^6:1Those who are under the yoke as slaves¹ must regard their own masters as deserving of full respect. This will prevent² the name of God and Christian teaching³ from being discredited.⁴^6:2But those who have believing masters must not show them less respect⁵ because they are brothers. Instead they are to serve all the more, because those who benefit from their service are believers and dearly loved.⁶

Summary of Timothy’s Duties

Teach them and exhort them about these things.⁷^6:3If someone spreads false teachings⁸ and does not agree with sound words (that is, those of our Lord Jesus Christ) and with the teaching that accords with godliness, ^6:4he is conceited and understands nothing, but has an unhealthy interest in controversies and verbal disputes. This gives rise to envy, dissension, slanders, evil suspicions, ^6:5and constant bickering by people corrupted in their minds and deprived of the truth, who suppose that godliness⁹ is a way of making a profit. ^6:6Now godliness combined with contentment brings great profit. ^6:7For we have brought nothing into this world and so¹⁰ we cannot take a single thing out either. ^6:8But if we have food and shelter, we will be satisfied with that.¹¹^6:9Those who long to be rich, however, stumble into temptation and a trap and many senseless and harmful desires that plunge people into ruin and destruction. ^6:10For the love of money is the root¹² of all evils.¹³ Some people in reaching for it have strayed from the faith and stabbed themselves with many pains.

^6:11But you, as a person dedicated to God,¹⁴ keep away from all that.¹⁵ Instead pursue righteousness, godliness, faithfulness, love, endurance, and gentleness. ^6:12Compete well¹⁶ for the faith and lay hold of that eternal life you were called for and made your good confession¹⁷ for¹⁸ in the presence of many witnesses. ^6:13I charge you¹⁹ before God who gives life to all things and Christ Jesus who made his good confession²⁰ before Pontius Pilate, ^6:14to obey²¹ this command²² without fault or failure until the appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ ^6:15—whose appearing²³ the blessed and only Sovereign, the King of kings and Lord of lords, will reveal at the right time. ^6:16He alone possesses immortality and lives in unapproachable light, whom no human has ever seen or is able to see. To him be honor and eternal power! Amen.

^6:17Command those who are rich in this world’s goods²⁴ not to be haughty or to set their hope on riches, which are uncertain,²⁵ but on God who richly provides us with all things for our enjoyment. ^6:18Tell them to do good,²⁶ to be rich in good deeds, to be generous givers, sharing with others.²⁷^6:19In this way they will save up²⁸ a treasure for themselves as a firm foundation²⁹ for the future and so lay hold of³⁰ what is truly life.

Conclusion

^6:20O Timothy, protect what has been entrusted to you. Avoid³¹ the profane chatter and absurdities³² of so-called “knowledge.”³³^6:21By professing it, some have strayed from the faith.³⁴ Grace be with you all.³⁵

Read in Logos

Footnotes

1 Traditionally, “servants.” Though δοῦλος (doulos) is normally translated “servant,” the word does not bear the connotation of a free individual serving another. notes that “ ‘servant’ for ‘slave’ is largely confined to Biblical transl. and early American times … in normal usage at the present time the two words are carefully distinguished” ( ). The most accurate translation is “bondservant” (sometimes found in the for δοῦλος), in that it often indicates one who sells himself into slavery to another. But as this is archaic, few today understand its force.
2 Grk “that the name … may not be slandered” (a continuation of the preceding sentence).
3 Grk “the teaching.”
4 Or “slandered.”
5 Or “think the less of them”; Grk “despise them,” “look down on them.”
6 Or “those who devote themselves to service are faithful and dearly loved” (referring to slaves who serve them).
7 Grk “these things teach and exhort.”
8 Grk “teaches other doctrines,” (different from apostolic teaching, cf. 1 Tim 1:3).
9 Although most witnesses, including some early versions and fathers (D2 Ψ 𝔐 sy Cyp Lcf Ambst), have ἀφίστασο ἀπὸ τῶν τοιούτων (aphistaso apo’ tōn toioutōn, “stay away from such things!”) after εὐσεβείαν (eusebeian, “godliness”; thus, “who suppose that godliness is a way of making a profit; stay away from such things!”), there seems to be little good reason for this clause’s omission in some of the oldest and best witnesses (א A D* F G 048 6 33 81 1175 1739 1881 lat co). It is likely that it crept into the text early, perhaps as a marginal comment, but it should not be considered authentic in light of the strong external evidence against it.
10 The Greek conjunction ὅτι usually means “because,” but here it takes the sense “so that” (see 5.c). This unusual sense led to textual variation as scribes attempted to correct what appeared to be an error: D* and a few versional witnesses read ἀληθές ὅτι (“it is true that”), and א2 D2 Ψ 𝔐 read δῆλον ὅτι (“it is clear that”). Thus the simple conjunction is preferred on internal as well as external grounds, supported by א* A F G 33 81 1739 1881 .
11 Grk “with these.”
12 This could be taken to mean “a root,” but the phrase “of all evils” clearly makes it definite. This seems to be not entirely true to life (some evils are unrelated to love of money), but it should be read as a case of hyperbole (exaggeration to make a point more strongly).
13 Many translations render this “of all kinds of evil,” especially to allow for the translation “a root” along with it. But there is no parallel for taking a construction like this to mean “all kinds of” or “every kind of.” The normal sense is “all evils.”
14 Grk “O man of God.”
15 Grk “flee these things.”
16 This phrase literally means “compete in the good competition of the faith,” using words that may refer to a race or to a boxing or wrestling match: “run the good race” or “fight the good fight.” The similar phrase in 1 Tim 1:18 uses a military picture and is more literally “war the good warfare.”
17 At some point in Timothy’s life, he publicly acknowledged Jesus as the resurrected Lord, perhaps either at his baptism or his ordination as a minister of the gospel. With this reminder of the historical moment of his good confession, Timothy is encouraged to remain steadfast in his faith and to finish his life as a minister in the same way it began (see G. W. Knight, Pastoral Epistles [], ).
18 Grk “confessed the good confession.”
19 Most witnesses, some of them important (א2 A D H 1881 𝔐 lat sy bo), have σοι (soi, “you”) after παραγγέλλω (parangellō, “I charge [you]”), a predictable variant because the personal pronoun is demanded by the sense of the passage (and was added in the translation because of English requirements). Hence, the omission is the harder reading, and the addition of σοι is one of clarification. Further, the shorter reading is found in several important witnesses, such as א* F G Ψ 6 33 1739 . Thus, both internally and externally the shorter reading is preferred. places σοι in brackets, indicating some doubts as to its authenticity. Grk “I charge.”
20 Grk “testified the good confession.” Jesus’ good confession was his affirmative answer to Pilate’s question “Are you the king of the Jews?” (see Matt 27:11, Mark 15:2, Luke 23:3, John 18:33–37).
21 The Greek word τηρέω (tēreō, traditionally translated “keep”) in this context connotes preservation of and devotion to an object as well as obedience.
22 Grk “the command.” The command refers to the duties laid upon Timothy for his ministry in Ephesus (1 Tim 1:3–20; 6:2c–5).
23 Grk “which.” All of 1 Tim 6:15 is a relative clause which refers back to “appearing” in v. 14. The phrase “whose appearing” was supplied to clarify this connection.
24 Grk “in the present age.”
25 Grk “in uncertainty.”
26 Grk “to do good” (the continuation of 6:17). Because of the length and complexity of the Greek sentence, a new sentence was started at the beginning of v. 18.
27 Grk “to be generous,” “sharing.”
28 Grk “saving up” (the continuation of 6:18). Because of the length and complexity of the Greek sentence, a new sentence was started at the beginning of v. 19.
29 Grk “treasuring up a good foundation.”
30 Grk “that they may lay hold of.”
31 Grk “avoiding.” Because of the length and complexity of the Greek sentence, a new sentence was started here in the translation.
32 Or “contradictions.”
33 Grk “the falsely named knowledge.”
34 Grk “have deviated concerning the faith.”
35 Most witnesses (א2 D1 Ψ 𝔐 sy) conclude this letter with ἀμήν (amēn, “amen”). Such a conclusion is routinely added by scribes to NT books because a few of these books originally had such an ending (cf. Rom 16:27; Gal 6:18; Jude 25). A majority of Greek witnesses have the concluding ἀμήν in every NT book except Acts, James, and 3 John (and even in these books, ἀμήν is found in some witnesses). It is thus a predictable variant. Further, the earliest and best witnesses (א* A D* F G 33 81 1739* 1881 it sa) lack the particle, indicating that the letter concluded with “Grace be with you all.” Grk “with you” (but the Greek pronoun indicates the meaning is plural here).