5:14a

So: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as So introduces Paul’s conclusion based on what he said in 5:11–13 about younger widows.

I advise the younger widows to marry: Paul advised Timothy to tell younger widows to remarry. (Kelly, page 119, says, “It is often argued that this advice proves that the writer cannot be the Apostle, since in I Cor. vii. 25 ff., while not opposed to marriage, he gave it as his opinion that in view of the imminence of the Parousia it was better for the unmarried to remain so. But (a) his Corinthian ruling was given many years previously, and it is agreed that as he grew older his sense of the nearness of the Parousia became dimmer; and (b) that ruling was in any case a general one, whereas here he is dealing with the very special case of widows. It is clearly his view that it is ideally better for anyone, man or woman, whose partner has died to avoid a second marriage, but his good sense and realism make him encourage second marriages where the strain involved in remaining single would be too great. This, as a matter of fact, is exactly the position he adopts in I Corinthians, where we find him (vii. 9; 36) specifically recommending marriage for (a) unmarried people and widows, and (b) partners in spiritual celibacy, provided they find it impossible to control their passions.”) He did so because he especially did not want the young widows to face the temptations listed in 5:11–13.

5:14b

have children: That is, to give birth to children. It is implied that Paul expected the mothers to take care of those children.

5:14c

and manage their households: The phrase manage their households means to do all the things that women had to do to ensure that they had properly cared for their families. Although the Berean Standard Bible translates the Greek word in the same way as in 3:4, the word is different.

5:14d

denying the adversary occasion for slander: Paul wanted the younger widows to behave well so that no one would have an excuse to criticize the Christians.

the adversary: The Greek phrase that the Berean Standard Bible translates as the adversary is literally “the one oppressing.” In this verse it can refer to either:

(1) the devil

(2) any person who opposes Christians and Christianity (New Century Version says “no enemy”; Good News Translation says “our enemies”)

Most translations do not explain who the enemy is. It is recommended that you use as general a word as possible in your translation. If you must be specific, it is recommended that you follow interpretation (1). Paul was probably talking about the devil. However, one way that the devil slanders Christians is causing people to criticize them.

slander: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as slander means “speaking against,” “insulting.” The English word slander implies that someone is saying something false. However the Greek word can also refer to saying true things to insult people. (Louw and Nida (33.393) define the Greek word (loidoria) as “to speak in a highly insulting manner.” However, Kittel

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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.