Bible Commentaries
1 Timothy 5

Verses 1-25

V 1-VI 2 Precepts for Various Classes— Older people are to be treated with reverence, and the younger as equals in the family of Christ. 3. ’Honour’—Here the word means the granting of material help, cf. 17; Matthew 15:4-6. ’Widows indeed’—Those who have no relatives to support them; the question therefore concerns those widows who need relief from the public funds of the Church; cf.Acts 6:1.4. ’Let these learn first’—let the children and grandchildren learn first . . . i.e. these relatives are to learn that their first duty according to their religion is towards their own household so that they should make every effort to support their parents.

6. ’Is dead while she is living’—a true widow is faithful to her religious duties, avoiding that dissipation which is spiritual death.

8. A further confirmation of what has been said in 4. It is a general affirmation that anyone who neglects the care of his dependents, has ’denied the faith and is worse than the infidel’, because pagans normally respond to their natural feelings and instincts.

9. In order to qualify for support from the Church the widow must be sixty, married no more than once and known to be of good character, exercising such good works as those listed in 10.

10. ’Received to harbour’— ’been hospitable’. It is difficult to avoid the conclusion from the whole of this passage that ’the widows’ are some sort of primitive inchoate but recognized religious order or institution within the Church, living a life of devotion under some kind of rule and vow, cf. Polycarp Phil.4, Ignatius Smyrn.13; cf. also Spicq, xlviii-l.

11. Younger widows are not to be placed upon the list of those to receive support because they might prove unstable and then, yielding to their desires to remarry, might break their pledges to Christ. ’When they have grown wanton against Christ they want to marry’. They yield to their ’desires’ and reject their subjection to Christ.

12. ’Their first faith’ —the pledges made to Christ.

13. ’Withal being idle —Their living on public funds would expose them through consequent idleness to the evils mentioned here.

17. ’Double honour’—cf. 3. Those fulfilling their duties, especially that of preaching the word, are worthy of more liberal support.

18. cf.1 Corinthians 9:9 where he explains the application of Deuteronomy 25:4. The saying of our Lord here quoted is found in Luke 10:7. Is not this an example of the quoting of OT and NT together as Scripture?

19. Timothy is urged to use the judicial power which he possesses as a bishop, without prejudging a case and without partiality or bias.

22. A warning against ordaining priests without due inquiry into their character and fitness for the office. By ordaining the unworthy he would make himself responsible for the sins which they committed as ministers of Christ and for the harm which would befall the Church in consequence. Some writers, however, apply the verse to the sacrament of penance, seeing here a warning against precipitately bestowing absolution from sin or censure on those not rightly disposed.

23. ’Keep thyself chaste’—holy, undefiled, free from fault. ’Use a little wine for thy stomach’s sake’—For some reason, perhaps as a means of preserving chastity, Timothy completely abstained from wine. St Paul cautions him against excessive austerity which might impair his health. The Apostle realized the demands of the active ministry and so urged his disciple to take the means necessary to enable himself to fulfil his arduous duties.

24 refers either to the question of not ordaining the unworthy or, as some suggest, to the judgement of priests.