Timothy was Paul’s close companion from Paul’s second missionary journey forward. Timothy is mentioned as being with Paul when he writes to the various churches except when he writes First Corinthians, Galatians, and Ephesians and only in Galatians and Ephesians is Timothy not mentioned. Timothy was probably on a mission for Paul when he wrote to the other churches mentioned above. We are introduced to Timothy in Acts 16:1-3. He was apparently from Lystra. His father was a Greek and his mother was a believing Jew. Paul had Timothy circumcised and then had him accompany him on much of his later travels. Timothy would probably have been in his late teens when Paul met him. When Paul writes Second Timothy, Timothy will probably be in his mid-thirties. When he could not go himself, Paul often sent Timothy in his place to encourage and deal with difficult situations that had developed in a particular church.
First Timothy is believed to have been written between Paul’s first and second Roman imprisonment. When Paul stopped on his third missionary journey for a quick goodbye with the elders from the Ephesian Church he warned them that they would face in the future some false teachers that would arise from their congregation, see Acts 20:28-29. That prophecy has now been fulfilled and Timothy has been instructed to remain in Ephesus to correct these false teachers, see1 Tim. 1:3-4. Ephesus at this time was probably the fourth largest city in the Roman world. The famous temple of Artimis (Roman Diana) which was about four times the size of the Parthenon in Athens at that time was one of the seven wonders of the world. Informative articles in Bible Dictionaries on Ephesus and Artimis can give you valuable background information on the place where Timothy was to minister.
In 1 Tim. 1:8-11 Paul gives his understanding of the Law. Most of the time the CSB translation provides a very clear understanding of the Greek text. You might want to compare the translation you normally use with the CSB below, and be sure to check any footnotes on this passage in your translation.
8But we know that the law is good, provided one uses it legitimately. 9We know that the law is not meant for a righteous person, but for the lawless and rebellious, for the ungodly and sinful, for the unholy and irreverent, for those who kill their fathers and mothers, for murderers, 10for the sexually immoral and males who have sex with males, for slave traders, liars, perjurers, and for whatever else is contrary to the sound teaching 11that conforms to the gospel concerning the glory of the blessed God, which was entrusted to me.1
In verse 10 one Greek word is behind the phrase ‘males who have sex with males’ and one Greek word is behind the phrase ‘slave traders.’ For ‘slave traders’ other translations have ‘kidnappers,’ or ‘menstealers,’ or ‘enslavers.’ One Greek dictionary gives the definition as “slave dealer, trader in human beings, including kidnapping and then selling.2 We live in a society today where ‘human trafficking’ is still a problem even in our country. The other phrase translating a single Greek word ‘males who have sex with males’ is otherwise translated as ‘homosexuals,’ or ‘sodomites,’ or ‘them that defile themselves with mankind,’ or ‘perverts,’ or ‘men who practice homosexuality.’ There was never confusion as to the meaning of the Greek word, the Latin Vulgate dating from the fourth century translated it ‘fornicariis masculorum concubitoribus3,’ Use Google translate if you need to. A Greek dictionary definition is “male homosexual, one who takes the active male role in homosexual intercourse.4 Even so Come Lord Jesus!
1Christian Standard Bible. 2020. Nashville, TN: Holman Bible Publishers.
2Swanson, James. 1997. In Dictionary of Biblical Languages with Semantic Domains: Greek (New Testament), electronic ed. Oak Harbor: Logos Research Systems, Inc.
3Biblia Sacra Vulgata: Iuxta Vulgatem Versionem. 1969. Electronic edition of the 3rd edition. Stuttgart: Deutsche Bibelgesellschaft.
4Swanson, James. 1997. In Dictionary of Biblical Languages with Semantic Domains: Greek (New Testament), electronic ed. Oak Harbor: Logos Research Systems, Inc.
First Timothy is believed to have been written between Paul’s first and second Roman imprisonment. When Paul stopped on his third missionary journey for a quick goodbye with the elders from the Ephesian Church he warned them that they would face in the future some false teachers that would arise from their congregation, see Acts 20:28-29. That prophecy has now been fulfilled and Timothy has been instructed to remain in Ephesus to correct these false teachers, see1 Tim. 1:3-4. Ephesus at this time was probably the fourth largest city in the Roman world. The famous temple of Artimis (Roman Diana) which was about four times the size of the Parthenon in Athens at that time was one of the seven wonders of the world. Informative articles in Bible Dictionaries on Ephesus and Artimis can give you valuable background information on the place where Timothy was to minister.
In 1 Tim. 1:8-11 Paul gives his understanding of the Law. Most of the time the CSB translation provides a very clear understanding of the Greek text. You might want to compare the translation you normally use with the CSB below, and be sure to check any footnotes on this passage in your translation.
8But we know that the law is good, provided one uses it legitimately. 9We know that the law is not meant for a righteous person, but for the lawless and rebellious, for the ungodly and sinful, for the unholy and irreverent, for those who kill their fathers and mothers, for murderers, 10for the sexually immoral and males who have sex with males, for slave traders, liars, perjurers, and for whatever else is contrary to the sound teaching 11that conforms to the gospel concerning the glory of the blessed God, which was entrusted to me.1
In verse 10 one Greek word is behind the phrase ‘males who have sex with males’ and one Greek word is behind the phrase ‘slave traders.’ For ‘slave traders’ other translations have ‘kidnappers,’ or ‘menstealers,’ or ‘enslavers.’ One Greek dictionary gives the definition as “slave dealer, trader in human beings, including kidnapping and then selling.2 We live in a society today where ‘human trafficking’ is still a problem even in our country. The other phrase translating a single Greek word ‘males who have sex with males’ is otherwise translated as ‘homosexuals,’ or ‘sodomites,’ or ‘them that defile themselves with mankind,’ or ‘perverts,’ or ‘men who practice homosexuality.’ There was never confusion as to the meaning of the Greek word, the Latin Vulgate dating from the fourth century translated it ‘fornicariis masculorum concubitoribus3,’ Use Google translate if you need to. A Greek dictionary definition is “male homosexual, one who takes the active male role in homosexual intercourse.4 Even so Come Lord Jesus!
1Christian Standard Bible. 2020. Nashville, TN: Holman Bible Publishers.
2Swanson, James. 1997. In Dictionary of Biblical Languages with Semantic Domains: Greek (New Testament), electronic ed. Oak Harbor: Logos Research Systems, Inc.
3Biblia Sacra Vulgata: Iuxta Vulgatem Versionem. 1969. Electronic edition of the 3rd edition. Stuttgart: Deutsche Bibelgesellschaft.
4Swanson, James. 1997. In Dictionary of Biblical Languages with Semantic Domains: Greek (New Testament), electronic ed. Oak Harbor: Logos Research Systems, Inc.
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