1 Timothy 1:7

1 Timothy 1:7 in other versions

• King James Version (KJV)Desiring to be teachers of the law; understanding neither what they say, nor whereof they affirm.
• New International Version (NIV)They want to be teachers of the law, but they do not know what they are talking about or what they so confidently affirm.
• English Standard Version (ESV)desiring to be teachers of the law, without understanding either what they are saying or the things about which they make confident assertions.
• New King James Version (NKJV)desiring to be teachers of the law, understanding neither what they say nor the things which they affirm.

Context of 1 Timothy 1:7

5We need to teach people to love one another with pure thoughts. They need to be sure in their minds that they are living in a good way. They need to trust God completely. 6But certain people have failed to live in that way. They would rather talk about things that do not help anyone. They want to be teachers of God's laws. They speak very strongly, but they do not really understand what they are talking about. 8We know that God's laws are good, if people use them properly. 9We also know that God did not make those laws for people who already live in a good way. He made them for people like this, to show them what is right: people who refuse to obey any laws; people who do not want anyone to rule them; people who turn away from God; people who do bad things; people who do not respect God's holy things; people who kill their father or their mother; people who murder;

1 Timothy 1:7 word by word

θέλοντες εἶναι νομοδιδάσκαλοι, μὴ νοοῦντες μήτε ἃ λέγουσιν μήτε περὶ τίνων διαβεβαιοῦνται.¶Read the interlinear

Words taken from the KJV.

• ·μήmē · notG3361
• ·τίςtis · which?G5101
• Desiringθέλωthelō ethelō · to will/desireG2309
• to beεἰμίeimi · to beG1510
• teachers of the lawνομοδιδάσκαλοςnomodidaskalos · teacher of the lawG3547
• understandingνοέωnoieō · to understandG3539
• neitherμήτεmēte · neitherG3383
• whatὅςhos hē ho · whichG3739
• they sayλέγωlegō · to sayG3004
• whereofπερίperi · aboutG4012
• they affirmδιαβεβαιόωdiabebaioomai · to insistG1226

Cross-references for 1 Timothy 1:7

• Acts 15:1Some men arrived in Antioch from Judea. They began to teach the believers there who were not Jews. They said to them, ‘God cannot save you unless someone circumcises you. This is in the Law that God gave to Moses.’
• Romans 2:19You are sure that you yourself can teach other people about God. You think that you can be like a guide to blind people. You think that you can be like a light to people who are in the dark.
• Galatians 3:2So think about this: When you received God's Spirit, was it because you had obeyed the rules of God's Law? No! You received God's Spirit because you heard the message about Christ and you believed it.
• Galatians 4:21I say this to you people who want God's Law to have authority over you. Think carefully about what that Law really says.
• Galatians 5:3I will say it very clearly. Every man who lets someone circumcise him must then obey all the Jewish rules.
• 1 Timothy 6:4People like that think that they are very clever. But they do not really understand anything. They like to argue about things which are not important. They like to quarrel about words. As a result, people become jealous of one another, and they become angry with each other. They insult other people and they think bad things about them.
• Isaiah 29:13The Lord God says, ‘These people open their mouths to worship me. They use their lips to say that I am great. But they are not really thinking about me. When they worship me, they use rules that people have taught them.
• Jeremiah 8:8You say, “We are wise because we have the law of the Lord.” But I tell you, your teachers have changed my laws. They teach you lies instead.
• Matthew 15:14Do not listen to what the Pharisees say. They are blind, but they try to show people which way to go. A blind person cannot lead another blind person. If he does, then both of them will fall into a deep hole.’
• Matthew 21:27So the Jewish leaders answered Jesus: ‘We do not know who gave John his authority.’ Jesus said to them, ‘You will not answer my question. So I will not tell you what authority I have to do these things.’
• Matthew 23:16It will be very bad for you, teachers. You cannot see what is true, but you show people which way to go. You say to people, “You may make a promise by the name of the temple. Then it is not a serious promise. You do not have to do it. But you may also make a promise by the gold things in the temple. Then it is a serious promise, and you must do it.”
• John 3:9Nicodemus asked, ‘How can this happen?’
• John 9:40Some of the Pharisees who were there with him heard this. They asked Jesus, ‘Do you mean that we are also blind?’
• Romans 1:22They said that they were wise, but really they became fools.
• 2 Timothy 3:7They are always trying to learn new things, but they can never really understand God's true message.
• 2 Peter 2:12But these false teachers speak against things that they do not understand. They are like wild animals. Their minds cannot think properly. They only do what their nature causes them to do. Wild animals are born so that people can catch them and kill them. In the same way, God will destroy the false teachers.

Commentaries on 1 Timothy 1:7

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 7Teachers of the law - To be esteemed or celebrated as rabbins; to be reputed cunning in solving knotty questions and enigmas, which answered no end to true religion. Of such the rabbinical teaching was full. Understanding neither what they say - This is evident from almost all the Jewish comments which yet remain. Things are asserted which are either false or dubious; words, the import of which they did not understand, were brought to illustrate them: so…Read the comment
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 7Desiring to be teachers of the law - That is, to have the credit and reputation of being well versed in the law of Moses, and qualified to explain it to others. This was a high honor among the Jews, and these teachers laid claim to the same distinction. Understanding neither what they say - That is, they do not understand the true nature and design of that law which they attempt to explain to others. This was true of the Jewish teachers, and equally so of…Read the comment
• Matthew Henry Concise Commentary · v. 5-11Verses 5-11 Whatever tends to weaken love to God, or love to the brethren, tends to defeat the end of the commandment. The design of the gospel is answered, when sinners, through repentance towards God and faith in Jesus Christ, are brought to exercise Christian love. And as believers were righteous persons in God's appointed way, the law was not against them. But unless we are made righteous by faith in Christ, really repenting and forsaking sin, we are…Read the comment
• Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 7They wanted to teach the law of Moses, but this desire showed the irony of their thoughts in contrast to their actions. They did not interpret the law very well according to the good news about Jesus. They neither understood nor followed the law (see 1:8–11).Read the comment
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 77. Sample of their "vain talk" (1Ti 1:6). Desiring--They are would-be teachers, not really so. the law--the Jewish law (Tit 1:14; 3:9). The Judaizers here meant seem to be distinct from those impugned in the Epistles to the Galatians and Romans, who made the works of the law necessary to justification in opposition to Gospel grace. The Judaizers here meant corrupted the law with "fables," which they pretended to found on it, subversive of morals as well…Read the comment

Topics related to 1 Timothy 1:7

• Doctor
• Doctrines
• Minister, Christian
• Strife
• Vanity

In the dictionaries

• Acceptation
• Blasphemer
• Charity
• Heed
• Immortal
• Save
• Confidence
• Zenas

Commentaries on 1 Timothy 1

• 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