A widow should be enrolled if she is at least sixty years old, the wife of one man,
Parallel translations
- WEB Let no one be enrolled as a widow under sixty years old, having been the wife of one man,
- KJV Let not a widow be taken into the number under threescore years old, having been the wife of one man,
- NKJV Do not let a widow under sixty years old be taken into the number, and not unless she has been the wife of one man,
- NASB A widow is to be put on the list only if she is not less than sixty years old, having been the wife of one man,
- NLT A widow who is put on the list for support must be a woman who is at least sixty years old and was faithful to her husband.
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
Only widows over sixty who had been faithful in marriage were to be enrolled on the church's support list. The standard guarded the integrity of the church's ministry to widows.
Overview
Paul gives criteria for an official list of widows the church would fully support and who likely served the congregation in return. The age and the description faithful wife of one man point to a settled life of proven devotion. The qualifications protected limited resources and honored those whose long faithfulness commended them, while still upholding marriage and godliness.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 8
- 1 Tim 3:2An overseer, then, must be above reproach, the husband of but one wife, temperate, self-controlled, respectable, hospitable, able to teach,
- Luke 2:36–37There was also a prophetess named Anna, the daughter of Phanuel, of the tribe of Asher, who was well along in years. She had been married for seven years,
- 1 Tim 5:11But refuse to enroll younger widows. For when their passions draw them away from Christ, they will want to marry,
- 1 Tim 5:14So I advise the younger widows to marry, have children, and manage their households, denying the adversary occasion for slander.
- 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.
- 1 Tim 5:3–4Honor the widows who are truly widows.
- 1 Tim 3:12A deacon must be the husband of but one wife, a good manager of his children and of his own household.
- 1 Cor 7:10–11To the married I give this command (not I, but the Lord): A wife must not separate from her husband.
Themes, concepts, people & topics
Resources, by level
Commentaries & study tools
Free animated overview and word-study videos for this book.
Sermons and teaching on this passage from across YouTube.
Clear, readable, conservative exposition — the best free place to start on any passage.
Matthew Henry, Barnes, Gill, the Pulpit Commentary, Ellicott, Cambridge, and more — stacked on one page for this exact verse.
The beloved Puritan exposition of this whole book — warm, devotional, and verse by verse (free, CCEL).
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 5:9 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.