As an alternative to putting younger widows on the roll, and to save them from the negative activities that have been mentioned, Paul would prefer for younger widows to marry and live normal lives as wives and mothers in the context of a family.

Rule their households translates the Greek literally (see 3.4 for comments on the similar expression “manage his own household”), but the term is used for someone who manages a home (Good News Translation “take care of”); at that time, of course, a home would include slaves and servants. The reason for this recommendation (that is, of the younger widows remarrying and having a new home) is in order to give the enemy no occasion to revile us. Us refers to the total Christian community and should therefore be translated inclusively. Occasion can also be “pretext,” “excuse.” Revile actually is a noun in the Greek and can be translated as “slander,” “insult,” “say bad things about,” hence Good News Translation “speak evil.” The insult would of course be directed to Christians, and this is made explicit in Revised Standard Version‘s to revile us.

But who is the enemy? In view of verse 15, and in view of the fact that enemy is singular, the logical conclusion would be to identify Satan as the enemy. The problem with this option is, how can Satan insult members of the Christian community? It is for this reason that some translations have opted for identifying the enemy with certain people, perhaps and especially the followers of the false teachers. If such an option is taken, then enemy is considered as a collective noun and is therefore better translated plural, as, for example, Good News Translation “enemies.” Those who hold to the view that the enemy here refers to Satan would reason that Satan insults the Christian community through a human being. All in all, though, it is recommended by this Handbook that translators render this word as “enemies.” In a number of languages “our enemies” will be rendered as “those who hate us.”

Quoted with permission from Arichea, Daniel C. and Hatton, Howard A. A Handbook on Paul’s First Letter to Timothy. (UBS Handbook Series). New York: UBS, 1995. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .