SIL Translator’s Notes on 1 Timothy 2003 – Page 10

SIL Translator's Notes on 1 Timothy 5:9

Paragraph 5:9–10

In this paragraph Paul told Timothy more about which widows the believers should care for.

Paul had previously stated some requirements for these widows, that is:

(a) they had to be without a family who could support them (5:5a)

(b) they had to be godly (5:5b and 5:5c)

But these were not the only requirements. In 5:9–10 Paul gave other requirements for widows. If they met those requirements, they could receive special care from the believers.

5:9a

A widow should be enrolled: In some languages it may be better to translate this as a direct active command:

Put on the list of widows [those widows who…]

A widow: In some languages it may be better to phrase this verse part negatively rather than positively; that is, to say which widows may not be put on the list for support. If this is true in you language, you could begin:

No widows should be enrolled who…

Paul was now only talking about those widows who had no family to help them.

should be enrolled: The phrase that the Berean Standard Bible translates as should be enrolled translates a Greek word that occurs only here in the New Testament. It means “enrolled, enlisted.” It seems that the believers kept a list of Christian widows. This was probably a list of the widows for whom the believers regularly provided. (The widows on this list probably did have a duty to spend their time serving people in special ways. Perhaps they did some of the things which Paul mentioned in 5:10a–f, such as raising children (perhaps orphans), showing hospitality, helping those in trouble, and doing other good deeds. Knight, pages 222 and 223, says, “So a church may have a list of elderly and godly widows who have no one else to care for them and who commit themselves to serving Christ. The church commits itself to assist these widows and in turn may ask them to perform certain tasks as need arises. Noting all the dimensions of this arrangement keeps one from drawing the false conclusion that the church does not help other widows who are either younger or who do not fully meet the requirements. But the passage does imply that the church enters into this permanent arrangement only with certain qualified widows and with mutually accepted commitments and possible responsibilities. Noting all the dimensions of the arrangement also guards against the erroneous conclusion that Paul is mandating a widows’ organization in the church. The teaching of the passage is, rather, that the church only provides for widows which families do not. Thus, where every widow is provided for by her family there is no need for such a list. If, however, there needs to be a list, these are the requirements.”)

enrolled: In some languages, the concept of enrolling widows on a list may be difficult to translate. If this is true in your language, you could try translating using an expression like:

should be included in the group of widows whom the believers regularly help

at least sixty years old: At the time when Paul wrote, people considered those who had reached sixty years of age to be old people. Women who were over sixty years old did not usually remarry.

5:9b

the wife of one man: This is the second condition that a widow had to meet before being added to the list of widows. The Greek phrase that the Berean Standard Bible translates as the wife of one man can be understood in two ways:

(1) She should have had sexual relations only with her husband (or husbands) and no one else. For example, the Contemporary English Version says:

faithful in marriage

(Contemporary English Version, New International Version (2011 Revision), New Living Translation (2004 Revision), New Century Version)

(2) She should have had only one husband her entire life, without ever remarrying. For example, the Good News Translation says:

she must have been married only once

(Good News Translation, Revised Standard Version, NET Bible, Revised English Bible, New Jerusalem Bible, King James Version, New American Standard Bible, God’s Word) (See Kelly, page 116, for a defense of this second interpretation.)

In 5:14a Paul recommended that younger widows remarry, so interpretation (2) is less likely. Also, Paul used the same Greek expression here that he used in 3:2b (except that here he said “woman” instead of “man”). It is therefore recommended that you follow interpretation (1).

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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.

SIL Translator's Notes on 1 Timothy 5:10

5:10a

and well known for good deeds: This is the third main condition that a widow must fulfill to be included on the list of widows. Paul probably was not speaking about specific good deeds, but referring to the widow’s reputation as someone who frequently did good deeds.

In the rest of this verse Paul gave some examples of good deeds.

and well known: That is, other people know that she is the sort of person who helps others.

General Comment on 5:9a–10a

Paul here gave three conditions that were to be met before a widow could be enrolled or put on the list of widows. In some languages it might be better to make this clear by using three conditional or “if” clauses, like this:

Enroll a widow only if she is over sixty years old, if she has been faithful to her husband, and if people agree that she has always been busy doing good things.

5:10b

such as: In the Berean Standard Bible, the words such as introduce a list of four specific kinds of good deeds (5:10b–e) for which the widow should be known.

bringing up children: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as bringing up children refers to caring for children, providing for their physical needs, and training and teaching them what they need to know to be virtuous people.

children: These children may not have been her own children, but most likely her grandchildren. Use the most general word for children that you can.

5:10c

entertaining strangers: Although the Greek word here is different from the one that the Berean Standard Bible translates as “hospitable” in 3:2d, the meaning is the same. A widow must also be a person who welcomes guests into her home for food and shelter.

5:10d

washing the feet of the saints: It was usual in Paul’s time for a guest’s feet to be washed when he arrived. In John 13:1–17, Jesus showed that washing someone else’s feet was an act of humility and love and that it was something believers should do for one another. However, in this context, scholars disagree about whether this expression should be understood:

(1) literally

(Berean Standard Bible, New International Version (2011 Revision), Revised Standard Version, New Jerusalem Bible, King James Version, New American Standard Bible, Revised English Bible, NET Bible, New Century Version)

(2) figuratively. For example, the New Living Translation (2004 Revision) says:

served other Christians humbly

(Good News Translation, Contemporary English Version, God’s Word, New Living Translation (2004 Revision))

It is recommended that you follow interpretation (1) and translate this literally. Paul was listing some specific good deeds and there is no reason to assume that he was speaking figuratively.

If your readers will not understand the reason that someone might wash someone else’s feet, you might need to add an explanation or a cross reference to John 13:1–17 in a footnote.

the saints: The Greek word for saints literally refers to “the holy ones” or “the sanctified ones.” The word saints refers to someone who believes in Christ.

5:10e

imparting relief to the afflicted: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as the afflicted refers to people who are in distress, who are suffering in some way, or who are experiencing hardship/difficulties.

5:10f

devoting herself to every good work: This is a general statement that summarizes what Paul had just been saying. The widow must have been faithfully and consistently showing all sorts of kindness to people.

devoting herself to: The Greek verb that the Berean Standard Bible translates as devoting herself to means that she should occupy her time with doing good deeds or that she should work diligently to do good deeds. See also the note on 4:13b.

Paragraph 5:11–15

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SIL Translator's Notes on 1 Timothy 5:11

5:11a

But refuse to enroll younger widows: The order of the words in the Greek text indicate that Paul was now focusing on the younger widows as his topic. The New International Version (2011 Revision) shows this by saying, “As for younger widows,” but you should use a natural way in your language to show this focus.

But refuse to enroll: That is, they should not be put on the list mentioned in 5:9a.

younger widows: This Greek phrase refers to widows who were younger than sixty.

5:11b

For: This introduces the first reason that Paul gives for excluding younger widows from the list.

when their passions draw them away from Christ: The Berean Standard Bible phrase their passions draw them away translates a single Greek word. This word only occurs here in the New Testament. It implies that Paul did not expect these young women to be able to discipline or restrain their physical (sexual) desires. He expected these desires to grow and to become stronger than the women’s desire to serve Christ.

Christ: Notice that in this verse Paul refers to Jesus only using the name Christ. It is recommended that you do the same thing.

The word Christ is used two ways in the New Testament. In the Gospels, Christ is a title for Jesus. It means “the anointed one.” But later, by the time that Paul and others wrote letters to individuals and churches, the word Christ was used as another name for Jesus. It was no longer used as a title. So here and in other New Testament letters you should spell Christ according to the rules of your language.

5:11c

they will want to marry: It seems that these younger widows promised in some way that they would serve Christ as widows for the rest of their lives without remarrying. However later on, they change their mind. Paul was saying that it was not realistic for young widows to promise this because most young widows would want to remarry.

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SIL Translator's Notes on 1 Timothy 5:12

5:12a

and thus: In this context the Berean Standard Bible has used the connector thus to mean “by doing this.” It introduces a sentence that explains what will happen to those widows who break their promise to Christ by remarrying.

will incur judgment: The Greek expression that the Berean Standard Bible translates as will incur judgment literally means “having judgment.” Scholars interpret this in two main ways:

(1) God had reasons to judge (Louw and Nida give the following for the meaning of krima (“to judge”): “(1) a legal decision (56.20); (2) the authority to judge (56.22); (3) a verdict, as the legal decision rendered by a judge, whether for or against the accused – ‘verdict, sentence, judgment’ (56.24); (4) condemnation, as to judge a person to be guilty and liable to punishment – ‘to judge as guilty, to condemn, condemnation’ (56.30); (5) a lawsuit (56.2); or (6) a judgment, as the content of the process of judging – ‘judgment, decision, evaluation’ (30.11). BAG says that the word means “‘a judicial verdict’ mostly in an unfavorable sense, of the ‘sentence of condemnation,’ also of the ‘condemnation’ and the subsequent ‘punishment’ itself.”) these widows; that is, he would punish them in some way for not keeping their promise.

(2) Other people had reasons to judge these women, that is, they would think badly about the widows because they had not kept their promise. The New Jerusalem Bible followed this interpretation clearly:

people condemn them for…

Most English versions are ambiguous, though they seem to imply interpretation (1). It is recommended that you also follow interpretation (1). Paul was saying that in some way God would punish a widow who promised not to remarry and then broke that promise.

5:12b

their first faith: Paul did not specify to whom this first faith had been promised. There are two main possibilities:

(1) The widow promised the first faith to the other believers when they put her name on the list. She was then promising to serve Christ without remarrying for the rest of her life. If she remarried, she would be promising her faith to her new husband and this would break her first faith. For example, the Good News Translation says:

…Christ, 12and so become guilty of breaking their earlier promise to him.

(Good News Translation, Revised English Bible, Contemporary English Version, New Century Version)

(2) The widow promised the first faith to her first husband, which she breaks by remarrying.

Many English versions are ambiguous and do not specify to whom the first faith was promised. It is recommended that you follow interpretation (1). Paul elsewhere recommends remarriage and does not consider it to be breaking a promise to the first husband.

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SIL Translator's Notes on 1 Timothy 5:13

5:13a

At the same time: Paul used the Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as At the same time to introduce a second reason that younger widows should not be added to the list of widows.

they will also learn to be idle: The Greek term that the Berean Standard Bible translates as idle refers to not remaining busy, not working, and being lazy. Widows who were on the list were supported by the church. For that reason, they did not need to work to get the things they needed. As a result, some of them could get into the habit of doing nothing. Instead, they were supposed to use their time to help others.

5:13b

going from house to house: Paul was saying that while these younger widows were idle, they began to spend their time going from house to house visiting people. One reason that they did this was to learn what these people were doing. Then they were gossiping about it with other people (5:13d). Some languages will have idiomatic and descriptive ways of speaking about these things.

5:13c

not only: Paul used the words that the Berean Standard Bible translates as not only to indicate that there were other things that young widows often did when they were not busy managing their homes (5:14c). It is implied that these things were even worse than just being idle.

5:13d

but also gossips and busybodies: The young widows were also acquiring two other bad habits: they were becoming gossips and busybodies.

gossips: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as gossips refers to people who enjoy talking about other people when they are not present. Gossips also pass on rumors about other people.

busybodies: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as busybodies refers to people who are curious and meddlesome. This kind of person asks about what another person is doing. Then he or she gives people advice even though they have not asked for advice and do not want it. Your language may have an idiomatic way of saying this that you could use here.

5:13e

discussing things they should not mention: This part of the verse summarizes 5:13d. One of the reasons that it is wrong to gossip and be a busybody is that such a person says things that she ought not to.

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SIL Translator's Notes on 1 Timothy 5:14

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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SIL Translator's Notes on 1 Timothy 5:15

5:15

For: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as For is a conjunction, gar. This conjunction indicates that 5:15 is a reason for Paul’s instruction in 5:14.

some: That is, some of the younger widows.

already: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as already is the first word in the verse, and so it is being emphasized. This emphasis indicates that this verse is a warning. Paul was warning Timothy that some widows were already starting to follow Satan. So his instructions in 5:14 were very important.

turned aside to follow Satan: The Greek phrase that the Berean Standard Bible translates as turned aside to follow Satan literally means “turned away after Satan.” Paul meant that some of the younger widows had stopped obeying God. They were now doing things that Satan wanted them to do.

Satan: Satan is the supreme evil spiritual being who leads and directs all other evil spiritual beings. In other parts of the New Testament he is referred to as “the devil” or “the Evil One.”

Satan is a proper name. So keep that name in your translation if you can. However, in some languages, it may be necessary to explain that he is the chief of the evil spirits. Also see the note on 1:20b.

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SIL Translator's Notes on 1 Timothy 5:16

Paragraph 5:16

In 5:16 Paul summarized what he had been teaching about widows in the earlier part of the chapter. Use a natural way in your language to indicate that this is a summary. For example, you could start the verse with a phrase like:

I say again…

5:16a

If any believing woman has dependent widows:

Some of the older translations, like the King James Version, say “man or woman,” instead of only saying “woman.” The King James Version says, “If any man or woman that believeth have widows….” However, “woman” is probably the correct text. The Editorial Committee of the UBS Handbook New Testament (4
th edition) gives the reading “believing woman” a {C} rating, indicating that the Committee had difficulty in deciding which variant to place in the text. Metzger, page 642, says, “…a majority of the Committee, observing that the shorter reading is somewhat better attested than the longer reading, regarded the latter as a natural expansion made by copyists who, in light of ver. 4, felt that a restriction of the principle of this verse to Christian women was unfair.”) Paul knew that some of the believing women in Ephesus had widows in their families. Therefore, in some languages, it will not be possible to use an “if” clause here. If that is true in your language, you could say:

Believing women who have widows in their families should…

believing woman: Paul only mentioned women believers here. However, 5:8 makes it clear that men also had this duty. See the note on 5:8a.

dependent widows: Paul used widows^(plur) here because a woman might have more than one widow to care for. For example, she may need to care for her mother, her mother-in-law and her grandmother.

5:16c

not allow the church to be burdened: This phrase indicates that believers should not need to care for widows who had families of their own. A literal translation would be difficult in many languages. Some ways that may make the meaning clearer are, For example:

it is not right for her to ask the church to take care of them
-or-
she should not give the church the responsibility of providing for the widows in her family

church: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as church does not refer to a church building, but to all true believers. Together they form the assembly or community of God’s people. Avoid using a term that might suggest that Paul was referring to a building. Some ways to translate the term church are:

the assembly of God’s people
-or-
the community of God’s people
-or-
God’s family
-or-
God’s people

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Source: SIL Translator's Notes on 1 Timothy 2003

SIL Translator's Notes on 1 Timothy 5:9

SIL Translator's Notes on 1 Timothy 5:10

SIL Translator's Notes on 1 Timothy 5:11

SIL Translator's Notes on 1 Timothy 5:12

SIL Translator's Notes on 1 Timothy 5:13

SIL Translator's Notes on 1 Timothy 5:14

SIL Translator's Notes on 1 Timothy 5:15

SIL Translator's Notes on 1 Timothy 5:16

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