Paul continues instructing Timothy how to behave himself within the church of holy-people:
I Timothy 5:1 and 2:
5:1Let you not be quick-to-stroke-upon an elder but you must encourage (him) as a father, younger-men as brothers, .2elder-women as mothers, younger-women as sisters, in all purity.
Let it not be that you would be ready to stroke upon an elder(hit with strikes or stripes, smite with blows or words onto a man who is older in age than you)…. This is a polite command or a very strong suggestion advising Timothy regarding this subject. An “elder” man or woman in this context is referring to those who are older in age than Timothy. Older men and women should have knowledge, wisdom, dignity, etc, relative to God and the things of God. They should be elders in service to/for God and the Lord Jesus Christ, but of course here Paul is talking about those who are not behaving correctly and so he instructs Timothy how to approach them if/when the need arises.
Let you not be quick to stroke upon an elder, but on the contrary, you must encourage an elder man as a father (exhort him in an appropriately respectful manner as though he were your father), you must encourage the younger men as brothers, you must encourage the elder women as mothers, you must encourage the younger women as sisters, in all purity (within the sphere of action of all/every pureness, within a pure state, not being contaminated from God's viewpoint by any bad-thing that may be near-by in the physical flesh category as you move among people; continue in the state of being pure while you are doing this). Encourage them as though they were members of your own immediate biological family, not being detached from them as though they were strangers.
[Reference: Genesis 18:11; Leviticus 19:32; Joshua 13:1; Matthew 15:4-6; Acts 20:17; Ephesians 6:2 and 3; Hebrews 11:2; I Peter 5:1.]
Verses 3-8:
.3You must honor widows, the (widows) really-being widows; .4but if some widow has children or grandchildren they must learn firstly to reverence (their) own house and to give-away requitals to (their) parentages, for this is acceptable before God – .5but the really-being widow, also having been left-alone2, hoped2 on God and remains with the supplications and the prayers night and day, .6but the (widow) being self-indulgent died2 (while) living – .7and these-things you must charge in order that they may be irreproachable, .8but if someone does not have-in-his-mind-beforehand (for those) of (his) own-people and especially of the household-people he denied2 the belief and is worse-than an unbeliever.
You must honor widows, specifically the women who actually, truly are continuing being widows (esteem them according to their holding-worth, estimate value or price to them).
As recorded in the Book of Acts chapter 6 a problem had arisen involving widows and it was solved in a Godly manner (about 32-33 A.D.). But by the time of Paul’s writing this letter to Timothy, around 67 A.D., it seems to have arisen again. The women who were bereaved of their husbands were not being properly cared-for during the day-by-day ministerial duties, the service which was supposed to benefit all of God's people. This would have involved the men taking-on the responsibilities, both legally and administration-wise, concerning the finances, estates, properties, young children, etc, of these widows because in that culture a woman was not allowed to do this type of work. Widows had to rely on a male relative or friend to do these things, unless she had an adult-son whose responsibility it would have been to carry-out this duty.
Paul continues teaching Timothy: if a particular widow has children or grandchildren (any offsprings, descendants, progenies) these progenies must learn firstly to reverence their own house (they must become informed intellectually as students to first-of-all demonstrate good reverential respect towards/for the household of people belonging to them) and to give-away requitals to their parentages (to give from themselves, pay-back what is due or obligated in return in the good sense to their parents, grandparents, progenitors, living ancestors). In truth, this is acceptable before God (to do and live according to what I am writing is very receivable and welcome in the sight and presence of God).
The really-being widow is one who, in addition to being bereaved of her husband…
Paul is letting Timothy know that this widow is the one who is to be taken care of by the church of holy-people even though they are not related biologically to her (see verse 16 below also).
But the widow who is being self-indulgent (living for her own pleasure, lewd, luxurious eating and drinking in a manner inconsistent with holy-people’s correct behavior, concerned with self gratification) died and continues dead while she is living (in the walk/behavior category she is dead, doing nothing with/for God, even though she is still physically alive).
These things you Timothy must charge (pass on from yourself to the people the message of what I am writing here) for the purpose and result that all the holy-people including the widows and their progenies may be irreproachable (cannot be taken hold on, can’t be caught by someone wrestling against them, in other words, so that they would be alert and prepared no matter who/what may come to catch them in their words or actions).
But if any of them does not have in his mind beforehand (does not already have in his mind-set, being mindful and making provision ahead of time) for those belonging to his own family members and/or relatives, and most-of-all for those belonging to the household-people (holy-people who are presently, and will continue to be, members of God's household, His family, who are dwelling within His house, building, dwelling, having already believed His belief and having received the gift of holy spirit)…
This person would be behaving worse than an unbeliever. Of course spiritually he would remain a son of God having previously believed what God gives us to believe and then had received holy spirit-life which will not leave him; but in the walk/behavior category he would be worse-than an unbeliever.
[Reference: Luke 2:37, 18:1-8; Acts 6:1-7; Romans 12:17; I Corinthians 6:6, 7:8 and 9; II Corinthians 4:4, 6:14 and 15; Galatians 6:10; Ephesians 2:19; I Timothy 3:2; Revelation 21:8.]
Verses 9-16:
.9A widow must be enrolled not having become2 less-than sixty years, wife of one husband, .10in beautiful works being witnessed-of, if she nourished-children, if she accepted-strangers, if she washed (the) feet of holy-people, if she sufficed-on (the people) being pressured, if she followed-on all good work. .11But younger widows you must refuse, for whenever they may act-wantonly-against the Christ they intend to marry .12having judgment because they rejected the first belief .13and unitedly also they learn (to be) workless-people going-around the houses, and not only workless-people but also prating-people and around-workers, uttering-forth the-things not being necessary. .14Therefore I deliberately-determine younger (widows) to marry, to bear-children, to be house-master, to give not-one starting-point to the (one) adversarying for-the-grace of revilement, .15for already some have been turned-out behind satan. .16If some believer has widows she must suffice-on them, and the church must not be pressure-weighed in order that it may suffice-on the really-being widows.
A widow must be enrolled (laid down among the group, enlisted):
But younger widows you Timothy must refuse (you must ask aside-from them, excuse yourself from, entreat that the widows who are under 60 years of age are not enrolled to be taken care of by the church). In truth, at whatever time they would act-wantonly-against the Christ (when they would be headstrong, strenuous on their own intentions but loss for the Christ, the one body of Christ of which the resurrected Christ is the head and all holy-people are limbs) they intend/will to marry (to take a husband entering into marriage) having judgment (holding a pronounced-decision, a sentence-passed regarding their behavior) because…
The fact that a young widow would marry again is not a problem since Paul instructs young widows that they should marry in verse 14. The problem was that if young widows were enrolled into the church assistance it evidently gave some of them the idea that they could behave badly and that a “way out” would be to get married after they had already acted wantonly against the Christ.
Paul continues: following-on logically from what I have just written above, I deliberately determine (purposefully will) younger widows…
…for by this time some widows have been turned-out behind satan (they have already been turned from where they should be, they have dislocated themselves backwards after satan, which is the name emphasizing the devil's opposing and adversarial attributes, satan continues to propound that he is god).
If some female believer (a female holy-person being faithful, believing what God says) has widows as relatives she must suffice-on them (she must be adequate satisfying them with enough being strong to ward-off anything contrary from them, be sufficient upon them to relieve them so that they can live their everyday lives appropriately having enough to eat, drink, a place to live, etc, see verse 8 above), and the church must not be pressure-weighed (the church of holy-people, all the other members of the church must not be pressured with weight, weighed down with the emphasis being on the pressure and not on a physical heaviness of a load or burden to be carried) for the purpose and result that the church would suffice-on the really-being widows (as described in verses 3 and 5 above).
[Reference: Luke 7:44; John 13:4-17; Acts 19:19; Romans 7:8-11; I Corinthians 4:12, 7:8 and 9; II Corinthians 11:12; Galatians 5:13, 17; II Thessalonians 2:4, 3:11; I Timothy 1:6; I Peter 3:9; III John 10.]
Verses 17-20:
.17The elders beautifully having stood-before2 (others) must be esteemed-worthy of double honor, especially the (elders) laboring in word and teaching, .18for the writing says, “You will not muzzle the ox threshing,” and, “The worker (is) worthy of his compensation.” .19Against an elder you must not accept an accusation outside-of except on two or three witnesses, .20the (elders) sinning you must refute before all-people in order that the remaining-people also may have fear.
The elders, who have previously and are still standing in front of others as leaders presiding over them in a manner that has a manifested decorous, harmonious and acceptable goodness, must be esteemed-worthy of double honor (be held, counted, deemed to be of equal-value or like-worth with/of twice as much value, price, worth), most-of-all the elders who are presently and actively toiling, exerting wearisome effort within the sphere of action of word (the spoken account of God’s words, speaking the good-message) and teaching (instruction, doctrine, teaching the good-message; this word ‘teaching’ includes the teaching itself and the action of teaching it).
In truth, the writing says (what is written, the scripture lays it out), “You will not muzzle the ox threshing (you singular, individual, will not fasten or put a cover over the mouth of the ox to prevent its mouth opening to eat while it is being driven around in a circle in order to thresh or beat the grain for you). This is a reference to what is written in the Book of Deuteronomy chapter 25.
Deuteronomy 25:4:
Thou shalt not muzzle the ox when he treadeth out the corn.
God's people were to make sure that they did not cause the ox that is treading out grain for them to be unable to partake of what it is treading out. The animal must be allowed to share by eating the amount of grain which it needs as food for sustenance while obeying and carrying out its master's will.
Paul also writes that it is written in the writing: “The worker is worthy of his compensation (the person who expends energy and effort doing work is of equal value to his wage, of like worth with his hire).” The amount of work that the worker works should be equally balanced on scales with the amount of compensation given to him as payment for that work. [Some Greek texts have the word meaning “nourishment, sustenance” instead of “compensation.”]
You Timothy must not accept an accusation against an elder (do not welcome alongside yourself approvingly, don’t receive with approval a public judicial spoken matter directed down against an elder), but this is excluding the exception that it is on two or three witnesses (that it is in the presence of and proceeding from two or three people who have information or knowledge of that-which they are attesting to, and can therefore confirm it on the strength of their own authority).
The elders who are presently and actively sinning (missing or swerving from the mark of what God says, God’s Word to/for holy-people) you must refute before all-people (prove them wrong, convict and convince them of their error in the sight and presence of all holy-people) for the purpose and result that the rest of the holy-people also would have fear (fright, being afraid at the consequences of their own performance of any wrong behavior and so they should manifest the awe and respect that is rightfully due and ought to be shown towards God and the things of God).
[Reference: Leviticus 19:13; Numbers 18:31; Deuteronomy 19:15, and 25:4; Matthew 10:10, and 18:15-17; John 18:29; Acts 15:38, and 28:10; Romans 12:7 and 8; I Corinthians 9:9-18, 14:24; II Corinthians 13:1; Galatians 2:14; Ephesians 5:11; I Thessalonians 5:12 and 13; II Thessalonians 1:11; II Timothy 3:16, and 4:2; Titus 1:6, and 9.]
Verses 21-25:
.21I throughly-witness before God and Christ Jesus and the selected angels in order that you may keep-watch (regarding) these-things without judgment-beforehand doing nothing according to a leaning-towards (it). .22 You must quickly put (your) hands on not-one-person, neither must you share-in-common with others' sins; you must keep yourself pure. .23You must no-longer be-a-water-drinker but you must use a little wine because-of (your) stomach and your frequent weaknesses. .24The sins of some men are very-clear leading-forth into judgment but also follow-on some (men); .25likewise also the works, the beautiful (works, are) very-clear, and the (works) having otherwise are not able to be hidden.
A 'witness' is someone who has information or knowledge of that-which he is attesting to, and can therefore confirm it on the strength of his-own authority. Here the verb is "throughly-witness" – Paul fully affirms, testifies through the entire subject, thoroughly, making known the information and knowledge that he has regarding this subject.
Paul continues: I bear complete witness in the sight and presence of…
…for the purpose and result that you, Timothy, would be vigilant to watch and guard these things (what I am writing in this letter)…
You must no-longer be-a-water-drinker (don’t any longer only drink water), but on the contrary you must use a little wine (make use of a small amount of wine, the juice of fermented grapes, as needed which is not against staying pure, for the following specific purpose) because-of your stomach and your frequent weaknesses (on account of your digestion and frequent infirmities, when you are without strength, lacking physical strength, which happens to you at intervals close together).
The sins of some men are very-clear leading-forth into judgment (the sins that some people commit against God are plain to see in front of you Timothy, evident that they are sins before or in advance of you having to do a lot of examination and testing as you observe these men, the sins are obvious while the sins are presently and actively preceding the men, going before them, in front of them leading them, showing them the way to go into receiving the consequences of God’s decision about committing sins; the word “judgment” is the action of pronouncing sentence, the process of making a separating decision, the passing of judgment)…
In the same manner also the works, emphatically and specifically the beautiful works, are very clear (works that have a manifested decorous, harmonious, and acceptable goodness, as in verse 10 above, are plain to see in front of you, evident that they are beautiful works before or in advance of you having to do a lot of examination and testing as you observe those who performing them, the beautiful works are obvious)…
[Reference: Matthew 4:11, 19:15, 25:31, 28:2; Luke 1:26; Acts 2:36, and 40, 4:27, 6:6, 8:17-25, 9:12 and 17, 10:38, 13:3, 19:6, 23:11, 28:8; I Timothy 4:14; II Timothy 1:6; Hebrews 1:14; II John verses 9-11; Jude verse 9; Revelation 12:7a. Note: verbs with a superscript 2 (2) immediately following them indicate the "perfect" tense - details are provided in the "Relevant Notes" link of this study.]