1 Timothy 1:8

But we know that the law is good, if a man use it lawfully;

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Word by word — the Greek

Word	Greek	Strong’s	Meaning
But	δὲ de	G1161	but · conjunction
know	εἴδω eídō	G1492	used only in certain past tenses
that	ὅτι hoti	G3754	demonstrative · conjunction
law	νόμος nomos	G3551	law (through the idea of prescriptive usage) · noun — nominative singular masculine
good	καλὸς kalos	G2570	X better · adjective — nominative singular masculine
if	ἐάν ean	G1437	a conditional particle · conditional particle
man	τις tis	G5100	some or any person or object · indefinite pronoun — nominative singular masculine
use	χρῆται, chrētai	G5530	to furnish what is needed · verb — present middle or passive deponent subjunctive, 3rd person singular
it	αὐτῷ autō	G846	the reflexive pronoun self · personal pronoun — dative singular masculine
lawfully	νομίμως nomimōs	G3545	legitimately (specially · adverb

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

Romans 7:12-13 Wherefore the law is holy, and the commandment holy, and just, and good.
Psalms 19:7-10 The law of the LORD is perfect, converting the soul: the testimony of the LORD is sure, making wise the simple.
Romans 7:16 If then I do that which I would not, I consent unto the law that it is good.
2 Timothy 2:5 And if a man also strive for masteries, yet is he not crowned, except he strive lawfully.
Psalms 119:127-128 Therefore I love thy commandments above gold; yea, above fine gold.
Galatians 3:21 Is the law then against the promises of God? God forbid: for if there had been a law given which could have given life, verily righteousness…
Nehemiah 9:13 Thou camest down also upon mount Sinai, and spakest with them from heaven, and gavest them right judgments, and true laws, good statutes and…
Psalms 119:96-105 I have seen an end of all perfection: but thy commandment is exceeding broad.

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

Commentary

Matthew Henry on 1 Timothy 1:5-11

Here the apostle instructs Timothy how to guard against the judaizing teachers, or others who mingled fables and endless genealogies with the gospel. He shows the use of the law, and the glory of the gospel. I. He shows the end and uses of the law: it is intended to promote love, for love is the fulfilling of the law, Rom 13:10. 1. The end of the commandment is charity, or love, Rom 13:8. The main scope and drift of the divine law are to engage us to the love of God and one another; and whatever tends to weaken either our love to God or love to the brethren tends to defeat the end of the commandment: and surely the gospel, which obliges us to love our enemies, to do good to those who hate us…

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Jamieson-Fausset-Brown on 1 Timothy 1:8

But--"Now we know" (Rom 3:19; Rom 7:14). law is good--in full agreement with God's holiness and goodness. if a man--primarily, a teacher; then, every Christian. use it lawfully--in its lawful place in the Gospel economy, namely, not as a means of a "'righteous man" attaining higher perfection than could be attained by the Gospel alone (Ti1 4:8; Tit 1:14), which was the perverted use to which the false teachers put it, but as a means of awakening the sense of sin in the ungodly (Ti1 1:9-10; compare Rom 7:7-12; Gal 3:21).

Adam Clarke on 1 Timothy 1:8

But we know that the law is good - The law as given by God, is both good in itself and has a good tendency. This is similar to what the apostle had asserted, Rom 7:12-16 : The law is holy; and the commandment is holy, just, and good; see the note on Rom 7:12, etc. If a man use it lawfully - That is, interpret it according to its own spirit and design, and use it for the purpose for which God has given it; for the ceremonial law was a schoolmaster to lead us unto Christ, and Christ is the end of that law for justification to every one that believes. Now those who did not use the law in reference to these ends, did not use it lawfully - they did not construe it according to its original design…

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The Church Fathers

To use the law appropriately is to keep its purpose, that is, to lead one to Christ the Lord. Those who refrain from the sins that Paul mentions are living in conformity with the law.
— Theodoret of Cyrus, INTERPRETATION OF THE FIRST LETTER TO TIMOTHY

The purpose of the law is to prohibit all iniquity and to set a minimum standard for those in need of it. For those who have been justified and freed from sin it is superfluous. These are the baptized, who need not to be instructed to refrain from sin, but rather to be taught to conform to the pattern in which they now stand.
— Theodore of Mopsuestia, COMMENTARY ON 1 TIMOTHY

Indeed, "the precepts are good," as Pelagius says, if we use them lawfully. And in virtue of our strong conviction "that the good and just God could not have prescribed impossibilities," we are admonished both what to do in easy things and what to ask for in difficult ones. Indeed, all things are easy for love, to which alone the burden of Christ is light, or which alone is itself the burden which is light.
— Augustine of Hippo, ON NATURE AND GRACE 1.69.83

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

Law · 28:4,5; — 28:4,5;
Law Of God, The · To be used lawfully — To be used lawfully

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 1:8

Word by word — the Greek

Cross-references

Commentary

Matthew Henry on 1 Timothy 1:5-11

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown on 1 Timothy 1:8

Adam Clarke on 1 Timothy 1:8

The Church Fathers

Dictionary and topics

1 Timothy 1:8

Word by word — the Greek

Cross-references

Commentary

Matthew Henry on 1 Timothy 1:5-11

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown on 1 Timothy 1:8

Adam Clarke on 1 Timothy 1:8

The Church Fathers

Dictionary and topics

John Gill on 1 Timothy 1:8

John Calvin on 1 Timothy 1:5-11

Tyndale Open Study Notes on 1 Timothy 1:7