1 Timothy Chapter 5 Verse 8

1 Timothy 5:8 is one of the most abused and mis-applied verses in the Bible. First the Greek text:
Εἰ δέ τις τῶν ἰδίων καὶ μάλιστα οἰκείων οὐ προνοεῖ, τὴν πίστιν ἤρνηται, καὶ ἔστιν ἀπίστου χείρων.
“⁸But if someone of their own family, and especially of their immediate relatives, is not providing for them, he has denied the faith, and is worse than a non-believer.” (This phrase “their own family, and especially of their immediate relatives” is plural, so the referent, and subject, is “widows” plural, and not τις, which is singular.)

The context and the topic both before and after this verse, is widows. “³Support financially the widows who are truly bereft. ⁴But if a widow has children or grandchildren, those should practice godliness toward their own family first, and give back in repayment to their parents. For this is pleasing in the sight of God.”

The passage is teaching that the children and grandchildren have a Christian obligation to provide food and clothing to their widowed mother or grandmother. If those children and grandchildren do not do so, THEY are the ones who have denied the faith and are worse than a non-believer.

But this verse has been stretched to somehow mean that a married man has to provide wealth for his family by modern standards, rather than “food and clothing,” the Biblical standard mentioned in this epistle in 1 Timothy 6:8 and elsewhere. Is it rightly dividing scripture to have 1 Timothy 6:8 say “And having food and clothing let us be content with that,” and yet tell married men that this verse here says they are obligated to provide their wife and children a 3 bedroom house, cars, a university education, etc.? No it is not. The context and subject of this verse is still widows. The next verse continues talking about widows. It is about providing food and clothing to widows.

Part of being a disciple of Christ and following Christ is that we are travelers and strangers on the earth, not having wealth and roots in this world, and being content with food and clothing. Jesus said to those who wanted to follow him, that the Son of Man has no place to lay his head. Christian wives are expected to have the values of a disciple too, they are not exempt just because they are female.

You can read my translation of 1 Timothy here: https://bibletranslation.ws/trans/holybible.pdf

1 Timothy Chapter 5

¹Do not rebuke an older man, but appeal to him as a father; exhort the younger men as brothers; ²the older women as mothers, the younger women as sisters, with all purity.

³Support financially the widows who are truly bereft. ⁴But if a widow has children or grandchildren, those should practice godliness toward their own family first, and give back in repayment to their parents. For this is pleasing in the sight of God. ⁵Whereas one who is a widow and is left all alone, she has placed her hope in God, and continues in supplications and prayers night and day. ⁶But the one who lives for self-indulgence is dead while she lives. ⁷And you must command these things so they are blameless. ⁸But if someone of their own family and especially of their immediate relatives, is not providing for them, that person has denied the faith, and is worse than a non-believer. ⁹Enroll as a widow the following: not younger than 60 years old, was the wife of only one husband, ¹⁰is witnessed to be with good works, has brought up children, hosted strangers, washed the feet of the saints, helped the afflicted, been devoted to every good work.

¹¹But deny younger widows. For when they get desires away from Christ, they want to marry, ¹²having condemnation, because they have cast off their first faith. ¹³At the same time moreover they acquire the habit of being idle, going from house to house, not just idle but tattletales and gossipers as well, speaking things they ought not. ¹⁴Therefore I want the younger ones to marry, to have children, to maintain a home, for the sake of giving the adversary no opportunity to accuse. ¹⁵Because some have already turned away after Satan. ¹⁶If any male or female believer has widows, let that person assist them and not burden the church, so that the widows who are truly bereft may be assisted.

¹⁷Those who serve well as elders shall be considered worthy of double financial support, especially those toiling in the word and in teaching. ¹⁸For the scripture says, ‘Do not muzzle an ox while it is treading out the grain,’ and, ‘the worker deserves his pay.’ ¹⁹Do not accept an accusation against an elder, unless upon the testimony of two or three witnesses. ²⁰Those who are sinning, rebuke in front of everyone, so that the others also have fear.

²¹I solemnly charge you before God, and Christ Jesus, and the elect angels, that you observe these things without preference, doing nothing according to partiality. ²²Do not be hasty laying hands on anyone, neither be partaker in someone else’s sins; keep yourself pure. ²³Drink no longer only water, but use a little wine for your stomach’s sake and your frequent illnesses.

²⁴Some people’s sins are evident beforehand, preceding them to judgment; and some people, they follow after. ²⁵Likewise also the good works of some are evident beforehand; and those which are otherwise, cannot remain hidden.

1 Timothy Chapter 4

¹Now the Spirit clearly says, that in future times some people will fall away from the faith, giving heed to seductive spirits and teachings of demons. ²With deceiving hypocrisy, their consciences seared beyond sensitivity, ³they will forbid to marry, and command to abstain from foods, which things God created to be partaken of with thankfulness by those who are believing and acquainted with the truth. ⁴For every creation of God is good, and none to be rejected, when received with giving of thanks: ⁵because it is made holy through the word of God and prayer. ⁶By instructing the brethren these things, you will be a good servant of Christ Jesus, nourished up with the word of faith and the good teachings which you have faithfully followed. ⁷But avoid profane old wives’ fables. And exercise yourself toward godliness; ⁸for bodily exercise is a little beneficial; but godliness is beneficial in all respects, having the promise of life both present and future. ⁹This is a trustworthy saying, and deserving of all acceptance. ¹⁰Toward this therefore we toil and struggle, because our hope is placed upon the living God, who is the savior for all, most certainly for those who believe. ¹¹Command and teach these things.

¹²Let no one despise your youth, but be an example for the believers, in word, in manner of life, in love, in faith, in purity. ¹³Until I come, devote yourself to the public reading of scripture, to exhortation, to teaching. ¹⁴Do not neglect the gift that is in you, which was given to you by the laying on of hands of the elders.

¹⁵Be earnestly attentive to these things, so your progress may be seen by everyone. ¹⁶Pay close attention to yourself and your teaching. Persevere in them; for by so doing you will save yourself and your hearers.

1 Timothy Chapter 3

¹This is a trustworthy saying: If any man aspires to be an overseer, he desires a good work. ²An overseer, then, must be above reproach, the husband of one woman, circumspect, temperate, orderly, hospitable, able to teach; ³not given to wine, not violent but gentle, not combative, not covetous; ⁴one who rules his own household well, having his children in subjection with all dignity. ⁵For if someone does not know how to rule his own household, how will he take care of the church of God? ⁶Not a new convert, or he might get puffed up, and fall into the condemnation of the devil. ⁷Moreover he must have a good reputation with those outside, so that he not fall into reproach and the snare of the devil.

⁸Likewise also deacons must be dignified, not double-tongued, not given to much wine, not greedy for gain, ⁹holding to the mystery of the faith in a clear conscience. ¹⁰And these however you must first prove, and then they shall serve, after being found blameless. ¹¹Likewise also the wives must be dignified, not slanderers, but temperate, trustworthy in all things. ¹²Deacons must be the husband of one woman, ruling well their own children and households. ¹³For those serving well as deacons gain a good standing for themselves, and great assurance in the faith that is in Christ Jesus.

¹⁴I am writing these things to you even though I expect to be present with you soon; ¹⁵but it is so that in case I delay, you may know how to conduct yourself in the house of God, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and the foundation of the truth.

¹⁶And without question, great is the mystery of godliness: God was manifested in the flesh, certified by the Spirit, visited by angels, proclaimed among the nations, believed on in the world, taken up into glory.

Latter Times 1 Timothy 4 v. 1

In 1 Timothy 4:1 the word ὕστερος is usually translated “latter times,” but that is a problem, since it was quite early, that some Christian authorities began to forbid to marry or commanded to abstain from certain foods; in other words, it was NOT in the latter times. DeBrunner in BDF § 62, says the adjective ὕστερος here is not comparative, but absolute. That is, not “latter times” but “in future times.”

So, I translate this passage as follows: “Now the Spirit clearly says, that in future times some people will fall away from the faith, giving heed to seductive spirits and the teachings of demons. With deceiving hypocrisy, they will forbid to marry and command to abstain from foods, which things God created to be partaken of with thankfulness by those who are believing and acquainted with the truth. For every creation of God is good, and none to be rejected, when received with giving of thanks: because it is made holy through the word of God and prayer.”

UBS6 Ratings of Certainty

Since I am working on translating the Pastoral Epistles and Philemon, I examined my recently arrived “A Textual Commentary on the Greek New Testament” by H. A. G. Houghton to see how the ratings of certainty for variant readings have changed from those of the UBS5. Below are the changes only in the Pastorals and Philemon:

1 Tim 1:17 – θεω ‖ σοφω θεω – no footnote → {B}
1 Tim 2:7 – λεγω ‖ λεγω εν χριστω – {A} → {B}
1 Tim 4:10 – αγωντιζομεθα ‖ ονειδιζομεθα – {C} → {B}
1 Tim 4:12 – εν πιστει ‖ εν πνευματι εν πιστει – no footnote → {B}
1 Tim 6:17 επι θεω ‖ επι τω θεω ‖ επι θεω ζωντι ‖ εν τω θεω ζωντι – {A} → {B}
1 Tim 6:21 η χαρις μεθ’ υμων ‖ η χαρις μετα σου ‖ η χαρις μεθ’ υμων αμην ‖ η χαρις μετα σου αμην – {A} → split into two footnotes, the first part {B} and the omission of αμην as {A}
2 Tim 1:11 – και διδασκαλος ‖ και διδασκαλος εθνων – no footnote → {B}
2 Tim 2:14 – θεου ‖ κυριου – {B} → {C}
2 Tim 2:18 – [την] αναστασιν ‖ την αναστασιν – {C} → no rating
2 Tim 4:10 γαλατιαν ‖ γαλλιαν ‖ γαλιλαιαν – {A} → {C}
Tit 1:10 – πολλοι [και] ‖ πολλοι και – {C} → no rating
Tit 2:7a – αφθοριαν ‖ αφθονιαν ‖ αδιαφθοριαν – no footnote → {B}
Tit 2:7b -σεμνοτητα ‖ σεμνοτητα αφθαρσιαν – no footnote → {B}
Tit 3:1 – αρχαις ‖ αρχαις και – {B} → {A}
Philem 25 – υμων ‖ υμων αμην – {A} → {B}

The most notable thing is that they now footnote 5 Byzantine readings which were previously not noted and rated. Overall there are 11 decreases in certainty, and 4 increases in certainty.

UBS5/6 Error

I received my UBS6 textual commentary today and notice that it perpetuates an error in the UBS5 critical apparatus on 1 Timothy 1:4. It says GA 0150 reads εκζητησεις, supporting the UBS reading, but in fact 0150 reads ζητησεις. But the commentary makes a good point of speculation, that the EC ending of the previous word was confused with EK in the beginning of εκζητησεις. I can see this easily happening with a scribe whose primary language was Latin.

In my understanding of the context, εκζητησεις fits better, meaning “uncertainties” as opposed to “furthering the program of God which is in faith.”

1 Timothy 3:3 Variant

1 Timothy 3:3 “not given to wine, not violent but gentle, not combative, not a moneylover;”

Concentrating on the phrase “not violent but gentle.” This was the NA28 text. The Textus Receptus and Robinson-Pierpont text inserts “not greedy for gain” between “not violent” and “but gentle.” This breaks up the train of thought, plus it is very weakly attested in the Greek manuscripts, and doesn’t even have the Harklean Syriac with it:

1 Tim 3:3 txt αλλ’/αλλα ℵ A D F G K L P 0150 33 pm it-d,g vg syr-p,h-txt cop-sa,bo arm eth TH NA28 {\} ‖ μη αισχροκερδη αλλ’ pm syr-h-mg (Titus 1:7; 1 Tim 3:8) TR RP

Byz advocates say the αλλα is contrasting one set of 3 traits against the set of 3 traits that follows αλλα. This is a long stretch in my view. That explanation would make more sense to me if the first 3 were negatives- “not” something, and then all the 3 traits following the αλλα are positives, that is, not these 3 things, but ARE these 3 things. No, this is a case of Byz advocates stubbornly defending a reading that is very weak, with a looooong stretch.