1 Timothy 4:8 — meaning, Hebrew and Greek word study, commentary
1 Timothy 4:8
For bodily exercise profiteth little: but godliness is profitable unto all things, having promise of the life that now is, and of that which is to come.
corporeal or physical · adjective — nominative singular feminine
exercise
γυμνασίαgumnasia
G1129
training · noun — nominative singular feminine
profiteth
ὠφέλιμος,ōphelimos
G5624
helpful or serviceable · adjective — nominative singular feminine
little
ὀλίγονoligon
G3641
puny (in extent · adjective — accusative singular masculine
but
δὲde
G1161
but · conjunction
godliness
εὐσέβειαeusebeia
G2150
piety · noun — nominative singular feminine
is
ἐστίestí
G2076
he (she or it) is
profitable
ὠφέλιμόςōphelimos
G5624
helpful or serviceable · adjective — nominative singular feminine
unto
πρὸςpros
G4314
a preposition of direction · preposition
things
πάνταpanta
G3956
all · adjective — accusative plural neuter
having
ἔχουσαechousa
G2192
to hold (used in very various applications · verb — present active participle, nominative singular feminine
promise
ἐπαγγελίανepangelian
G1860
an announcement (for information · noun — accusative singular feminine
life
ζωῆςzōēs
G2222
life (literally or figuratively) · noun — genitive singular feminine
is
νῦνnun
G3568
"now" (as adverb of date · adverb
and
καὶkai
G2532
and · conjunction
come
μελλούσης.mellousēs
G3195
to intend · verb — present active participle, genitive 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
Matthew 6:33 But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.
1 Timothy 6:6 But godliness with contentment is great gain.
Psalms 37:3-4 Trust in the LORD, and do good; so shalt thou dwell in the land, and verily thou shalt be fed.
Proverbs 19:23 The fear of the LORD tendeth to life: and he that hath it shall abide satisfied; he shall not be visited with evil.
Proverbs 22:4 By humility and the fear of the LORD are riches, and honour, and life.
Psalms 37:11 But the meek shall inherit the earth; and shall delight themselves in the abundance of peace.
Job 5:19-26 He shall deliver thee in six troubles: yea, in seven there shall no evil touch thee.
Cross-references from OpenBible.info (CC BY), in the lineage of the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (public domain).
Commentary
Matthew Henry on 1 Timothy 4:6–end
The apostle would have Timothy to instil into the minds of Christians such sentiments as might prevent their being seduced by the judaizing teachers. Observe, Those are good ministers of Jesus Christ who are diligent in their work; not that study to advance new notions, but that put the brethren in remembrance of those things which they have received and heard. Wherefore I will not be negligent to put you always in remembrance of these things, though you knew them, Pe2 1:12. And elsewhere, I stir up your pure minds by way of remembrance, Pe2 3:1. And, says the apostle Jude, I will therefore put you in remembrance, Jde 1:5. You see that the apostles and apostolical men reckoned it a main part…
profiteth little--Greek, "profiteth to (but) a small extent." Paul does not deny that fasting and abstinence from conjugal intercourse for a time, with a view to reaching the inward man through the outward, do profit somewhat, Act 13:3; Co1 7:5, Co1 7:7; Co1 9:26-27 (though in its degenerate form, asceticism, dwelling solely on what is outward, Ti1 4:3, is not only not profitable but injurious). Timothy seems to have had a leaning to such outward self-discipline (compare Ti1 5:23). Paul, therefore, while not disapproving of this in its due proportion and place, shows the vast superiority of godliness or piety, as being profitable not merely "to a small extent," but unto all things; for, havi…
For bodily exercise profiteth little - Προς ολιγον εστιν ωφελιμος. Those gymnastic exercises, so highly esteemed among the Greeks, are but little worth; they are but of short duration; they refer only to this life, and to the applause of men: but godliness has the promise of this life, and the life to come; it is profitable for all things; and for both time and eternity.
But godliness is profitable unto all things - By godliness we are to understand every thing that the Christian religion either promises or prescribes: the life of God in the soul of man; and the glory of God as the object and end of that life. To receive the first, a man must renounce his sins, deny himself, take up his cros…
The Church Fathers
"Godliness," then, "which is the true worship of God, is profitable to all things," since it deflects or blunts the troubles of this life and leads to that other life, our salvation, where we shall suffer no evil and enjoy the supreme and everlasting good. I exhort you as I do myself to pursue this happiness more earnestly and to hold to it with strong constancy.
Train yourself to godliness; for physical exercise is of little profit, but godliness is profitable for all things, having promise of the life that now is and of that which is to come. Train. That is, accustom yourself. to godliness. Godliness is the diligence and zeal of life with right faith. for physical exercise. It makes the body healthy. However, in comparison it is only for a short time. having promise of the life. Do you see the benefit? That godliness also in the present and in the future life gives life to the spiritual life.
"For bodily exercise profiteth little." This has by some been referred to fasting; but away with such a notion! for that is not a bodily but a spiritual exercise. If it were bodily it would nourish the body, whereas it wastes and makes it lean, so that it is not bodily. Hence he is not speaking of the discipline of the body. What we need, therefore, is the exercise of the soul. For the exercise of the body hath no profit, but may benefit the body a little, but the exercise of godliness yields fruit and advantage both here and hereafter.
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
Exercise, bodily — (1 Tim. 4:8). An ascetic mortification of the flesh and denial of personal gratification (comp. Col. 2:23) to which some sects of the Jews, especially the Essenes, attached importance.
Games — (1.) Of children (Zech. 8:5; Matt. 11:16). The Jewish youth were also apparently instructed in the use of the bow and the sling (Judg. 20:16; 1 Chr. 12:2). (2.) Public games, such as were common…
Godliness — The whole of practical piety (1 Tim. 4:8; 2 Pet. 1:6). “It supposes knowledge, veneration, affection, dependence, submission, gratitude, and obedience.” In 1 Tim. 3:16 it denotes the substance of…
Life, Eternal · Saints: Have promises of — Saints: Have promises of
Life, Natural · Saints have true enjoyment of — Saints have true enjoyment of
Promises Of God, The · Subjects of: The life that now is — Subjects of: The life that now is
Vanity · Mere external religion is — Mere external religion is
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).
For bodily exercise profiteth little,.... Meaning not the exercise of the body in the Olympic games, as by running, wrestling, &c. which profited but little, for the obtaining of a corruptible crown at most; though since a word is used here, and in the preceding verse, borrowed from thence, there may be an allusion to it: much less exercise of the body for health or recreation, as riding, walking, playing at any innocent diversion; which profits but for a little time, as the Syriac and Arabic versions read; and the latter renders the phrase "bodily recreation": nor is the exercise of the body in the proper employment of trade and business, to which a man is called, and which profits for the…
6. If thou put the brethren in remembrance of these things, thou shalt be a good minister of Jesus Christ, nourished up in the words of faith and of good doctrine, whereunto thou hast attained.
6. Haec suggerens fratribus, bonus eris Iesu Christi minister, innutritus sermonibus fidei, et bonae doctrinae quam sequutus es.
7. But refuse profane and old wives' fables, and exercise thyself rather unto godliness.
7. Profanas autem et aniles fabulas devita, quin potius exerce te ipsum ad pietatem.
8. For bodily exercise profiteth little: but godliness is profitable unto all things, having promise of the life that now is, and of that which is to come.
8. Nam corporalis exercitatio paululum hab…
physical training . . . godliness: Cp. 1 Cor 9:24-27; Col 2:23. • benefits in this life . . . the life to come: Cp. 1 Tim 4:16; 6:6-8; Mark 10:29-30; Eph 6:2-3. • trustworthy saying: See study note on 1 Tim 1:15.
