InterlinearVerse GEN EXO LEV NUM DEUT JOB YEHO (JOS) HERO (JDG) RUTH 1 SAM 2 SAM PSA AMOS HOS 1 KI 2 KI 1 CHR 2 CHR PROV ECC SNG YOEL (JOEL) MIC ISA ZEP HAB YIR (JER) LAM YNA (JNA) NAH OBAD DAN EZEK EZRA EST NEH HAG ZEC MAL 2 PS WIS TOB MAN BAR G DAN G ESD L ESD ESG JDT 3 MAC SIR 1 MAC 2 MAC 4 MAC YHN (JHN) MARK MAT LUKE ACTs YAC (JAM) GAL 1 TH 2 TH 1 COR 2 COR ROM COL LAOD PHM EPH PHP 1 TIM TIT 1 PET 2 PET 2 TIM HEB YUD (JUD) 1 YHN (1 JHN) 2 YHN (2 JHN) 3 YHN (3 JHN) REV
InterlinearVerse 1 Tim C1 C2 C3 C4 C6
1 Tim 5 V1 V2 V4 V5 V6 V7 V8 V9 V10 V11 V12 V13 V14 V15 V16 V17 V18 V19 V20 V21 V22 V23 V24 V25
Used in these topics: Family life and passing on faith
A community of believers should care for widows who have no family to care for them.
Honor the widows who are truly widows.
¶ Show widows who have no one to provide for them the respect that they deserve and care for them.
Honor the widows who are truly widows: In this context Honor especially refers to the way that Paul wanted Timothy (and others) to treat widows who were poor. He was to show that he respected them. He wanted people to show this respect by supporting them from the church offering so they could buy what they needed.Knight, page 216, speculates as to why the verb “to honor” is in the second person imperative, singular: “Paul may have been influenced by the second person singular imperative in the fifth commandment (LXX τίμα in Ex. 20:12 and Dt. 5:16, as here) and may have assumed that its application to all God’s people would be as obvious here as it is in the Ten Commandments.”
widows: A widow is a woman whose husband has died. At the time when Paul was writing this letter, widows usually had no goods or services to exchange for food or clothing. They had to receive care from close family. A widow with no husband or other close family had no way to feed or clothe herself.
who are truly widows: This refers to widows who did not have children or grandchildren who could care for them. The BSB’s literal translation could be confusing, because although a widow could have several wealthy children, she is, of course, still a widow. However she does not need support from the church because her family can care for her. So it is recommended that you do not translate the Greek literally here but follow the NIV (“widows who are really in need”) or the GNT (“widows who really are all alone.”)
Note 1 topic: figures-of-speech / yousingular
χήρας τίμα
widows widows (Some words not found in SR-GNT: χήρας Τίμα τάς ὄντως χήρας)
Here, the command Honor is singular. However, Paul probably implies that Timothy should make sure that other believers also Honor widows. If it would be helpful in your language, you could use a form that includes Timothy and also other believers. Alternate translation: [You and the rest of the believers should honor widows]
Note 2 topic: figures-of-speech / explicit
χήρας τίμα
widows widows (Some words not found in SR-GNT: χήρας Τίμα τάς ὄντως χήρας)
Here Paul implies that one of the ways to Honor widows is to provide for their needs. If it would be helpful in your language, you could make that idea more explicit. Alternate translation: [Honor widows, especially by providing for them]
Note 3 topic: figures-of-speech / explicit
τὰς ὄντως χήρας
(Some words not found in SR-GNT: χήρας Τίμα τάς ὄντως χήρας)
Here Paul defines which category of widows he is particularly referring to. The word real indicates that these women are not only widows but also have no close relatives to support them. If it would be helpful in your language, you could make that idea more explicit. Alternate translation: [and I especially mean widows who have no one else to provide for them] or [I mean widows with no family left]
Note: The OET-RV is still only a first draft, and so far only a few words have been (mostly automatically) matched to the Hebrew or Greek words that they’re translated from.
Acknowledgements: The SR Greek text, lemmas, morphology, and VLT gloss are all thanks to the CNTR.