1:Apostle, from the Greek for “one sent out.” It comes to take the technical meaning as one specifically commissioned by Jesus to proclaim the gospel. God our Savior, see also 2.3; 4.10; the title appears in the NT only in the Pastorals numerous times, and in 2 Pet 1.1 and Jude 25, but nowhere else in the NT. “Savior” or “deliverer” (Gk “sotēr,” Heb “yishaʿ,” see Ps 24.5 [LXX 23.5, “you are God my savior”]) is typically a divine epithet. For 1 Timothy, God establishes this salvation through the Christ [Heb “mashiaḥ”]. 2:Loyal child, a term of endearment (as also 2 Tim 1.2), not a designation of kinship. Grace, Gk “charis,” “favor, thanks,” comparable to Heb “ḥen” (see Gen 6.8). Mercy, Gk “eleos,” in LXX for Heb “ḥesed,” “lovingkindness” (see Ps 85.10 [HB 85.11; LXX 84.11]). Peace, Gk “eirēnē,” in LXX for Heb “shalom.” The salutation combines Greek and Hebrew (Jewish) greetings. God the Father, occasionally used in the Tanakh (see Jer 3.4; Ps 68.5). In Pauline usage increasingly it meant the believers’ union with Jesus as God’s (adoptive) children, see e.g., Rom 8.15.

3:Macedonia, Acts 16.20 describes Paul’s journeys there; for Paul’s references, see 1 Cor 16.5; 2 Cor, passim. Ephesus, see Acts 18–29; 1 Cor 15.32; 16.8; the traditional address of the epistle to the Ephesians, whose Pauline authorship is disputed. Teach any different doctrine (Gk “heterodidaskaleo”), appears in the NT only here and in 6.3. 4:Myths, author dismisses all opponents as “mythmakers” rather than true teachers. There is no consensus on the content of such myths, mentioned in the NT only here and in other relatively late texts such as 4.7; 2 Tim 4.4; Titus 1.14 (in reference to “Jewish myths”—perhaps postbiblical interpretations or midrashim); and 2 Pet 1.16. Genealogies, only elsewhere in Titus 3.9; perhaps a concern with proto-Gnostic speculation. 5:Pure heart, see Ps 24.4; Prov 22.11. Conscience (Gk “syneidēsis”), the self-awareness that comes with moral maturity (see Rom 2.15); see 1.19; 3.9; 4.2; 2 Tim 1.3. Faith, suggesting correct beliefs or teachings rather than trust. 7–8:Law, in Pauline usage the referent is usually “Torah,” not civil law, although there is nothing specific in the ensuing verses to Torah as opposed to civil law. Law is good, see Rom 7.12,16. The comment does not appear to be a response to antinomianism. 9:Law is laid down not for the innocent, since the Torah is for everyone; the law (Gk “nomos”) thus could refer to any legal code. 9b–10: The list of sins is conventional (see Mk 7.21–23; 1 Cor 6.9–10; Gal 5.19–20) and vice lists are common (see Col 3.5–9; see also, e.g., Tob 4.12; Jub. 7.20), especially in later NT writings. 10:Sodomites, (Gk “arsenokoites,” lit., “men who lie down/men who bed”), see 1 Cor 6.9; there Paul’s usage is the term’s first appearance. If this is a reference to male homosexuality, the condemnation is consistent with some contemporary Jewish sources (see Philo, Spec. Laws 3.37–42; QG 2.49; Virtues 20–21; Heir. 274; and elsewhere; Josephus, Ag. Ap. 2.199; Pseudo-Phocylides, Sent. 3; T. Sol. 4.5). Sound teaching, is the key both to the glorious gospel and to proper action. 11:Gospel, the “good news” (Gk “euangelion”) of God’s action through Jesus.

13–14:Formerly a … persecutor, Paul’s early persecution of Jesus’ followers (1 Cor 15.9; Gal 1.13; cf. Acts 8.1; 9.1–2). Ignorantly, the epistle is consistent with Acts 3.17, where Peter tells the Jews in Jerusalem, “I know that you acted in ignorance, as did also your rulers” in crucifying Jesus. Mercy (Gk “eleos,” “compassion”; Heb “hesed”)… grace, (Gk “charis,” “grace,” “favor”; Heb “ḥein”), the loving actions of God to which the believer responds with the faith and love … in Christ Jesus.15:Saying is sure, a frequent phrase in the Pastoral Epistles but absent from the undisputed letters. Save sinners, for rabbinic ideas of God as the one who pardons sin, see especially b. Rosh Ha-Shanah 17b, the thirteen attributes of divine mercy. 16:An example, an appeal to mimesis (imitation): to imitate one’s teachers as they in turn imitate Christ (1 Cor 11.1). Eternal life, see m. Avot 2.7, “[If] he has gotten teachings of Torah, he has gotten himself life eternal [Heb “ḥayei ha-ʿolam habaʾ”].” 17:King of the ages (Gk “basilei tōn aiōnōn”), perhaps a rendering of Heb “melekh ha-ʿolam,” “king of the universe/king of eternity/king forever,” a phrase in the standard rabbinic benediction formulary, based on Jer 10.10 and Ps 10.16. Immortal, invisible … only God, attributes reflecting Greek philosophy and consistent with the Tanakh. Amen, Heb “so be it.” 18:Prophecies, see 4.14; not predictions but words presumed to be from God, in this case concerning Timothy’s ministry. Fight the good fight, a military expression, consistent with Pauline language (2 Cor 10.3–4; Philem 2, and see 2 Tim 2.4). 19:Conscience, see 1.4–5nn. Shipwreck, common metaphor (e.g., Josephus, Ant. 5.183; 12.355; Philo, Names 215). 20:Hymenaeus, 2 Tim 2.17 lists a person by this name who denies resurrection from the dead). Alexander, see 2 Tim 4.14, probably a reference to the same person. Turned over to Satan, for correction (1 Cor 5.5) or for punishment (3.6–7; 2 Tim 2.26). Satan, (Heb “adversary”; see Job 1.6) becomes personified in later Jewish texts (Jub 10.11) as the chief evil spirit opposing God’s will. In Christian texts, he is often interchanged with the devil who is seen as leading believers astray (5.15).

2:For kings, Bar 1.11 already exhorts, “pray for the life of King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon”; 1 Macc 7.33 speaks of “the burnt offering that was being offered for the king”; and in m. Avot 3.2, “R. Hananiah, Prefect of the Priests, says, ‘Pray for the welfare of the government … ‘” (see Jer 27.7). In the Second Temple period, a sacrifice on behalf of the emperor’s health was offered in the Jerusalem Temple. Paul (Rom 13.1–2) and 1 Peter (2.13–14) advocate deference to the governing authority; Revelation does not. 3:God our Savior, see 1.1n.; 4.10. 4:Saved … knowledge of the truth, salvation is linked with right doctrine. 5–6: The passage is set in poetical form to indicate that it might be an early creedal formula. One God, Deut 6.4. Mediator, in Gal 3.20 Paul states that “a mediator [Paul is referring to Moses] involves more than one party; but God is one” although 1 Tim and Heb 8.6; 9.15; 12.34 describe Jesus as mediating between God and humanity. Himself human, Gk “anthropos”; Jesus mediates because he is a fellow human. 6:Ransom (Gk “antilutron,” only place in NT where this form occurs; “lutron” in LXX for Heb “pidyon” [“redemption”; see Ex 21.30, as payment for a life]); “geʾulah” (“redemption,” e.g., regarding land, Lev 25.24); “kopher” (“ransom” in light of a census; see Ex 30.12); “hefdah” (for freeing slaves [Ex 21.8; Lev 19.20]): a payment for redemption or liberation, presumably here from sin; see Mt 20.28; Mk 10.45. The author does not explain to whom the ransom is paid (God? Satan?). 7:Apostle, see 1.1n. Teacher of the Gentiles, Paul’s commission (Gal 1.16; 2.2,7).

8:Men should pray, Gk “andras,” “men,” suggests that only males are so instructed. Lifting up holy hands, a gesture of prayer (Ps 28.2; 63.4 [HB v 5]; 134.2; 141.2. Exhortations to prayer are common Jewish sources, e.g., m. Ber. 4.3, “R. Gamaliel says, ‘Each day a man should pray the Eighteen [Benedictions].’” 9–10:Dress themselves modestly, concern for female modesty, also found elsewhere in the Pastorals (see 5.11–15; Titus 2.5). 11–15: Part of a larger discussion in the Pauline and post-Pauline writings about women’s roles. The instructions are consistent with those of Roman moralists (see Plutarch’s Advice to a Bride and Groom 11.31–33). Whereas Rom 16.1–3,7 mentions women in church leadership, 1 Cor 14.33–36, which many scholars regard as a non-Pauline addition, expresses reservations similar to those found here. 13–15: Whereas 1 Cor 14.33b–36 could be specific to the Corinthian church, 1 Timothy grounds female subordination in creation. Adam was formed first, the view that the earlier creation is the more important appears also in Sifre Deut. 11.10. Other rabbinic passages, following from Gen 1.27 and 5.2, highlight an equal creation in which humanity was created as androgynous, and then God separated them (Gen. Rab. 8.1). Not deceived, Adam knowingly gave up Eden for the sake of his deceived wife; Gen 3 suggests that both the man and the woman are culpable (see Gen 3.17). Will be saved through childbearing, the Greek indicates salvation by bearing children, not being saved from death in childbirth. The author condemns women, including married women, who choose celibacy (see 1 Cor 7.7) as part of their life in Christ. 15:Modesty, Gk “sophrosyne,” has the sense of self-control or prudence. The NRSV translates “sophrosyne” as “modesty” for 1 Tim 2.9,15 (in relation to women) but as “sober truth” in Acts 26.25 (in relation to Paul) and “self-control” in relation to “young men” (the infinitive form of the term) in Titus 2.6.

1:Saying is sure, see Introduction. Bishop (Gk “episkopos,” “overseer,” “supervisor”), the head of a local church (see Phil 1.1). By the second century, bishops became the chief religious authorities of a geographical area with a number of local congregations. 2:Married only once, if this statement refers to divorce (i.e., no remarriage after divorce), it could be based on Mt 19.3–12. If it means no remarriage after the spouse dies, it seems to contradict 1 Cor 7.39. It may reflect a reaction to Roman society, which sanctioned divorce. 4:Manage his own household, the church is the household of God. Submissive (Gk “hypotagē,” “under subjection”), subordinate to the parent. 6:Recent convert, Gk “neophyton” (whence “neophyte”), a new planting. Puffed up, Pauline language (1 Cor 4.6; 8.1); see also 2 Macc 7.34; 3 Macc 2.2. Devil, see Wis 2.24; often interchanged with “Satan”; see 1.20n. (1.20; 5.15). 7:Well thought of, lit., “a good witness” (Gk “kalēn martyrian”). By outsiders, those not members of the community; the letter has more of a concern for reputation than for evangelizing. 8:Deacons (Gk “diakonos”), lit., “one who serves.” Double-tongued, saying one thing to one person and something else to another, hypocritical in speech. 9:Mystery of the faith, perhaps secret instruction for those newly joining the community, or the general content and explication of 3.16. Deacons must hold fast both by keeping it safe and by adhering to it. 10:Tested, lit., “proved genuine” (Gk “dokimazō,” “to assay [as metal],” “try”). 11:Women, it is possible the writer means “women deacons”; see translators’ note a. See also Rom 16.1. 12:Married only once, see 3.2n. 15:Household … church, behavior should be consistent no matter where the believer happens to be. 16: Mystery, see 3.9n. Religion, lit., “good (or proper) reverence” (Gk “eusebeia”). Revealed. . . glory, perhaps another fragment of an early creedal formula; see 1.5–6. It expresses the teaching conveyed to members of the community when they are initiated. Vindicated in spirit, or “justified by the Spirit” (see translators’ notes d and e): either proved worthy by resurrection or shown to be right by the manifestation of the Spirit among believers. Taken up, perhaps a reference to the ascension (Lk 24.51; Acts 1.10).

1:The Spirit expressly says, perhaps a reference to words of prophecy. Later times, or “the last times” (see translators’ note f ): the period leading up to the end of the present age. 3:Forbid marriage, an extension of Paul’s preference for celibacy (see 2.13–15n.). Abstinence from foods, perhaps a vestige of Pauline debates over Jewish dietary regulations (Rom 14.2); perhaps a concern for fasting (Mk 2.18). 4–5:Everything … sanctified, all foods are licit (see Mk 7.19; Acts 10.15). Gen 1 proclaims that everything created is good. 4:Created by God, the author returns to Genesis to counter asceticism. 5:Sanctified, lit., “made holy”; things holy are set apart for God. God’s word, i.e., command (Gk “logos”), is the means by which all that God created was good (Gen 1.31). 7:Myths (lit., “profane” [things]), see 1.4–5nn. Old wives’ tales (lit., “oldwomanish myths”), or worse, demonic (v 1). Labeling one’s opponents’ teachings “demonic” or “false” was a known first-century practice (e.g., Jn 8.44–47; Wis 14.22–28; 1QpHab 14.22). Godliness, lit., “good (or proper) reverence” (Gk “eusebeia”; the same word is translated “religion” in 3.16). 8:Physical training, a Greco-Roman cultural idea, part of the good life; the point is that spiritual training (reverence) is valuable not only in the present but also in the life to come.9:Saying is sure, see Intro. 10:Living God (Heb “Elohim ḥayyim”), Deut 5.26; Josh 3.10; 1 Sam 17.26,36; Ps 42.2; 84.2, etc. Savior of all people, that the God of Israel is the Savior of all people follows from Gen (see 1.31) that all God’s creations are good. See also Isa 45.22–23. 13:Public reading of scripture, see Neh 7.73b–8.8; Lk 4.16–20. “Qeriʾat haTorah,” “reading of the Torah” was Jewish practice and was taken over by Jesus’ followers; it had limited biblical precedence (Deut 31.10–13; Josh 8.34–35; 2 Kings 23.1–3; Neh 8), but by the first century ce, was the core of the synagogue service (see Josephus, Ag. Ap. 2.175 and “The Synagogue,” p. 662). See also m. Seqal. 1.1, “On the fifteenth day of that month they read the Megillah [Scroll of Esther] in walled cities” (and m. Meg. passim); m. Yoma 7.1, “The high priest came to read [in the Women’s court]; m. Taʾan. 4.3; m. Git. 5.8, etc. 14:Prophecy … elders how a ministry was authorized and initiated (see Acts 6.6; 2 Tim 1.6). See also 3.1n. Laying on of hands, for consecration (see Ex 29.15 for sacrifice), commission (Deut 34.9 regarding Joshua); for healing (Mk 9.18). Elders, (Gk “presbyteroi”) were, along with the bishop (see 3.1n.), leaders of local congregations. Jewish Diaspora communities had “archisynagōgoi” or “rulers of the synagogue” (see Mk 5.22; see “The Synagogue,” p. 662), but their roles are more likely to be of patrons rather than of sanctioned officials. 16:Will save, from sin and to eternal life.

1:Father, respect for elders (Lev 19.32; see also Prov 1.8), is stressed in rabbinic thought, e.g., B. Ber. 8b: R. Judah says: “… be careful [to respect] an old man who has forgotten his knowledge through no fault of his own, for it was said: Both the whole tables and the fragments of the tables were placed in the Ark.” 2:Purity, treating everyone in the community as members of one’s family, and not, for instance, treating younger women as potential marital partners.

Because the community could not support all widows, the author recommends that families take care of their own; only those without other resources should receive community support. Jewish Law mandates care for the poor, widows, orphans, and strangers (see Deut 24.17–22; Tob 14.8–11). M. Peʾah and other rabbinic writings address the rights of the poor. 5:Real widow, a woman who has no family support. The Mishnah and subsequent rabbinic texts list numerous practices designed to protect widows, e.g., m. Ketub 4.12 specifies that even if marriage contracts in both Jerusalem and Galilee lacked the clause, “You will dwell in my house and derive support from my property so long as you are a widow in my house,” the deceased husband’s estate is nevertheless required to support the widow. Supplications and prayers, the combination of widows and consistent prayer recollects Lk 18.1–8. 6:Lives for pleasure, lit., “lives luxuriously”; see Jas 5.5. Such a widow lives inconsistently with the exhortations of 2.9. 8:Provide for relatives, an extension of the commandment “Honor your father and your mother” (Ex 20.12; Lev 19.3; Deut 5.16); the instruction is consistent with Jesus’ complaint regarding Corban donations, namely gifts to God or sacrifices [Heb “qorban”] taking support from parents (see notes to Mk 7.11–13) but potentially at odds with his anti-familial teachings (e.g., Mk 1.20 || Mt 4.22; Mk 10.29 || Mt 19.29; Lk 14.26) and focus on voluntary poverty (see Lk 18.22). 9:Put on the list, for communal support. Sixty years old, an advanced age (see “Jewish Family Life,” p. 604). Married only once, see 3.2n. 10:Well attested, concern for the church’s external reputation continues see 3.7. Washed the saints’ feet, willingly performed humble service (see Lk 7.36–50; Jn 13.1–16). Saints (Gk “hagioi,” lit., “holy ones”), designation for church members (see Rom 12.13; 1 Cor 1.2; 2 Cor 1.1). This is the only use of the term in the Pastorals, and it may reflect a move away from seeing all members as saints to a restricted use of term (e.g., it is not clear if these widows are themselves counted among the “saints”). 11:Younger widows, Roman law (the Lex Papia Poppaea promulgated by Augustus) expected all widowed women under fifty to marry again. 12:Violated their first pledge, that they would not remarry. 13: Gadding about, b. Sot. 22a offers differing views of the “gadabout widow” from the claim that she “brings destruction on the world” to R. Joḥanan’s insistence that she teaches confidence of the bestowal of reward: “A certain widow had a synagogue in her neighborhood; yet she used to come daily to the School of R. Joḥanan and pray there. He said to her, ‘My daughter, is there not a Synagogue in your neighborhood?’ She answered him, ‘Rabbi, but have I not the reward for the steps!’” Gossips, Heb “lashon hara,” lit., “evil tongue.” B. Arak. 15b states: “The school of R. Ishmael taught, ‘Anyone who gossips is considered as having committed the grave sins of idolatry, sexual immorality, and murder,’” and, “Evil gossip kills three: the one who says it, the one who listens, and the subject of the gossip.” 14:Adversary, Satan (v 15; 1.20n.). 15:Satan, see 1.20n.

17:Elders (Gk “presbyteroi”), perhaps comparable to Heb “zekenim,” respected people in the community. For the Talmud, the term “elder” also connotes a sage, or one learned in Torah (b. Qidd. 32b states, “The elder [“zaken”] is none other than a sage, and the word [is an acronym that] means “zeh she-kanah ḥokhmah” [“one who has acquired wisdom”]). 18:Muzzle an ox, the epistle’s only Torah citation: Deut 25.4, which the author may have found the citation in 1 Cor 9.9. Laborer deserves to be paid, citation from Mt 10.10; Lk 10.7; it is not clear if the author considers this Gospel comment also to be scripture.19:Two or three witnesses, Deut 19.15. Rebuke them in the presence of all, see Mt 18.17; on rebuking for correction see Lev 19.17; b. Tamid 28a. 21:In the presence … elect angels: the proceedings are conducted as if the heavenly court is present. Partiality, Deut 16.19; 2 Chr 19.7; Sir 4.22; etc. 22:Ordain, lit., “place the hands,” see 4.14n. 23:Drink only water, asceticism is not promoted. Stomach, b. Ber. 51a records, “Our Rabbis taught: Asparagus brew is good for the heart and good for the eyes, and, needless to say, for the bowels. If one uses it regularly it is good for the whole body, but if one gets drunk on it it is bad for the whole body. Since it is stated that it is good for the heart, we infer that we are dealing with a brew of wine.”

1:Slavery, unlike the Household Codes (Haustafeln) in Eph 6.5–9; Col 3.22–4.1, this passage lacks a corresponding stricture for masters. For the Tanakh’s view of the relations between slaves and masters, see Deut 15.12–17. 2:Believing masters, consistent with Col 3.22–23 but with the explicit notice that the slave owner is also a church member. 3:Sound words of our Lord Jesus, the Gospels record no explicit critique of the institution of slavery. Godliness, lit., “good (or proper) reverence” (Gk “eusebeia”); the NRSV translates the same word as “religion” in 3.16; see 2.2; 4.7–8; 6.5,6,11). 6:Contentment, lit., “self-sufficiency” (Gk “autarkeia”). 7: Possible allusion to Job 1.21 or Eccl 5.15. 9–10:Rich … love of money, exhortation to avoid personal peril (see Sir 14.3–10; 31.5–11). On the dangers of wealth and the concern with contentment, see m. Avot 4.1: “Ben Zoma would say, ‘Who is rich? One who is satisfied with his lot. As is stated (Ps 128.2): If you eat of the toil of your hands, fortunate are you, and good is to you; fortunate are you in this world, and good is to you in the World to Come.’”

11:Pursue righteousness, Isa 51.1; Prov. 15.9; 21.21. 12:Fight the good fight, 1.18n. Eternal life, or “life of the coming age” (Gk “aiōn”). Good confession, or “good acknowledgment,” “good assent” to the “sound teaching” (4.6). 13:Pontius Pilate, only NT reference to him outside the Gospels. Good confession, the acknowledgment (Jn 18.33–38) or the refusal to deny (Mt 27.11–13) that Jesus is the Messiah. 14:Commandment (Gk “entolē”), this may refer to Timothy’s profession of faith (v 12). Manifestation (Gk “epiphania,” whence English “epiphany”), Jesus’ return. King of kings Lord of lords, see Dan 2.37; 2 Macc 13.4; 3 Macc 5.35; 2 Esd 7.12; Rev 17.14; 19.16; Philo, Spec. Law 1.18. 16:Dwells in unapproachable light, associations of the divine with light are common (Ps 36.9; 1 Jn 1.5; Philo, Life of Moses 2.70). No one has ever seen, see 1 Jn 4.12 but contrast Ex 24.10, where the divine is both approachable and visible; see also Isa 6; Ezek 1–3; Mekh. de Rabbi Ishmael states “A maidservant saw at the Red Sea what Isaiah and Ezekiel did not see.” See also b. Ber. 6a. Amen, 1.17n. 19:Storing up … treasure, see Mt 6.19–20; m. Peʾah 1.1 (“capital in the world to come” as the fruit of righteous acts now); T. Levi 13.5. 20:Falsely called knowledge, perhaps a reference to a Gnostic form of teaching in which secret knowledge is the key to salvation. 21:Grace, see 1.1–2nn.