Until I come, devote yourself to the public reading of Scripture, to exhortation, and to teaching.
Parallel translations
- WEB Until I come, pay attention to reading, to exhortation, and to teaching.
- KJV Till I come, give attendance to reading, to exhortation, to doctrine.
- NKJV Till I come, give attention to reading, to exhortation, to doctrine.
- NASB Until I come, give your attention to the public reading, to exhortation, and teaching.
- NLT Until I get there, focus on reading the Scriptures to the church, encouraging the believers, and teaching them.
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
Until Paul comes, Timothy is to devote himself to public reading of Scripture, exhortation, and teaching. It highlights the centrality of God's word in ministry.
Overview
Paul instructs Timothy to give attention to the reading of Scripture, preaching, and instruction. These public ministries of the word are to mark the church's gatherings. The verse underscores that the word read and taught feeds God's people.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 19
- Acts 6:4and will devote ourselves to prayer and to the ministry of the word.”
- Titus 2:15Speak these things as you encourage and rebuke with all authority. Let no one despise you.
- 2 Tim 4:2Preach the word; be prepared in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, and encourage with every form of patient instruction.
- 1 Tim 4:16Pay close attention to your life and to your teaching. Persevere in these things, for by so doing you will save both yourself and those who hear you.
- 2 Tim 2:15–17Make every effort to present yourself approved to God, an unashamed workman who accurately handles the word of truth.
- Acts 17:11Now the Bereans were more noble-minded than the Thessalonians, for they received the message with great eagerness and examined the Scriptures every day to see if these teachings were true.
- John 5:39You pore over the Scriptures because you presume that by them you possess eternal life. These are the very words that testify about Me,
- Josh 1:8This Book of the Law must not depart from your mouth; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. For then you will prosper and succeed in all you do.
- 1 Tim 4:6By pointing out these things to the brothers, you will be a good servant of Christ Jesus, nourished by the words of faith and sound instruction that you have followed.
- Deut 17:19It is to remain with him, and he is to read from it all the days of his life, so that he may learn to fear the LORD his God by carefully observing all the words of this instruction and these statutes.
- Prov 2:4–5if you seek it like silver and search it out like hidden treasure,
- Ps 1:2–3But his delight is in the Law of the LORD, and on His law he meditates day and night.
- Ps 119:97–104Oh, how I love Your law! All day long it is my meditation.
- 1 Cor 14:3But he who prophesies speaks to men for their edification, encouragement, and comfort.
- 1 Cor 14:26What then shall we say, brothers? When you come together, everyone has a psalm or a teaching, a revelation, a tongue, or an interpretation. All of these must be done to build up the church.
- Matt 13:51–52Have you understood all these things?” “Yes,” they answered.
- 1 Tim 3:14–15Although I hope to come to you soon, I am writing you these things
- Rom 12:8if it is encouraging, let him encourage; if it is giving, let him give generously; if it is leading, let him lead with diligence; if it is showing mercy, let him do it cheerfully.
- 1 Cor 14:6Now, brothers, if I come to you speaking in tongues, how will I benefit you, unless I bring you some revelation or knowledge or prophecy or teaching?
Themes, concepts, people & topics
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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 4:13 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.