18This charge I commit to you, Timothy, my child, in accordance with the prophecies made earlier about you, so that by following them you may fight the good fight,
“Timothy” is the anglicized form of Timotheus, meaning “honoring God,” “honored of God,” “worshiping God,” “valued of God.” (Source: Cornwall / Smith 1997 )
It is translated in American Sign Language with a sign that combines the signs for the letter T and “young,” referring to 1 Timothy 4:12 et al. (Source: Ruth Anna Spooner, Ron Lawer)
“Timothy” in American Sign Language, source: Deaf Harbor
Following are a number of back-translations of 1 Timothy 1:18:
Uma: “Timotius my child! Follow these commands that I put-down for you. Remember the words of the religion leaders who fired-up your heart and admonished you. Their advice you [should] use-as-your-necklace always [i.e., remember it and live by it], so that you are strong to work the work that you have to do, like a soldier that is bold to wage-war.” (Source: Uma Back Translation)
Yakan: “Na, Timoteo, my child. This is what I instruct you (to do): remember what was foretold about you by the people who were caused to speak God’s word (prophesied). Remember those words and do very well the work given to you by God and enemy everything which is evil.” (Source: Yakan Back Translation)
Western Bukidnon Manobo: “Now as for you, Timothy my son, I charge you to teach this which I have said to the people. This is in keeping with the prophecy long ago about you. And I charge you also that, according to that prophecy, you strengthen your soldiering because of Jesus Christ.” (Source: Western Bukidnon Manobo Back Translation)
Kankanaey: “This that I have commanded/instructed you (sing.), Timoteo my child, it is indeed also in-accordance-with what was prophesied previously concerning you (sing.). Don’t be forgetting that-aforementioned prophecy so that you (sing.) will become-courageous to fight all that is evil.” (Source: Kankanaey Back Translation)
Tagbanwa: “Timoteo, who is like my son, I am instructing you in accordance with what was said by the people in the past concerning you which was put in their minds by the Lord. Always remember those things which were said, because provided you follow/obey them, that’s what strengthens you in your far-from-ordinary fighting against evil.” (Source: Tagbanwa Back Translation)
Tenango Otomi: “Listen my son Timothy, this word I tell you to do meets with the word God put in the mind of the prophets in the days gone by, those men who spoke about what work you would do. Concerning this word I command you now, because of it be strengthened so that you do all the work God gave you to do. Have your faith firmed (made firm). Don’t let evil conquer you.” (Source: Tenango Otomi Back Translation)
As already mentioned, charge is the same word used in verses 3 and 5. Commit entails the idea of entrusting or handing over something to someone for implementation and preservation. Timothy is addressed here intimately as my son, or more accurately “my child” (Good News Translation, New Revised Standard Version), since the Greek word for son is the generic word for any child. See further comments in 1 Tim. 1.2.
In accordance with may define the charge as agreeing with the prophetic utterances (so Good News Translation, Phillips) or may designate the act of committing the charge to Timothy as being in harmony with the prophetic utterances (so New English Bible, New International Version). A third possibility is to understand in accordance with as designating the content of the charge itself (so Jerusalem Bible “I ask you to remember the words once spoken over you … and taking them to heart to fight…”). The prophetic utterances are described in the past tense as pointing to Timothy; the Greek word for pointed is literally “to go ahead,” “to precede.” The sense is that these were utterances spoken by prophets about Timothy (so New Revised Standard Version “prophecies made earlier about you”), or one may translate “according to the words that prophets spoke in the past about you,” or in the case of languages that do not have one specific word for “prophets,” one may say “according to what people in the past said would happen to you.” The question of the identity of these prophets and on what occasion they spoke is a matter of debate; among the suggested possibilities are the following:
1. These are predictions of certain Christian prophets about Timothy, and these prophetic statements led Paul to choose Timothy as his companion in the work.
2. These are utterances of Christian prophets at the time of Timothy’s ordination (see 4.14).
3. These are the actual words of ordination that are uttered by the ordaining person, who in this case is most probably Paul.
4. These are orders and words of encouragement that Timothy continues to receive in the course of his ministry.
It is difficult to decide which of the above is what is intended. In a study Bible it would be appropriate to include all of these as notes. But due to the difficulty of being certain, it may be best in this case for the translation to retain the ambiguity of the text.
At any rate, Timothy is exhorted to use these prophetic utterances as weapons in the battle ahead. Inspired by them is literally “in them” or more probably “by them,” which describes these prophetic utterances as instruments or weapons both to be used (so Good News Translation) and obeyed (so New Revised Standard Version “by following them”). You may wage the good warfare is literally “you may fight the good fight” (so New Revised Standard Version). There is a play on words in the Greek, since the word for “fight” in both instances is related to the word for “soldier.” This feature may be retained in translation if the resources in the language make it possible. The expression itself (“fight the good fight”) can be treated as an idiom that means “to fight well” (so Good News Translation). But of course this is all figurative language drawn from the military world, comparing Timothy’s ministry to that of a war. In other parts of the New Testament, there are references to warfare against evil spiritual forces, and especially against Satan. In the present context this battle is against those teachers who are teaching doctrines contrary to the gospel itself, and in certain languages translators will need to make the goal of the verb “fight” explicit and say, for example, “You may fight well against those false teachers.” However, the positive aspect of the struggle may be emphasized; for example, “you may fight well for the gospel (or, for the truth of the gospel).”
Alternative translation models for this verse are:
• Timothy, my son (or, my child), these are the instructions that I am giving you: I ask you to remember the things that people (or, prophets) in the past said would happen to you. You must use those words like weapons in order to fight well against those false teachers (or, to fight well for the truth of the gospel).
Or:
• … in order to fight well for (or, to maintain) the truth of the gospel.
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 .
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.
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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.
Living Water is produced for the Bible translation movement in association with Lutheran Bible Translators. Lyrics derived from the ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®).
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