OET interlinear 1TIM 5:9

uW Translation Notes:

Note 1 topic: figures-of-speech / imperative3p

χήρα καταλεγέσθω

/a/_widow /let_be_being/_enrolled

If your language does not use the third-person imperative in this way, you could state this in another way that is natural in your language. Alternate translation: “A widow should be enrolled”

Note 2 topic: figures-of-speech / activepassive

χήρα καταλεγέσθω

/a/_widow /let_be_being/_enrolled

If your language does not use this passive form, you could express the idea in active form or in another way that is natural in your language. If you need to say who would do the action, it is clear from the context that it would be the leaders of the group of believers, including Timothy. Alternate translation: “Let the leaders enroll a widow” or “You may enroll a widow”

Note 3 topic: figures-of-speech / explicit

χήρα καταλεγέσθω μὴ ἔλαττον

/a/_widow /let_be_being/_enrolled not lessor_‹than›

Here Paul implies that the church had a list of widows who truly needed the church to support them. In this and the following verse, Paul gives a list of qualifications for which widows could be put on this list. If it would be helpful in your language, you could make those ideas more explicit. Alternate translation: “Let a widow be counted as one of the widows who truly need help, as long as she is not less than” or “Let a widow’s name be included on the list of widows whom the church will support if she is not less than”

Note 4 topic: figures-of-speech / doublenegatives

μὴ ἔλαττον

not lessor_‹than›

If it would be clearer in your language, you could use a positive expression to translate this double negative that consists of the negative particle not and the negative phrase less than. Alternate translation: “over”

Note 5 topic: figures-of-speech / possession

ἑνὸς ἀνδρὸς γυνή

˱of˲_one husband /the/_wife

Paul used a very similar phrase in 3:2, and you should express the idea in a similar way here. Paul could mean that the widows: (1) each must have been sexually faith to one man, her late husband. Alternate translation: “a women who was faithful to her husband” (2) each must have been married no more than once, even if the marriage ended in divorce or death. Alternate translation: “a woman who was married only once”