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from which some, having strayed, have turned aside to idle talk,
1 Timothy 1:6 · New King James Version
Parallel translations
  • WEB from which things some, having missed the mark, have turned aside to vain talking;
  • KJV From which some having swerved have turned aside unto vain jangling;
  • BSB Some have strayed from these ways and turned aside to empty talk.
  • NASB Some people have strayed from these things and have turned aside to fruitless discussion,
  • NLT But some people have missed this whole point. They have turned away from these things and spend their time in meaningless discussions.

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

Some had strayed from love and sincere faith into empty, fruitless talk. It warns that abandoning the gospel's goal leads to meaningless religious chatter.

Overview

Paul says certain teachers 'missed the mark' and turned aside to 'vain talking.' Having abandoned love and genuine faith, their teaching became hollow and unproductive. The verse cautions that doctrine detached from the aim of love degenerates into empty speech.

Cross-references & the web

Cross-references · 8

  • Titus 1:10For there are also many unruly men, vain talkers and deceivers, especially those of the circumcision,
  • 2 Tim 2:23–24But refuse foolish and ignorant questionings, knowing that they generate strife.
  • 1 Tim 6:20–21Timothy, guard that which is committed to you, turning away from the empty chatter and oppositions of what is falsely called knowledge;
  • Titus 3:9but shun foolish questionings, genealogies, strife, and disputes about the law; for they are unprofitable and vain.
  • 1 Tim 5:15For already some have turned aside after Satan.
  • 2 Tim 2:18men who have erred concerning the truth, saying that the resurrection is already past, and overthrowing the faith of some.
  • 2 Tim 4:10for Demas left me, having loved this present world, and went to Thessalonica; Crescens to Galatia, and Titus to Dalmatia.
  • 1 Tim 6:4–5he is conceited, knowing nothing, but obsessed with arguments, disputes, and word battles, from which come envy, strife, insulting, evil suspicions,

Themes, concepts, people & topics

Topics (3)

Resources, by level

Commentaries & study tools

  • VideoBibleProject — 1 Timothy videosBibleProject · Lay · Free · evangelical

    Free animated overview and word-study videos for this book.

  • VideoWatch teaching on 1 Timothy 1:6YouTube · Lay · Free

    Sermons and teaching on this passage from across YouTube.

  • CommentaryEnduring Word — verse-by-verseDavid Guzik · Lay · Free · evangelical

    Clear, readable, conservative exposition — the best free place to start on any passage.

  • CommentaryClassic commentaries for this verseBibleHub (20+ works) · Pastoral · Free

    Matthew Henry, Barnes, Gill, the Pulpit Commentary, Ellicott, Cambridge, and more — stacked on one page for this exact verse.

  • CommentaryMatthew Henry on 1 TimothyMatthew Henry · Pastoral · Free · evangelical

    The beloved Puritan exposition of this whole book — warm, devotional, and verse by verse (free, CCEL).

  • ReferenceInterlinear, lexicon & Strong'sBlue Letter Bible · Seminary · Free

    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 1:6 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.