1 TIM 1:17 Parallel Verse View

Note: This view shows ‘verses’ which are not natural language units and hence sometimes only part of a sentence will be visible—click on any Bible version abbreviation down the left-hand side to see the verse in more of its context. Normally the OET discourages the reading of individual ‘verses’, but this view is only designed as a tool for doing comparisons of different translations—the older translations are further down the page (so you can read up from the bottom to trace the English translation history). The OET segments on this page are still very early looks into the unfinished texts of the Open English Translation of the Bible—please double-check these texts in advance before using in public.

Text critical issues=small word differences Clarity of original=clear Importance to us=normal (All still tentative.)

Key: light-green:nominative/subject, orange:accusative/object, pink:genitive/possessor, cyan:dative/indirect object.
Note: Automatic aligning of the OET-RV to the LV is done by some temporary software, hence the RV alignments are incomplete (and may occasionally be wrong).

ULT Now to the King of the ages, immortal, invisible, the only God,[fn] be honor and glory forever and ever. Amen.

Instead of the only God, some manuscripts read the only wise God.

UST God is always ruling. He will never die, and no one can see him. There are no other gods. So, let us praise and glorify him forever! May it be so!

BLB Now to the King of the ages, the immortal, invisible, only God, be honor and glory to the ages of the ages. Amen.

AICNT To the King of the ages, immortal, invisible, the only {wise}[fn] God, be honor and glory forever and ever. Amen.

1:17, wise: Later manuscripts add. BYZ TR

OEB To the eternal King, ever-living, invisible, the one God, be ascribed honour and glory for ever and ever. Amen.

2DT To the King of the Eras, unperishable, invisible only God, [be] honor and splendor for the Era of Eras. Amēn!

WEBBE Now to the King eternal, immortal, invisible, to God who alone is wise, be honour and glory forever and ever. Amen.

WMBB (Same as above)

MSG ^(15-20)Here’s a word you can take to heart and depend on: Jesus Christ came into the world to save sinners. I’m proof—Public Sinner Number One—of someone who could never have made it apart from sheer mercy. And now he shows me off—evidence of his endless patience—to those who are right on the edge of trusting him forever.
  Deep honor and bright glory
  to the King of All Time—
One God, Immortal, Invisible,
  ever and always. Oh, yes!
I’m passing this work on to you, my son Timothy. The prophetic word that was directed to you prepared us for this. All those prayers are coming together now so you will do this well, fearless in your struggle, keeping a firm grip on your faith and on yourself. After all, this is a fight we’re in.

NET Now to the eternal king, immortal, invisible, the only God, be honor and glory forever and ever! Amen.

LSV And to the King of the ages, the incorruptible, invisible, only wise God, [is] honor and glory through the ages of the ages! Amen.

FBV Honor and glory forever and ever to the eternal King, the immortal, invisible, and only God! Amen.

TCNT Now to the King of the ages, immortal, invisible, the only [fn]wise God, be honor and glory forever and ever. Amen.

1:17 wise 96.6% ¦ — CT 1.8%

T4T I desire that people will honor and praise the only true God forever! Even though no one can see him, he is the King who rules for all time, who will never die! ◄Amen!/That is true!►

LEB Now to the King of the ages, immortal, invisible, to the only God, be honor and glory _⌊forever and ever_⌋[fn]. Amen.

1:17 Literally “to the ages of the ages”

BBE Now to the King eternal, ever-living, unseen, the only God, be honour and glory for ever and ever. So be it.

Moff To the King of eternity, immortal, invisible, the only God, be honour and glory for ever and ever: Amen.

Wymth Now to the immortal and invisible King of the Ages, who alone is God, be honour and glory to the Ages of the Ages! Amen.

ASV Now unto the King eternal, immortal, invisible, the only God, be honor and glory for ever and ever. Amen.

DRA Now to the king of ages, immortal, invisible, the only God, be honour and glory for ever and ever. Amen.

YLT and to the King of the ages, the incorruptible, invisible, only wise God, [is] honour and glory — to the ages of the ages! Amen.

Drby Now to the King of the ages, [the] incorruptible, invisible, only [fn]God, honour and glory to the ages of ages. Amen.

1.17 Elohim

RV Now unto the King eternal, incorruptible, invisible, the only God, be honour and glory for ever and ever. Amen.

SLT And to the King of times, immortal, invisible, the only wise God, honour and glory for the times of times. Amen.)

Wbstr Now to the King eternal, immortal, invisible, God the only wise, be honor and glory for ever and ever. Amen.

KJB-1769 Now unto the King eternal, immortal, invisible, the only wise God, be honour and glory for ever and ever. Amen.

KJB-1611 Now vnto y^e king eternal, immortall, inuisible, the onely wise God, be honour and glory for euer & euer. Amen.
(Now unto the king eternal, immortall, inuisible, the only wise God, be honour and glory forever and ever. Amen.)

Bshps Nowe, vnto the kyng euerlastyng, immortall, inuisible, vnto God onlye wise be honour and glorie for euer and euer, Amen.
(Nowe, unto the king everlasting, immortall, inuisible, unto God only wise be honour and glory for ever and ever, Amen.)

Gnva Nowe vnto the King euerlasting, immortall, inuisible, vnto God onely wise, be honour and glorie, for euer, and euer, Amen.
(Now unto the King everlasting, immortall, inuisible, unto God only wise, be honour and glory, forever, and ever, Amen. )

Cvdl So then vnto God kynge euerlastinge, immortall and invisible, and wyse onely, be honoure and prayse for euer and euer Amen.
(So then unto God king everlasting, immortall and invisible, and wise only, be honour and praise for ever and ever Amen.)

TNT So then vnto god kynge everlastinge immortall invisible and wyse only be honoure and prayse for ever and ever Amen.
(So then unto god king everlasting immortall invisible and wise only be honour and praise for ever and ever Amen. )

Wycl And to the king of worldis, vndeedli and vnvysible God aloone, be onour and glorie in to worldis of worldis. Amen.
(And to the king of worlds, undeedli and unvysible God alone, be honour and glory in to worlds of worlds. Amen.)

Luth Aber GOtt, dem ewigen Könige, dem Unvergänglichen und Unsichtbaren und allein Weisen, sei Ehre und Preis in Ewigkeit! Amen.
(But God, to_him eternal king(s), to_him Unvergänglichen and Unsichtbaren and alone/only ways/manners, be honour(n) and price/prize in eternity! Amen.)

ClVg Regi autem sæculorum immortali, invisibili, soli Deo honor et gloria in sæcula sæculorum. Amen.[fn]
(Regi however of_the_ages immortali, invisibili, alone to_God honour/respect(n) and glory in/into/on forever of_the_ages. Amen. )

1.17 Invisibili. Quia cæteri dii sunt visibiles. Non dicitur soli invisibili, quia sunt et creaturæ quædam invisibiles, ut anima, quæ tamen sensu capi possunt: quia omnes vires ejus possunt cognosci, sed ea non est nobis Deus. Invisibilis est ergo ab hominibus Deus in natura, secundum illud: Deum nemo vidit unquam. Videtur autem cum vult et sicut vult, non sicut est, sed quasi specie vult apparere. In futuro vero videbunt eum filii sicut est. Soli Deo. Qui solus Deus est natura, id est, solus creat, quod de ipsa Trinitate intelligitur, non de solo Patre, ut quidam volunt: quia non ait, soli Patri, sed soli Deo. Unus enim et solus Deus a nobis prædicatur ipsa Trinitas. Et unigenitus, secundum quod est Deus apud Deum, et Spiritus sanctus in sua natura est immortalis et invisibilis.

1.17 Invisibili. Because the_rest gods are visibles. Not/No it_is_said alone invisibili, because are and creatures some invisibiles, as soul, which nevertheless sense capi they_can: because everyone strength/troops his they_can cognosci, but them not/no it_is us God. Invisibilis it_is therefore away to_humans God in/into/on nature/element, after/second it/this/that: God nobody/no_one he_saw unquam. It_seems however when/with wants and like wants, not/no like it_is, but as_if in_appearance wants apparere. In future indeed/however they_will_see him children like it_is. Soli to_God. Who alone God it_is nature/element, that it_is, alone creates, that from/about herself Trinitate understood, not/no from/about solo Father, as some they_want: because not/no he_said, alone Patri, but alone to_God. One because and alone God from us is_preached herself Trinitas. And only_son, after/second that it_is God at God, and Spirit holy in/into/on his_own nature/element it_is immortalis and invisibilis.

UGNT τῷ δὲ Βασιλεῖ τῶν αἰώνων, ἀφθάρτῳ, ἀοράτῳ, μόνῳ Θεῷ, τιμὴ καὶ δόξα, εἰς τοὺς αἰῶνας τῶν αἰώνων. ἀμήν!
(tōi de Basilei tōn aiōnōn, afthartōi, aoratōi, monōi Theōi, timaʸ kai doxa, eis tous aiōnas tōn aiōnōn. amaʸn!)

SBL-GNT τῷ δὲ βασιλεῖ τῶν αἰώνων, ἀφθάρτῳ, ἀοράτῳ, ⸀μόνῳ θεῷ, τιμὴ καὶ δόξα εἰς τοὺς αἰῶνας τῶν αἰώνων· ἀμήν.
(tōi de basilei tōn aiōnōn, afthartōi, aoratōi, ⸀monōi theōi, timaʸ kai doxa eis tous aiōnas tōn aiōnōn; amaʸn.)

RP-GNT Τῷ δὲ βασιλεῖ τῶν αἰώνων, ἀφθάρτῳ, ἀοράτῳ, μόνῳ σοφῷ θεῷ, τιμὴ καὶ δόξα εἰς τοὺς αἰῶνας τῶν αἰώνων. Ἀμήν.
(Tōi de basilei tōn aiōnōn, afthartōi, aoratōi, monōi sofōi theōi, timaʸ kai doxa eis tous aiōnas tōn aiōnōn. Amaʸn.)

TC-GNT Τῷ δὲ βασιλεῖ τῶν αἰώνων, ἀφθάρτῳ, ἀοράτῳ, μόνῳ [fn]σοφῷ Θεῷ, τιμὴ καὶ δόξα εἰς τοὺς αἰῶνας τῶν αἰώνων. Ἀμήν.
(Tōi de basilei tōn aiōnōn, afthartōi, aoratōi, monōi sofōi Theōi, timaʸ kai doxa eis tous aiōnas tōn aiōnōn. Amaʸn. )

1:17 σοφω 96.6% ¦ — CT 1.8%

Key for above GNTs: yellow:punctuation differs, red:words differ (from our SR-GNT base).

SOTN SIL Open Translator’s Notes:

Section 1:12–17: Paul thanked Christ Jesus for his mercy

Paul began this section by thanking Christ Jesus for forgiving him. He described himself as the worst sinner. He said that Christ would forgive everyone who believed in him, no matter how sinful they were, just as Christ had forgiven him.

Paragraph 1:15–17

In the same way that Christ saved Paul, he will also save everyone else who believes in him, no matter how sinful they are.

1:17

Here Paul stopped what he had been talking about and began to praise God. He also invited Timothy and everyone else to praise God with him.

In 1:17a–c, Paul listed some characteristics of God for which we should praise him (God). Then, in 1:17d, Paul said the way in which God should be praised.

It might be helpful in some languages to format this verse as poetry.

1:17a

Now to the King eternal,

May the King who rules forever,

Now: The Greek word de that the BSB translates as Now is used here to start a new thought. It does not express any idea of time, as the English word Now often does. In some languages it is best not to translate this word in this context.

the King eternal: The Greek expression that the BSB translates as the King eternal is literally “the king of the ages.” It means that God is the one who always has had and always will have authority to rule. He was King before the world was created and he will always be King.

1:17b

immortal, and invisible,

who lives forever, and who cannot be seen,
who will never die, and whom no one can see,

immortal: The Greek word that the BSB translates as immortal means “incorruptible” or “unchangeable.” In this context it means that God will never die. The only other place in the New Testament where God is described as immortal is Romans 1:23. There the word is used to contrast God with humans, who are mortal and can die.

and invisible: No one alive on earth can see God because he is spirit and so invisible to human eyes. Later, in 6:16c, Paul mentioned again that no one has seen God or ever can see him. God is also described as invisible in Colossians 1:15.

1:17c

the only God,

who is the only God,

the only God: There is a textual problem with this part of 1:17. English versions and scholars do not agree about what the original text was here. There are two main possibilities:

Follow the Greek manuscripts that the BSB has used and translate the only God. (BSB, NIV, NJB, RSV, GNT, NASB, NLT, NET, NCV, REB, GW, CEV)
Follow other Greek manuscripts that include the Greek word that can be translated as “wise.” For example, the KJV has “the only wise God.”

Most scholars agree that this word was not present in the original Greek text and so you should omit itThe Editorial Committee of the UBS New Testament (4^th edition) gives the reading without “wise” an {A} rating, indicating that the text is almost certain.. However if many people in your area use the KJV, it might be helpful to mention the alternative in a footnote.

Other ways to translate the expression “the only God” are:

he alone is God (NLT)

there is no other God

1:17d

be honor and glory forever and ever. Amen.

receive honor and glory forever. Amen.
be honored and praised for eternity. Amen.

honor: In some languages it may be necessary to use a verb rather than a noun like honor. To honor someone means to respect him and to treat him as an important person.

glory: To give glory to someone means to worship him, to praise him, or to tell other people how wonderful he is. See glory, meaning 2, in the Glossary.

In some languages it may be necessary to use direct speech in order to translate this. Here is one way to do that:

Let us honor him, saying, “You are wonderful!”

forever and ever: In Greek the expression that the BSB translates as forever and ever means that God deserves praise that will never end.

Amen: When people in the Bible prayed to God, they often ended by saying Amen. This means not only that they had finished, but that they fully agreed with what they had said. Because this word is well known even today, many translations just transliterate it. Another possibility is to translate it with an expression like “so let it be.”

General Comment on 1:17a–d

You may need to reorder this verse so that the description of God’s greatness comes after the call to praise. One way to do this is:

^17d Let everybody honor God and give him glory forever. ^17aHe is the King who rules forever. ^17bHe lives forever, no one can see him, ^17cand he is the only God. Amen.

UTN uW Translation Notes:

Note 1 topic: grammar-connect-words-phrases

δὲ

(Some words not found in SR-GNT: τῷ Δέ Βασιλεῖ τῶν αἰώνων ἀφθάρτῳ ἀοράτῳ μόνῳ Θεῷ τιμή καί δόξα εἰς τούς αἰῶνας τῶν αἰώνων Ἀμήν)

Here, the word Now introduces the next thing that Paul wants to write about. If it would be helpful in your language, you could use a word or phrase that introduces the next idea, or you could leave Now untranslated. Alternate translation: [Next,]

Note 2 topic: figures-of-speech / abstractnouns

τῷ & Βασιλεῖ τῶν αἰώνων, ἀφθάρτῳ, ἀοράτῳ, μόνῳ Θεῷ, τιμὴ καὶ δόξα,

˱to˲_the & King ˱of˲_the ages ˓the˒_indestructible invisible only God (Some words not found in SR-GNT: τῷ Δέ Βασιλεῖ τῶν αἰώνων ἀφθάρτῳ ἀοράτῳ μόνῳ Θεῷ τιμή καί δόξα εἰς τούς αἰῶνας τῶν αἰώνων Ἀμήν)

If your language does not use abstract nouns for the ideas of honor and glory, you could express the same ideas in another way. Alternate translation: [may people honor and glorify the King of the ages, immortal, invisible, the only God,]

Note 3 topic: figures-of-speech / possession

τῷ & Βασιλεῖ τῶν αἰώνων

˱to˲_the & King ˱of˲_the ages

Here, Paul is using the possessive form to describe a King who rules during the ages. If this is not clear in your language, you could express the idea in another way. Alternate translation: [to the King who rules during the ages]

Note 4 topic: translate-textvariants

μόνῳ Θεῷ

only God

Many ancient manuscripts read the only God. The ULT follows that reading. Other ancient manuscripts read “the only wise God.” It is likely that the people who copied these manuscripts accidentally or intentionally included the word “wise” here because of the similar phrase “the only wise God” in [Romans 16:27](../rom/16/27.md). If a translation of the Bible exists in your region, you may wish to use the reading that it uses. If a translation of the Bible does not exist in your region, you may wish to use the reading of the ULT.

Note 5 topic: figures-of-speech / doublet

τιμὴ καὶ δόξα

The terms honor and glory mean similar things. Paul is using the two terms together for emphasis. If it would be clearer for your readers, you could express the emphasis with a single phrase. Alternate translation: [be great honor] or [be much glory]

Note 6 topic: figures-of-speech / idiom

εἰς τοὺς αἰῶνας τῶν αἰώνων

to (Some words not found in SR-GNT: τῷ Δέ Βασιλεῖ τῶν αἰώνων ἀφθάρτῳ ἀοράτῳ μόνῳ Θεῷ τιμή καί δόξα εἰς τούς αἰῶνας τῶν αἰώνων Ἀμήν)

Here, the phrase forever and ever identifies an action that will never end, and it strongly emphasizes that it will never end. If it would be helpful in your language, you could use a comparable phrase that emphasizes that an action will never end. Alternate translation: [without ever ceasing] or [from now on and always]

Parallel 1 TIM 1:17