But refuse to enroll younger widows. For when their passions draw them away from Christ, they will want to marry,
Parallel translations
- WEB But refuse younger widows, for when they have grown wanton against Christ, they desire to marry;
- KJV But the younger widows refuse: for when they have begun to wax wanton against Christ, they will marry;
- NKJV But refuse the younger widows; for when they have begun to grow wanton against Christ, they desire to marry,
- NASB But refuse to register younger widows, for when they feel physical desires alienating them from Christ, they want to get married,
- NLT The younger widows should not be on the list, because their physical desires will overpower their devotion to Christ and they will want to remarry.
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
Younger widows should not be enrolled, because their natural desire to remarry may conflict with the pledged service the list entailed. Paul protects them from making vows they cannot keep.
Overview
Paul advises against placing younger widows on the support roll, since the role apparently involved a commitment of devoted service, and their normal desire to remarry could pull them away from it. The phrase grown wanton against Christ suggests their pledge of single-minded service to the Lord might be set aside. Rather than condemning remarriage, Paul is realistic about human desire and seeks to keep both the women and the church from broken commitments.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 10
- 1 Tim 5:14So I advise the younger widows to marry, have children, and manage their households, denying the adversary occasion for slander.
- Hos 13:6When they had pasture, they became satisfied; when they were satisfied, their hearts became proud, and as a result they forgot Me.
- Jas 5:5You have lived on earth in luxury and self-indulgence. You have fattened your hearts in the day of slaughter.
- 1 Cor 7:39–40A wife is bound to her husband as long as he lives. But if her husband dies, she is free to marry anyone she wishes, as long as he belongs to the Lord.
- Isa 3:16The LORD also says: “Because the daughters of Zion are haughty—walking with heads held high and wanton eyes, prancing and skipping as they go, jingling the bracelets on their ankles—
- Rev 18:7As much as she has glorified herself and lived in luxury, give her the same measure of torment and grief. In her heart she says, ‘I sit as queen; I am not a widow and will never see grief.’
- 1 Tim 4:3They will prohibit marriage and require abstinence from certain foods that God has created to be received with thanksgiving by those who believe and know the truth.
- 1 Tim 5:9A widow should be enrolled if she is at least sixty years old, the wife of one man,
- Deut 32:15But Jeshurun grew fat and kicked—becoming fat, bloated, and gorged. He abandoned the God who made him and scorned the Rock of his salvation.
- 2 Pet 2:18With lofty but empty words, they appeal to the sensual passions of the flesh and entice those who are just escaping from others who live in error.
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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 5:11 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
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