After the small deviation in verse 23, Paul returns to the subject of sins (that he touched upon in verses 19-22), this time comparing them to good deeds. Some sins can easily be seen right away, but other sins are only seen later. This is also the case with good deeds; some are always conspicuous, and even those that are not cannot be hidden.

In the expression some men, men is the generic word for people, and so, while it is very likely that all those included in the group are males, it is not warranted by the text to translate this exclusively (so Good News Translation “people”; also Jerusalem Bible, New English Bible, New Revised Standard Version).

Conspicuous refers to something that is easily seen and known, hence “very obvious,” “very clear,” “very easily known,” and this first clause may also be rendered as “Everyone can plainly see the sins of some people.” Pointing to comes from the verb that indicates moving in front or ahead of something that is moving in the same direction, hence “to go in front of,” “to go ahead of” (Good News Translation), “to precede.” In the present context there are at least two possible ways of understanding the expression pointing to judgment: (1) The sins of these people are so obvious that, even before any accusation or charge is made against them, there is no question as to their being guilty. (2) The sins of these people, are, so to speak, already before the court, and when the trial is held, it is these very sins that will be used against them in order to get a guilty verdict. The first alternative is preferred. Judgment likewise can be understood in two ways: (1) It can refer primarily to the activity of the church in general, and to Timothy in particular, especially in relation to the elders, but not excluding other church members. (2) Judgment refers to divine judgment that will be executed on the last day. Again, the first alternative is preferred. With these interpretations in mind, the first part of this verse may also be expressed as “Other people can clearly see the sins of some people; in fact their sins are so obvious that they are clearly guilty in the eyes of the believers,” or “Other people … and their sins are as it were already before God for him to judge.”

Appear later is literally “follow” in contrast with “go ahead” (Good News Translation) in the previous clause. Does this mean that these less conspicuous sins will follow the sinners to judgment, in much the same way as the conspicuous sins go ahead of them to judgment? This is possible. Many translations, however, opt for the meaning represented in Revised Standard Version, in which the verb is understood to mean “to be seen subsequently” (compare Good News Translation “seen only later,” Jerusalem Bible “not discovered until afterward,” New English Bible “whose offences have not yet overtaken them”).

Good deeds are similar to sins in that they share the attribute of being conspicuous. There are some good deeds of course that are not so obvious, that is, they are done quietly and don’t create very much attention. But again, in much the same way that sins done quietly cannot remain concealed, so these simple, quietly-done good deeds cannot be hidden forever but will eventually be seen and recognized.

Alternative translation models for these verses are:
• Other people can clearly see the sins of some people; in fact their sins are so obvious that they are clearly guilty in the eyes of the believers even before being judged. The sins of other people, however, are not as clear and are only recognized later. In the same way, when people do good deeds, these are plain to see. And even if they are not seen clearly by others, they cannot be hidden.

Or:
• Other people can clearly see the sins of some people, and their sins are as it were already before God for him to judge. The sins of some people, however, are not as clear, and other believers only recognize these sins later on. In the same way, when people do good deeds, these are seen plainly by other believers. And even if they do not see them clearly at once, they will eventually recognize them.

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 .