SIL Translator’s Notes on 1 Timothy 2003

SIL Translator's Notes on 1 Timothy 1:20

1:20a

Hymenaeus and Alexander: Paul next mentioned two men, Hymenaeus and Alexander, who were examples of people who had “shipwrecked their faith.” Both these men had opposed Paul when he had taught in Ephesus, where Timothy now lived. These are probably the same two men mentioned in 2 Timothy 2:18 and 4:14–15.

1:20b

handed over to Satan: Paul was using a figure of speech here. He meant that he would no longer allow Hymenaeus and Alexander to be part of the community of believers. In some languages, a literal translation would make people think that Paul was acting like a witch. If that is the case in your language, you may need to say something like:

I have separated them from God’s people.

Paul used similar language in 1 Corinthians 5:5, and he explained in 1 Corinthians 5:13 that it meant:

expel the wicked man from among you

Satan: Satan is the supreme evil spiritual being who leads and directs all other evil spiritual beings. In other parts of the New Testament he is referred to as “the devil” or “the Evil One.”

Satan is a proper name. So keep that name in your translation if you can. However, in some languages, it may be necessary to explain that he is the chief of the evil spirits.

1:20c

to be taught: Here, Paul told Timothy his purpose in no longer allowing Hymenaeus and Alexander to meet together with other believers. He was doing it to discipline them and to help them to repent.

Paul did not say who or what would teach these men not to blaspheme. There are several possibilities:

(1) the punishment that Paul gave them would teach them (Good News Translation, God’s Word)

(2) God would teach them

(3) Satan would teach them

Most English versions, like the Greek text, do not say. It is recommended that you try to avoid saying whom Paul thought would teach them this. It may be possible to say something like “so that they might learn” or “so that they might realize.” It also may be possible to say that the punishment or discipline would teach them.

not to blaspheme: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as to blaspheme means to speak against God in a way that dishonors him. Hymenaeus and Alexander were blaspheming by teaching wrong ideas about God.

Paragraph 2:1–7

When believers gather together, they should pray for everybody. They should pray that God would help their government officials to govern well so that believers can worship God peacefully. They should also pray for everybody else because God wants to save everybody.

Everything that Paul wrote in this paragraph (2:1–7) was to help Timothy communicate the gospel to everyone.

One reason that Paul emphasized that the gospel was for everyone was probably because the false teachers were doing exactly the opposite. They were encouraging their followers to consider themselves as better than other people and as part of a small, elite group that excluded other people. (Fee, pages 61 and 62, says, “…what might be the place of this first paragraph in the argument? The frequent answer is that the point lies in verse 2, that prayer be made for rulers so that the church may enjoy a peaceful existence. It has even been suggested that a correct Christian attitude toward the state is what is in view. Verses 4–7, then, are seen as nearly irrelevant to that point, but go back to elaborate on a secondary point made in verse 1 (prayer be made for everyone). However, it seems much more likely that precisely the opposite is the case. The one clear concern that runs through the whole paragraph has to do with the gospel as for everyone (‘all people,’ vv. 1, 4–6, and 7). In this view, the phrase this is good in verse 3 refers to prayer for everyone in verse 1, thus seeing verse 2 as something of a digression —albeit as before (1:12–17), a meaningful one. The best explanation for this emphasis lies with the false teachers, who either through the esoteric, highly speculative nature of their teaching (1:4–6) or through its ‘Jewishness’ (1:7) or ascetic character (4:3) are promoting an elitist or exclusivist mentality among their followers. The whole paragraph attacks that narrowness.”)

2:1a

First of all: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as First of all is the word that means “first.” In this context there are two possible meanings:

(1) It refers to something that is first in importance. So Paul was saying that prayer was more important than anything else he mentioned in this section.

(2) It refers to something that is first in order. So the first thing that Paul urged people to do in this section was to pray.

It is recommended that you follow interpretation (1) and translate First of all as “most importantly.”

then: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as then is oun, which literally means “therefore.” (Louw and Nida (89.50) say that it is a “marker of result, often implying the conclusion of a process of reasoning – ‘so, therefore, consequently, accordingly, then, so then.’”) It connects this paragraph to what Paul said in chapter 1. Try to translate this connection in a general way. For example, use a word like “therefore” or “so,” or an expression like:

so, this is what I want you to do

urge: In the Greek text, this word is the same as the word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as urged in 1:3a. Paul was strongly encouraging something or making an important request.

In some languages, it may be necessary to say whom Paul was addressing or urging. If this is true in your language, you could use a second person plural pronoun (like “you(plur)”). This will make it clear that Paul was not only writing to Timothy, but expected other believers to read the letter.

2:1b

petitions, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgiving: Paul used four Greek words to describe prayer. The Berean Standard Bible translates them as petitions, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgiving. The first three words all refer to asking God to do something. The last word, thanksgiving, refers to thanking God for what he has done.

petitions, prayers, intercessions: These three words mean almost the same thing.

petitions: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as petitions refers to people asking God for particular things that they or other people need.

prayers: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as prayers is a more general word. It refers to people asking God in a general way to bless and care for themselves and other people.

intercessions: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as intercessions refers to people asking God to supply other people’s needs.

The reason that Paul used these three similar words was to emphasize that prayer is important and that believers should pray often. However, in some languages there may not be three different words for prayer. If this is true in your language, translate this part of the verse in a way that emphasizes how important prayer is. For example:

pray earnestly
-or-
pray in every way

thanksgiving: Although the first three words that Paul used (petitions, prayers, intercessions) have a similar meaning, the final word in the list, thanksgiving, is different. The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as thanksgiving refers to people thanking God for what he has done rather than asking him to do something.

be offered for everyone: Paul meant that we should pray for all kinds of people, no matter who they are. No one should be excluded.

General Comment on 2:1a–b

In some languages it may be helpful to start a new sentence for the idea of thanksgiving. For example:

So first of all, I urge you^(plur) to make petitions, prayers and intercessions for all people. And I urge you all to thank God for all that he does for us.

In other languages, it may be necessary to reorder the verse and place 2:1a after 2:1b. For example:

I urge you^(plur) to make petitions, prayers and intercessions for all people. And I urge you all to thank God. These are the most important things to do.

General Comment on 2:1b

In some languages it may be necessary to state what believers should ask God for. Paul wanted believers to pray that God would help people to stop sinning and begin to trust Christ. In the following verses (2:3–7) Paul said that God wanted to save all people. If you can avoid specifying what the believers should pray about, you should do so. However if you need to say what the believers should pray for, you could say:

to pray that everyone be saved

In other languages, it may be necessary to state what people should thank God for. Avoid being too specific. Instead, use a general phrase like:

thank God for everything he has done for people

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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.

SIL Translator's Notes on 1 Timothy 4:3

4:3a

They will prohibit marriage: Paul did not use a future tense here, but a present tense, as in the New International Version (2011 Revision): “They forbid people to marry.” The false teachers were already spreading their wrong teaching and telling people that it was wrong to get married. (By saying that believers should not get married, the false teachers were saying that a man and a women should not have any kind of sexual relationship. See also 1 Corinthians 7:3–5, where Paul implied that there were people who were teaching that even married couples should not have sex. There have been people throughout history who have taught that sex is bad. Among these are the Essenes, the Encratites (described by Irenaeus), and Tertullian. For more details, see Stott, page 113.)

Paul implied that it is wrong to forbid people to marry. In some languages, you will need to make it clear in the translation that Paul implied that this was wrong.

4:3b

require abstinence from certain foods: That is, the false teachers taught the people not to eat some kinds of food.

certain foods: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as certain foods is a general word that refers to any kind of solid food. It does not refer to drinks. The false teachers were saying that there were some kinds of food that believers should not eat. For example, they may have been saying that it was not good to eat meat. It is possible that they considered certain foods unclean or impure, as the Old Testament law had said.

4:3c

that: That is, the kinds of food that the false teachers were telling the believers not to eat.

to be received: God created food for people to eat. When Paul said that they receive it from God, he meant that God supplies the food. Paul implied that it cannot be bad because it comes from God and everything that God created is good (see 4:4a).

with thanksgiving: This means that people should thank God for their food.

by those who believe and know the truth: Paul implied that believers may eat all foods because God made food for people to receive with thanksgiving. Be careful that your translation does not make people think that God made food only for believers.

believe and know: Paul was not talking about two groups of people (one that believes, and another one that knows). He was talking about only one group of people, true believers.

the truth: The expression the truth is also used in 2:7d and 3:15d. It refers to the gospel, the message from God about Christ.

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SIL Translator's Notes on 1 Timothy 5:20

5:20a

But those who persist in sin: The context indicates that Paul was referring to elders. It may be helpful in some languages to make this explicit. For example, the God’s Word says:

Reprimand those leaders who sin.

The Greek verb that the Berean Standard Bible translates as those who…sin is in the present tense. Paul may have used the present tense for one of two reasons:

(1) He was telling Timothy what he should do if an elder became guilty of a particular sin and did not repent of it, even if he only did it once. For example, the New Jerusalem Bible says:

If anyone is at fault

(New Jerusalem Bible, New International Version (2011 Revision), Good News Translation, King James Version, NET Bible, God’s Word, New Living Translation (2004 Revision), Revised English Bible)

(2) Paul was telling Timothy what he should do if an elder was continuing to sin in a specific manner. For example, the Revised Standard Version says:

those who persist in sin

(Berean Standard Bible, Revised Standard Version, New American Standard Bible, Contemporary English Version, New Century Version)

It is recommended that you follow interpretation (1). It does not seem from the context that Paul was talking about whether or not elders persist in sinning. Rather, he was talking about what believers should do when several people accuse an elder of some sin.

should be rebuked in front of everyone: Paul was telling Timothy that he should confront the leader about his sin in front of all the other believers and tell him that he has sinned.

5:20b

so that: This Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as so that indicates the purpose for which Timothy should rebuke the elder publicly.

the others: This can refer to:

(1) only the other elders (God’s Word)

(2) all the other believers (Contemporary English Version)

Most English versions do not specify who the others are. However the most natural understanding of the context suggests that Paul was referring to the other elders. Therefore, it is recommended that you follow interpretation (1).

will stand in fear of sin: The Greek phrase that the Berean Standard Bible translates as will stand in fear of sin literally means “may have fear.” If an elder was rebuked in front of other believers, he would be ashamed. When the other elders saw how ashamed the elder was, they would be afraid to sin. They would want to avoid the same shame.

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SIL Translator's Notes on 1 Timothy 2:12

2:12

This verse is similar to 2:11. (This verse starts with the word de in the Greek. Some people think that with the use of de here Paul is making a contrast, saying that “a woman can learn, but she cannot publicly teach the Scriptures to men or have authority over them.” However, that is not the point Paul is making. Paul stresses in 2:11 not just that a woman learn, but that a woman learn in quietness and full submission. Learning in quietness does not contrast with not permitting a woman to teach or to have authority over a man. Instead, it reinforces it.Some think that verses 11 and 12 are chiastic. Schreiner in Women in the Church, in footnote 88 on page 124, says, “I question whether there is a chiasm here because then the idea of exercising authority should have preceded teaching. Instead, the two verses are closely related, with an inclusio binding them together. Another problem with seeing a chiasm is that the scholars cited above do not agree on the chiastic arrangement.”) The chart below shows how the two verses are similar:

2:12a

I do not permit: Paul was not merely expressing his personal opinion. (Here I disagree with Phillips’ translation, which says, “Personally, I don’t allow…”) All through this section, he had been speaking as an apostle. This meant that God had given him the authority to tell believers what to do (see 2:1a, 2:8a, 2:9a). In this verse he continued speaking the same way. The Greek expression that the Berean Standard Bible translates as I do not permit meant that Paul was emphasizing that others should obey him.

a woman: That is, every woman, all women. If you used a plural in 2:11, you should do the same here.

to teach: In this context, the Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as teach refers to three things:

(a) instructing people about Christ

(b) instructing people about what Scripture teaches

or: When Paul used the word or here, he was saying that women should neither teach men nor have authority over them. (Some people (like Philip Payne in “The Interpretation of I Timothy 2:1–11: A Surrejoinder,” unpublished paper referred to by Moo in the reference below) take this as an example of hendiadys. They say that Paul does not say anything here about women not exercising authority over men. Instead, they say that the word or indicates that women should not teach men in an authoritative way. But other people (like Douglas Moo in “What Does It Mean Not to Teach or Have Authority Over Men? 1 Timothy 2:11–15,” in Recovering Biblical Manhood and Womanhood, page 187) point out that the Greek word or is not usually used in hendiadys. They say that Paul is prohibiting women from both teaching and exercising authority, whether done together or separately.)

to exercise authority: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as to exercise authority means that a person controls, dominates, or begins to exert authority over another person. (Kroeger and Kroeger say that one of the senses of the word “have authority” is “to represent oneself as the author, originator, or source of something.” So, they say that certain women were teaching that they were the originator of men, and that what Paul was forbidding here was not that women “teach or have authority over men” but that women “teach that they are the originator of man.” They continue to say that pagan thought in the area had long held that woman was the source of man. They also say that certain types of gnosticism known to have been taught in the area of Ephesus about 100 to 200 years after this time may have already been taught in less well-developed forms during Paul’s time. These types of gnosticism also taught that woman was the source of man. So, Paul was combating that false teaching in this verse.However, see the exhaustive study of this word by Baldwin in Women in the Church, pages 65–80, and his exhaustive study of the full context of each occurrence of the word known in Koine Greek, pages 269–305. According to Baldwin, the Kroegers’ claims as to the meaning of the Greek word “to have authority” is based on a misinterpretation of one of the attested meanings “to be primarily responsible for or instigate something.” Furthermore, the Kroegers’ theory is speculative, assuming that specific forms of later Gnostic teachings were also taught during the time which Paul wrote. See also Schreiner’s survey and critique of various positions in Women in the Church, pages 130–134.) (John Stott, pages 74–81, draws a distinction between what is culturally conditioned and what are timeless principles in verses 8 through 15. He says that the timeless principles are that men should pray without sin, anger, or fighting, that women should dress modestly, and that women should be submissive to men. He says that the culturally conditioned elements are the way men pray (with lifted hands), the particular way women should not dress (with gold or braided hair), and the way women should be submissive to men (by being silent and not teaching). Further, on page 81, he distinguishes between two kinds of teaching roles. One is where the teacher is seen as an authority figure, and the other where the teacher is seen as a servant, under the authority of Scripture. He indicates that it would not be appropriate for a woman to be in the first role, but that a woman would be able to be in the second role without violating the principle of remaining in submission to men.Whereas I like Stott’s distinction between what is cultural and what is timeless, I think it would be hard for a woman to fill a pastoral role where she is the principle teacher without her also exercising authority over men. Even though she remains under the authority of Scripture and relates to the congregation as servant, she would need to speak with the authority of Scripture to declare what the word of God says. How would she be able to do the things which Paul tells Timothy to do, such as “command certain men not to teach false doctrines” (1:3), “command and teach these things” (4:11), publicly rebuke those who have sinned (5:20) and “command those who are rich in this present world not to be arrogant” (6:17), without exercising authority over them? Stott admits that such a woman should be “a member of a pastoral team whose leader is a man.” But this essentially undercuts what he says, because then the man would be the principle authoritative teacher, not the woman.)

This expression is similar to 2:11, where Paul said that women should learn in “full submissiveness.” Paul meant that women should not have authority over men in the Christian community. They were to submit to the authority of the male teachers, not try to rule over them.

over a man: Paul was still talking about men and women in general, not husbands and wives. He had been talking about women and men in general since 2:8a.

2:12b

she: This refers to every woman, not a specific woman. If you used a plural in 2:11 and in 2:12a, you should do the same here.

is to remain quiet: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as remain quiet here is the same word as was translated “quietness” in 2:11. Paul did not mean that women should never speak (see the note on 2:11). He meant that they should not speak while someone else was teaching.

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SIL Translator's Notes on 1 Timothy 4:14

4:14a

Do not neglect: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as neglect means “ignore, be unconcerned about.” Therefore, to not neglect something means to pay attention to it. Paul wanted Timothy to remember to use his gift. In some languages you may need to say this positively instead of negatively. For example, you could say:

Pay attention to [your gift]

the gift that is in you: This refers to some kind of special ability or talent that God gave to Timothy through the Holy Spirit. Paul did not make explicit what this gift was because, of course, Timothy already knew what it was. It probably included an ability to teach and preach.

In some languages, there is no noun that means “ability.” If this is true in your language, you could say:

the work that God made you able to do

Be careful to use a word for “work” that can include activities such as teaching and preaching.

4:14b

In 4:14b–c, Paul reminded Timothy about the way that he had received his gift from God.

which was given you: If you need to supply a subject here, you should say that God gave Timothy the gift.

prophecy spoken over you: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as prophecy refers to special messages that the Holy Spirit gives to people.

Paul was probably referring to a prophecy that one (or more) of the elders had received from God (4:14c). God probably told them to tell Timothy that God had given him the ability to preach and teach. Another example of a prophetic message is recorded in Acts 13:1–3.

4:14c

at the laying on of the hands: In the Christian community, it was usual to place hands on a person to commission them for a special task. For example, the believers in Antioch commissioned Paul and Barnabas to go and preach the gospel in other places (Acts 13:3). Here in 4:14, Paul was referring to the time when the elders stood around Timothy and placed their hands on him.

God had given Timothy the ability to preach and teach. This ceremony was intended to show the other believers in Ephesus that God had given Timothy those abilities.

Scripture does not say where the elders placed their hands, but it was probably on Timothy’s head.

of the elders: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as the elders refers to a group or council of elders.

elders: This term refers to leaders of a local group of believers. The word “overseer” in 3:1b and 3:2a probably refers to the same people.

General Comment on 4:14a–c

In some languages, it may be more natural to reorder this verse. One way to do this is:

^14cRemember when the group of elders put their hands on you ^14band God gave them a message to tell you about the special ability he had given you. ^14aDo not ignore that ability.

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SIL Translator's Notes on 1 Timothy 6:8

6:8a

But: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as But is the connecting word de. (See footnote 6 for more details about de.) However here it does not indicate a contrast with 6:7, but a sort of conclusion. Therefore in some languages, it may be better to start the verse with a connecting word like “so” or “therefore.” (Arichea and Hatton, page 148, also comment on this, saying: “It should be further noted that the connective used here can be literally rendered as ‘but’ or ‘and.’ If, however, this verse functions as an inference arising out of the assertion in verse 7, then a connective expressing inference or result would be preferable (as, for example, Good News Translation ‘So then,’ Phps ‘Surely, then’). In certain languages it is possible to restructure this verse as follows: ‘So then, we should be satisfied if we have (or, just to have) enough food and clothes.’”)

food: The word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as food includes drink as well.

clothing: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as clothing refers to anything that covers and protects people. It refers mainly to clothes, but it can also refer to housing. (See the definition in BAG of skepasma.)

6:8b

we will be content: The verb that the Berean Standard Bible translates as we will be content is a future tense. However, Paul was probably saying that we should be content. (Kelly, page 137, says, “The future ‘we shall be content’ is unexpected, for an admonitory construction such as ‘we should be content’ would seem more in place. It may be that Paul is incorporating a proverbial tag without troubling to modify it. Alternatively, and more probably, the future may be a Hebraism with the force of an imperative.”) He meant that wealth does not bring happiness to people. Instead people will be happy when they are content with what God has provided. See the note on 6:6.

we: This again refers to Paul, Timothy, and the Ephesian believers.

General Comment on 6:8a–b

In some languages it will be better to reorder the verse. For example:

So we should be satisfied if we have enough food and clothes.
-or-
Therefore even if sufficient food and clothes are all that we have, we should be content.

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SIL Translator's Notes on 1 Timothy 1:10

1:10a

the sexually immoral:

Paul possibly used this Greek word here to include those who disobey the Seventh Commandment against adultery (Exodus 20:14).
) The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as sexually immoral is a general word that refers to people who sin sexually in any way. Try to use a general term in your translation.

homosexuals: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translated as homosexuals refers to people who have sexual relations with people of their own sex.

1:10b

slave traders: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as slave traders refers to those who capture people and then sell them as slaves. (Paul may have used slave traders as an extreme example of people who break the Eighth Commandment against stealing (Exodus 20:15).)

1:10c

liars: This word refers to people who say things that they know are not true. (These people break the Ninth Commandment, which prohibits testifying falsely against anyone (Exodus 20:16).)

perjurers: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as perjurers is found only here in the New Testament, though a similar verb occurs in Matthew 5:33. It refers to people who swear to tell the truth, usually before a judge, and then lie.

1:10d

anyone else: Paul finished his list by a general statement so that the list included everything a person might do or say that did not please God. You could translate this as:

all other things that a person might do…

averse to: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as averse to refers to being against or opposed to something. In this verse, Paul was referring to any action, statement, or thought that is against sound doctrine.

sound teaching: The Greek words that the Berean Standard Bible translates as sound teaching here literally mean “healthy teaching.” This refers to correct teaching about the way in which God wants people to behave. This Greek phrase is also used in 2 Timothy 4:3 and Titus 1:9, 2:1.

sound: The word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as sound literally means “healthy.” In this context, it means free from error, correct.

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.

The things that the false teachers were teaching contradicted these facts and rejected the true message about Christ.

General Comment on 1:10d

In many languages, only people can “be contrary to” or oppose something. Actions, statements, or thoughts cannot be “against something.” If that is true in your language, one way you could translate this is:

and people who do anything else that the correct teaching forbids us to do

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SIL Translator's Notes on 1 Timothy 3:8

Paragraph 3:8–13

In 3:1–7 Paul told Timothy the sort of people who ought to be overseers. In the following verses, Paul described the sort of people who should be deacons. Many of these qualifications are similar to those for overseers.

3:8a

Deacons: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as Deacons normally means “servants.” But in this verse it refers to believers who had a special job within the community of believers. Deacons basically took care of special needs of believers. For example, one of their tasks was to care for the widows.

Most English versions translate the word as “deacons,” but the Good News Translation says “church helpers.” You should choose a term that is suitable in your culture for such a leadership job.

likewise: Paul had given a list of qualifications for overseers in 3:1–7. He was now going to list the qualifications for deacons.(3:8–13). In some languages it may be enough to use the word “also.”

dignified: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as dignified is a general word. It means that a deacon must behave in a way that deserves respect from other people. That is, other people will esteem and honor him because he has earned that respect by the way he behaves.

not double-tongued: The Greek term that the Berean Standard Bible literally translates as not double-tongued means “sincere.” Another way to express this is:

not saying things they do not mean (New Century Version)

3:8b

or given to much wine: Just as an overseer should not be “dependent on wine” (3:3a), Paul said that deacons should not be “given to much wine.” This means the same thing—any leader among believers must not get drunk.

wine: The word wine refers to a drink made from grapes. It is fermented and therefore alcoholic. During the time when Paul wrote this letter, people normally drank wine with their meals. Paul said that deacons should not drink too much wine and therefore become drunk.

3:8c

greedy for money: In 3:3d, Paul said that overseers should be “free of the love of money.” Here Paul makes a similar statement about deacons. The Greek word aischrokerdē that the Berean Standard Bible translates as greedy for money literally means “shamefully greedy.” Scholars interpret this in two ways:

(1) It refers to people who do wrong things in order to get money.

(New International Version (2011 Revision), Contemporary English Version, New Century Version, God’s Word)

This is also the view of many commentaries.

(2) It refers to people who are greedy for money and possessions, whether or not the person does anything wrong to get them.

(Berean Standard Bible, Revised Standard Version, Good News Translation, New Jerusalem Bible, New Living Translation (2004 Revision), NET Bible)

It is recommended that you follow interpretation (1). The Greek word that Paul used here contains a part that means “shameful, disgraceful.” So it probably refers to someone who is willing to lie, cheat or take bribes in order to get the money he wants. This kind of person might use his position of authority in the church as a way to get money from other people. One possible way to translate this is:

He must not be a person who will do anything to get money.

The same term is used in Titus 1:7 and 1:11.

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Source: SIL Translator's Notes on 1 Timothy 2003

SIL Translator's Notes on 1 Timothy 1:20

SIL Translator's Notes on 1 Timothy 4:3

SIL Translator's Notes on 1 Timothy 5:20

SIL Translator's Notes on 1 Timothy 2:12

SIL Translator's Notes on 1 Timothy 4:14

SIL Translator's Notes on 1 Timothy 6:8

SIL Translator's Notes on 1 Timothy 1:10

SIL Translator's Notes on 1 Timothy 3:8

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