1:5a

I am reminded: The Greek clause that the Berean Standard Bible translates as I am reminded is literally “taking remembrance.” The verb is not passive, as the Berean Standard Bible translation implies, but active. The verb here can be translated as “I remember” (see Good News Translation, New Jerusalem Bible, Contemporary English Version, New Century Version), or “I recall” (see NET Bible).

sincere faith: In your language it may be clearer to say, “you truly believed in Christ Jesus.” This same phrase sincere faith is found in 1 Timothy 1:5.

1:5b

which first dwelt in your grandmother Lois and your mother Eunice: Paul wrote here about “faith” as if it were a person. When Paul used the phrase first dwelt, he meant that Timothy’s grandmother and mother “had faith” in Jesus Christ before Timothy did.

In some languages it is natural to say that Timothy’s mother and grandmother “had faith” in Jesus Christ. (Good News Translation is an example of this.) But if this is not natural in your language, then you may need to replace the noun “faith” with the verb “believe.” Then you would state who believed (that is, “your grandmother Lois and your mother Eunice believed”). You may also need to add the implied information that they believed “in Jesus Christ.”

grandmother: Here the term grandmother refers to “the mother of Timothy’s mother.”

1:5c

I am convinced: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as convinced also means “persuaded.” Paul saw evidence that Timothy truly believed in Jesus because of what Timothy had learned from his mother and his grandmother, and also because Paul had seen that Timothy behaved as a true follower of Christ. These things made Paul sure/certain that Timothy truly believed in Jesus.

is in you as well: Here, the clause in you as well is similar to what Paul said concerning Timothy’s mother and grandmother in 1:5b. In many languages it is more straightforward to translate this with a clause similar to:

you also believe in Jesus now

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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.