widow

The Hebrew and Greek that is translated as “widow” in English is translated in West Kewa as ona wasa or “woman shadow” (source: Karl J. Franklin in Notes on Translation 70/1978, pp. 13ff.) and in Newari as “husband already died ones” or “ones who have no husband” (source: Newari Back Translation).

In Cherokee the term is gender neutral and translates to “one who has lost someone.” (Source: Bender / Belt 2025, p. 100)

The etymological meaning of the Hebrew almanah (אַלְמָנָה) is likely “pain, ache,” the Greek chéra (χήρα) is likely “to leave behind,” “abandon,” and the English widow (as well as related terms in languages such as Dutch, German, Sanskrit, Welsh, or Persian) is “to separate,” “divide” (source: Wiktionary).

See also widows.

live in pleasure

The Greek that is translated as “live in pleasure” or similar in English is translated in Low German idiomatically with the reduplicative in Suus un Bruus lewen, literally “live speedily and noisily” (translation by Johannes Jessen, publ. 1933, republ. 2006).

The same phrase is also used for akratés (ἀκρατής) in 2 Timothy 3:3, often translated into English as “without self-control.”

See also dissolute living / wild living.

complete verse (1 Timothy 5:6)

Following are a number of back-translations of 1 Timothy 5:6:

  • Uma: “But widows who just seek happiness, it is like their souls are dead, even though they are still living.” (Source: Uma Back Translation)
  • Yakan: “But if there is a widow, and that is what she always thinks of to satisfy the greedy-desire of her body to have fun she is figuratively like dead even if she is still alive.” (Source: Yakan Back Translation)
  • Western Bukidnon Manobo: “However, as for that widow woman who only desires worldly happiness, even though she is still alive she is just like a dead person.” (Source: Western Bukidnon Manobo Back Translation)
  • Kankanaey: “But the widow however whose thoughts are concentrated on her having-it-easy, it’s like she-is-dead/has-died concerning God even though she is still living.” (Source: Kankanaey Back Translation)
  • Tagbanwa: “But that widow whose way of life is far from God for her own will is what she is always indulging, it’s just like she’s dead even though her body is still alive, for she has no share in life which is without ending.” (Source: Tagbanwa Back Translation)
  • Tenango Otomi: “However the widow who lives for doing her own pleasure should not be helped. Because this person can be said to be living but is as though she were dead.” (Source: Tenango Otomi Back Translation)

Translation commentary on 1 Timothy 5:6

In contrast to the pious widow, there are some widows who are self-indulgent. The term here can be interpreted in the sense of living luxuriously, of enjoying the pleasures of extravagant living. There are some interpreters who would read moral overtones in the term, which means that a self-indulgent widow is one who also engages in immoral and wanton acts, but that is not necessarily the case. At any rate, it is not right for a widow to be extravagant, considering that she is dependent on other Christians for material support. Other ways of expressing who is self-indulgent are “who loses herself in pleasures,” “who spends her time engaging in pleasurable activities.”

Such a widow is dead even while she lives; this statement can be taken in two ways. First, dead can be taken metaphorically, that is, such a widow is no better than dead, or is like someone who is dead, even though she is alive (compare Revised Standard Version and Good News Translation). It is more likely, however, that dead is used in a spiritual and moral sense, which means that such a widow is spiritually and morally dead, although she is very much alive physically. In that case one may translate “she is dead in her heart (or, spirit [soul]), even though she is alive physically.”

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 .

SIL Translator's Notes on 1 Timothy 5:6

5:6a

But she who lives for pleasure: Paul contrasted a “widow who is truly in need,” whom the believers should help, with the one who lives for pleasure. A widow who lives for pleasure thinks only about what she wants and not about what God wants. She will do whatever causes her to feel good even if she sins by doing it.

5:6b

is dead: A widow who lives for pleasure is obviously alive physically. Therefore when Paul said that she is dead, he meant that she was spiritually dead. That means that she has no real relationship with God.

Speakers of some languages may not use the word dead in this metaphorical way. Therefore they may find it very difficult to understand. If this is true in your area, you may need to say something like:

she lives cut off from God
-or-
her life counts for nothing good

In some languages people may be able to translate this as a simile and to say:

her soul is like a corpse
-or-
her heart is like it is dead, even though her body is alive

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