SIL Translator’s Notes on 1 Timothy 2003 – Page 5

SIL Translator's Notes on 1 Timothy 5:11

5:11a

But refuse to enroll younger widows: The order of the words in the Greek text indicate that Paul was now focusing on the younger widows as his topic. The New International Version (2011 Revision) shows this by saying, “As for younger widows,” but you should use a natural way in your language to show this focus.

But refuse to enroll: That is, they should not be put on the list mentioned in 5:9a.

younger widows: This Greek phrase refers to widows who were younger than sixty.

5:11b

For: This introduces the first reason that Paul gives for excluding younger widows from the list.

when their passions draw them away from Christ: The Berean Standard Bible phrase their passions draw them away translates a single Greek word. This word only occurs here in the New Testament. It implies that Paul did not expect these young women to be able to discipline or restrain their physical (sexual) desires. He expected these desires to grow and to become stronger than the women’s desire to serve Christ.

Christ: Notice that in this verse Paul refers to Jesus only using the name Christ. It is recommended that you do the same thing.

The word Christ is used two ways in the New Testament. In the Gospels, Christ is a title for Jesus. It means “the anointed one.” But later, by the time that Paul and others wrote letters to individuals and churches, the word Christ was used as another name for Jesus. It was no longer used as a title. So here and in other New Testament letters you should spell Christ according to the rules of your language.

5:11c

they will want to marry: It seems that these younger widows promised in some way that they would serve Christ as widows for the rest of their lives without remarrying. However later on, they change their mind. Paul was saying that it was not realistic for young widows to promise this because most young widows would want to remarry.

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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 6:20

Paragraph 6:20a–21b

In this final paragraph, Paul was once more giving commands to Timothy himself.

6:20a

O Timothy: Paul addressed Timothy by name in this final paragraph of his letter. In Greek and in English, it is natural to place this name at the beginning of the sentence. However, in other languages, it may be more natural to place it at the end or in the middle. You should place Timothy’s name where it is most natural in your language.

guard what has been entrusted to you: The phrase that the Berean Standard Bible translates as guard what has been entrusted to you is a command to care for someone else’s possessions and make sure they are safe.

Here, Paul was not talking about an object that Timothy was to guard. He was talking about a task that God had entrusted to Timothy. This was probably the task of teaching God’s message. God had given this responsibility to Timothy. See the note on 1:11b and 1:18a.

6:20b

Avoid: The verb that the Berean Standard Bible translates as Avoid literally means to physically “swerve to avoid something.” Here Paul used the verb in a figurative way. He was telling Timothy to avoid certain types of conversation. In other words, he was not to listen to such ideas and he was to make sure that they did not influence what he taught.

irreverent: The word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as irreverent here and in 4:7a was translated as “profane” in 1:9e. Other translation possibilities for it are “godless,” “vile,” or “impure.”

empty chatter: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as empty chatter means “empty, worthless talk.” Paul was telling Timothy to avoid getting involved in conversations that were meaningless.

Paul used the same expression “godless” chatter in 2 Timothy 2:16.

6:20c

the opposing arguments: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as opposing arguments refers to something that contradicts something else. Scholars understand this in two ways:

(1) Paul was referring to ideas that opposed, or contradicted, the true teaching about God.

(2) Paul was referring to false teaching that contradicted itself and so was inconsistent and foolish. The Good News Translation translates it as “foolish arguments.”

It is not clear which of these interpretations many English versions follow. It is recommended that you follow interpretation (1).

so-called “knowledge”: Paul wanted Timothy to know the difference between true knowledge and what some people claimed to be knowledge. That is, the false teachers claimed that the false teaching was true. Paul made it clear here to Timothy that these opposing arguments were not real knowledge.

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SIL Translator's Notes on 1 Timothy 2:3

2:3a

This is good: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as This refers to what Paul commanded in 2:1–2, that is, to pray for everyone. So here he said it was a good/right thing for people to pray for everyone.

2:3b

pleasing in the sight of God our Savior: This is the reason that it is “good” to pray for everyone (2:3a). When a person prays, it is pleasing to God.

God our Savior: When Paul mentioned God here, he was referring to God the Father. As discussed in the note on 1:1c, New Testament authors more usually refer to Christ as Savior. However, Paul used this expression six times in 1 Timothy, 2 Timothy, and Titus.

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

Savior: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as Savior refers to a person who saves or rescues someone else from danger. Paul was saying that God rescues all people who trust in Christ. In other words, he saves them from their sin and its consequences.

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SIL Translator's Notes on 1 Timothy 4:5

4:5

because: The Greek word gar that the Berean Standard Bible translates as because can also be translated “for.” Paul used the word here to summarize the reasons the false teachers were wrong to ban some kinds of food.

it is sanctified: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as sanctified means “made holy, consecrated.” All foods are acceptable, for no food that God has made is impure or unclean. See also Acts 10:15.

by the word of God and prayer: This is the means by which food has been made holy.

the word of God: This refers to what God said in Scripture.

This is an example of personification, where Paul talked about the word of God as if it were a person. It is actually God who sanctifies food by his word. So in some languages it may be necessary to translate this as:

God made everything holy by what he said
-or-
God has declared everything to be holy

prayer: Paul was probably referring to the prayer of thanksgiving that he had mentioned in 4:3c. When people thank God for food, they are agreeing with God that it is good.

General Comment on 4:4–5

In some languages it may be better to reverse the order of these verses so that the cause comes before the result. One way to do this is:

^4aFor everything God created is good. ⁵It is declared holy by the word of God and by prayer. ^4cSo nothing is to be rejected ^4bbut everything should be received with thanksgiving.

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SIL Translator's Notes on 1 Timothy 5:22

5:22a

Do not be too quick in the laying on of hands: Here Paul implied that Timothy should be careful when he chose people to appoint as new leaders for the community of believers.

Do not be too quick: Paul did not want Timothy to appoint new elders too quickly. In other words, he wanted Timothy to ensure that the person was qualified to be a good elder. Timothy was to be sure that the candidate really was “above reproach” (3:2a).

the laying on of hands: The phrase the laying on of hands refers to the way that Timothy, along with other leaders of the believers, appointed a person to be an elder. They stood around a person, placed their hands upon him and prayed for him.

5:22b

and thereby share in the sins of others: Paul did not want Timothy to appoint any man to be an elder before Timothy really knew the man’s character. If Timothy did appoint an elder and later the elder sinned, Timothy would then share in the sins of that elder. That means that Timothy would be partly responsible for the sins that the elder committed.

others: This refers in general to elders who sin.

5:22c

yourself: Paul used the emphatic pronoun that the Berean Standard Bible translates as yourself to emphasize that Timothy needed to take care not to sin himself.

pure: To be pure means to be free from sin. Timothy needed to avoid having sinful habits or sinning in any major way. If he avoided sin, he would be a good example for the other believers. If he did not stay away from sin, he would be a bad example.

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SIL Translator's Notes on 1 Timothy 1:1

Section 1:1–2

Paul greeted Timothy

In this first section of this letter, Paul introduced himself as the writer of the letter and explained to whom he was writing it. Then he wrote a short prayer for Timothy. Paul began this letter the way most people did when they wrote letters in New Testament times. That is why he put his name first and then wrote Timothy’s name.

In your language, people may not start letters the same way that Paul did. To follow the Greek word order might even convey wrong information. It may, therefore, be necessary to change the order of some of the information. Perhaps your readers may not understand that this was a letter or would think that Paul was being rude or was not well-educated. So in some languages it may be necessary to place the name of the person to whom Paul was writing before Paul’s own name. Then follow that with information that Paul was an apostle by the command of God.

Paragraph 1:1–2

1:1a

Paul: Paul began this letter to Timothy by stating his own name first. In some languages, it is not natural for a person to use his own name to refer to himself, as Paul did here. If that is the case in your language, you may have to say something like:

I, Paul

In addition, Paul did not use a verb here, so you may have to supply one. For example, you may have to say:

I, Paul, am sending this letter
-or-
I, Paul, am writing this letter

Other possibilities are:

I, Paul, greet you
-or-
This letter is from me, Paul

1:1b

an apostle of Christ Jesus: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as apostle means “sent one.” Therefore an apostle is someone who has been sent to do a specific job. Christ Jesus had sent Paul to represent him and authorized Paul to teach others about him.

Christ Jesus: Notice that in this verse Paul referred to Jesus as Christ Jesus instead of “Jesus Christ.” The names “Christ Jesus” and “Jesus Christ” refer to the same person. (Some people, however, think that when Paul used the word Christ before the word Jesus, as in Christ Jesus, he was emphasizing that Jesus was the Messiah.)

In most English versions “Jesus Christ” and “Christ Jesus” are translated in the same order as they occur in the Greek manuscripts. It is recommended that you do the same thing.

However, it is possible that, in some languages, people may be confused to see the names in two different orders. They may even think that Paul was referring to two different people. If this is true in your language, it may be necessary to translate Christ Jesus as “Jesus Christ.” This is the more usual word order in the New Testament.

Christ: The word Christ is used two ways in the New Testament. In the Gospels, Christ is a title for Jesus. It means “the anointed one.” But later, by the time that Paul and others wrote letters to individuals and churches, the word Christ was used as another name for Jesus. It was no longer used as a title. So here and in other New Testament letters you should spell Christ according to the rules of your language.

1:1c

by the command of God our Savior and of Christ Jesus our hope: Paul knew he was an apostle was because God and Christ wanted him to be one. He did not choose himself to be an apostle. The other apostles did not choose him either, nor did any other human being. Rather, Paul became an apostle by the command of God and of Christ Jesus. They had appointed him to be an apostle.

In some languages it may be necessary to translate the command with a verb. For example:

God our Savior and Christ Jesus our hope commanded/commissioned me to be an apostle of Christ Jesus.

God our Savior: When Paul mentioned God here, he was referring to God the Father. New Testament authors usually refer to Christ as Savior. However, Paul used this expression six times in 1 Timothy, 2 Timothy, and Titus.

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

Christ Jesus our hope: When Paul described Christ as our hope, he meant that Christ was the one who gives Christians hope.

In some languages, it may be necessary to translate hope with a verb. One way to express this would be to say:

we can hope/trust in Christ Jesus

our: Here again this refers to Paul, Timothy, and the Ephesian believers.

General Comment on 1:1c

Paul became an apostle because God and Christ had appointed him as one. This was Paul’s main point in 1:1. In 1:1c, he also included the information that God is our Savior and that Christ Jesus is our hope. This is secondary information. Paul did not explain how or why God is our Savior or in what way Christ Jesus is our hope. Do not add too many details to your translation to explain what it means to say that God is our Savior and that Christ is our hope. Otherwise your readers may miss Paul’s main point.

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SIL Translator's Notes on 1 Timothy 2:14

2:14a

And: Here Paul gave the second reason that women should not teach or rule men. He implied that it was often easier for the devil to deceive women than it was for him to deceive men. (The view that women tend to be more easily deceived than men has historically been the more popular view. Modern western ideas make this interpretation unpopular, but I have not seen any other convincing interpretation of what Paul says here. For example, some people understand verse 14 to imply that Eve’s problem was not that she was deceived, but that she ate the fruit without consulting Adam, and then, by offering the fruit for Adam to eat, was taking an improper role by, in a sense, “teaching” him. Stott, page 81, promotes this view and says, “the essence of Eve’s part in the fall was not that she was deceived, but that she took an improper initiative, usurped Adam’s authority and thus reversed their respective roles.” However, the focus in verse 14 is on deception, not teaching. Eve stands not as a type of Ephesian women who were teaching false doctrine, but as a type of Ephesian women who were being deceived by false doctrine. If it were Paul’s point in verse 14 that Eve should not have been teaching Adam, it is strange that he should leave teaching unmentioned and refer only to her deception!Kroeger and Kroeger’s interpretation that these statements are actually combating proto-Gnostic teachings is attractive, but speculative. They say that Paul was combating the proto-Gnostic teaching which said that Adam had been tricked into thinking that he was created before Eve, that the God who had made the material universe was the highest God of all, and that he should worship this God. For more details and interaction with other views see Schreiner in Women in the Church, pages 140–146.Keener, in Dictionary of Paul and His Letters, page 591, says that Paul’s argument from Eve’s deception is likely to be ad hoc: “It is far more likely that Paul instead uses Eve to illustrate the plight of the particular women he addresses in Ephesus, who are easily deceived because they are untrained. Paul elsewhere uses Eve for anyone who is deceived, not just women (2 Cor 11:3).” However, the point remains that Paul is specifically referring to women here. Furthermore, Paul sets the context by referring to all women, not just untaught women, in 2:11 and 2:12a. See the notes on 2:11.) He said that the behavior of Eve and Adam was proof of this. If a woman is deceived, she may not teach what is true.

This does not mean that woman should never teach. In Titus 2:3–5 Paul wrote that women could teach other women. In 2 Timothy 1:5 and 3:14–15 he wrote that women should teach their children. However here Paul was saying that women should not teach men.

it was not Adam who was deceived: Paul was referring to Genesis 3:1–13. These verses explain that Satan appeared to Eve as a snake. He tempted her to eat the only fruit that God had forbidden Adam and her to eat. The snake did not speak to Adam or deceive him. Adam chose to eat the fruit when Eve offered it to him.

2:14b

but the woman who was deceived: The snake tricked or deceived Eve by causing her to disbelieve what God had said about the fruit.

Paul’s point here was that Satan was able to deceive Eve more easily than he could deceive Adam.

2:14c

fell into transgression: The Greek phrase that the Berean Standard Bible translates as fell into transgression means “deliberately broke God’s law.” Eve did not obey God’s command. (Kroeger and Kroeger say that this combats Gnostic teaching which said that Eve actually did a good thing when she ate of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. They presume that people taught this in the time when Paul and Timothy lived.) She became a person who had disobeyed God.

General Comment on 2:11–14

Paul’s conclusion is in 2:12 and his reasons are in 2:13–14. However, in some languages, it is more natural to state reasons before the conclusion. If this is true in your language, you may need to combine and reorder the verses. One way to do this is:

¹¹When men teach about God, women should learn by listening quietly and respectfully. ^12–14For God made Adam before he made Eve. Also, Adam was not the one whom Satan deceived. Satan deceived Eve and she disobeyed God. Therefore, I do not allow women to teach or have authority over men.

General Comment on 2:14a–c

In some languages, it may be necessary to conclude 2:14 with a sentence to summarize what Paul was saying. For example, you could say:

Those are the reasons why women should not teach or have authority over men.

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SIL Translator's Notes on 1 Timothy 4:16

4:16a

Pay close attention: The Greek verb that the Berean Standard Bible translates as Pay close attention could also be translated as “focus on,” “be careful concerning,” “consider carefully.” The verb form in Greek suggests that Paul was commanding Timothy to continue to do something that he was already doing. He was not telling him to do something new. Paul was commanding Timothy to continue to pay careful attention to his behavior and what he taught.

your life: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as your life is literally “yourself.” This refers to behavior. Paul was telling Timothy to pay attention to the way that he behaved as a believer.

your 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. This was what Paul had taught Timothy (4:6) and was now telling Timothy that he should teach other believers (4:13c). See the note on 1:10d.

4:16c

for by so doing: Here Paul told Timothy the reason that it was so important to persevere.

Paul was not implying that Timothy might not persevere. The form of the Greek verb indicates that Paul was reminding him to continue to do things that he was already doing. See the note on 4:16a.

4:16d

you will save both yourself and those who hear you: Paul was not saying that Timothy and the other believers in Ephesus were not saved. Rather here he used the future tense (will save) to refer to the time when believers arrive in heaven. At that time their salvation is complete. In heaven there is no more suffering or persecution.

Specifically Paul was saying Timothy’s teaching and preaching was the way in which God was confirming Timothy’s own salvation. God was also using that teaching and preaching to tell others about himself so that they also could be saved. The New Testament writers wrote in the same way elsewhere (for example, in 1 Corinthians 9:22).

Paragraph 5:1–2

Paul told Timothy to treat all believers as if they were members of his family.

5:1a

Do not rebuke an older man: The Greek verb that the Berean Standard Bible translates as rebuke can also be translated “scold” or “correct severely.” This command and the following ones are addressed specifically to Timothy.

an older man: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as an older man is the same one that Paul used in 4:14 to refer to a church leader. However, in this verse, Paul was referring to any man who was older than Timothy.

5:1b

but: The connector that the Berean Standard Bible translates as but indicates that 5:1b contrasts with 5:1a.

appeal to: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as appeal to means “to exhort,” “to encourage,” “to advise strongly,” or “to urge earnestly.” Use a word or phrase in your language that expresses the way that a son might respectfully urge his father to do something.

as to a father: Paul was telling Timothy to treat older men in a way that showed that he respected them and loved them.

5:1c

Treat: In the Greek text, there is no verb in this part of the verse. The Berean Standard Bible has supplied the verb Treat. Or you might use the verb “exhort” from 5:1b. Paul wanted Timothy to show these men that he cared about them and that he was concerned for their welfare.

younger men: This probably refers to men who were younger than Timothy himself.

brothers: In some languages, it is necessary to differentiate between “older brothers” and “younger brothers.” If this is true in your language, use the term that means “younger brothers” here.

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Source: SIL Translator's Notes on 1 Timothy 2003

SIL Translator's Notes on 1 Timothy 5:11

SIL Translator's Notes on 1 Timothy 6:20

SIL Translator's Notes on 1 Timothy 2:3

SIL Translator's Notes on 1 Timothy 4:5

SIL Translator's Notes on 1 Timothy 5:22

SIL Translator's Notes on 1 Timothy 1:1

SIL Translator's Notes on 1 Timothy 2:14

SIL Translator's Notes on 1 Timothy 4:16

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