1 Timothy 3
Faithful is the word — whoever reaches for oversight desires a good work. The overseer must be beyond reproach: husband of one wife, sober, sound-minded, orderly, hospitable, able to teach; not given to wine, not a striker, forbearing, not quarrelsome, not money-loving; presiding well over his own house (how else care for God’s assembly?); not newly planted; with a good witness from outside — lest he fall into the slanderer’s judgement and snare. Servants likewise: dignified, not double-tongued, not given to wine or shameful gain, holding the mystery of the faith in a clean conscience, tested first; women likewise dignified, not slanderers, faithful. Those who serve well acquire a good standing and openness. Paul writes so that Timothy may know how to conduct himself in the house of God — the assembly of the living God, pillar and support of the truth. Great is the mystery of piety: Who was manifested in flesh, justified in spirit, appeared to angels, proclaimed among nations, believed on in the world, taken up in glory.
Why this rendering
1Tim.3.2 Observation
Syntactic observation
Πιστὸς ὁ λόγος· εἴ τις ἐπισκοπῆς ὀρέγεται, καλοῦ ἔργου ἐπιθυμεῖ. δεῖ οὖν τὸν ἐπίσκοπον ἀνεπίλημπτον εἶναι, μιᾶς γυναικὸς ἄνδρα, νηφάλιον, σώφρονα, κόσμιον, φιλόξενον, διδακτικόν, μὴ πάροινον, μὴ πλήκτην, ἀλλὰ ἐπιεικῆ, ἄμαχον, ἀφιλάργυρον, τοῦ ἰδίου οἴκου καλῶς προϊστάμενον, τέκνα ἔχοντα ἐν ὑποταγῇ μετὰ πάσης σεμνότητος· (εἰ δέ τις τοῦ ἰδίου οἴκου προστῆναι οὐκ οἶδεν, πῶς ἐκκλησίας θεοῦ ἐπιμελήσεται;) μὴ νεόφυτον, ἵνα μὴ τυφωθεὶς εἰς κρίμα ἐμπέσῃ τοῦ διαβόλου. δεῖ δὲ καὶ μαρτυρίαν καλὴν ἔχειν ἀπὸ τῶν ἔξωθεν, ἵνα μὴ εἰς ὀνειδισμὸν ἐμπέσῃ καὶ παγίδα τοῦ διαβόλου — Faithful is the word: if anyone reaches for oversight, he desires a good work. The overseer, then, must be beyond reproach, a husband of one wife, sober, sound-minded, orderly, hospitable, able to teach, not given to wine, not a striker, but forbearing, not quarrelsome, not money-loving, presiding well over his own house, having children in subjection with all dignity (but if anyone does not know how to preside over his own house, how will he care for an assembly of God?), not newly planted, lest, having become conceited, he fall into the judgement of the slanderer. And he must also have a good witness from those outside, lest he fall into reviling and the snare of the slanderer. Πιστὸς ὁ λόγος is the formula of 1:15 — whether it points back (2:15) or forward (3:1) the text does not settle · the rendering attaches it forward with a colon. ἐπισκοπή is Acts 1:20 ‘office’ · the office of Acts 20:28 ἐπίσκοπος ‘overseer’, so ‘oversight’ (site-rule) · ὀρέγομαι ‘reach for’ (three places in the New Testament — 6:10 · Heb 11:16) · ἐπιθυμεῖ ‘desires’ — Matt 5:28 as fixed (the same word even of a good work). Fifteen requirements of the overseer come without conjunctions — ἀνεπίλημπτον ‘beyond reproach’ (three places in the New Testament — all in this letter · kept apart from ἀνέγκλητος ‘beyond charge’ · ἄμεμπτος ‘faultless’) · μιᾶς γυναικὸς ἄνδρα ‘a husband of one wife’ · νηφάλιον ‘sober’ (the adjective of 1 Thess 5:6 νήφω) · σώφρονα ‘sound-minded’ (2:9 σωφροσύνη) · κόσμιον (2:9 orderly) · φιλόξενον ‘hospitable’ (the adjective of Rom 12:13 φιλοξενία) · διδακτικόν ‘able to teach’ (here and 2 Tim 2:24) · μὴ πάροινον ‘not given to wine’ (the word ‘beside wine’ · here and Titus 1:7) · μὴ ⸀πλήκτην ‘not a striker’ (the Received Text adds ‘not greedy of shameful gain’) · ἐπιεικῆ (Phil 4:5 forbearance) · ἄμαχον ‘not quarrelsome’ (the negation of 2 Cor 7:5 μάχη ‘fight’) · ἀφιλάργυρον ‘not money-loving’ (the negation of Luke 16:14 φιλάργυρος) · προϊστάμενον is 1 Thess 5:12 ‘preside’ — over a house. Verse 5 is bracketed in the base text — kept · ἐπιμελήσεται is Luke 10:34 ‘care for’. νεόφυτον occurs once in the New Testament, ‘newly planted’ (1 Cor 3:6 φυτεύω ‘plant’) · τυφωθείς ‘having become conceited’ (wrapped in smoke — three places in the New Testament · 6:4 · 2 Tim 3:4 · kept apart from φυσιόω ‘be puffed up’) · κρίμα τοῦ διαβόλου ‘the judgement of the slanderer’ — διάβολος is the word this version threads as ‘slanderer’ · whether a judgement the slanderer receives or one he passes is left open. μαρτυρίαν καλήν ‘a good witness’ · τῶν ἔξωθεν ‘those outside’ (a different form from Col 4:5 οἱ ἔξω) · ὀνειδισμόν is Rom 15:3 ‘reviling’ · παγίδα is Rom 11:9 ‘snare’ · ⸀δέ is the base text’s reading.
Rendering options · 4
Basis ‘Overseer’ as fixed at Acts 20:28 · Phil 1:1 — ‘bishop’ is not this version’s word · the office as ‘oversight’ keeps the root.
Basis The familiar rendering.
Rejected ‘Bishop’ imports a later institution — the text’s word is ‘one who looks over’.
Basis A different word from ἄμεμπτος ‘faultless’ · ἀνέγκλητος ‘beyond charge’ (v.10) — ‘nothing to lay hold of’, so ‘beyond reproach’.
Basis ‘Slanderer’ as fixed at John 6:70 · Eph 4:27 — not ‘devil’ · the same rendering as v.11 ‘slanderers’ (the plural of the same word), so the text’s tie shows.
Lost in translation
ἐπισκοπῆς / ἐπίσκοπον (vv.1-2) — ‘oversight / overseer’ keep one root.
διαβόλου (vv.6 · 7) / διαβόλους (v.11) — ‘slanderer / slanderers’ show the same word.
φιλόξενον · ἀφιλάργυρον (vv.2-3) — the φιλ- of both shows only in ‘money-loving’.
νηφάλιον · σώφρονα (v.2) — ‘sober · sound-minded’ keep two words.
ἐπίσκοπος / ἐπιμελέομαι (vv.2 · 5) — two different words. ‘Overseer / care for’ keep them apart.
(εἰ δέ τις …) (v.5) — the base text’s parentheses. Kept.
κρίμα τοῦ διαβόλου (v.6) — received or passed, left open. ‘The judgement of the slanderer’ keeps it open.
Why this rendering
1Tim.3.10 Observation
Syntactic observation
Διακόνους ὡσαύτως σεμνούς, μὴ διλόγους, μὴ οἴνῳ πολλῷ προσέχοντας, μὴ αἰσχροκερδεῖς, ἔχοντας τὸ μυστήριον τῆς πίστεως ἐν καθαρᾷ συνειδήσει. καὶ οὗτοι δὲ δοκιμαζέσθωσαν πρῶτον, εἶτα διακονείτωσαν ἀνέγκλητοι ὄντες. γυναῖκας ὡσαύτως σεμνάς, μὴ διαβόλους, νηφαλίους, πιστὰς ἐν πᾶσιν. διάκονοι ἔστωσαν μιᾶς γυναικὸς ἄνδρες, τέκνων καλῶς προϊστάμενοι καὶ τῶν ἰδίων οἴκων· οἱ γὰρ καλῶς διακονήσαντες βαθμὸν ἑαυτοῖς καλὸν περιποιοῦνται καὶ πολλὴν παρρησίαν ἐν πίστει τῇ ἐν Χριστῷ Ἰησοῦ — Servants likewise must be dignified, not double-tongued, not paying attention to much wine, not fond of shameful gain, holding the mystery of the faith in a clean conscience. And let these also be tested first; then let them serve, being beyond charge. Women likewise must be dignified, not slanderers, sober, faithful in all things. Let servants be husbands of one wife, presiding well over children and their own houses; for those who have served well acquire for themselves a good standing and much openness in faith that is in Christ Jesus. Διακόνους ‘servants’ — the pair of Phil 1:1 ‘overseers and servants’ · not glossed as ‘deacons’ · v.8 hangs, verbless, on the δεῖ of v.2 · ‘must’ carried over. σεμνούς is Phil 4:8 ‘dignified’ · διλόγους occurs once in the New Testament, ‘double-tongued’ · οἴνῳ πολλῷ προσέχοντας ‘not paying attention to much wine’ — the verb of 1:4 ‘pay attention’ · αἰσχροκερδεῖς ‘fond of shameful gain’ (here and Titus 1:7 — 1 Cor 11:6 αἰσχρός ‘shameful’ · κέρδος ‘gain’) · τὸ μυστήριον τῆς πίστεως ‘the mystery of the faith’ · ἐν καθαρᾷ συνειδήσει the words of 1:5 ‘clean heart · good conscience’. δοκιμαζέσθωσαν ‘let them be tested’ — the passive of 1 Thess 2:4 · ἀνέγκλητοι is Col 1:22 ‘beyond charge’ · two third-person imperatives (δοκιμαζέσθωσαν · διακονείτωσαν) ‘let them …’. γυναῖκας ‘women’ — the servants’ wives or women servants, the text does not say · ‘women’ holds both · μὴ διαβόλους ‘not slanderers’ — the same word as vv.6-7 ‘slanderer’ · νηφαλίους (v.2) · πιστὰς ἐν πᾶσιν ‘faithful in all things’. ἔστωσαν ‘let them be’ · τέκνων … καὶ τῶν ἰδίων οἴκων ‘children and their own houses’ — taking up v.4. βαθμός occurs once in the New Testament, ‘standing’ (a step · a grade) · περιποιοῦνται is Acts 20:28 ‘acquire’ · πολλὴν παρρησίαν ‘much openness’ — Phil 1:20 ‘openness’ · ἐν πίστει τῇ ἐν Χριστῷ Ἰησοῦ ‘in faith that is in Christ Jesus’ — the phrase of 1:14.
Rendering options · 4
Basis ‘Servant’ as fixed at Phil 1:1 · Col 1:7 — ‘deacon’ names a later institution.
Basis The familiar rendering.
Rejected It cuts the root shared with v.13 ‘those who have served’ (διακονήσαντες).
Basis The text adds neither ‘their’ (αὐτῶν) nor ‘servant’ (διακόνους) — ‘women’ holds both.
Basis The word for a step · a grade (once in the New Testament) — ‘standing’ keeps the footing without ‘rank’.
Lost in translation
Διακόνους (v.8) / διακονήσαντες (v.13) — ‘servants / served’ keep one root.
γυναῖκας (v.11) — wives or women servants. ‘Women’ leaves it open.
Διακόνους ὡσαύτως σεμνούς (v.8) — verbless, hanging on the δεῖ of v.2. ‘Must’ carried over.
αἰσχροκερδεῖς (v.8) — the piece of αἰσχρός ‘shameful’ shows in ‘shameful gain’.
δοκιμαζέσθωσαν (v.10) / 1 Thess 2:4 — ‘tested / tests’ show the same verb.
βαθμόν (v.13) — the picture of a step. ‘Standing’ keeps the footing and loses the grade.
Why this rendering
1Tim.3.16 Observation
Syntactic observation
Ταῦτά σοι γράφω, ἐλπίζων ἐλθεῖν πρὸς σὲ ἐν τάχει, ἐὰν δὲ βραδύνω, ἵνα εἰδῇς πῶς δεῖ ἐν οἴκῳ θεοῦ ἀναστρέφεσθαι, ἥτις ἐστὶν ἐκκλησία θεοῦ ζῶντος, στῦλος καὶ ἑδραίωμα τῆς ἀληθείας· καὶ ὁμολογουμένως μέγα ἐστὶν τὸ τῆς εὐσεβείας μυστήριον· Ὃς ἐφανερώθη ἐν σαρκί, ἐδικαιώθη ἐν πνεύματι, ὤφθη ἀγγέλοις, ἐκηρύχθη ἐν ἔθνεσιν, ἐπιστεύθη ἐν κόσμῳ, ἀνελήμφθη ἐν δόξῃ — These things I write to you, hoping to come to you speedily; but if I am slow, so that you may know how one must conduct oneself in the house of God, which is the assembly of the living God, pillar and support of the truth. And confessedly great is the mystery of piety: Who was manifested in flesh, justified in spirit, appeared to angels, proclaimed among nations, believed on in the world, taken up in glory. ⸂ἐν τάχει⸃ ‘speedily’ — the phrase of Rom 16:20 · Luke 18:8 (the Received Text τάχιον) · βραδύνω ‘be slow’ (here and 2 Pet 3:9 — the verb of Luke 24:25 βραδύς ‘slow’) · ἐν οἴκῳ θεοῦ ἀναστρέφεσθαι ‘conduct oneself in the house of God’ — 2 Cor 1:12 ‘conduct oneself’ · οἶκος ‘house’ is the word of v.4 ‘his own house’ — the household and the house of God tied by one word · ἥτις ‘which’ — a feminine relative drawn to ἐκκλησία · θεοῦ ζῶντος ‘the living God’ · στῦλος καὶ ἑδραίωμα τῆς ἀληθείας ‘pillar and support of the truth’ — Gal 2:9 ‘pillar’ · ἑδραίωμα once in the New Testament (the noun of 1 Cor 15:58 ἑδραῖος ‘steadfast’) · whether the phrase speaks of the assembly or of the ‘mystery’ that follows the text does not settle — the rendering sets it with the assembly but breaks with a full stop to leave it open. ὁμολογουμένως occurs once in the New Testament, ‘confessedly’ — the adverb of Rom 10:9 ὁμολογέω ‘confess’ · τὸ τῆς εὐσεβείας μυστήριον ‘the mystery of piety’ — 2:2 ‘piety’ · paired with v.9 ‘the mystery of the faith’. ⸀Ὃς ‘who’ — the base text has the relative pronoun · the Received Text reads ‘God’ (θεός) · a relative with no noun before it, read as a fragment of a hymn · the rendering leaves ‘who’ unattached. Six aorist passives set with five ἐν and one dative (ἀγγέλοις) — ἐφανερώθη ἐν σαρκί ‘manifested in flesh’ (Col 1:26 ‘be manifested’ · σάρξ = flesh) · ἐδικαιώθη ἐν πνεύματι ‘justified in spirit’ (the passive of Rom 2:13 · spirit/Spirit open) · ὤφθη ἀγγέλοις ‘appeared to angels’ (1 Cor 15:5 ‘appear’) · ἐκηρύχθη ἐν ἔθνεσιν ‘proclaimed among nations’ · ἐπιστεύθη ἐν κόσμῳ ‘believed on in the world’ (2 Thess 1:10 ‘was believed’) · ἀνελήμφθη ἐν δόξῃ ‘taken up in glory’ (Acts 1:2 · 11 ‘taken up’) — the order of the six kept.
Rendering options · 4
Basis The base text’s reading — the Received Text’s ‘God’ (θεός) is not rendered · a relative with nothing before it marks a hymn fragment, so nothing is supplied.
Basis The Received Text’s reading — that of the KJV.
Rejected Not the base text’s reading — this version renders the base text.
Basis Of the assembly or of the mystery that follows, the text does not settle — set before but broken, so both paths remain.
Basis The adverb of Rom 10:9 ‘confess’ as fixed — ‘certainly’ would erase the root.
Lost in translation
Ὃς (v.16) — a relative with nothing before it. ‘Who’ keeps the relative unattached.
οἴκου (v.4) / οἴκῳ (v.15) — ‘house’ twice shows one word for the household and the house of God.
στῦλος καὶ ἑδραίωμα (v.15) — attaches to assembly or mystery. The full stop leaves it open.
Six aorist passives (v.16) — six passives in the same order.
ἐν πνεύματι (v.16) — spirit/Spirit. Lowercase ‘spirit’ leans one way.
ὁμολογουμένως (v.16) / Rom 10:9 ὁμολογέω — ‘confess-’ shows the root.