4:16a

Pay close attention: The Greek verb that the Berean Standard Bible translates as Pay close attention could also be translated as “focus on,” “be careful concerning,” “consider carefully.” The verb form in Greek suggests that Paul was commanding Timothy to continue to do something that he was already doing. He was not telling him to do something new. Paul was commanding Timothy to continue to pay careful attention to his behavior and what he taught.

your life: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as your life is literally “yourself.” This refers to behavior. Paul was telling Timothy to pay attention to the way that he behaved as a believer.

your teaching: The word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as teaching refers to the facts that Christians should believe about God and Christ. These were the facts that Paul and other apostles accepted as true. This was what Paul had taught Timothy (4:6) and was now telling Timothy that he should teach other believers (4:13c). See the note on 1:10d.

4:16c

for by so doing: Here Paul told Timothy the reason that it was so important to persevere.

Paul was not implying that Timothy might not persevere. The form of the Greek verb indicates that Paul was reminding him to continue to do things that he was already doing. See the note on 4:16a.

4:16d

you will save both yourself and those who hear you: Paul was not saying that Timothy and the other believers in Ephesus were not saved. Rather here he used the future tense (will save) to refer to the time when believers arrive in heaven. At that time their salvation is complete. In heaven there is no more suffering or persecution.

Specifically Paul was saying Timothy’s teaching and preaching was the way in which God was confirming Timothy’s own salvation. God was also using that teaching and preaching to tell others about himself so that they also could be saved. The New Testament writers wrote in the same way elsewhere (for example, in 1 Corinthians 9:22).

Paragraph 5:1–2

Paul told Timothy to treat all believers as if they were members of his family.

5:1a

Do not rebuke an older man: The Greek verb that the Berean Standard Bible translates as rebuke can also be translated “scold” or “correct severely.” This command and the following ones are addressed specifically to Timothy.

an older man: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as an older man is the same one that Paul used in 4:14 to refer to a church leader. However, in this verse, Paul was referring to any man who was older than Timothy.

5:1b

but: The connector that the Berean Standard Bible translates as but indicates that 5:1b contrasts with 5:1a.

appeal to: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as appeal to means “to exhort,” “to encourage,” “to advise strongly,” or “to urge earnestly.” Use a word or phrase in your language that expresses the way that a son might respectfully urge his father to do something.

as to a father: Paul was telling Timothy to treat older men in a way that showed that he respected them and loved them.

5:1c

Treat: In the Greek text, there is no verb in this part of the verse. The Berean Standard Bible has supplied the verb Treat. Or you might use the verb “exhort” from 5:1b. Paul wanted Timothy to show these men that he cared about them and that he was concerned for their welfare.

younger men: This probably refers to men who were younger than Timothy himself.

brothers: In some languages, it is necessary to differentiate between “older brothers” and “younger brothers.” If this is true in your language, use the term that means “younger brothers” here.

© 2003 by SIL International®

Made available under the terms of a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License (CC BY-SA) creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0

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.

5:2a

Again there is no verb in this part of the verse. If you need to supply a verb, you should probably use the same verb as you used in 5:1c.

older women as mothers: Paul wanted Timothy to treat older women in a way that showed that he respected and loved them. In other words, he wanted Timothy to speak to such women as though they were his own mother.

5:2b

As in 5:1c and 5:2a, there is no verb in this part of the verse. If you need to supply a verb, you should probably use the same verb as you used in 5:1c.

younger women as sisters: To treat a younger woman as a sister meant to honor and protect her.

5:2c

with absolute purity: In this context the phrase that the Berean Standard Bible translates as with absolute purity means that Timothy was to avoid any sort of sexual sin when dealing with older or younger women. This included his thoughts and intentions toward these people as well as his actions.

© 2003 by SIL International®

Made available under the terms of a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License (CC BY-SA) creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0

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.

Paragraph 5:3–8

A community of believers should care for widows who have no family to care for them.

5:3

Honor the widows who are truly widows: In this context Honor especially refers to the way that Paul wanted Timothy (and others) to treat widows who were poor. He was to show that he respected them. He wanted people to show this respect by supporting them from the church offering so they could buy what they needed. (Knight, page 216, speculates as to why the verb “to honor” is in the second person imperative, singular: “Paul may have been influenced by the second person singular imperative in the fifth commandment.

widows: A widow is a woman whose husband has died. At the time when Paul was writing this letter, widows usually had no goods or services to exchange for food or clothing. They had to receive care from close family. A widow with no husband or other close family had no way to feed or clothe herself.

who are truly widows: This refers to widows who did not have children or grandchildren who could care for them. The Berean Standard Bible’s literal translation could be confusing, because although a widow could have several wealthy children, she is, of course, still a widow. However she does not need support from the church because her family can care for her. So it is recommended that you do not translate the Greek literally here but follow the New International Version (2011 Revision) (“widows who are really in need”) or the Good News Translation (“widows who really are all alone.”)

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Made available under the terms of a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License (CC BY-SA) creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0

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.

5:4a

But: The Greek particle de that the Berean Standard Bible translates as But indicates that Paul was contrasting widows who had no family (5:3) with those who had a family (5:4a).

children or grandchildren: When Paul was saying children or grandchildren, he was referring to both men and women.

5:4b

they must first learn: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as they must…learn is a third-person command. That means that although Paul was giving the command to Timothy, he meant Timothy to pass it on to others. Paul was actually commanding the children and grandchildren to learn: it was their duty or obligation to take care of their families.

first: This means that one of the most important things for believers to do is to help their widowed mothers and grandmothers.

learn: In this context, the Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as learn means to practice or learn by experience, rather than just from books or a teacher.

to show godliness: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as to show godliness means “to show piety, be reverent.” Usually this verb is used about reverence to God. However, here it means that believers should show their devotion to God by the way in which they treat their own family. This is their duty as believers.

5:4c

to their own family: Believers should take practical care of family members; that is, they should make sure that they have a place to live and enough to eat and wear.

their own family: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as family literally means “house, household.” In Paul’s time, a “household” included servants as well as relatives such as grandparents (see the note on 3:12b). Paul wanted people to care for any widow in the household for whom they were responsible.

5:4d

repay: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as repay means “to pay something back.” When the believers were children, these women cared for them. Paul wanted the believers to care for their mothers or grandmothers in the same way now.

parents: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as parents literally means “ancestors.” In this context, Paul was especially talking about mothers and grandmothers. This was because they were the ones who most urgently needed someone to support them when they became widows.

5:4e

for: The connector for introduces the reason that children and grandchildren should care for their mothers and grandmothers.

pleasing in the sight of God: The phrase pleasing in the sight of God refers to the way that God wants people to act. He is pleased when they do so.

General Comment on 5:4a–e

In some languages it may be helpful to reorder this verse. For example, you may need to say first that children should take care of their own family. Then you could say that this is the way that they should learn to put their religion into practice. One way to do this is:

^4aBut if a widow has children or grandchildren, ^4cthese should take care of their own family ^4dand repay their parents and grandparents. ^4bThis is the most important way for them to learn to put their religion into practice, ^4eand it is pleasing to God.

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Made available under the terms of a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License (CC BY-SA) creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0

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.

5:5

5:5 is connected to 5:4 by the Greek particle de that is often translated as “but.” This particle shows that 5:5 contrasts with 5:4. This contrast is between two types of widows. The first type is a widow whom the church should not assist because she has a family (5:4). The second type is a widow whom the church should assist (5:5). The Berean Standard Bible leaves the particle untranslated. But you should express this contrast in the way that is most natural in your language.

5:5a

The widow who is truly in need: The Greek text literally says “the true widow.” Here Paul was talking about widows without families who really needed to be helped by the believers.

left all alone: The first characteristic of a widow who really needed help from other believers was that she was left all alone. That is, she had no family members who could care for her. At the time when Paul lived, widows had no one but family to rely on for care. A widow with no family had no one to help her in any way.

5:5b

puts her hope in God: This is the second characteristic of a widow who really needed the help of other believers (5:5a). She depended on God to give her what she needed.

5:5c

continues night and day in her petitions and prayers: The third characteristic of a widow who really needed the help of other believers was that she prayed night and day. To pray night and day means that she prayed frequently and regularly, both during the daytime and the nighttime. (Revised English Bible has another interpretation: “…puts all her trust in God, and regularly, night and day, attends the meetings for prayer and worship.”)

In Greek it is normal to say “night and day,” rather than “day and night.” In English it is the other way round. You should use the order that is most natural in your language.

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Made available under the terms of a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License (CC BY-SA) creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0

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.

5:6a

But she who lives for pleasure: Paul contrasted a “widow who is truly in need,” whom the believers should help, with the one who lives for pleasure. A widow who lives for pleasure thinks only about what she wants and not about what God wants. She will do whatever causes her to feel good even if she sins by doing it.

5:6b

is dead: A widow who lives for pleasure is obviously alive physically. Therefore when Paul said that she is dead, he meant that she was spiritually dead. That means that she has no real relationship with God.

Speakers of some languages may not use the word dead in this metaphorical way. Therefore they may find it very difficult to understand. If this is true in your area, you may need to say something like:

she lives cut off from God
-or-
her life counts for nothing good

In some languages people may be able to translate this as a simile and to say:

her soul is like a corpse
-or-
her heart is like it is dead, even though her body is alive

© 2003 by SIL International®

Made available under the terms of a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License (CC BY-SA) creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0

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.

5:7a

5:7 begins with the Greek connector kai that is often translated as “and” or “also.” Here, it probably means that Timothy should give these instructions “in addition to” the other instructions that Paul wanted Timothy to give to the believers.

Give these instructions to the believers: In the Greek text Paul did not say to whom Timothy was to give the instructions. The Berean Standard Bible has used the believers as the implicit object. There are two possibilities:

(1) Timothy was to give the instructions to the believers in general.

(Berean Standard Bible, New International Version (2011 Revision), New Living Translation (2004 Revision), Contemporary English Version, New Century Version, Revised English Bible)

(2) Timothy was to give the instructions to the widows.

(New Jerusalem Bible, Good News Translation)

Most English translations follow the Greek text and do not include an object. Therefore they are ambiguous. See the Revised Standard Version, New American Standard Bible, King James Version, God’s Word, and NET Bible.

It is recommended that you follow interpretation (1), because in this context Paul was talking about the way that believers should help widows. Therefore it was more likely that he meant the instructions to be for the whole group of believers.

these instructions: The expression these instructions refers to Paul’s instructions about the widows in the preceding verses.

5:7b

so that they will be above reproach: This means, “so that other people will have no reason to criticize them.”

There are two ways to interpret the pronoun “they” in this context:

(1) It refers to the believers.

(Berean Standard Bible, New International Version (2011 Revision), New Century Version, Contemporary English Version)

(2) It refers to the widows.

(New Jerusalem Bible, Revised English Bible, God’s Word, probably also Good News Translation, Revised Standard Version, King James Version, New American Standard Bible, NET Bible, New Living Translation (2004 Revision))

It is recommended that you follow interpretation (1). In 5:7a Paul told Timothy to command the believers to care for widows. Therefore, when Paul mentioned they here he was probably referring generally to believers and saying that no believer should be open to blame.

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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.

5:8

In Greek this verse is connected to the previous verse with a particle, de. Here this particle indicates a contrast between Paul’s instructions in 5:7 and the behavior he described in 5:8a. Many English versions leave this connection implicit. But you should express this contrast in the way that is most natural in your language.

5:8a

anyone: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as anyone stresses that both males and females had the responsibility to provide for their relatives.

provide for: The word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as provide for refers to making sure that people have the basic necessities of life, such as food, water, clothing, and shelter.

his own: This phrase seems to refer to a wider circle of relatives than the term that Paul used in 5:8b, which the Berean Standard Bible translates as “his own household.”

5:8b

his own household: That is, those of his own immediate family. In the context, this term especially refers to a believer’s widowed mother or grandmother. See 5:4a and 5:4c.

5:8c

denied the faith: In this context, the expression that the Berean Standard Bible translates as denied the faith refers to a person whose actions contradict what he says that he believes. That is, the person may say he is a believer, but he does not care for his family in the way a believer should.

the faith: That is, the Christian religion or body of Christian teaching. See the note on the faith in 3:9.

5:8d

worse than an unbeliever: Paul included this phrase to remind the believers that even unbelievers normally cared for their widowed relatives. Therefore, people who called themselves believers should care for their widowed relatives. If they did not, they were behaving in a way that was worse than unbelievers.

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Made available under the terms of a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License (CC BY-SA) creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0

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.