1 Timothy 1:13

Who was before a blasphemer, and a persecutor, and injurious: but I obtained mercy, because I did it ignorantly in unbelief.

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Word by word — the Greek

Word	Greek	Strong’s	Meaning
was	ὤν ṓn	G5607	being
before	πρότερον proteron	G4386	previously · adverb — comparative
blasphemer	βλάσφημον blasphēmon	G989	scurrilious · adjective — accusative singular masculine
and	καὶ kai	G2532	and · conjunction
persecutor	διώκτην diōktēn	G1376	a persecutor · noun — accusative singular masculine
and	καὶ kai	G2532	and · conjunction
injurious	ὑβριστήν· hubristēn	G5197	an insulter · noun — accusative singular masculine
but	ἀλλ᾽ all᾽	G235	properly · conjunction
mercy	ἠλεήθην, ēleēthēn	G1653	to compassionate (by word or deed · verb — aorist passive indicative, 1st person singular
because	ὅτι hoti	G3754	demonstrative · conjunction
did	ἐποίησα epoiēsa	G4160	to make or do (in a very wide application · verb — aorist active indicative, 1st person singular
ignorantly	ἀγνοῶν agnoōn	G50	not to know (through lack of information or intelligenc… · verb — present active participle, nominative singular masculine
in	ἐν en	G1722	"in · preposition
unbelief	ἀπιστίᾳ· apistia	G570	faithlessness · noun — dative singular feminine

Strong's Exhaustive Concordance (James Strong, 1890/1894), public domain; digitized by Open Scriptures (CC BY-SA). KJV word tagging: eBible.org (public domain). Original-language text, parsing and brief lexicon: STEPBible.org data from Tyndale House, Cambridge (CC BY 4.0).

Cross-references

Acts 8:3 As for Saul, he made havock of the church, entering into every house, and haling men and women committed them to prison.
Hebrews 6:4-8 For it is impossible for those who were once enlightened, and have tasted of the heavenly gift, and were made partakers of the Holy Ghost,
1 Peter 2:10 Which in time past were not a people, but are now the people of God: which had not obtained mercy, but now have obtained mercy.
Acts 9:13 Then Ananias answered, Lord, I have heard by many of this man, how much evil he hath done to thy saints at Jerusalem:
2 Peter 2:21-22 For it had been better for them not to have known the way of righteousness, than, after they have known it, to turn from the holy commandmen…
Acts 3:17 And now, brethren, I wot that through ignorance ye did it, as did also your rulers.
Hebrews 10:26-29 For if we sin wilfully after that we have received the knowledge of the truth, there remaineth no more sacrifice for sins,
Luke 23:34 Then said Jesus, Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do. And they parted his raiment, and cast lots.

Cross-references from OpenBible.info (CC BY), in the lineage of the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (public domain).

Commentary

Matthew Henry on 1 Timothy 1:12-17

Here the apostle, I. Returns thanks to Jesus Christ for putting him into the ministry. Observe, 1. It is Christ's work to put men into the ministry, Act 26:16, Act 26:17. God condemned the false prophets among the Jews in these words, I have not sent these prophets, yet they ran: I have not spoken to them, yet they prophesied, Jer 23:21. Ministers, properly speaking, cannot make themselves ministers; for it is Christ's work, as king and head, prophet and teacher, of his church. 2. Those whom he puts into the ministry he fits for it; whom he calls he qualifies. Those ministers who are no way fit for their work, nor have ability for it, are not of Christ's putting into the ministry, though the…

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Jamieson-Fausset-Brown on 1 Timothy 1:13

Who was before--Greek, "Formerly being a blasphemer." "Notwithstanding that I was before a blasphemer," &c. (Act 26:9, Act 26:11). persecutor-- (Gal 1:13). injurious--Greek, "insulter"; one who acts injuriously from arrogant contempt of others. Translate, Rom 1:30, "despiteful." One who added insult to injury. BENGEL translates, "a despiser." I prefer the idea, contumelious to others [WAHL]. Still I agree with BENGEL that "blasphemer" is against God, "persecutor," against holy men, and "insolently injurious" includes, with the idea of injuring others, that of insolent "uppishness" [DONALDSON] in relation to one's self. This threefold relation to God, to one's neighbor, and to one's self,…

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Adam Clarke on 1 Timothy 1:13

A blasphemer - Speaking impiously and unjustly of Jesus, his doctrine, his ways, and his followers. And - persecutor - Endeavouring, to the uttermost of his power, to exterminate all who called on the name of the Lord Jesus. And injurious - Και ὑβριστην· As full of insolence as I was of malevolence; and yet, all the while, thinking I did God service, while sacrificing men and women to my own prejudices and intolerance. I did it ignorantly in unbelief - Not having considered the nature and evidences of Christianity, and not having believed that Jesus was the promised Messiah, I acted wholly under the prejudices that influenced my countrymen in general. God therefore showed me mercy, because…

The Church Fathers

For one who errs by simplicity may be pardoned, as the blessed Apostle Paul says of himself, "I who at first was a blasphemer, and a persecutor, and injurious; yet obtained mercy, because I did it ignorantly."
— Cyprian, Epistle LXXII

For, when affirming that Christ came for this end, that He might save sinners, of whom himself had been the "first," what does he add? "And I obtained mercy, because I did (so) ignorantly in unbelief." Thus that clemency of God, preferring the repentance of a sinner to his death, looks at such as are ignorant still, and still unbelieving, for the sake of whose liberation Christ came; not (at such) as already know God, and have learnt the sacrament of the faith.
— Tertullian, On Modesty

Paul introduces a new kind of admonition by exhorting others "by the mercy of God." Why does he not exhort through God's might, or majesty, or glory? Why by his mercy? Because it was through that mercy alone that Paul escaped from the criminal state of a persecutor and obtained the dignity of his great apostolate. He himself tells us this, "For I formerly was a blasphemer, a persecutor and a bitter adversary; but I obtained the mercy of God." … "I exhort you by the mercy of God." Paul asks—rather, God himself is asking through Paul—for God has greater desire to be loved than feared. God is asking because he wants to be not so much a Lord as a Father.
— Peter Chrysologus, SERMONS 108

The Church Fathers: public-domain translations (Ante-Nicene and Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers), verse-indexed by SermonIndex (CC BY 4.0).

Dictionary and topics

Timothy, Epistles Of Paul To — The Epistles to Timothy and Titus are called the Pastoral Epistles, because they are principally devoted to directions about the work of the pastor of a church. The First Epistle was probably written…
Ignorance · SINS OF — SINS OF
Ignorance Of God · Exemplified: Paul — Exemplified: Paul
Mercy Of God, The · Exemplified: Paul — Exemplified: Paul
Paul · His vision and conversion — His vision and conversion
Persecution · Spirit of — Exemplified: Paul — Spirit of — Exemplified: Paul
Unbelief · 5:12-14; — 5:12-14;

Dictionary: Easton's (1897) and Smith's (1863), public domain. Topics: Nave's Topical Bible (1896) and Torrey's Topical Textbook (1897), public domain. Both as parsed by NEUU (CC BY 4.0).

1 Timothy 1:13

Word by word — the Greek

Cross-references

Commentary

Matthew Henry on 1 Timothy 1:12-17

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown on 1 Timothy 1:13

Adam Clarke on 1 Timothy 1:13

The Church Fathers

Dictionary and topics

1 Timothy 1:13

Word by word — the Greek

Cross-references

Commentary

Matthew Henry on 1 Timothy 1:12-17

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown on 1 Timothy 1:13

Adam Clarke on 1 Timothy 1:13

The Church Fathers

Dictionary and topics

John Gill on 1 Timothy 1:13

John Calvin on 1 Timothy 1:12-13

Tyndale Open Study Notes on 1 Timothy 1:12-17