The first part of this verse gives a reason for the truth of the previous statement. Food is good because it is part of a good world that is created by God. The statement in this verse recalls the creation story in Genesis 1, where for seven times God declares all of creation to be good (see especially Gen 1.31).

Everything created translates a Greek word that refers to the act of creating something, and also to that which is created; this latter meaning fits the present context much better and is reflected in almost all translations. The word for good is a favorite word in the Pastorals, occurring twenty-seven times; it includes the meanings of “blameless,” “excellent,” and “beautiful.”

Since everything that God has created is good, then nothing should be rejected. The Greek word for rejected appears only here in the New Testament and can be literally translated “to be thrown away.” Some understand the term as having the sense of taboo (for example, Moffatt) or forbidden. In languages that do not use the passive voice, this clause may be translated, for example, “and people must not reject anything,” or “and we must not consider anything taboo,” or even “and we must not consider any food taboo.”

That this refers primarily to food is indicated by repeating the idea found in the last part of verse 3, namely, receiving with thanksgiving. The word for received here is not the same as in verse 3, but the meaning is the same (the root is the same, but in verse 3 it is a compound verb).

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 .