New English Translation
1 Timothy 3:7
7And he must be well thought of by those outside the faith, so that he may not fall into disgrace and be caught by the devil’s trap.
1 Timothy 3:7 in other versions
- King James Version (KJV)Moreover he must have a good report of them which are without; lest he fall into reproach and the snare of the devil.
- New International Version (NIV)He must also have a good reputation with outsiders, so that he will not fall into disgrace and into the devil’s trap.
- English Standard Version (ESV)Moreover, he must be well thought of by outsiders, so that he may not fall into disgrace, into a snare of the devil.
- New King James Version (NKJV)Moreover he must have a good testimony among those who are outside, lest he fall into reproach and the snare of the devil.
Context of 1 Timothy 3:7
5But if someone does not know how to manage his own household, how will he care for the church of God? 6He must not be a recent convert or he may become arrogant and fall into the punishment that the devil will exact. And he must be well thought of by those outside the faith, so that he may not fall into disgrace and be caught by the devil’s trap. 8Deacons likewise must be dignified, not two-faced, not given to excessive drinking, not greedy for gain, 9holding to the mystery of the faith with a clear conscience.
Read all of 1 Timothy 31 Timothy 3:7 word by word
δεῖ δὲ καὶ μαρτυρίαν καλὴν ἔχειν ἀπὸ τῶν ἔξωθεν, ἵνα μὴ εἰς ὀνειδισμὸν ἐμπέσῃ καὶ παγίδα τοῦ διαβόλου.¶Read the interlinear
Words taken from the KJV.
- Moreoverδέde · thenG1161
- heαὐτόςautos · it/s/heG846
- mustδεῖdei · be necessaryG1163
- ·καίkai · andG2532
- haveἔχωechō · to have/beG2192
- a goodκαλόςkalos · goodG2570
- reportμαρτυρίαmarturia · testimonyG3141
- ofἀπόapo · away fromG575
- ·ὁho hē to · the/this/whoG3588
- them which are withoutἔξωθενexōthen · outsideG1855
- lestἵναhina · in order that/toG2443
- lestμήmē · notG3361
- he fallἐμπίπτωempiptō · to fall intoG1706
- intoεἰςeis · towardG1519
- reproachὀνειδισμόςoneidismos · reproachG3680
- the snareπαγίςpagis · trapG3803
- of the devilδιάβολοςdiabolos · devilish/the DevilG1228
Cross-references for 1 Timothy 3:7
- 1 Timothy 5:24The sins of some people are obvious, going before them into judgment, but for others, they show up later.
- 1 Samuel 2:24This ought not to be, my sons! For the report that I hear circulating among the Lord’s people is not good.
- Acts 6:3But carefully select from among you, brothers, seven men who are well-attested, full of the Spirit and of wisdom, whom we may put in charge of this necessary task.
- Acts 10:22They said, “Cornelius the centurion, a righteous and God-fearing man, well spoken of by the whole Jewish nation, was directed by a holy angel to summon you to his house and to hear a message from you.”
- Acts 22:12A man named Ananias, a devout man according to the law, well spoken of by all the Jews who live there,
- 3 John 1:12Demetrius has been testified to by all, even by the truth itself. We also testify to him, and you know that our testimony is true.
- 1 Corinthians 5:12For what do I have to do with judging those outside? Are you not to judge those inside?
- Colossians 4:5Conduct yourselves with wisdom toward outsiders, making the most of the opportunities.
- 1 Thessalonians 4:12In this way you will live a decent life before outsiders and not be in need.
- 1 Timothy 5:14So I want younger women to marry, raise children, and manage a household, in order to give the adversary no opportunity to vilify us.
- 1 Corinthians 10:32Do not give offense to Jews or Greeks or to the church of God,
- 2 Corinthians 6:3We do not give anyone an occasion for taking an offense in anything, so that no fault may be found with our ministry.
- 2 Corinthians 8:21For we are concerned about what is right not only before the Lord but also before men.
- 1 Thessalonians 5:22Stay away from every form of evil.
- 1 Peter 4:14If you are insulted for the name of Christ, you are blessed, because the Spirit of glory, who is the Spirit of God, rests on you.
- 1 Timothy 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.
Commentaries on 1 Timothy 3:7
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 7The sixteenth requisite is, that he should have a good report of them which are without - That he should be one who had not been previously a profligate, or scandalous in his life. Such a person, when converted, may be a worthy private member of religious society; but I believe God rarely calls such to the work of the ministry, and never to the episcopate. Them that are without are the Jews, Gentiles, and the unconverted of all kinds. For the meaning of…Read the comment
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 7Moreover he must have a good report of them which are without - Who are without the church; that is, of those who are not Christians. This includes, of course, “all” classes of those who are not Christians - pagans, infidels, Jews, moral people, and scoffers. The idea is, that he must have a fair reputation with them for integrity of character. His life must be in their view upright. He must not be addicted to anything which they regard as inconsistent…Read the comment
- Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 7Paul wanted Christians to live in a way that others outside the church could respect (see also 6:1; Titus 2:5–10). snare of the devil: might relate to the false teachers (see 1 Timothy 1:20; 5:14–15; 6:9; 2 Timothy 2:26).Read the comment
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 77. a good report--Greek, "testimony." So Paul was influenced by the good report given of Timothy to choose him as his companion (Ac 16:2). of them which are without--from the as yet unconverted Gentiles around (1Co 5:12; Col 4:5; 1Th 4:12), that they may be the more readily won to the Gospel (1Pe 2:12), and that the name of Christ may be glorified. Not even the former life of a bishop should be open to reproach [Bengel]. reproach and the snare of the…Read the comment
Topics related to 1 Timothy 3:7
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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