Specific requirements for the enrollment of widows are now set forth.
The verb for enrolled means to put the name of someone on a list in order to be identified as a member of a particular group. Only those who are enrolled as real widows will be entitled to receive material support from the Christian community. Another way to translate this clause is “Do not write down the name of a widow in the list of widows unless….” In languages that do not have a word for “list,” one may say, for example, “Do not count a widow as one who should receive financial help unless….”
The possibility has also been suggested by some scholars that there existed in the early church an office of widows, some functions of which are mentioned in verse 10. If this is the case, then the enrollment is not only to entitle these widows to receive support from the church, but also to give them the right to function as church leaders. However, the right to receive financial aid would still be the chief reason to enroll widows. In certain languages one may restructure this first sentence; for example, “When a widow is sixty years of age, you may add her to the list of widows.”
In order to ensure that the list of real widows is as accurate as possible, certain criteria are set forth. The first criterion pertains to age: she must be at least sixty years old. Reasons for not including younger widows in the list are indicated later (verses 11-16).
The next criterion pertains to the widow’s relationship with her husband. As indicated by the presence of a footnote in Good News Translation, the Greek text can be interpreted in at least two different ways. Literally the Greek text can be translated “the wife of one husband.” Does this mean that she is married only once (Good News Translation; compare Jerusalem Bible “who has had only one husband”) or that, regardless of the times she had gotten remarried, she has always been faithful to whatever husband she had? In other words, is the focus here on the number of husbands (one) or faithfulness in the marriage relationship? Having had only one husband seems to be the more logical choice and is in fact followed by most translations.
A third qualification is that she must be well attested for her good deeds. Attested comes from the same word that is usually translated “witness” or “testify,” here used in the sense of receiving a good report, that is, of people speaking well of her and regarding her very favorably because of what she is doing. A modern way of expressing this is to say that she has a good reputation (Good News Translation) or is well known (New International Version) for her deeds. Other ways of rendering this are “other people attest to the fact that she does all sorts of good deeds” or “other people say that she is a good person.”
What follows are some of the good deeds that the widow should have been involved in. There are some things that should be noticed in the Greek text. First, the construction is such that a list of activities is intended. The first four in the list are specific activities, whereas the last one sounds much more like a generic statement that sums up all the other activities not included under any of the first four activities mentioned. Secondly, the tense of the verbs in the series is aorist, which means that these activities have been completed in the past and most possibly are not continuing in the present. This is understandable, since many of these activities involve expending material resources that a widow in her destitute condition would not be able to afford.
The first good deed mentioned is that of bringing up children. The Greek here consists of one compound verb that combines “child” with “bring up” and means raising up a child to maturity by providing for all the child’s needs, both material and otherwise. The text does not say who these children are, but they are obviously her own, a fact that is made explicit in Good News Translation and many other translations. Furthermore, since the tense of the verse is aorist, this activity of bringing up children is a past one, and her ability to raise children well is shown by the quality of life that her children now live.
The second good deed is hospitality. The Greek word combines “stranger” and “receive,” hence Good News Translation “received strangers in her home.” Here again the aorist tense of the verb indicates that this act of hospitality is an event in the past. A real widow would not be expected to welcome strangers into her home, since she would not have the means to provide for their needs. See 3.2 for comments on the translation of “hospitable.”
The third is washing the feet of the saints. Saints is a technical term for believers (literally “the holy ones”), hence “God’s people.” Washing the feet was an act performed on guests. At that time, when guests arrived their feet would be dirty from the dust of the road, and someone from the host’s household (usually a house servant or slave) would take off the guests’ sandals at the door and wash their feet. In the present context it is not at all certain whether this should be taken literally or figuratively. If literally, it would mean that the widow herself performed this lowly task of welcoming Christian guests by washing their dusty feet. If figuratively, it would mean that the widow “performed humble duties for fellow Christians” (Good News Translation). One advantage of this figurative understanding is that the widow’s deeds are not limited to the washing of the feet of Christian guests, but they include any lowly task that is done for members of the Christian community. A literal translation would of course be ambiguous and would tend to support a literal interpretation as well. If a figurative interpretation is opted for, it may be advisable to have a footnote indicating the literal rendition of the Greek and explaining what it is, and how it is related to the nonliteral translation. For most languages it will be helpful for translators to follow Good News Translation‘s model. Other ways of rendering this are “she did small jobs for other Christians,” “she helped her fellow Christians in the small ways,” or “she served other Christians just as if she was a servant (or, as a servant would serve).”
A fourth specific item is now mentioned, that of relieving the afflicted. The verb translated relieved can mean “to help” in a general sense, or in a more specific sense to supply the needs of someone, hence “to provide for,” “to support.” Afflicted translates a present passive participle from a verb that means “to press” or “to oppress,” “to cause someone to experience hardship and suffering.” The nature of the affliction or suffering is not mentioned; it is suggested by some interpreters that the trouble may be related to the persecution that Christians experience. But since there is no certainty in this regard, it is probably best to keep the generic sense here, as most translations have done; for example, Good News Translation “helped those in trouble,” New English Bible “supported those in distress.”
The conclusion of the series is a general statement: devoted herself to doing good in every way. The verb translated devoted herself is a compound form of the verb “to follow” and means to give or devote oneself wholeheartedly to something, hence New American Bible, Revised “involved herself.” See 4.15 for comments on devoted. Doing good in every way is literally “in every good deed”; this form is reflected in Barclay “good works of every kind” (see also Jerusalem Bible, New International Version). Revised Standard Version has changed the nominal expression into a verbal phrase (compare New English Bible “she has taken every opportunity of doing good”).
An alternative translation model for these two verses is:
• When a widow is sixty years of age, you may add her to the list of widows. However, she must have had only one husband, and other people must confirm that she had always done good deeds; for example, she raised her children well, she welcomed into her home Christians who were traveling, she served other Christians just as if she were a servant, and she helped people who were undergoing troubles. She must have given herself to doing good deeds of all kinds.
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 .