1 Timothy 1
Paul, apostle by the command of God our saviour and Christ Jesus our hope, to Timothy his genuine child — grace, mercy, peace. Remain in Ephesus and charge certain people not to teach differently nor attend to myths and genealogies; the end of the charge is love from a clean heart, a good conscience and faith without hypocrisy, from which some have turned aside to futile talk, wanting to be teachers of the law. The law is good if used lawfully — set not for the righteous but for the lawless and all that opposes the healthy teaching. Paul’s thanks: a blasphemer, persecutor and insolent man was shown mercy and set into service, and grace increased exceedingly. Faithful is the word: Christ Jesus came to save sinners, of whom I am first — in me he showed all his patience as an outline for those who will believe. To the King of the ages, glory. Timothy, serve as a soldier in the good soldiering; some who pushed conscience away were shipwrecked in the faith, and Hymenaeus and Alexander were handed to Satan.
Why this rendering
1Tim.1.4 Observation
Syntactic observation
Παῦλος ἀπόστολος Χριστοῦ Ἰησοῦ κατ’ ἐπιταγὴν θεοῦ σωτῆρος ἡμῶν καὶ Χριστοῦ Ἰησοῦ τῆς ἐλπίδος ἡμῶν Τιμοθέῳ γνησίῳ τέκνῳ ἐν πίστει· χάρις, ἔλεος, εἰρήνη ἀπὸ θεοῦ πατρὸς καὶ Χριστοῦ Ἰησοῦ τοῦ κυρίου ἡμῶν. Καθὼς παρεκάλεσά σε προσμεῖναι ἐν Ἐφέσῳ, πορευόμενος εἰς Μακεδονίαν, ἵνα παραγγείλῃς τισὶν μὴ ἑτεροδιδασκαλεῖν μηδὲ προσέχειν μύθοις καὶ γενεαλογίαις ἀπεράντοις, αἵτινες ἐκζητήσεις παρέχουσι μᾶλλον ἢ οἰκονομίαν θεοῦ τὴν ἐν πίστει — Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus according to the command of God our saviour and of Christ Jesus our hope, to Timothy, genuine child in faith: grace, mercy, peace from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Lord. Just as I exhorted you to remain in Ephesus while I was going to Macedonia, so that you might charge certain people not to teach differently nor to pay attention to myths and endless genealogies, which bring speculations rather than God’s management that is in faith — A letter to one person: the Korean uses the plain style, with Timothy as ‘you’ (너). ⸂Χριστοῦ Ἰησοῦ⸃ twice is the base text’s order (the Received Text ‘Jesus Christ’) · κατ’ ἐπιταγήν is 2 Cor 8:8 ‘command’ · θεοῦ σωτῆρος ἡμῶν ‘God our saviour’ — Eph 5:23 ‘saviour’, here of God · τῆς ἐλπίδος ἡμῶν ‘our hope’ in apposition. γνησίῳ τέκνῳ ‘genuine child’ — Phil 4:3 ‘genuine’ · the greeting has three members (χάρις, ἔλεος, εἰρήνη) with no conjunction — ‘grace, mercy, peace’ · the first letter-greeting with ‘mercy’ in it · ⸀πατρός is the base text’s reading (the Received Text ‘our Father’). Καθὼς παρεκάλεσά σε … is a sentence without its main clause — v.4 breaks off with a dash · the rendering breaks off too · προσμεῖναι is Acts 18:18 ‘remain’ · ἑτεροδιδασκαλέω stands here and at 6:3 in the New Testament — ‘teach differently’ (ἕτερος + διδάσκω) · μύθοις ‘myths’ (five places in the New Testament — four in the Pastorals) · γενεαλογίαις ἀπεράντοις ‘endless genealogies’ — γενεαλογία here and at Titus 3:9 · ἀπέραντος once in the New Testament · ⸀ἐκζητήσεις occurs once in the New Testament, ‘speculations’ (the Received Text ζητήσεις — Acts 25:20 ‘inquiry’) · παρέχουσι ‘bring’ — the site-rule of Acts 16:16 · οἰκονομίαν θεοῦ is Col 1:25 ‘God’s management’ as there.
Rendering options · 4
Basis Letters to assemblies used the polite style — a letter to one person, addressed as ‘child’, is carried by the plain style.
Basis The same register as the assembly letters.
Rejected It blurs the distance of ‘child Timothy’ (1:18) — the text speaks as a father to a child.
Basis The text has no main clause — ‘so do now’ is not supplied.
Basis The base text’s reading (once in the New Testament) — a different word from Acts 25:20 ζήτησις ‘inquiry’, kept apart.
Lost in translation
Καθὼς παρεκάλεσά σε … (vv.3-4) — no main clause. The dash carries the break.
χάρις, ἔλεος, εἰρήνη (v.2) — three with no conjunction. ‘Grace, mercy, peace’ keeps it.
ἑτεροδιδασκαλεῖν (v.3) — one word. ‘Teach differently’ is two.
σωτῆρος (v.1) / Eph 5:23 — ‘saviour’ shows the same word · here of God.
σε (v.3) — second person singular. ‘You’ does not mark number.
Why this rendering
1Tim.1.9 Observation
Syntactic observation
τὸ δὲ τέλος τῆς παραγγελίας ἐστὶν ἀγάπη ἐκ καθαρᾶς καρδίας καὶ συνειδήσεως ἀγαθῆς καὶ πίστεως ἀνυποκρίτου, ὧν τινες ἀστοχήσαντες ἐξετράπησαν εἰς ματαιολογίαν, θέλοντες εἶναι νομοδιδάσκαλοι, μὴ νοοῦντες μήτε ἃ λέγουσιν μήτε περὶ τίνων διαβεβαιοῦνται. Οἴδαμεν δὲ ὅτι καλὸς ὁ νόμος ἐάν τις αὐτῷ νομίμως χρῆται, εἰδὼς τοῦτο, ὅτι δικαίῳ νόμος οὐ κεῖται, ἀνόμοις δὲ καὶ ἀνυποτάκτοις, ἀσεβέσι καὶ ἁμαρτωλοῖς, ἀνοσίοις καὶ βεβήλοις, πατρολῴαις καὶ μητρολῴαις, ἀνδροφόνοις, πόρνοις, ἀρσενοκοίταις, ἀνδραποδισταῖς, ψεύσταις, ἐπιόρκοις, καὶ εἴ τι ἕτερον τῇ ὑγιαινούσῃ διδασκαλίᾳ ἀντίκειται, κατὰ τὸ εὐαγγέλιον τῆς δόξης τοῦ μακαρίου θεοῦ, ὃ ἐπιστεύθην ἐγώ — But the end of the charge is love from a clean heart and a good conscience and faith without hypocrisy, from which some, having missed the mark, have swerved to futile talk, wanting to be teachers of the law, not perceiving either what they say or about what they confidently affirm. But we know that the law is good, if one uses it lawfully, knowing this, that law is not set for a righteous one, but for the lawless and the insubordinate … and whatever else opposes the healthy teaching, according to the gospel of the glory of the blessed God, with which I was entrusted. τέλος τῆς παραγγελίας ‘the end of the charge’ — 1 Thess 2:16 ‘end’ · not glossed as ‘goal’ · παραγγελία is Acts 16:24 ‘charge’ (again at v.18). Love from three — Rom 14:20 ‘clean’ · 2 Cor 4:2 ‘conscience’ · Rom 12:9 ‘without hypocrisy’. ἀστοχήσαντες ‘having missed the mark’ (three places in the New Testament — all in the Pastorals · kept apart from Rom 3:12 ἐκκλίνω ‘turn aside’) · ἐξετράπησαν ‘swerved’ (five places — four in the Pastorals and Heb 12:13) · ματαιολογία occurs once in the New Testament, ‘futile talk’ — carrying 1 Cor 3:20 μάταιος ‘futile’. νομοδιδάσκαλοι is Luke 5:17 ‘teachers of the law’ · διαβεβαιοῦνται ‘confidently affirm’ (here and Titus 3:8). καλὸς ὁ νόμος … νομίμως ‘the law is good … lawfully’ — νόμος and νομίμως (here and 2 Tim 2:5) share a root · ‘law / lawfully’ share the piece. δικαίῳ νόμος οὐ κεῖται ‘law is not set for a righteous one’ — the verb of Phil 1:16 ‘set for’ · νόμος without the article. The list of fourteen runs in pairs (six pairs) and then singly — ἀνόμοις (Luke 22:37 lawless) · ἀνυποτάκτοις ‘insubordinate’ (the negation of Col 3:18 ὑποτάσσω ‘be subject’) · ἀσεβέσι (Rom 4:5 impious) · ἁμαρτωλοῖς (sinners) · ἀνοσίοις ‘unholy’ (the negation of Acts 2:27 ὅσιος ‘holy’ · here and 2 Tim 3:2) · βεβήλοις ‘profane’ (five places in the New Testament) · πατρολῴαις · μητρολῴαις ‘strikers of fathers · of mothers’ (each once in the New Testament) · ἀνδροφόνοις ‘murderers of men’ (once in the New Testament — sharing its root with Acts 28:4 φονεύς ‘murderer’) · πόρνοις (1 Cor 5:9) · ἀρσενοκοίταις (1 Cor 6:9) · ἀνδραποδισταῖς ‘enslavers’ (once in the New Testament) · ψεύσταις (Rom 3:4) · ἐπιόρκοις ‘false-swearers’ (once in the New Testament — Matt 5:33 ἐπιορκέω ‘swear falsely’). τῇ ὑγιαινούσῃ διδασκαλίᾳ ‘the healthy teaching’ — the verb of Luke 5:31 ‘the healthy’, of teaching · not glossed as ‘sound’ · ἀντίκειται is 2 Thess 2:4 ‘oppose’. τοῦ μακαρίου θεοῦ ‘the blessed God’ — Matt 5:3 ‘blessed’, of God (here and 6:15) · ὃ ἐπιστεύθην ἐγώ ‘with which I was entrusted’ — Gal 2:7 · 1 Thess 2:4 ‘be entrusted’.
Rendering options · 4
Basis The verb of Luke 5:31 ‘the healthy have no need of a physician’ — the author’s medical word applied to teaching is kept.
Basis The familiar rendering.
Rejected ‘Sound’ erases the bodily word, and ‘doctrine’ departs from the fixed ‘teaching’.
Basis ‘End’ as fixed — ‘goal’ belongs to another word (σκοπός).
Basis A word sharing its root with Acts 28:4 φονεύς ‘murderer’ — ‘murderers’ keeps the root and stays apart from John 8:44 ἀνθρωποκτόνος ‘man-killer’.
Lost in translation
νόμος / νομίμως (v.8) — ‘law / lawfully’ share the piece.
ὑγιαινούσῃ (v.10) / Luke 5:31 ὑγιαίνοντες — ‘healthy’ shows the same verb.
The list of fourteen (vv.9-10) — six pairs, then singles. ‘And’ inside the pairs and commas between carry the pairing.
ἀνδροφόνοις (v.9) / Acts 28:4 φονεύς — ‘murder-’ shows the root.
ἀνοσίοις (v.9) — the negation of ὅσιος. ‘Unholy’ merges with the negation of ἅγιος.
ματαιολογίαν (v.6) — the piece of 1 Cor 3:20 μάταιος ‘futile’ shows in ‘futile talk’.
Why this rendering
1Tim.1.15 Observation
Syntactic observation
Χάριν ἔχω τῷ ἐνδυναμώσαντί με Χριστῷ Ἰησοῦ τῷ κυρίῳ ἡμῶν, ὅτι πιστόν με ἡγήσατο θέμενος εἰς διακονίαν, τὸ πρότερον ὄντα βλάσφημον καὶ διώκτην καὶ ὑβριστήν· ἀλλὰ ἠλεήθην, ὅτι ἀγνοῶν ἐποίησα ἐν ἀπιστίᾳ, ὑπερεπλεόνασεν δὲ ἡ χάρις τοῦ κυρίου ἡμῶν μετὰ πίστεως καὶ ἀγάπης τῆς ἐν Χριστῷ Ἰησοῦ. πιστὸς ὁ λόγος καὶ πάσης ἀποδοχῆς ἄξιος, ὅτι Χριστὸς Ἰησοῦς ἦλθεν εἰς τὸν κόσμον ἁμαρτωλοὺς σῶσαι· ὧν πρῶτός εἰμι ἐγώ, ἀλλὰ διὰ τοῦτο ἠλεήθην, ἵνα ἐν ἐμοὶ πρώτῳ ἐνδείξηται Χριστὸς Ἰησοῦς τὴν ἅπασαν μακροθυμίαν, πρὸς ὑποτύπωσιν τῶν μελλόντων πιστεύειν ἐπ’ αὐτῷ εἰς ζωὴν αἰώνιον. τῷ δὲ βασιλεῖ τῶν αἰώνων, ἀφθάρτῳ, ἀοράτῳ, μόνῳ θεῷ, τιμὴ καὶ δόξα εἰς τοὺς αἰῶνας τῶν αἰώνων· ἀμήν — I thank Christ Jesus our Lord, who strengthened me, because he counted me faithful, setting me into service — me, formerly a blasphemer and persecutor and insolent man; but I was shown mercy, because not knowing I acted in unbelief, and the grace of our Lord increased exceedingly with faith and love that are in Christ Jesus. Faithful is the word and worthy of all acceptance: that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am first. But for this reason I was shown mercy: that in me first Christ Jesus might show all his patience, as an outline for those going to believe on him for eternal life. Now to the King of the ages, imperishable, unseen, the only God, be honour and glory to the ages of the ages. Amen. ⸀Χάριν ἔχω is the phrase of Luke 17:9 ‘thank’ (the Received Text adds καί) — kept apart from εὐχαριστέω ‘give thanks’ · ἐνδυναμώσαντι is Phil 4:13 ‘strengthen’ · πιστόν με ἡγήσατο ‘counted me faithful’ · θέμενος εἰς διακονίαν ‘setting me into service’. ⸀τὸ πρότερον ‘formerly’ · βλάσφημον ‘blasphemer’ · διώκτην ‘persecutor’ (once in the New Testament — the noun of Phil 3:6 διώκω ‘persecute’) · ὑβριστήν is Rom 1:30 ‘insolent’ — a word from that list of Rom 1:30, here of himself. ἠλεήθην ‘I was shown mercy’ (twice, vv.13 · 16) — the passive of 2 Cor 4:1 · ἀγνοῶν … ἐν ἀπιστίᾳ ‘not knowing … in unbelief’ · ὑπερεπλεόνασεν occurs once in the New Testament — 1 Thess 3:12 πλεονάζω ‘increase’ with ὑπέρ ‘exceedingly’ (the same step as 2 Thess 1:3 ‘grow exceedingly’). πιστὸς ὁ λόγος ‘faithful is the word’ — a formula five times in the Pastorals (here · 3:1 · 4:9 · 2 Tim 2:11 · Titus 3:8) · the word of 2 Thess 3:3 ‘faithful is the Lord’, of a saying · ἀποδοχή ‘acceptance’ (here and 4:9 — the noun of 1 Thess 1:6 δέχομαι ‘receive’) · ἁμαρτωλοὺς σῶσαι ‘to save sinners’ · ὧν πρῶτός εἰμι ἐγώ ‘of whom I am first’ — not ‘chief’ but ‘first’ (πρῶτος) · v.16 ἐν ἐμοὶ πρώτῳ ‘in me first’ takes it up. ⸂Χριστὸς Ἰησοῦς⸃ · ⸀ἅπασαν ‘all’ (the Received Text πᾶσαν) · ὑποτύπωσις ‘outline’ (here and 2 Tim 1:13 — 1 Thess 1:7 τύπος ‘pattern’ sits inside it) · εἰς ζωὴν αἰώνιον ‘for eternal life’. The doxology — τῷ βασιλεῖ τῶν αἰώνων ‘the King of the ages’ · ἀφθάρτῳ Rom 1:23 ‘imperishable’ · ἀοράτῳ Col 1:15 ‘unseen’ · ⸀μόνῳ θεῷ ‘the only God’ — the phrase of John 5:44 (the Received Text adds ‘wise’) · τιμὴ καὶ δόξα ‘honour and glory’ · εἰς τοὺς αἰῶνας τῶν αἰώνων is Gal 1:5 ‘to the ages of the ages’ · ἀμήν is in the base text.
Rendering options · 4
Basis ‘First’ as fixed — the same word as v.16 ‘in me first’; ‘chief’ would hide the echo.
Basis The familiar rendering.
Rejected πρῶτος is ‘first’ — ‘chief’ is not in the text and cuts the tie to v.16.
Basis πιστός as at 2 Thess 3:3 ‘faithful is the Lord’ · 1 Thess 5:24 — one wording ties the five Pastoral formulas.
Basis The phrase of Luke 17:9 as there — a different expression from εὐχαριστέω ‘give thanks’, kept apart.
Lost in translation
πρῶτος (v.15) / πρώτῳ (v.16) — ‘first’ twice shows the echo.
ἠλεήθην (vv.13 · 16) — ‘I was shown mercy’ twice shows the same verb.
ὑπερεπλεόνασεν (v.14) — ὑπέρ ‘exceedingly’ and πλεονάζω ‘increase’ both show.
Χάριν ἔχω (v.12) / εὐχαριστέω — ‘thank / give thanks’ keep the two expressions apart.
ὑποτύπωσιν (v.16) — the τύπος inside it (‘pattern’, 1 Thess 1:7) is not visible in ‘outline’.
τῶν αἰώνων … εἰς τοὺς αἰῶνας τῶν αἰώνων (v.17) — αἰών three times, all visible as ‘ages’.
ὑβριστήν (v.13) / Rom 1:30 — ‘insolent’ shows the same word · a word from that list, of himself.
Why this rendering
1Tim.1.19 Observation
Syntactic observation
Ταύτην τὴν παραγγελίαν παρατίθεμαί σοι, τέκνον Τιμόθεε, κατὰ τὰς προαγούσας ἐπὶ σὲ προφητείας, ἵνα στρατεύῃ ἐν αὐταῖς τὴν καλὴν στρατείαν, ἔχων πίστιν καὶ ἀγαθὴν συνείδησιν, ἥν τινες ἀπωσάμενοι περὶ τὴν πίστιν ἐναυάγησαν· ὧν ἐστιν Ὑμέναιος καὶ Ἀλέξανδρος, οὓς παρέδωκα τῷ Σατανᾷ ἵνα παιδευθῶσι μὴ βλασφημεῖν — This charge I entrust to you, child Timothy, according to the prophecies that went before about you, that in them you may serve as a soldier in the good soldiering, holding faith and a good conscience, which some, having pushed away, have been shipwrecked concerning the faith; of whom are Hymenaeus and Alexander, whom I handed over to Satan, so that they may be chastened not to blaspheme. Ταύτην τὴν παραγγελίαν ‘this charge’ — taking up v.5 ‘the end of the charge’ · παρατίθεμαι is Luke 23:46 · Acts 14:23 ‘entrust’ · τέκνον Τιμόθεε ‘child Timothy’ — taking up v.2 ‘genuine child’ · vocative. τὰς προαγούσας ἐπὶ σὲ προφητείας ‘the prophecies that went before about you’ — the verb of Matt 26:32 ‘go before’ · what prophecies, the text does not say. ⸀στρατεύῃ … τὴν καλὴν στρατείαν ‘serve as a soldier in the good soldiering’ — 2 Cor 10:3 ‘serve as a soldier’ · 2 Cor 10:4 ‘soldiering’ (two places in the New Testament) · verb and noun on one root, a cognate object · not glossed as ‘fight’. ἔχων πίστιν καὶ ἀγαθὴν συνείδησιν ‘holding faith and a good conscience’ — taking up v.5 ‘a good conscience’ · ἥν ‘which’ is feminine singular — the conscience · ἀπωσάμενοι is Acts 7:39 · Rom 11:1 ‘push away’ · περὶ τὴν πίστιν ἐναυάγησαν ‘have been shipwrecked concerning the faith’ — the picture of 2 Cor 11:25 ‘shipwrecked’ (two places in the New Testament), of the faith. Ὑμέναιος (here and 2 Tim 2:17) · Ἀλέξανδρος (the name of Mark 15:21 · Acts 19:33 · 2 Tim 4:14 — whether the same man the text does not say) · παρέδωκα τῷ Σατανᾷ ‘handed over to Satan’ — the words of 1 Cor 5:5 · ἵνα παιδευθῶσι ‘that they may be chastened’ — the passive of 2 Cor 6:9 · μὴ βλασφημεῖν ‘not to blaspheme’ — taking up v.13 ‘blasphemer’.
Rendering options · 3
Basis ‘Serve as a soldier · soldiering’ as fixed at 2 Cor 10:3-4 — the cognate object kept on one root.
Basis The familiar rendering.
Rejected ‘Fight’ belongs to ἀγών (6:12) — it hides that 6:12 ‘contest the good contest’ uses a different word.
Basis ‘Shipwrecked’ as fixed at 2 Cor 11:25 — so that the word Paul suffered is seen applied to the faith.
Lost in translation
στρατεύῃ / στρατείαν (v.18) — ‘soldier / soldiering’ show the cognate object.
ἥν (v.19) — feminine singular, pointing to the conscience alone. ‘Which’ does not mark gender.
ἐναυάγησαν (v.19) / 2 Cor 11:25 — ‘shipwrecked’ shows the same word.
παραγγελίαν (v.18) / v.5 — ‘charge’ twice shows the echo.
βλασφημεῖν (v.20) / βλάσφημον (v.13) — ‘blasphem-’ shows one root.