English Standard Version
1 Timothy 3:11
11Their wives likewise must be dignified, not slanderers, but sober-minded, faithful in all things.
1 Timothy 3:11 in other versions
- King James Version (KJV)Even so must their wives be grave, not slanderers, sober, faithful in all things.
- New International Version (NIV)In the same way, the women are to be worthy of respect, not malicious talkers but temperate and trustworthy in everything.
- New King James Version (NKJV)Likewise, their wives must be reverent, not slanderers, temperate, faithful in all things.
- New Living Translation (NLT)In the same way, their wives must be respected and must not slander others. They must exercise self-control and be faithful in everything they do.
Context of 1 Timothy 3:11
9They must hold the mystery of the faith with a clear conscience. 10And let them also be tested first; then let them serve as deacons if they prove themselves blameless. Their wives likewise must be dignified, not slanderers, but sober-minded, faithful in all things. 12Let deacons each be the husband of one wife, managing their children and their own households well. 13For those who serve well as deacons gain a good standing for themselves and also great confidence in the faith that is in Christ Jesus.
Read all of 1 Timothy 31 Timothy 3:11 word by word
Γυναῖκας ὡσαύτως σεμνάς, μὴ διαβόλους, νηφαλίους, πιστὰς ἐν πᾶσιν.Read the interlinear
Words taken from the KJV.
Cross-references for 1 Timothy 3:11
- Leviticus 21:7They shall not marry a prostitute or a woman who has been defiled, neither shall they marry a woman divorced from her husband, for the priest is holy to his God.
- Ezekiel 44:22They shall not marry a widow or a divorced woman, but only virgins of the offspring of the house of Israel, or a widow who is the widow of a priest.
- Luke 1:5In the days of Herod, king of Judea, there was a priest named Zechariah, of the division of Abijah. And he had a wife from the daughters of Aaron, and her name was Elizabeth.
- 1 Timothy 3:4He must manage his own household well, with all dignity keeping his children submissive,
- Psalms 15:3who does not slander with his tongue and does no evil to his neighbor, nor takes up a reproach against his friend;
- Psalms 50:20You sit and speak against your brother; you slander your own mother's son.
- Psalms 101:5Whoever slanders his neighbor secretly I will destroy. Whoever has a haughty look and an arrogant heart I will not endure.
- Proverbs 10:18The one who conceals hatred has lying lips, and whoever utters slander is a fool.
- Proverbs 25:13Like the cold of snow in the time of harvest is a faithful messenger to those who send him; he refreshes the soul of his masters.
- Jeremiah 9:4Let everyone beware of his neighbor, and put no trust in any brother, for every brother is a deceiver, and every neighbor goes about as a slanderer.
- Matthew 4:1Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil.
- John 6:70Jesus answered them, "Did I not choose you, the twelve? And yet one of you is a devil."
- 2 Timothy 3:3heartless, unappeasable, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not loving good,
- Revelation 12:9And the great dragon was thrown down, that ancient serpent, who is called the devil and Satan, the deceiver of the whole world—he was thrown down to the earth, and his angels were thrown down with him.
- 1 Timothy 3:2Therefore an overseer must be above reproach, the husband of one wife, sober-minded, self-controlled, respectable, hospitable, able to teach,
- 1 Thessalonians 5:6So then let us not sleep, as others do, but let us keep awake and be sober.
Commentaries on 1 Timothy 3:11
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 11Even so must their wives be grave - I believe the apostle does not mean here the wives either of the bishops or deacons in particular, but the Christian women in general. The original is simply: ̔ · Let the women likewise be grave. Whatever is spoken here becomes women in general; but if the apostle had those termed deaconesses in his eye, which is quite possible, the words are peculiarly suitable to them. That there was such an order in the apostolic and…Read the comment
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 11Even so must their wives be grave - Chrysostom, Theophylact, Grotius, Bloomfield, and many others, suppose that by the word “wives,” here, ( ͂ gunaikas), the apostle means “deaconesses.” Clarke supposes that it refers to women in general. The reason assigned for supposing that it does not refer to the wives of deacons, as such, is, that nothing is said of the qualifications of the wives of bishops - a matter of as much importance as that of the character…Read the comment
- Matthew Henry Concise Commentary · v. 8-13Verses 8-13 The deacons were at first appointed to distribute the charity of the church, and to manage its concerns, yet pastors and evangelists were among them. The deacons had a great trust reposed in them. They must be grave, serious, prudent men. It is not fit that public trusts should be lodged in the hands of any, till they are found fit for the business with which they are to be trusted. All who are related to ministers, must take great care to…Read the comment
- Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 11the women (or the women deacons, or their wives): The Greek word can mean women or wives. Supporting the interpretation of their wives, 3:8–13 discusses male deacons. Switching to "women deacons" here would change the context. However, there might have been women deacons in the early church (see Romans 16:1). If so, this verse might parallel 1 Timothy 3:8.Read the comment
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 1111. their wives--rather, "the women," that is, the deaconesses. For there is no reason that special rules should be laid down as to the wives of the deacons, and not also as to the wives of the bishops or overseers. Moreover, if the wives of the deacons were meant, there seems no reason for the omission of "their" (not in the Greek). Also the Greek for "even so" (the same as for "likewise," 1Ti 3:8, and "in like manner," 1Ti 2:9), denotes a transition to…Read the comment
Topics related to 1 Timothy 3:11
In the dictionaries
Commentaries on 1 Timothy 3
- 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
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Commentaries