Lectionary Calendar
Wednesday, November 27th, 2024
the Week of Christ the King / Proper 29 / Ordinary 34
Attention!
Take your personal ministry to the Next Level by helping StudyLight build churches and supporting pastors in Uganda.
Click here to join the effort!

Read the Bible

King James Version

1 Timothy 6:6

But godliness with contentment is great gain.

Bible Study Resources

Concordances:

- Nave's Topical Bible - Contentment;   Covetousness;   Holiness;   Minister, Christian;   Riches;   Scofield Reference Index - Separation;   Thompson Chain Reference - Content-Discontent;   Contentment;   Godliness;   Profit and Loss;   The Topic Concordance - Contentment;   Godliness;   Man;   Torrey's Topical Textbook - Contentment;  

Dictionaries:

- Bridgeway Bible Dictionary - Pastor;   Baker Evangelical Dictionary of Biblical Theology - Godly, Godliness;   Charles Buck Theological Dictionary - Contentment;   Fausset Bible Dictionary - Timothy, the First Epistle to;   Holman Bible Dictionary - Church;   Contentment;   Hastings' Dictionary of the Bible - Jangling;   Hastings' Dictionary of the New Testament - Clothes;   Meekness (2);   Timothy;   Timothy and Titus Epistles to;   Morrish Bible Dictionary - Godliness;  

Encyclopedias:

- International Standard Bible Encyclopedia - Content;   Gain;  

Devotionals:

- Daily Light on the Daily Path - Devotion for October 23;   Every Day Light - Devotion for December 18;  

Parallel Translations

Easy-to-Read Version
Devotion to God is, in fact, a way for people to be very rich, but only if it makes them satisfied with what they have.
Revised Standard Version
There is great gain in godliness with contentment;
Tyndale New Testament (1525)
Godlines is great ryches yf a man be content with that he hath.
Hebrew Names Version
But godliness with contentment is great gain.
New American Standard Bible
But godliness actually is a means of great gain when accompanied by contentment.
New Century Version
Serving God does make us very rich, if we are satisfied with what we have.
Update Bible Version
But godliness with contentment is great gain:
Webster's Bible Translation
But godliness with contentment is great gain.
English Standard Version
But godliness with contentment is great gain,
World English Bible
But godliness with contentment is great gain.
Wesley's New Testament (1755)
But godliness with content is great gain.
Weymouth's New Testament
And godliness *is* gain, when associated with contentment;
Wycliffe Bible (1395)
But a greet wynnyng is pitee, with sufficience.
English Revised Version
But godliness with contentment is great gain:
Berean Standard Bible
Of course, godliness with contentment is great gain.
Contemporary English Version
And religion does make your life rich, by making you content with what you have.
Amplified Bible
But godliness actually is a source of great gain when accompanied by contentment [that contentment which comes from a sense of inner confidence based on the sufficiency of God].
American Standard Version
But godliness with contentment is great gain:
Bible in Basic English
But true faith, with peace of mind, is of great profit:
Complete Jewish Bible
Now true religion does bring great riches, but only to those who are content with what they have.
Darby Translation
But piety with contentment *is* great gain.
International Standard Version
Of course, godliness with contentment does bring a great profit.Psalm 37:16; Proverbs 15:16; 16:8; Hebrews 13:5;">[xr]
Etheridge Translation
6 But thou, remove thyself from them. For our gain is great which is the fear of Aloha, with the use of our sufficiency. [fn]
Murdock Translation
But great is our gain, which is the fear of God, with the use of our competence.
King James Version (1611)
But godlinesse with contentment is great gaine.
New Living Translation
Yet true godliness with contentment is itself great wealth.
New Life Bible
A God-like life gives us much when we are happy for what we have.
New Revised Standard
Of course, there is great gain in godliness combined with contentment;
Geneva Bible (1587)
But godlinesse is great gaine, if a man be content with that he hath.
George Lamsa Translation
But our gain is greater contentment, for it is the worship of God.
J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
Now it is a great means of gain - godliness, with a sufficiency of ones own;
Douay-Rheims Bible
But godliness with contentment is great gain.
Bishop's Bible (1568)
Godlynesse is great lucre, if a man be content with that he hath.
Good News Translation
Well, religion does make us very rich, if we are satisfied with what we have.
Christian Standard Bible®
But godliness with contentment is great gain.
Lexham English Bible
But godliness with contentment is a great means of gain.
Literal Translation
But godliness with contentment is great gain.
Young's Literal Translation
but it is great gain -- the piety with contentment;
Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
Howbeit it is greate avautage, who so is godly, and holdeth him content with that he hath.
Mace New Testament (1729)
as
THE MESSAGE
A devout life does bring wealth, but it's the rich simplicity of being yourself before God. Since we entered the world penniless and will leave it penniless, if we have bread on the table and shoes on our feet, that's enough.
New English Translation
Now godliness combined with contentment brings great profit.
New King James Version
Now godliness with contentment is great gain.
Simplified Cowboy Version
But those who ride with a pure heart and contentment are the real ones who will prosper.
New American Standard Bible (1995)
But godliness actually is a means of great gain when accompanied by contentment.
Legacy Standard Bible
But godliness actually is a means of great gain, when accompanied by contentment.

Contextual Overview

6 But godliness with contentment is great gain. 7 For we brought nothing into this world, and it is certain we can carry nothing out. 8 And having food and raiment let us be therewith content. 9 But they that will be rich fall into temptation and a snare, and into many foolish and hurtful lusts, which drown men in destruction and perdition. 10 For the love of money is the root of all evil: which while some coveted after, they have erred from the faith, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows. 11 But thou, O man of God, flee these things; and follow after righteousness, godliness, faith, love, patience, meekness. 12 Fight the good fight of faith, lay hold on eternal life, whereunto thou art also called, and hast professed a good profession before many witnesses.

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

godliness: 1 Timothy 4:8, Psalms 37:16, Psalms 84:11, Proverbs 3:13-18, Proverbs 8:18-21, Proverbs 15:16, Proverbs 16:8, Matthew 6:32, Matthew 6:33, Luke 12:31, Luke 12:32, Romans 5:3-5, Romans 8:28, 2 Corinthians 4:17, 2 Corinthians 4:18, 2 Corinthians 5:1, Philippians 1:21, Hebrews 13:5

contentment: 1 Timothy 6:8, Exodus 2:21, Luke 3:14, Philippians 4:11-13

Reciprocal: Genesis 34:23 - General Genesis 43:2 - General Genesis 48:15 - fed me Exodus 20:17 - thy neighbour's house Deuteronomy 32:47 - General 2 Kings 4:13 - I dwell 2 Kings 6:2 - and take thence Job 1:9 - Doth Job Psalms 49:10 - leave Psalms 112:3 - Wealth Proverbs 19:23 - shall abide Proverbs 28:25 - he that putteth Proverbs 30:8 - feed Ecclesiastes 2:11 - behold Ecclesiastes 6:7 - the labour Isaiah 33:6 - fear Jeremiah 35:9 - General Jeremiah 45:5 - seekest Mark 10:30 - an hundredfold Luke 12:15 - for Luke 18:30 - manifold more Romans 12:16 - condescend to men of low estate 1 Timothy 6:5 - supposing 2 Peter 1:6 - godliness 2 Peter 3:11 - godliness

Cross-References

Genesis 6:8
But Noah found grace in the eyes of the Lord .
Genesis 6:10
And Noah begat three sons, Shem, Ham, and Japheth.
Genesis 6:17
And, behold, I, even I, do bring a flood of waters upon the earth, to destroy all flesh, wherein is the breath of life, from under heaven; and every thing that is in the earth shall die.
Genesis 6:18
But with thee will I establish my covenant; and thou shalt come into the ark, thou, and thy sons, and thy wife, and thy sons' wives with thee.
Exodus 32:14
And the Lord repented of the evil which he thought to do unto his people.
Numbers 23:19
God is not a man, that he should lie; neither the son of man, that he should repent: hath he said, and shall he not do it? or hath he spoken, and shall he not make it good?
Deuteronomy 5:29
O that there were such an heart in them, that they would fear me, and keep all my commandments always, that it might be well with them, and with their children for ever!
Deuteronomy 32:29
O that they were wise, that they understood this, that they would consider their latter end!
Deuteronomy 32:36
For the Lord shall judge his people, and repent himself for his servants, when he seeth that their power is gone, and there is none shut up, or left.
1 Samuel 15:11
It repenteth me that I have set up Saul to be king: for he is turned back from following me, and hath not performed my commandments. And it grieved Samuel; and he cried unto the Lord all night.

Gill's Notes on the Bible

But godliness with contentment is great gain. By "godliness" is not meant any particular grace, but all the graces of the Spirit of God; as faith, hope, love, fear, c. the whole of internal religion, as it shows itself in outward worship, and in all acts of holiness of life and conversation and which the doctrine that is according to godliness teaches and engages to; and this is gain, very great gain indeed. A man possessed of true godliness is a gaining, thriving, man: such as are godly, or truly gracious, they are come into good and happy circumstances, and are possessor of the true, solid, satisfying, durable, and unsearchable riches of grace; all their debts are paid, they are richly clothed, and deliciously fed, and are in a good family, even the household of God, who before were in debt, arrayed in rags, were in a starving condition, and strangers and foreigners; yea, they are heirs of God, joint heirs with Christ, and have both a right and a meetness for the heavenly inheritance; they are now made kings and priests to God, and, in the present state of things, have God to be their portion, and exceeding great reward; they have an interest in Christ, and in all spiritual blessings in him, and have the Spirit as the earnest of their future inheritance; they are rich in faith, and in good works; their souls, which were lost, are gained, and shall be saved with an everlasting salvation; and ere long they will be possessed of all the riches of glory, signified by a house not made with hands, a city which has foundations, whose builder and maker is God, an incorruptible inheritance, and a kingdom and glory: how great is the gain of godliness! And what adds to this gain, and now goes along with it, is "contentment"; for this is not to be considered as the condition of godliness being great gain, as if it was not so without it; but as the effect of godliness, what that produces, and as a part of its gain. The word here used signifies "sufficiency"; and so it is rendered in the Vulgate Latin version: it designs a competency of the good things of this life; and what that is, is expressed in

1Ti 6:8 and such God gives to them that fear him, his godly ones, who shall lack no good thing convenient for them; for godliness has the promise of this life, as well as of that which is to come; and God does give to such all things pertaining to life and godliness, even all things richly to enjoy. The word indeed properly signifies "self-sufficiency", which in its strict sense, only belongs to God, who is "El-Shaddai", God all-sufficient and self-sufficient; but here it intends such a sufficiency as a man himself judges to be so; for this phrase does not so much design the thing itself, which is a sufficiency, as the opinion, the sense which the godly man has of it, who himself judges it, as Jacob did, to be enough; and such a man is content with what he has, and thankful for it, submits quietly to the will of God, and patiently bears every adverse providence: and this is now the fruit and effect of godliness, or true grace, and is a considerable part of that gain which godliness brings with it; and such a man is a happy man indeed, let his circumstances be what they will. The Jews have a saying n, that

"he is a rich man whose spirit rests in, or is contented with his riches;''

that is, as the gloss explains it.

"who rejoices in his portion, be it little or much: thus, though godliness is not gain, nor gain godliness, in the sense of the false teachers, yet is it true gain in a spiritual sense.''

n T. Bab. Sabbat, fol. 25. 2.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

But godliness - Piety; religion. The meaning is, that real religion should be regarded as the greatest and most valuable acquisition. “With contentment.” This word, as now used, refers to a state of mind; a calm and satisfied feeling; a freedom from murmuring and complaining. The idea is, that “piety, connected with a contented mind - or a mind acquiescing in the allotments of life - is to be regarded as the real gain.” Tyndale gives substantially the same interpretation: “Godliness is great riches, if a man be content with that he hath” Coverdale: “Howbeit, it is of great advantage, who is so godly, and holdeth him content with that he hath.” The word which is used here - αὐτάρκεια autarkeia - means, properly, “self-sufficency,” and is used here, in a good sense, to denote a mind satisfied with its lot. If there be true religion, united with its proper accompaniment, peace of mind, it is to be regarded as the true riches. The object of the apostle seems to be, to rebuke those who supposed that property constituted everything that was worth living for. He tells them, therefore, that the true gain, the real riches which we ought to seek, is religion, with a contented mind. This does more to promote happiness than wealth can ever do, and this is what should be regarded as the great object of life.

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse 1 Timothy 6:6. But godliness with contentment is great gain. — The word godliness, ευσεβεια, here, and in several other places of this epistle, signifies the true religion, Christianity; and the word contentment, αυταρκεια, signifies a competency, a sufficiency; that measure or portion of secular things which is necessary for the support of life, while the great work of regeneration is carrying on in the soul. Not what this or the other person may deem a competency, but what is necessary for the mere purposes of life in reference to another world; food, raiment, and lodging. See 1 Timothy 6:7. So, if a man have the life of God in his soul, and just a sufficiency of food and raiment to preserve and not burden life, he has what God calls great gain, an abundant portion.

It requires but little of this world's goods to satisfy a man who feels himself to be a citizen of another country, and knows that this is not his rest.


 
adsfree-icon
Ads FreeProfile