SIL Translator's Notes on 1 Timothy 1:18

Section 1:18–20

Paul encouraged Timothy to persevere

In this section, Paul tried to encourage Timothy. He did not want Timothy to become discouraged because of the false teachers in Ephesus. So he reminded Timothy about the prophecies that people had spoken about him when the believers dedicated him as a pastor.

Paragraph 1:18–20

1:18a

my child: This is a metaphor. When Paul called Timothy my child, he meant that Timothy was like a son to him and that he loved him like a father loves his son. See the comments on “my true son” in 1:2b.

In some languages it is not possible to call someone “my child” if he is not a biological child. If that is true in your language, you may be able to use a simile rather than a metaphor. For example:

You are like my real son.

Or you may prefer to use a more natural expression, such as “my dear [Timothy]” or “my beloved [Timothy].”

I entrust you with this command: Paul was commanding Timothy to correct those who were teaching wrongly. The same Greek word which means “entrust” or “commit” is also used in 1 Timothy 6:20 and 2 Timothy 2:2.

this command: Scholars interpret the phrase this command in several different ways. Two of the ways are:

(1) Paul was referring to his command to Timothy in 1:3a–4a to correct the false teachers. For example, the New Century Version says:

Timothy, my child, I am giving you a command that agrees with the prophecies that were given about you in the past.

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

(2) Paul was referring to his command in 1:18d to “fight the good fight.” For example, the New American Standard Bible says:

This command I entrust to you, Timothy, my son, in accordance with the prophecies previously made concerning you, that by them you fight the good fight

(New American Standard Bible, Good News Translation, God’s Word)

It is recommended that you follow interpretation (1), because the same word is used here as in 1:3 and 1:5.

1:18b

in keeping with the previous prophecies about you:

If we consider what Jesus told Paul when Paul first started his ministry, it helps us to understand the kinds of things which Timothy may also have been told by prophets when he began his ministry. You can read what Jesus told Paul in Acts 9:15–16, 22:14–15, 22:21 and 26:16–18. Jesus told Paul the following (see Hendriksen p. 85):
(a) Paul would have a special job of announcing God’s message,
(b) some of the details of his job,
(c) Paul would suffer, and
(d) Jesus would always help him when he suffered.
It could be that the prophetic messages which Timothy received were similar to these messages which Paul received, although the details were probably different. If these messages were similar, then Timothy needed to remember things like the following:
(a) It was God himself who had called him to the job of proclaiming the gospel. Timothy did not get this job merely from some person’s idea or from his own imagination.
(b) God himself promised to help him do that job.
Consequently, as Timothy remembered the prophecies which people had spoken about him, he would want to continue to do his job in spite of difficulties.
) Paul was saying that what he was telling Timothy to do in this letter agreed with some prophecies that had been made about Timothy earlier. If Timothy did what Paul told him to, he would be doing what God, by means of the prophecies, had told him to do.

the previous prophecies about you: Paul was probably referring to the time (see 4:14b) when church leaders placed their hands on Timothy, prayed for him, and dedicated him as a pastor and special helper for Paul.

the previous prophecies: The word prophecies refers to special messages that the Holy Spirit gives to people.

1:18c

so that: Paul here told Timothy his purpose in reminding him about the prophecies.

by them: The pronoun them refers to the prophecies made about Timothy. Scholars interpret this in several ways:

(1) Timothy was to remember the things that the prophets said in their message from God to him and be encouraged by it. For example, the NET Bible says:

that with such encouragement…

(NET Bible, Revised Standard Version, Revised English Bible, New Living Translation (2004 Revision))

(2) Timothy was to use what the prophets said (as a weapon against evil). For example, the Good News Translation says:

Use those words as weapons…

(Berean Standard Bible, Good News Translation, God’s Word)

(3) Timothy was to obey what the prophets said. For example, the Contemporary English Version says:

If you follow these instructions…

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

It is recommended that you follow interpretation (1). Paul was probably telling Timothy to remember certain things. As Timothy remembered these things, he would be more likely to be faithful and “fight the good fight.”

1:18d

fight the good fight: Timothy’s task was to proclaim the gospel and to correct false teaching. Paul wanted Timothy to continue to do this no matter how difficult it might become. He compared this to fighting. There are two ways to make this clearer. For example:

to fight well in the Lord’s battles (New Living Translation (2004 Revision))
-or-
you will fight like a good soldier (Contemporary English Version)

In some languages, the phrase fight the good fight can only refer to physical fighting. If your language is like that, you may need to make it clear in you translation the way Timothy’s job was like fighting in a physical battle. For example, you could say:

contend for the truth of the gospel as a good soldier fights to win a war

Or you may have to translate without a comparison here, in order for Paul’s main point to be clear enough that people can understand it. For example:

continue to proclaim the gospel despite opposition

good fight: This has been interpreted in two ways:

(1) It means to fight well; that is, bravely or expertly. For example, the Good News Translation says “fight well.”

(Good News Translation, New Jerusalem Bible, New Living Translation (2004 Revision), Contemporary English Version)

(2) It means that the fight was itself good; that is, just and right. When Timothy did his job to proclaim God’s message, he was fighting for a worthy principle or goal. God’s Word says:

fight this noble war

Most English versions are ambiguous. If you must choose between these interpretations, it is recommended that you choose interpretation (1).

fight: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as fight means “campaign” or “war,” not a single battle.

© 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.

SIL Translator's Notes on 1 Timothy 3:16

3:16a

By common confession: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as By common confession literally means “undeniably, most certainly.” It means that the statement that follows is absolutely true.

the mystery of godliness: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as mystery here is the same word as in 3:9. See the note there. Paul was referring to the true message that God has revealed to people.

In the rest of this verse, Paul explained the aspects of this mystery, The mystery is that God himself came to earth as Jesus. Paul called it the mystery of godliness because when people understand it they want to be godly.

godliness: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as godliness the way people behave when they respect God.

great: The word great in English can have more than one meaning. In this verse it means “wonderful” or “awesome.”

3:16b–g

Here, Paul stated in six short lines what “the mystery of godliness” is. These six lines are possibly a hymn that the believers sang in Paul’s time, or they may be a creed that believers recited. To show this, you may want to print them on separate lines as some English versions have done.

3:16b

He: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as He literally means “who.” This suggests that this hymn/creed was part of a longer composition. Both the literal “who” and the Berean Standard Bible’s He are ambiguous: they could refer to either God or Christ. If it is possible in your translation to retain the ambiguity you should do so. If you must chose, you should use “Christ” or “Christ Jesus.” (There is also a textual issue as some manuscripts begin with the word “God” rather than “who”. The King James Version follows this reading. However, the oldest manuscripts use “who” to start the hymn. The Editorial Committee of the UBS Handbook New Testament (4th edition) gives the reading with “who” an {A} rating, indicating that the text is almost certain.)

appeared in the flesh: That is, he “became a human” or “came to earth as a human being.”

3:16c

was vindicated by the Spirit: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as vindicate means “to prove that something or someone is right.” Therefore, when Paul said that Christ was vindicated by the Spirit, he meant that the Holy Spirit showed that Christ was the Son of God, as he claimed to be. Paul did not specify here in what way the Spirit vindicated Christ, so you should not say so either.

the Spirit: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as Spirit probably refers to the Holy Spirit.

In some languages it may be necessary to use the normal term for “Holy Spirit” instead of simply “the Spirit” to make it clear.

3:16d

was seen by angels: This could refer to several different events in Jesus’ life. For example, it could refer to:

(a) the angels who saw Jesus at the time of his resurrection

(b) the angels who saw Jesus after his ascension

(c) the angels who saw Jesus during the time of his life on earth

The text is not explicit and so in your translation you should not make this explicit either.

angels: In this context, The word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as angel refers to “a supernatural, spiritual being who is a messenger from God.”

3:16e

was proclaimed among the nations: In some languages, it may be necessary to state who proclaimed about Christ. The subject could be “his disciples” or “the apostles.”

nations: This word refers to people who are not Jews, people of every language, culture, and ethnic group.

3:16f

was believed in throughout the world: It may be necessary in some languages to state who believed in Christ. One way to do this is:

people of the world believed in him

3:16g

was taken up in glory: Again in some languages it may be necessary to state who took Christ up in glory. If this is true in your language, you should say that God took Christ up in glory.

in glory: In this context the word glory can mean two things:

(1) It refers to the place where God took Christ, that is, heaven. The term glory is used because God, who is awesomely bright, glorious and splendid, is in heaven. Versions that follow this interpretation use the preposition “into” or “to” before the word glory. For example, the Contemporary English Version says:

he was taken up to glory

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

(2) It refers to the manner in which God took Christ to be with him—in an amazing, powerful, glorious way. Versions that follow this interpretation usually use the preposition in before the word glory. For example, the New International Version (2011 Revision) says:

was taken up in glory

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

It is recommended that you follow interpretation (1): that God took Christ up to heaven.

General Comment on 3:16e–g

In some languages it will be best to reorder these verse parts so that they appear in chronological order. For example:

16gwas taken up in glory.

16ewas preached among the nations,

16fwas believed on in the world,

That is, Christ was taken up to glory before his disciples preached about him.

Paragraph 4:1–5

4:1a

Now: This word indicates the way that this paragraph connects with what Paul had just said. It indicates a contrast. The church was “the pillar and foundation of the truth” (3:15d), and this truth “was believed on in the world” (3:16f). Even though that was true, some people were going to abandon this truth and even teach against it. If you have a suitable way in your language to indicate this connection you should use it here.

Paul was not writing to warn Timothy that someday false teachers would come to Ephesus. They were already there, as Paul had written in 1:3–7.

the Spirit: That is, the Holy Spirit.

expressly states: What the Holy Spirit communicated was clear, precise, and easy to understand.

states: The Greek verb that the Berean Standard Bible translates as states is in the present tense. Paul probably used the present tense in order to indicate that the Holy Spirit often (This is an instance of the customary or habitual present, which refers to “repeated activity on a regular or habitual basis.” See Perschbacher, page 281.) said this.

Paul was probably referring to the way that the Holy Spirit communicated through the prophets within the Christian community. (The Holy Spirit also revealed this information through Jesus’ teaching (see Mark 13:22 and Matthew 24:10–11).) And Paul himself had prophesied this in his farewell to the Ephesian elders recorded in Acts 20:29–30.

It is not clear in the Greek text how much of the following verses was spoken by the Holy Spirit. It is recommended that you not make explicit where the quotation ends. If you have to make it explicit, you should probably make the quotation end at the end of 4:2.

4:1b

later times: Scholars understand the phrase that the Berean Standard Bible translates as later times in two main ways:

(1) The phrase refers to the time between Christ’s resurrection and his return. This period is sometimes called the “last days” in the Bible. So the later times were not still in the future in Paul’s day. They had already begun. For example, the New Jerusalem Bible says:

during the last times

(New Jerusalem Bible, King James Version, New Living Translation (2004 Revision), Contemporary English Version, New Century Version)

(2) The phrase refers to time that was later than or after the time when the Holy Spirit spoke the message. For example, the Revised English Bible says:

in time to come

(Berean Standard Bible, Revised English Bible, New International Version (2011 Revision), Good News Translation, Revised Standard Version, New American Standard Bible, NET Bible, God’s Word)

It is recommended that you follow interpretation (1). Paul was saying that people were already abandoning the faith even at the time when he was writing. He also expected more people to abandon it after he finished writing.

4:1c

abandon the faith: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as abandon means “to desert/discard something.” In this context, it refers to a person who no longer believes in or obeys the Christian faith.

the faith: Paul was referring in general to everything that people believe and do in order to follow Christ.

4:1d

to follow deceitful spirits: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as follow can also mean “being devoted to” or “paying close attention to.” Believers had followed the true teaching about Christ. Other people had chosen to abandon that teaching (4:1c) and follow the teachings of deceiving spirits instead.

deceitful spirits: The word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as spirits is a general word and can be used for human spirits, the Holy Spirit, and also evil spirits. By itself it does not indicate good or evil. But the adjective that the Berean Standard Bible translates as deceitful, as well as the context, show that Paul was referring to evil spiritual beings.

These beings have the following characteristics:

(a) They are spiritual beings, not the spirits of people who have died. Therefore, do not use a term that you use to refer to ancestor spirits.

(b) These spirits serve and work for Satan.

(c) They can take control of a human being.

Compare the term you use here with the term you use elsewhere for “evil/unclean spirits.” Also see the note on “demons” in 4:1e.

deceitful: This indicates that the spirits deliberately attempted to make people believe lies.

4:1e

the teachings of demons: Paul probably meant that false teachers were going to teach things that demons wanted them to teach. In some languages, a literal translation of the teachings of demons would make people think that the demons themselves actually taught the people. If this is true in your language, you could say:

They will believe people who teach false ideas that demons want people to believe.

demons: The terms deceiving spirits and demons refer to the same sort of spiritual beings. If you do not have two different terms you can use, use the same term for “spirit” and “demon.”

© 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.

SIL Translator's Notes on 1 Timothy 5:18

5:18a

For: The word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as For indicates that 5:18 is the reason that believers should give generously to help the elders. Paul used an example from the Old Testament.

Scripture: See the note on 4:13b.

says: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as says is in the present tense, even though the Scriptures were written many years before. This is natural in Greek and English. Use the tense that is most natural in your language.

5:18b

This Scripture is in Deuteronomy 25:4.

Do not muzzle an ox while it is treading out the grain: Paul mentioned this Old Testament verse to explain the reason that believers should give generously to help the elders. It was part of the laws that God gave the Israelites many centuries before. It literally meant that farmers should not force an ox to work without letting it eat while it was working. Here Paul used this law as a figure of speech. In this context, the law meant that believers should also not expect an elder to preach and teach without paying him.

muzzle: To muzzle an ox means to put something over its mouth so that it cannot eat.

ox: An ox (plural “oxen”) is a kind of large cow or bull. An ox is very strong, and farmers use oxen for farm work. For example, oxen are used to pull carts or ploughs.

treading out the grain: Here, treading out the grain is an example of the kind of work that an ox did. When a crop such as wheat was harvested, the farmers needed to separate the kernels from the cut stalks. They did this by making an ox walk over the stalks many times.

grain: The word grain refers to the seeds of various types of grasses such as wheat, barley, oats, and millet that people use for food.

5:18c

The worker is worthy of his wages: Here Paul quoted something that Jesus had said (Luke 10:7).

General Comment on 5:18a–c

In some languages it may be helpful to make Paul’s comparison explicit in this verse. One way you could do this is:

For the Scripture says, “Do not muzzle the ox while it is treading out the grain,” and “The worker deserves his wages.” In the same way, those who teach the believers deserve to receive money/help from them.

Paragraph 5:19–22

© 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.

SIL Translator's Notes on 1 Timothy 2:10

2:10

In 2:9, Paul gave instructions about what women should not do. In this verse, he told them what they should do.

2:10a

with good deeds: Earlier in this chapter, Paul had said that women should not try to make themselves beautiful with jewelry or expensive clothes. Here he was saying that they should rather “adorn themselves” with good deeds. This is a figure of speech. Obviously people cannot literally make themselves beautiful with good deeds.

In some languages, it will not be possible to use the same verb for putting on jewels and clothes and also for putting on good deeds. If that is true in you language, you will probably need to use different verbs. Do whatever is most natural in your language.

2:10b

as is proper: Paul was using the word proper to refer to what God wants women to do. Paul was saying that God wants women to do good things to help other people.

who profess to worship God: Paul was talking about women who said that they were believers and that they worshiped God.

worship: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as “to worship God” here is a word that is sometimes translated as “godliness.” It does not only refer to worshiping God, but also to obeying and respecting him.

© 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.

SIL Translator's Notes on 1 Timothy 4:12

4:12a

Let no one despise your youth: People who lived when Paul did normally expected spiritual leaders to be older than Timothy was. Therefore, some people thought that he was too young to teach them so they didn’t want to obey him.

The form of the Greek verb is a third-person command. It could better be expressed in English as “May no one look down on you.” Paul was telling Timothy that he should behave in ways that made him deserve respect. Then people would respect him and not look down on him. The next verses told Timothy how to do this. Use a form of the verb in your language that will best fit this context.

despise: The Greek verb that the Berean Standard Bible translates as despise means “regard as worthless,” “show disrespect to,” or “regard as inferior.”

youth: Timothy was probably between thirty and forty years old when Paul wrote this letter. Try to use a word for youth that includes Timothy’s age group. In some cultures, people do not consider a man of this age group a youth. If this is true in your area, you may need to state that some people thought that Timothy was too young to teach them.

4:12b

set an example: The word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as example means a “model” or “pattern.” Paul wanted Timothy to behave in a way that other believers could copy. If he did that, people would respect him and would listen to what he taught them, even though they considered him young.

an example: In some languages there is no noun that means example. In such languages it may be possible to use a verb like “demonstrate” or “show.” For example:

Instead, show the other believers how to behave as God wants them to.

4:12c–d

Paul wanted Timothy to be an example to the other believers in the way he behaved. In the rest of this verse Paul listed five ways in which Timothy was to be an example. (Some translations, such as the King James Version, add a sixth way, the words “in spirit”, after “in faith” in 4:10d. However, the oldest and best Greek texts that Bible scholars know about do not have the words “in spirit” here. That is why most modern translations do not include this phrase.)

4:12c

in speech: This is the first way in which Timothy was to be an example. Paul meant that Timothy should be careful that everything he said was true, kind, and helpful to others. He should avoid lying or gossiping.

in conduct: This is the second way in which Timothy was to be an example to the other believers. Paul meant that Timothy should behave in a way that pleased God and that others could imitate. Other believers should not have any reason to criticize him for his behavior.

4:12d

in love: This is the third way in which Timothy was to be an example to the other believers. Paul meant that Timothy should be an example to other people by loving them. Here Paul was probably referring to loving people more than to loving God. So if you need to use a verb here with an object, you should say:

in the way you love other people

in faith: This is the fourth way in which Timothy was to be an example to the other believers. Paul told Timothy to be an example to other people in faith. He meant that Timothy should be an example in the way he trusted in God.

in purity: This is the fifth and final way in which Timothy was to be an example to the other believers. Paul meant that Timothy was always to behave in a pure way. The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as purity often refers to avoiding sexual sin in particular. However in this context, it probably refers to avoiding any kind of sin, including sexual sin.

General Comment on 4:12b–d

In some languages, it may be more natural to reorder this verse. For example, you could begin with the list of the ways in which Timothy should be an example. Here is one way to do that:

12cspeak what is right, behave in a way that pleases God, 12dlove other people, trust in God, and behave in a blameless way. 12bThen you will be an example to the other believers.

© 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.

SIL Translator's Notes on 1 Timothy 6:6

6:6

Of course: Paul used the Greek word de that the Berean Standard Bible translates as Of course here. He wanted to contrast what the false teachers thought (6:5c) and what was actually true (6:6).

godliness: In 6:5c, godliness meant “teaching about God.” Here it refers to the way people behave when they respect God. Paul could use this one word to refer to both of these things. However in many languages it will not be possible to use the same word or expression here as in 6:5c.

contentment: In this context the Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as contentment refers to being satisfied. Paul was saying that a person is happy when he is satisfied with what God has given him.

great gain: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as gain is the same word that Paul used in 6:5c. However, there it referred to getting money. Here it has a different meaning and refers to living well with God both now and forever.

great: People think that if they become rich, they will be able to gain good things with their money. But those things are not as good as what people gain when they behave in a way that pleases God.

© 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.

SIL Translator's Notes on 1 Timothy 1:8

Paragraph 1:8–11

Paul said that when people teach the Scriptures, they should teach them correctly.

1:8a

Now: This translates a Greek word, de, that is often translated as “but.” It connects 1:8 to 1:7. In this context it contrasts two facts. First, the false teachers do not understand the things they teach (1:7). Second, Paul, Timothy, and other believers do understand the law (1:8) which they teach.

we know: Paul did not mean that he and Timothy were the only people who knew that God’s laws are good. He included all believers.

the law is good: Paul was saying that God’s law is morally or ethically right. The things that the law says that people should do are just. When people obey the law, they please God. If you have translated Romans, compare Romans 7:12 and 7:16, where Paul also says that “the law is good”.

the law: Paul was still referring to the laws that God gave to Moses. See the note on 1:7a.

Since this phrase is singular in English (and Greek), some readers may think that Paul was talking about only one law. If this causes a problem for your readers you may need to use a plural term.

1:8b

if one uses: The Greek verb that the Berean Standard Bible translates as uses is a general word that means “teaches,” “studies,” and “obeys.” Here Paul was primarily thinking about teaching the law.

legitimately: It is good to teach the law only if people teach it legitimately or “correctly.” The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as legitimately literally means “lawfully.” If a person teaches the law “lawfully,” it means that the way he teaches it agrees with the purpose for which God gave it. In 1:9–10 Paul explained the true purpose of God’s law.

© 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.

SIL Translator's Notes on 1 Timothy 3:6

3:6a

recent convert: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as recent convert refers to a person who has only been a believer for a short time.

3:6b

or he may become conceited: Paul said that if a recent convert is chosen as an overseer there is a danger that he may become conceited.

conceited: The word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as conceited refers to people who think and behave as though they are superior to other people. They are very proud. In many languages, there is an idiomatic way to say this. The Good News Translation uses an English figure of speech and says “swollen with pride.” See the note on 6:4a. This Greek word also occurs in 2 Timothy 3:4.

3:6c

fall under the same condemnation as the devil: This can also be translated:

incur the same judgment as the devil
-or-
earn the same judgment as the devil

the same condemnation as the devil: The Greek phrase that the Berean Standard Bible translates as the same condemnation as the devil probably refers to the judgment that the devil receives. This means that God will punish a person who has become conceited in the same way that he punished the devil for his pride. See the New International Version (2011 Revision), New Jerusalem Bible, Good News Translation, New American Standard Bible, and Contemporary English Version.

Paul did not make explicit here the way that God punished the devil. So it would be best if you also did not make this explicit.

the devil: The devil is the chief of all evil spirits. The name of the devil is Satan. He is also referred to in some parts of the New Testament as “The Evil One.”

© 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.