4:14a

Do not neglect: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as neglect means “ignore, be unconcerned about.” Therefore, to not neglect something means to pay attention to it. Paul wanted Timothy to remember to use his gift. In some languages you may need to say this positively instead of negatively. For example, you could say:

Pay attention to [your gift]

the gift that is in you: This refers to some kind of special ability or talent that God gave to Timothy through the Holy Spirit. Paul did not make explicit what this gift was because, of course, Timothy already knew what it was. It probably included an ability to teach and preach.

In some languages, there is no noun that means “ability.” If this is true in your language, you could say:

the work that God made you able to do

Be careful to use a word for “work” that can include activities such as teaching and preaching.

4:14b

In 4:14b–c, Paul reminded Timothy about the way that he had received his gift from God.

which was given you: If you need to supply a subject here, you should say that God gave Timothy the gift.

prophecy spoken over you: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as prophecy refers to special messages that the Holy Spirit gives to people.

Paul was probably referring to a prophecy that one (or more) of the elders had received from God (4:14c). God probably told them to tell Timothy that God had given him the ability to preach and teach. Another example of a prophetic message is recorded in Acts 13:1–3.

4:14c

at the laying on of the hands: In the Christian community, it was usual to place hands on a person to commission them for a special task. For example, the believers in Antioch commissioned Paul and Barnabas to go and preach the gospel in other places (Acts 13:3). Here in 4:14, Paul was referring to the time when the elders stood around Timothy and placed their hands on him.

God had given Timothy the ability to preach and teach. This ceremony was intended to show the other believers in Ephesus that God had given Timothy those abilities.

Scripture does not say where the elders placed their hands, but it was probably on Timothy’s head.

of the elders: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as the elders refers to a group or council of elders.

elders: This term refers to leaders of a local group of believers. The word “overseer” in 3:1b and 3:2a probably refers to the same people.

General Comment on 4:14a–c

In some languages, it may be more natural to reorder this verse. One way to do this is:

^14cRemember when the group of elders put their hands on you ^14band God gave them a message to tell you about the special ability he had given you. ^14aDo not ignore that ability.

© 2003 by SIL International®

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All Scripture quotations in this publication, unless otherwise indicated, are from The Holy Bible, Berean Standard Bible. BSB is produced in cooperation with Bible Hub, Discovery Bible, OpenBible.com, and the Berean Bible Translation Committee.