1 Timothy 5:4

1 Timothy 5:4 in other versions

• King James Version (KJV)But if any widow have children or nephews, let them learn first to shew piety at home, and to requite their parents: for that is good and acceptable before God.
• New International Version (NIV)But if a widow has children or grandchildren, these should learn first of all to put their religion into practice by caring for their own family and so repaying their parents and grandparents, for this is pleasing to God.
• English Standard Version (ESV)But if a widow has children or grandchildren, let them first learn to show godliness to their own household and to make some return to their parents, for this is pleasing in the sight of God.
• New King James Version (NKJV)But if any widow has children or grandchildren, let them first learn to show piety at home and to repay their parents; for this is good and acceptable before God.

Context of 1 Timothy 5:4

2to older women as mothers, to younger women as sisters, in all purity [being careful to maintain appropriate relationships]. 3Honor and help those widows who are truly widowed [alone, and without support]. But if a widow has children or grandchildren [who are adults], see to it that these first learn to show great respect to their own family [as their religious duty and natural obligation], and to compensate their parents or grandparents [for their upbringing]; for this is acceptable and pleasing in the sight of God. 5Now a woman who is really a widow and has been left [entirely] alone [without adequate income] trusts in God and continues in supplications and prayers night and day. 6Whereas she who lives for pleasure and self-indulgence is spiritually dead even while she still lives.

1 Timothy 5:4 word by word

εἰ δέ τις χήρα τέκνα ἢ ἔκγονα ἔχει, μανθανέτωσαν πρῶτον τὸν ἴδιον οἶκον εὐσεβεῖν καὶ ἀμοιβὰς ἀποδιδόναι τοῖς προγόνοις· τοῦτο γάρ ἐστιν ἀπόδεκτον ἐνώπιον τοῦ θεοῦ.¶Read the interlinear

Words taken from the KJV.

• Butδέde · thenG1161
• ifεἰei · ifG1487
• anyτιςtis · oneG5100
• widowχήραchēra · widowG5503
• haveἔχωechō · to have/beG2192
• childrenτέκνονteknon · childG5043
• orἤē · orG2228
• nephewsἔκγονοςekgonon · descendantG1549
• let them learnμανθάνωmanthanō · to learnG3129
• firstπρῶτονprōton · firstG4412
• to shew pietyεὐσεβέωeusebeō · to show pietyG2151
• at homeὁho hē to · the/this/whoG3588
• at homeοἶκοςoikos · house: householdG3624
• andκαίkai · andG2532
• to requiteἀποδίδωμιapodidōmi · to payG591
• their parentsπρόγονοςprogonos · parent/ancestorG4269
• forγάρgar · forG1063
• thatοὗτοςhoutos houtoi hautē hautai · this/he/she/itG3778
• isεἰμίeimi · to beG1510
• goodκαλόςkalos · goodG2570
• acceptableἀπόδεκτοςapodektos · pleasingG587
• beforeἐνώπιονenōpion · beforeG1799
• Godθεόςtheos · GodG2316
• ·ἴδιοςidios · one's own/privateG2398
• ·ἀμοιβήamoibē · repaymentG287

Cross-references for 1 Timothy 5:4

• Judges 12:14He had forty sons and thirty grandsons who rode on seventy donkeys; and he judged Israel for eight years.
• Job 18:19He has no offspring or prosperity among his people, Nor any survivor where he sojourned.
• Isaiah 14:22“I will rise up against them,” says the Lord of hosts, “and will cut off from Babylon name and survivors, and son and grandson,” declares the Lord.
• 1 Samuel 22:3And David went from there to Mizpah of Moab; and he said to the king of Moab, “Please let my father and my mother come [out of Judah] and stay with you until I know what God will do for me.”
• Proverbs 31:28Her children rise up and call her blessed (happy, prosperous, to be admired); Her husband also, and he praises her, saying,
• Luke 2:51He went down to Nazareth with them, and was continually submissive and obedient to them; and His mother treasured all these things in her heart.
• John 19:26So Jesus, seeing His mother, and the disciple whom He loved (esteemed) standing near, said to His mother, “[Dear] woman, look, [here is] your son!”
• Matthew 15:4For God said [through Moses], ‘Honor your father and mother,’ and, ‘He who speaks evil of or insults or treats improperly father or mother is to be put to death.’
• Mark 7:11but you [Pharisees and scribes] say, ‘If a man tells his father or mother, “Whatever I have that would help you is Corban, (that is to say, already a gift to God),” ’
• Genesis 45:10You shall live in the land of Goshen [the best pasture land of Egypt], and you shall be close to me—you and your children and your grandchildren, your flocks and your herds and all you have.
• Genesis 47:12Joseph provided and supplied his father and his brothers and all his father’s household with food, according to [the needs of] their children.
• Ruth 2:2And Ruth the Moabitess said to Naomi, “Please let me go to the field and glean among the ears of grain after one [of the reapers] in whose sight I may find favor.” Naomi said to her, “Go, my daughter.”
• Ephesians 6:1Children, obey your parents in the Lord [that is, accept their guidance and discipline as His representatives], for this is right [for obedience teaches wisdom and self-discipline].
• 1 Timothy 2:3This [kind of praying] is good and acceptable and pleasing in the sight of God our Savior,

Commentaries on 1 Timothy 5:4

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 4But if any widow have children or nephews - This shows that widows indeed are those that have neither children nor nephews, i.e. no relatives that either will or can help them, or no near relatives alive. Let them learn first to show piety at home - Let these children and nephews provide for their aged or helpless parents or relatives, and not burden the Church with them while they are able to support them. And to requite their parents - · Let them learn…Read the comment
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 4But if any widow have children - Who would be dependent on her care, and who might themselves contribute to her support. Or nephews - The word nephew now commonly means the son of a brother or sister. Formerly the English word also meant grandchildren, or descendants of any description. Webster. The Greek word here - ̓́ ekgona- has the latter meaning. It denotes those “sprung from or born of;” and then descendants of any kind - sons, daughters…Read the comment
• Matthew Henry Concise Commentary · v. 3-8Verses 3-8 Honour widows that are widows indeed, relieve them, and maintain them. It is the duty of children, if their parents are in need, and they are able to relieve them, to do it to the utmost of their power. Widowhood is a desolate state; but let widows trust in the Lord, and continue in prayer. All who live in pleasure, are dead while they live, spiritually dead, dead in trespasses and sins. Alas, what numbers there are of this description among…Read the comment
• Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 3-16A widow without wealth or family was alone in a world that did not support her. The Christian community was expected to care for such widows among its members (see Deuteronomy 10:17–19; Isaiah 1:17; compare Acts 6:1–6; James 1:27). Some suggest this passage implies a religious order of widows in the first-century AD church at Ephesus. However, there is no obvious evidence of such an order, only of a ministry to help community members without financial…Read the comment
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 44. if any widow have children--not "a widow indeed," as having children who ought to support her. nephews--rather, as Greek, "descendants," or "grandchildren" [Hesychius]. "Nephews" in old English meant "grandchildren" [Hooker, Ecclesiastical Polity, 5.20]. let them--the children and descendants. learn first--ere it falls to the Church to support them. to show piety at home--filial piety towards their widowed mother or grandmother, by giving her…Read the comment

Topics related to 1 Timothy 5:4

• Commandments
• Minister, Christian
• Widow
• Women

In the dictionaries

• God
• god, false god, goddess, idol, idolater, idolatrous, idolatry
• Beforehand
• Deny
• Guide
• Marry
• Piety
• Reproachfully
• Requite
• Reward

Commentaries on 1 Timothy 5

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
• Matthew Henry Concise Commentary
• Tyndale Open Study Notes
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary
• Calvin’s Commentaries
• John Wesley’s Notes
• Illustrated New Testament
• Burkitt’s Expository Notes
• Darby Translation Notes
• Family Bible Notes
• Geneva Bible Translation Notes
• Kingcomments
• Matthew Henry’s Complete Commentary
• Matthew Henry’s Modern English Commentary
• The People’s New Testament
• Robertson’s Word Pictures
• Scofield Reference Notes, 1917 Edition
• Original Douay–Rheims Annotations
• Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary
• EGW Writings