1 Timothy 1:4

Neither give heed to fables and endless genealogies, which minister questions, rather than godly edifying which is in faith: so do.

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Word by word — the Greek

Word	Greek	Strong’s	Meaning
Neither	μηδὲ mēde	G3366	but not · conjunction — negative
to	προσέχειν prosechein	G4337	(figuratively) to hold the mind (3563 implied) towards · verb — present active infinitive
fables	μύθοις muthois	G3454	a tale · noun — dative plural masculine
and	καὶ kai	G2532	and · conjunction
endless	ἀπεράντοις, aperantois	G562	unfinished · adjective — dative plural feminine
genealogies	γενεαλογίαις genealogiais	G1076	tracing by generations · noun — dative plural feminine
which	αἵτινες aitines	G3748	which some · relative pronoun — nominative plural feminine
minister	παρέχουσιν parechousin	G3930	to hold near · verb — present active indicative, 3rd person plural
questions	ζήτησις zḗtēsis	G2214	a searching (properly
rather	μᾶλλον mallon	G3123	(adverbially) more (in a greater degree)) or rather · adverb
than	ἢ ē	G2228	disjunctive · conjunction
godly	θεοῦ theou	G2316	figuratively · noun — genitive singular masculine, a title
edifying	οἰκοδομία oikodomía	G3620	confirmation
is	τὴν tēn	G3588	the (sometimes to be supplied · article — accusative singular feminine
in	ἐν en	G1722	"in · preposition
faith	πίστει. pistei	G4102	persuasion · 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

1 Timothy 4:7 But refuse profane and old wives’ fables, and exercise thyself rather unto godliness.
Titus 1:14 Not giving heed to Jewish fables, and commandments of men, that turn from the truth.
Titus 3:9 But avoid foolish questions, and genealogies, and contentions, and strivings about the law; for they are unprofitable and vain.
2 Timothy 4:4 And they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables.
2 Peter 1:16 For we have not followed cunningly devised fables, when we made known unto you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but were eyewi…
1 Timothy 6:3-5 If any man teach otherwise, and consent not to wholesome words, even the words of our Lord Jesus Christ, and to the doctrine which is accord…
1 Timothy 6:20 O Timothy, keep that which is committed to thy trust, avoiding profane and vain babblings, and oppositions of science falsely so called:
2 Timothy 2:14 Of these things put them in remembrance, charging them before the Lord that they strive not about words to no profit, but to the subverting…

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

Commentary

Matthew Henry on 1 Timothy 1:1-4

Here is, I. The inscription of the epistle, from whom it is sent: Paul an apostle of Jesus Christ, constituted an apostle by the commandment of God our Saviour, and Lord Jesus Christ. His credentials were unquestionable. He had not only a commission, but a commandment, not only from God our Saviour, but from Jesus Christ: he was a preacher of the gospel of Christ, and a minister of the kingdom of Christ. Observe, God is our Saviour. - Jesus Christ, who is our hope. Observe, Jesus Christ is a Christian's hope; our hope is in him, all our hope of eternal life is built upon him; Christ is in us the hope of glory, Col 1:27. He calls Timothy his own son, because he had been an instrument of his c…

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Jamieson-Fausset-Brown on 1 Timothy 1:4

fables--legends about the origin and propagation of angels, such as the false teachers taught at Colosse (Col 2:18-23). "Jewish fables" (Tit 1:14). "Profane, and old wives' fables" (Ti1 4:7; Ti2 4:4). genealogies--not merely such civil genealogies as were common among the Jews, whereby they traced their descent from the patriarchs, to which Paul would not object, and which he would not as here class with "fables," but Gnostic genealogies of spirits and aeons, as they called them, "Lists of Gnostic emanations" [ALFORD]. So TERTULLIAN [Against Valentinian, c. 3], and IRENÃ†US [Preface]. The Judaizers here alluded to, while maintaining the perpetual obligation of the Mosaic law, joined with i…

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Adam Clarke on 1 Timothy 1:4

Neither give heed to fables - Idle fancies; things of no moment; doctrines and opinions unauthenticated; silly legends, of which no people ever possessed a greater stock than the Jews. Their Talmud abounds with them; and the English reader may find them in abundance in Stehlin's Jewish Traditions, 2 vols. 8vo. Endless genealogies - I suppose the apostle to mean those genealogies which were uncertain - that never could be made out, either in the ascending or descending line; and, principally, such as referred to the great promise of the Messiah, and to the priesthood. The Jews had scrupulously preserved their genealogical tables till the advent of Christ and the evangelists had recourse to th…

The Church Fathers

Such an opinion did the Valentinians assert of themselves. When again he mentions "endless genealogies," one also recognises Valentinus, in whose system a certain ¦on, whosoever he be, of a new name, and that not one only, generates of his own grace Sense and Truth; and these in like manner produce of themselves Word and Life, while these again afterwards beget Man and the Church.
— Tertullian, The Prescription Against Heretics

But in the few words there always arises certainty to him; nor is he permitted to give his inquiries a wider range than is compatible with their solution; for "endless questions" the apostle forbids. It must, however, be added, that no solution may be found by any man, but such as is learned from God; and that which is learned of God is the sum and substance of the whole thing.
— Tertullian, A Treatise on the Soul

I will take the fool's line and propound some examples drawn from the things of a lower world. "I am become a fool; you have compelled me." What indeed is more foolish than to debate over the majesty of God, which rather occasions questionings, than receiving godly instruction which is by faith. But to arguments let arguments reply. Let words make answer to them. Rather we will answer with love, the love which is in God, issuing of a pure heart and good conscience and faith unfeigned.
— Ambrose of Milan, Exposition of the Christian Faith 4.5.60

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

Fable — Applied in the New Testament to the traditions and speculations, “cunningly devised fables”, of the Jews on religious questions (1 Tim. 1:4; 4:7; 2 Tim. 4:4; Titus 1:14; 2 Pet. 1:16). In such…
Titus, Epistle to — Was probably written about the same time as the first epistle to Timothy, with which it has many affinities. “Both letters were addressed to persons left by the writer to preside in their respective…
Commandments · PRECEPTS OF PAUL. EXPLICITLY STATED OR IMPLIED IN DIDACTIC EPISTLES — PRECEPTS OF PAUL. EXPLICITLY STATED OR IMPLIED IN DIDACTIC EPISTLES
Doctrines · FALSE — FALSE
Doctrines, False · Should be avoided by: Ministers — Should be avoided by: Ministers
Edification · Foolish questions opposed to — Foolish questions opposed to
Fable · General scriptures concerning — General scriptures concerning
Faith · Through it is: Edification — Through it is: Edification
Genealogies · Subject of, to be avoided — Subject of, to be avoided
Genealogy · Of no spiritual signifi — Of no spiritual signifi
Tradition · Not authoritative — Not authoritative

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 1:4

Word by word — the Greek

Cross-references

Commentary

Matthew Henry on 1 Timothy 1:1-4

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown on 1 Timothy 1:4

Adam Clarke on 1 Timothy 1:4

The Church Fathers

Dictionary and topics

1 Timothy 1:4

Word by word — the Greek

Cross-references

Commentary

Matthew Henry on 1 Timothy 1:1-4

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown on 1 Timothy 1:4

Adam Clarke on 1 Timothy 1:4

The Church Fathers

Dictionary and topics

John Gill on 1 Timothy 1:4

John Calvin on 1 Timothy 1:1-4

Tyndale Open Study Notes on 1 Timothy 1:4