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Remember, the sins of some people are obvious, leading them to certain judgment. But there are others whose sins will not be revealed until later.
1 Timothy 5:24 · New Living Translation
Parallel translations
  • WEB Some men’s sins are evident, preceding them to judgment, and some also follow later.
  • KJV Some men’s sins are open beforehand, going before to judgment; and some men they follow after.
  • BSB The sins of some men are obvious, going ahead of them to judgment; but the sins of others do not surface until later.
  • NKJV Some men’s sins are clearly evident, preceding them to judgment, but those of some men follow later.
  • NASB The sins of some people are quite evident, going before them to judgment; for others, their sins follow after.

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 people's sins are obvious and precede them to judgment, while others' sins surface only later. Hidden character will eventually be exposed before God.

Overview

Returning to the matter of appointing leaders, Paul notes that some sins are evident at once while others come to light only with time. This is why hasty ordination is unwise; careful observation reveals character that is not immediately apparent. Ultimately all things are open before God, who will bring every hidden thing into judgment.

Cross-references & the web

Cross-references · 7

  • 2 Tim 4:10for Demas left me, having loved this present world, and went to Thessalonica; Crescens to Galatia, and Titus to Dalmatia.
  • Acts 8:18Now when Simon saw that the Holy Spirit was given through the laying on of the apostles’ hands, he offered them money,
  • 2 Pet 2:20–21For if, after they have escaped the defilement of the world through the knowledge of the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, they are again entangled in it and overcome, the last state has become worse for them than the first.
  • Acts 1:16–20“Brothers, it was necessary that this Scripture should be fulfilled, which the Holy Spirit spoke before by the mouth of David concerning Judas, who was guide to those who took Jesus.
  • Gal 5:19–21Now the deeds of the flesh are obvious, which are: adultery, sexual immorality, uncleanness, lustfulness,
  • Acts 5:1–11But a certain man named Ananias, with Sapphira, his wife, sold a possession,
  • Jer 2:34Also the blood of the souls of the innocent poor is found in your skirts. You did not find them breaking in; but it is because of all these things.

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 5:24YouTube · 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 5:24 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.