1 Timothy 5
Treat an older man as a father, younger men as brothers, women as mothers and sisters in purity. Honour widows who are indeed widows; if they have children or grandchildren, let those first practise piety at home and repay returns. The widow left alone remains in prayer night and day; the self-indulgent one has died while living. Whoever fails to provide for his household has denied the faith. Enrol widows of sixty, wives of one husband, well attested in good works; refuse younger widows — they grow wanton and want to marry, become idle wanderers, gossips and meddlers; let them marry, bear children, be masters of the house. A believing woman should assist widows so the assembly is not weighed down. Elders who preside well deserve double honour — the scripture speaks of the ox and the worker. Accept no accusation against an elder without two or three witnesses; expose those who sin before all. Before God, Christ Jesus and the chosen angels: no prejudgement, no partiality; lay hands on no one quickly; keep yourself pure; take a little wine for your stomach. Sins and good works alike are evident beforehand or follow after, and cannot be hidden.
Why this rendering
1Tim.5.4 Observation
Syntactic observation
Πρεσβυτέρῳ μὴ ἐπιπλήξῃς, ἀλλὰ παρακάλει ὡς πατέρα, νεωτέρους ὡς ἀδελφούς, πρεσβυτέρας ὡς μητέρας, νεωτέρας ὡς ἀδελφὰς ἐν πάσῃ ἁγνείᾳ. Χήρας τίμα τὰς ὄντως χήρας. εἰ δέ τις χήρα τέκνα ἢ ἔκγονα ἔχει, μανθανέτωσαν πρῶτον τὸν ἴδιον οἶκον εὐσεβεῖν καὶ ἀμοιβὰς ἀποδιδόναι τοῖς προγόνοις, τοῦτο γάρ ἐστιν ἀπόδεκτον ἐνώπιον τοῦ θεοῦ. ἡ δὲ ὄντως χήρα καὶ μεμονωμένη ἤλπικεν ἐπὶ θεὸν καὶ προσμένει ταῖς δεήσεσιν καὶ ταῖς προσευχαῖς νυκτὸς καὶ ἡμέρας· ἡ δὲ σπαταλῶσα ζῶσα τέθνηκεν. καὶ ταῦτα παράγγελλε, ἵνα ἀνεπίλημπτοι ὦσιν· εἰ δέ τις τῶν ἰδίων καὶ μάλιστα οἰκείων οὐ προνοεῖ, τὴν πίστιν ἤρνηται καὶ ἔστιν ἀπίστου χείρων — Do not lash at an older man, but exhort him as a father; younger men as brothers, older women as mothers, younger women as sisters, in all purity. Honour widows who are indeed widows. But if any widow has children or grandchildren, let them first learn to practise piety toward their own house and to repay returns to their forebears; for this is acceptable before God. She who is indeed a widow and left alone has hoped on God and remains with the supplications and the prayers night and day; but she who lives in self-indulgence has died while living. And charge these things, so that they may be beyond reproach. But if anyone does not take forethought for his own, and most of all for his household, he has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever. Πρεσβυτέρῳ in v.1 is of age (‘an older man’ — one word with vv.17 · 19 ‘elder’ · site-rule) · ἐπιπλήξῃς occurs once in the New Testament, ‘lash at’ (the word of striking) · four ὡς — father · brothers · mothers · sisters · νεωτέρους / νεωτέρας ‘younger men / younger women’, comparatives · ἁγνείᾳ is 4:12 ‘purity’. Χήρας τίμα τὰς ὄντως χήρας ‘honour widows who are indeed widows’ — Matt 15:4 ‘honour’ · Gal 3:21 ‘indeed’ · ὄντως χήρα three times in this chapter (vv.3 · 5 · 16). ἔκγονα ‘grandchildren’ · εὐσεβεῖν ‘practise piety toward’ — the verb of Acts 17:23 ‘devoutly worship’, here of a house · ἀμοιβὰς ἀποδιδόναι ‘repay returns’ — ἀμοιβή once in the New Testament · on the root of 1 Thess 5:15 ‘repay’ · προγόνοις ‘forebears’ (here and 2 Tim 1:3) · ἀπόδεκτον is the word of 2:3. μεμονωμένη occurs once, ‘left alone’ (the verb of 1 Thess 3:1 μόνος ‘alone’) · ἤλπικεν ἐπὶ ⸀θεόν ‘has hoped on God’ (the same perfect as 4:10 · the Received Text adds the article) · προσμένει ταῖς δεήσεσιν ‘remains with the supplications’ — the site-rule of Acts 11:23 ‘remain with the Lord’ · νυκτὸς καὶ ἡμέρας is 1 Thess 2:9 ‘night and day’. σπαταλῶσα ‘lives in self-indulgence’ (here and Jas 5:5) · ζῶσα τέθνηκεν ‘has died while living’ — present participle and perfect · Acts 25:19 ‘die’. ⸀μάλιστα · ⸀προνοεῖ are the base text’s readings · οἰκείων is Gal 6:10 ‘household’ · προνοεῖ is Rom 12:17 ‘take forethought’ · ἤρνηται ‘has denied’, perfect · ἀπίστου χείρων ‘worse than an unbeliever’ — Matt 9:16 ‘worse’.
Rendering options · 4
Basis In v.1 the word is paired with father · mother · brothers · sisters, an age word; in v.17 an office — one word in two sites, so ‘older man / elder’ (recorded).
Basis One word, one rendering.
Rejected The pairing ‘as a father … as mothers’ shows the text means age, not office.
Basis The site-rule of Acts 11:23 ‘remain with the Lord’ (of persons and grace) — Acts 18:18 ‘remain’ (of a place) is another site.
Basis The one-off ἀμοιβή as ‘returns’ · sharing the piece with 1 Thess 5:15 ‘repay’ — not glossed as ‘recompense’.
Lost in translation
πρεσβυτέρῳ (v.1) / πρεσβύτεροι (v.17) — one word split as ‘older man / elder’.
ὄντως χήρα (vv.3 · 5 · 16) — ‘indeed a widow’ three times shows the refrain.
ἀμοιβὰς ἀποδιδόναι (v.4) — ‘repay returns’ share the piece.
ζῶσα τέθνηκεν (v.6) — present participle and perfect. ‘Has died while living’ carries both.
εὐσεβεῖν (v.4) / Acts 17:23 — ‘practise piety / devoutly worship’ split the verb.
νεωτέρους · νεωτέρας (vv.1-2) — comparatives. ‘Younger’ carries it.
Why this rendering
1Tim.5.10 Observation
Syntactic observation
Χήρα καταλεγέσθω μὴ ἔλαττον ἐτῶν ἑξήκοντα γεγονυῖα, ἑνὸς ἀνδρὸς γυνή, ἐν ἔργοις καλοῖς μαρτυρουμένη, εἰ ἐτεκνοτρόφησεν, εἰ ἐξενοδόχησεν, εἰ ἁγίων πόδας ἔνιψεν, εἰ θλιβομένοις ἐπήρκεσεν, εἰ παντὶ ἔργῳ ἀγαθῷ ἐπηκολούθησεν. νεωτέρας δὲ χήρας παραιτοῦ· ὅταν γὰρ καταστρηνιάσωσιν τοῦ Χριστοῦ, γαμεῖν θέλουσιν, ἔχουσαι κρίμα ὅτι τὴν πρώτην πίστιν ἠθέτησαν· ἅμα δὲ καὶ ἀργαὶ μανθάνουσιν, περιερχόμεναι τὰς οἰκίας, οὐ μόνον δὲ ἀργαὶ ἀλλὰ καὶ φλύαροι καὶ περίεργοι, λαλοῦσαι τὰ μὴ δέοντα. βούλομαι οὖν νεωτέρας γαμεῖν, τεκνογονεῖν, οἰκοδεσποτεῖν, μηδεμίαν ἀφορμὴν διδόναι τῷ ἀντικειμένῳ λοιδορίας χάριν· ἤδη γάρ τινες ἐξετράπησαν ὀπίσω τοῦ Σατανᾶ. εἴ τις πιστὴ ἔχει χήρας, ἐπαρκείτω αὐταῖς, καὶ μὴ βαρείσθω ἡ ἐκκλησία, ἵνα ταῖς ὄντως χήραις ἐπαρκέσῃ — Let a widow be enrolled having become not less than sixty years, a wife of one husband, well attested in good works — if she brought up children, if she received strangers, if she washed the feet of holy ones, if she assisted the pressed, if she followed after every good work. But younger widows refuse; for when they grow wanton against Christ, they want to marry, having judgement because they set aside their first faith; and at the same time they also learn to be idle, wandering around the houses — and not only idle but also gossips and meddlers, speaking what they ought not. I want, then, younger women to marry, to bear children, to be masters of the house, to give no foothold to the one opposing, for the sake of abuse; for already some have swerved after Satan. If any believing woman has widows, let her assist them, and let the assembly not be weighed down, so that it may assist those who are indeed widows. καταλεγέσθω occurs once in the New Testament, ‘let her be enrolled’ · μὴ ἔλαττον ἐτῶν ἑξήκοντα ‘not less than sixty years’ — the comparative of John 2:10 ‘the lesser’ · ἑνὸς ἀνδρὸς γυνή ‘a wife of one husband’ mirrors 3:2 ‘a husband of one wife’ · μαρτυρουμένη ‘well attested’ — Acts 6:3 · 16:2. Five εἰ in a row — ἐτεκνοτρόφησεν ‘brought up children’ (once in the New Testament — τέκνον + τρέφω · the root of 4:6 ‘nourished’) · ἐξενοδόχησεν ‘received strangers’ (once — ξένος stranger) · ἁγίων πόδας ἔνιψεν ‘washed the feet of holy ones’ — John 13:5 ‘wash the feet’ · ἐπήρκεσεν ‘assisted’ (three places in the New Testament — all three in this chapter · kept apart from βοηθέω ‘help’) · ἐπηκολούθησεν ‘followed after’ (the verb of Mark 16:20 ‘following’ · again at v.24). παραιτοῦ is 4:7 ‘refuse’ · καταστρηνιάσωσιν occurs once, ‘grow wanton’ (against Christ — genitive) · τὴν πρώτην πίστιν ἠθέτησαν ‘set aside their first faith’ — whether faith or a pledge is left open · 1 Thess 4:8 ‘set aside’. ἀργαί ‘idle’ — the adjective of Matt 20:3 ‘standing idle’ · περιερχόμεναι ‘wandering around’ — Acts 19:13 · φλύαροι ‘gossips’ (once) · περίεργοι ‘meddlers’ — the adjective of 2 Thess 3:11 περιεργάζομαι · Acts 19:19 ‘curious arts’ (the same word in another site) · τὰ μὴ δέοντα ‘what they ought not’. βούλομαι is 2:8 ‘want’ · τεκνογονεῖν ‘bear children’ (once — the verb of 2:15 ‘childbearing’) · οἰκοδεσποτεῖν ‘be masters of the house’ (once — Matt 24:43 οἰκοδεσπότης ‘master of the house’) · ἀφορμήν is Gal 5:13 ‘foothold’ · τῷ ἀντικειμένῳ ‘the one opposing’ · λοιδορίας χάριν ‘for the sake of abuse’ — the noun of John 9:28 λοιδορέω ‘revile’ · ἐξετράπησαν ὀπίσω τοῦ Σατανᾶ ‘swerved after Satan’ — the verb of 1:6. ⸀τις πιστή ‘any believing woman’ (the Received Text ‘believing man or believing woman’) · ⸀ἐπαρκείτω · βαρείσθω is 2 Cor 1:8 ‘be weighed down’.
Rendering options · 4
Basis A different word from Matt 15:25 βοηθέω ‘help’ — ‘assist’ keeps the chapter’s three on one word.
Basis The adjective of 2 Thess 3:11 περιεργάζομαι ‘work round about’ — Acts 19:19 ‘curious arts’ is the same word in another site (site-rule).
Basis Faith or a pledge, the text does not settle — ‘faith’ as fixed, the openness recorded.
Basis The familiar gloss.
Rejected ‘Pledge’ and ‘broke’ are not the text’s words — departing from πίστις and ἀθετέω as fixed.
Lost in translation
ἑνὸς ἀνδρὸς γυνή (v.9) / 3:2 μιᾶς γυναικὸς ἄνδρα — ‘a wife of one husband / a husband of one wife’ show the mirror.
ἐτεκνοτρόφησεν (v.10) — ‘brought up children’ shows τέκνον, not τρέφω.
περίεργοι (v.13) / 2 Thess 3:11 περιεργαζομένους — ‘meddlers / working round about’ are cut.
τὴν πρώτην πίστιν (v.12) — faith or pledge. ‘Their first faith’ leaves it open.
ἐπήρκεσεν · ἐπαρκείτω · ἐπαρκέσῃ (vv.10 · 16) — ‘assist’ three times shows one word.
οἰκοδεσποτεῖν (v.14) / Matt 24:43 οἰκοδεσπότης — ‘masters of the house / master of the house’ keep the root.
Why this rendering
1Tim.5.18 Observation
Syntactic observation
Οἱ καλῶς προεστῶτες πρεσβύτεροι διπλῆς τιμῆς ἀξιούσθωσαν, μάλιστα οἱ κοπιῶντες ἐν λόγῳ καὶ διδασκαλίᾳ· λέγει γὰρ ἡ γραφή· Βοῦν ἀλοῶντα οὐ φιμώσεις, καί· Ἄξιος ὁ ἐργάτης τοῦ μισθοῦ αὐτοῦ. κατὰ πρεσβυτέρου κατηγορίαν μὴ παραδέχου, ἐκτὸς εἰ μὴ ἐπὶ δύο ἢ τριῶν μαρτύρων· τοὺς ἁμαρτάνοντας ἐνώπιον πάντων ἔλεγχε, ἵνα καὶ οἱ λοιποὶ φόβον ἔχωσιν. διαμαρτύρομαι ἐνώπιον τοῦ θεοῦ καὶ Χριστοῦ Ἰησοῦ καὶ τῶν ἐκλεκτῶν ἀγγέλων, ἵνα ταῦτα φυλάξῃς χωρὶς προκρίματος, μηδὲν ποιῶν κατὰ πρόσκλισιν. χεῖρας ταχέως μηδενὶ ἐπιτίθει, μηδὲ κοινώνει ἁμαρτίαις ἀλλοτρίαις· σεαυτὸν ἁγνὸν τήρει. μηκέτι ὑδροπότει, ἀλλὰ οἴνῳ ὀλίγῳ χρῶ διὰ τὸν στόμαχον καὶ τὰς πυκνάς σου ἀσθενείας. Τινῶν ἀνθρώπων αἱ ἁμαρτίαι πρόδηλοί εἰσιν, προάγουσαι εἰς κρίσιν, τισὶν δὲ καὶ ἐπακολουθοῦσιν· ὡσαύτως καὶ τὰ ἔργα τὰ καλὰ πρόδηλα, καὶ τὰ ἄλλως ἔχοντα κρυβῆναι οὐ δύνανται — Let the elders who preside well be counted worthy of double honour, most of all those who labour in word and teaching; for the scripture says, “You shall not muzzle a threshing ox,” and, “The worker is worthy of his wage.” Do not welcome an accusation against an elder, except on the basis of two or three witnesses. Those who sin, expose before all, so that the rest also may have fear. I solemnly testify before God and Christ Jesus and the chosen angels that you keep these things without prejudgement, doing nothing according to partiality. Lay hands quickly on no one, nor share in others’ sins; keep yourself pure. No longer be a water-drinker, but use a little wine because of your stomach and your frequent weaknesses. Some men’s sins are evident beforehand, going before to judgement; but for some they also follow after. Likewise also the good works are evident beforehand, and those that are otherwise cannot be hidden. προεστῶτες ‘preside’ — the verb of 3:4 ‘presiding over his house’ · διπλῆς τιμῆς ‘double honour’ — Matt 23:15 ‘twofold’ · whether τιμή is honour or pay is left open (v.18 speaks of wages) · ‘honour’ as fixed, the openness recorded · ἀξιούσθωσαν ‘be counted worthy’ — the passive of 2 Thess 1:11. ἡ γραφή ‘the scripture’ cites two — the first is Deut 25:4 · 1 Cor 9:9 cites the same verse with another verb (κημόω ‘put a muzzle on’), here φιμόω ‘muzzle’ (the verb of Mark 1:25 · Matt 22:34) · the second has the words of Luke 10:7 (Ἄξιος ὁ ἐργάτης τοῦ μισθοῦ αὐτοῦ) — ‘the worker is worthy of his wage’ as there · a saying of Luke called ‘scripture’. κατηγορίαν is John 18:29 ‘accusation’ · παραδέχου ‘welcome’ — Acts 22:18 · ἐκτὸς εἰ μή ‘except’ — 1 Cor 14:5 · ἐπὶ δύο ἢ τριῶν μαρτύρων ‘on the basis of two or three witnesses’ — Matt 18:16 ‘by the mouth of two or three witnesses’ · ⸀τοὺς ἁμαρτάνοντας ‘those who sin’ · ἔλεγχε ‘expose’ — the verb of John 3:20 · Eph 5:11 · not ‘rebuke’. διαμαρτύρομαι is 2 Thess 1 ‘solemnly testify’ · ⸂Χριστοῦ Ἰησοῦ⸃ · ἐκλεκτῶν ἀγγέλων ‘chosen angels’ — Col 3:12 ‘chosen’, of angels · προκρίματος ‘prejudgement’ (once in the New Testament — κρίνω judge) · πρόσκλισιν ‘partiality’ (once — a leaning). χεῖρας … ἐπιτίθει ‘lay hands’ — Acts 8:18 · 4:14 ‘laying on of hands’ · κοινώνει ἁμαρτίαις ἀλλοτρίαις ‘share in others’ sins’ — Phil 4:15 ‘share in’ · Matt 17:25 ‘another’s’ · ἁγνὸν τήρει ‘keep yourself pure’ — 2 Cor 7:11 ‘pure’. ὑδροπότει occurs once, ‘be a water-drinker’ · οἴνῳ ὀλίγῳ χρῶ ‘use a little wine’ — the wine of 3:3 · 3:8 · ⸀στόμαχον occurs once, ‘stomach’ · πυκνάς ‘frequent’ — Luke 5:33 ‘often’ · ἀσθενείας is Gal 4:13 ‘weakness’. πρόδηλοι ‘evident beforehand’ (vv.24 · 25 · Heb 7:14) · προάγουσαι εἰς κρίσιν ‘going before to judgement’ — 1:18 ‘went before’ · ἐπακολουθοῦσιν ‘follow after’ — the verb of v.10 · ⸂ἔργα τὰ καλὰ⸃ ⸀πρόδηλα is the base text’s reading · τὰ ἄλλως ἔχοντα ‘those that are otherwise’ (ἄλλως once in the New Testament) · κρυβῆναι οὐ δύνανται ‘cannot be hidden’ — Col 3:3 ‘be hidden’.
Rendering options · 4
Basis ‘Honour’ as fixed at 1 Thess 4:4 — the text itself lays the sense of pay onto ‘honour’ through v.18, so the rendering does not close it as ‘pay’.
Basis Because v.18 speaks of wages.
Rejected It closes τιμή to the ‘price’ site (1 Cor 7:23) — the text chose the word for honour.
Basis Two letters cite the same Deuteronomy verse with different verbs — 1 Cor 9:9 ‘put a muzzle on’ · here ‘muzzle’ (the verb of Mark 1:25).
Basis As fixed at John 3:20 · Eph 5:11 — not ‘rebuke’.
Lost in translation
φιμώσεις (v.18) / 1 Cor 9:9 κημώσεις — ‘muzzle / put a muzzle on’ keep two verbs, barely.
Ἄξιος ὁ ἐργάτης τοῦ μισθοῦ αὐτοῦ (v.18) / Luke 10:7 — the same sentence in the same words.
τιμῆς (v.17) — honour or pay. ‘Honour’ loses the pay, and v.18 gives it back.
προκρίματος (v.21) / κρίσιν (v.24) — ‘prejudgement / judgement’ keep the root.
πρόδηλοι (vv.24 · 25) · προάγουσαι (v.24) — ‘beforehand · before’ carry both πρό-.
ἐπακολουθοῦσιν (v.24) / ἐπηκολούθησεν (v.10) — ‘follow after’ shows the echo.