are none of their business.”
24 tn Grk “who lead well.”
25 tn Or “deserving.”
26 tn Like the similar use of “honor” in v. 3, this phrase
denotes both respect and remuneration: “honor plus honorarium.”
27 tn Or “in preaching”; Grk “in word.”
28 tn Grk “in the hypocrisy of liars.”
29 tn Or “branded.” The Greek verb καυστηριάζω (kausthriazw) can be used to refer either to the cause (“brand”) or the effect (“seared”).
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.
30 tn Grk “avoiding.” Because of the length and complexity of the Greek sentence, a new sentence was started here in the translation.
31 tn Or “contradictions.”
32 tn Grk “the falsely named knowledge.”
33 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.
34 tn Grk “have deviated concerning the faith.”
35 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.”
tn Grk “with you” (but the Greek pronoun indicates the meaning is plural here).
36 tn Grk “about yourself and your teaching.”
37 sn This charge refers to the task Paul described to Timothy in vv. 3-7 above.
38 sn The prophecies once spoken about you were apparently spoken at Timothy’s ordination (cf. 1 Tim 4:14) and perhaps spoke of what God would do through him. Thus they can encourage him in his work, as the next clause says.
39 tn Grk “that by them you might fight…” (a reference to the prophecies which can encourage him in his work).
40 tn Grk “for the sake of reviling.”
41 tn Or “respectable, honorable, of serious demeanor.”
42 tn Or “insincere,” “deceitful”; Grk “speaking double.”
43 tn Grk “not devoted to much wine.”
44 sn Those myths refer to legendary tales characteristic of the false teachers in Ephesus and Crete. See parallels in 1 Tim 1:4; 2 Tim 4:4; and Titus 1:14.
45 tn Grk “the godless and old-wifely myths.”
46 tn Or “Do not speak harshly to an older man.”
47 tn No verb “speak” is stated in this clause, but it continues the sense of the preceding.
48 tn Grk “in the present age.”
49 tn Grk “in uncertainty.”
50 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).
51 tc A few Western
tn More literally, “the administration of God that is by faith.”
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.”
52 tn Grk “to do good” (the continuation of 6:17). Because of the length and complexity of the Greek sentence, a new sentence was started at the beginning of v. 18.
53 tn Grk “to be generous,” “sharing.”
54 tn Or “petitions.”
55 tn Grk “all men”; but here ἀνθρώπων (anqrwpwn) is used generically, referring to both men and women.
56 sn As a continuation of v. 19, this refers to elders who sin, not to sinning believers more generally.
57 tn Or “censured.” The Greek word implies exposing someone’s sin in order to bring correction.
58 tn “Before all” probably refers to the whole congregation, not just all the elders; “the rest” is more likely to denote the remaining elders.
59 tn Grk “that the rest may have fear.”
60 tn Grk “nothing.”
61 tn Here καί (kai) has not been translated because of differences between Greek and English style.
62 tn Grk “and command these things.”
63 tn On this term BDAG 135 s.v. ἀρσενοκοίτης states, “a male who engages in sexual activity w. a pers. of his own sex, pederast 1 Cor 6:9…of one who assumes the dominant role in same-sex activity, opp. μαλακός…1 Ti 1:10; Pol 5:3. Cp. Ro 1:27.” L&N 88.280 states, “a male partner in homosexual intercourse – ‘homosexual.’…It is possible that ἀρσενοκοίτης in certain contexts refers to the active male partner in homosexual intercourse in contrast with μαλακός, the passive male partner” (cf. 1 Cor 6:9). Since there is a distinction in contemporary usage between sexual orientation and actual behavior, the qualification “practicing” was supplied in the translation, following the emphasis in BDAG.
64 sn An allusion to Deut 17:6, 19:15.
65 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.
tn Grk “I charge.”
66 tn Grk “testified the good confession.”
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).
67 map For location see JP1 D2; JP2 D2; JP3 D2; JP4 D2.
68 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.
69 tn Grk “to teach other doctrines,” different from apostolic teaching (cf. 1 Tim 6:3).