Unto Timothy, my own son in the faith: Grace, mercy, and peace, from God our Father and Jesus Christ our Lord.
Parallel translations
- WEB to Timothy, my true child in faith: Grace, mercy, and peace, from God our Father and Christ Jesus our Lord.
- BSB To Timothy, my true child in the faith: Grace, mercy, and peace from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Lord.
- NKJV To Timothy, a true son in the faith: Grace, mercy, and peace from God our Father and Jesus Christ our Lord.
- NASB To Timothy, my true son in the faith: Grace, mercy, and peace from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Lord.
- NLT I am writing to Timothy, my true son in the faith. May God the Father and Christ Jesus our Lord give you grace, mercy, and peace.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Quick answer
Paul greets Timothy as his genuine spiritual son and prays grace, mercy, and peace over him. It reminds us that ministry is passed on through nurturing relationships rooted in shared faith.
Overview
Timothy is Paul's 'true child in faith,' likely led to Christ and discipled by Paul. The greeting of grace, mercy, and peace comes from God the Father and Christ Jesus together, an early witness to Christ's deity. The added 'mercy' fits a personal letter to a younger minister facing hard tasks.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 11
- Titus 1:4To Titus, mine own son after the common faith: Grace, mercy, and peace, from God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ our Saviour.
- 2 Tim 1:2To Timothy, my dearly beloved son: Grace, mercy, and peace, from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Lord.
- 1 Cor 4:14–17I write not these things to shame you, but as my beloved sons I warn you.
- Phil 2:19–22But I trust in the Lord Jesus to send Timotheus shortly unto you, that I also may be of good comfort, when I know your state.
- Acts 16:1–3Then came he to Derbe and Lystra: and, behold, a certain disciple was there, named Timotheus, the son of a certain woman, which was a Jewess, and believed; but his father was a Greek:
- Rom 1:7To all that be in Rome, beloved of God, called to be saints: Grace to you and peace from God our Father, and the Lord Jesus Christ.
- 2 Tim 2:1Thou therefore, my son, be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus.
- 1 Pet 1:2Elect according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, through sanctification of the Spirit, unto obedience and sprinkling of the blood of Jesus Christ: Grace unto you, and peace, be multiplied.
- 1 Tim 1:18This charge I commit unto thee, son Timothy, according to the prophecies which went before on thee, that thou by them mightest war a good warfare;
- Gal 1:3Grace be to you and peace from God the Father, and from our Lord Jesus Christ,
- 1 Th 3:2And sent Timotheus, our brother, and minister of God, and our fellowlabourer in the gospel of Christ, to establish you, and to comfort you concerning your faith:
Themes, concepts, people & topics
Resources, by level
Commentaries & study tools
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Hebrew/Greek interlinear, word definitions, and cross-references for this verse.
Christ at the center
There is 'one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus, who gave himself a ransom for all' — the mystery of godliness, God manifest in the flesh.
How 1 Timothy 1:2 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.
Original language
Each word below is tagged with its Strong’s number — tap one to see the underlying Greek word, its meaning, and every verse that uses it.