1 Timothy 5:16 — meaning, Hebrew and Greek word study, commentary
1 Timothy 5:16
If any man or woman that believeth have widows, let them relieve them, and let not the church be charged; that it may relieve them that are widows indeed.
to hold (used in very various applications · verb — present active indicative, 3rd person singular
widows
χήρας,chēras
G5503
a widow (as lacking a husband) · noun — accusative plural feminine
relieve
ἐπαρκείτωeparkeitō
G1884
to avail for · verb — present active imperative, 3rd person singular
them
αὐταῖςautais
G846
the reflexive pronoun self · personal pronoun — dative plural feminine
and
καὶkai
G2532
and · conjunction
let
βαρείσθωbareisthō
G916
to weigh down (figuratively) · verb — present passive imperative, 3rd person singular
not
μὴmē
G3361
(adverb) not · particle — negative
church
ἐκκλησία,ekklēsia
G1577
a calling out · noun — nominative singular feminine
charged
βαρέωbaréō
G916
to weigh down (figuratively)
that
ἵναina
G2443
compare G3588 (ὁ)) · conjunction
relieve
ἐπαρκέσῃ.¶eparkesē
G1884
to avail for · verb — aorist active subjunctive, 3rd person singular
that
ἡhē
G3588
the (sometimes to be supplied · article — nominative singular feminine
are
ὄντωςontōs
G3689
really · adverb
widows
χήραιςchērais
G5503
a widow (as lacking a husband) · noun — dative plural feminine
indeed
ὄντωςóntōs
G3689
really
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).
1 Timothy 5:8 But if any provide not for his own, and specially for those of his own house, he hath denied the faith, and is worse than an infidel.
Cross-references from OpenBible.info (CC BY), in the lineage of the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (public domain).
Commentary
Matthew Henry on 1 Timothy 5:3-16
Directions are here given concerning the taking of widows into the number of those who were employed by the church and had maintenance from the church: Honour widows that are widows indeed. Honour them, that is, maintain them, admit them into office. There was in those times an office in the church in which widows were employed, and that was to tend the sick and the aged, to look to them by the direction of the deacons. We read of the care taken of widows immediately upon the first forming of the Christian church (Act 6:1), where the Grecians thought their widows were neglected in the daily ministration and provision made for poor widows. The general rule is to honour widows that are widows…
If any . . . have widows--of his family, however related to him. Most of the oldest manuscripts and versions omit "man or," and read, "If any woman that believeth." But the Received text seems preferable. If, however, the weightiest authorities are to prevail, the sense will be: He was speaking of younger widows; He now says, If any believing young widow have widows related to her needing support, let her relieve them, thereby casing the Church of the burden, Ti1 5:3-4 (there it was the children and grandchildren; here it is the young widow, who, in order to avoid the evils of idleness and wantonness, the result of idleness, Ti1 5:11, Ti1 5:13; Eze 16:49, is to be diligent in good works, suc…
If any man or woman that believeth - If any Christian man or woman have poor widows, which are their relatives, let them relieve them - provide them with the necessaries of life, and not burden the Church with their maintenance, that the funds may be spared for the support of those widows who were employed in its service, teaching children, visiting the sick, etc., etc. For the performing of such offices it is very likely that none but widows were employed; and these were chosen, other things being equal, out of the most indigent of the widows, and therefore called by the apostle, here and in Ti1 5:3, αἱς οντως χηραι, widows indeed - widows desolate, without support, and without relatives.…
The Church Fathers
But if it is praiseworthy to have one's soul free from this failing of greed, how much more glorious is it to gain the love of the people by liberality. This should be neither too freely shown to those who are unsuitable, nor too sparingly bestowed upon the needy.… There is also another kind of liberality which the apostle teaches, "If any believing woman has relatives who are widows, let her assist them. Let the church not be burdened so that it may assist those who are real widows." Useful, then, is liberality of this sort.
Observe how again he speaks of those as "widows indeed," who are left destitute, and have no resource from any other quarter. It was better to have it so. For thus two great objects were attained. Those had an opportunity of doing good, whilst these were honorably maintained, and the Church not burdened. And he has well said, "If any believer." For it is not fit that believing women should be maintained by unbelievers, lest they should seem to stand in need of them. And observe how persuasively he speaks; he has not said, "let them maintain them expensively," but "let them relieve them." "That the Church," he says, "may relieve them that are widows indeed." She therefore has the reward of this help also, for she that helps the Church, helps not her only, but those widows too whom the Church is thus enabled to maintain more bountifully.
"Now no one of those at the table knew for what intent He spake this unto him. For some of them thought, because Judas had the money-bag, that Jesus said unto him, Buy those things which we have need of against the feast; or, that he should give something to the poor." The Lord, therefore, had also a money-box, where He kept the offerings of believers, and distributed to the necessities of His own, and to others who were in need. It was then that the custom of having church-money was first introduced, so that thereby we might understand that His precept about taking no thought for the morrow was not a command that no money should be kept by His saints, but that God should not be served for any such end, and that the doing of what is right should not be held in abeyance through the fear of want. For the apostle also has this foresight for the future, when he says: "If any believer hath widows, let him give them enough, that the church may not be burdened, that it may have enough for them that are widows indeed."
Dictionary and topics
Widow — Under the Mosaic dispensation no legal provision was made for the maintenance of widows. They were left dependent partly on the affection of relations, more especially of the eldest son, whose…
Widows — To be treated with kindness (Ex. 22:22; Deut. 14:29; 16:11, 14; 24:17, 19-21; 26:12; 27:19, etc.). In the New Testament the same tender regard for them is inculcated (Acts 6:1-6; 1 Tim. 5:3-16) and…
Commandments · PRECEPTS OF PAUL. EXPLICITLY STATED OR IMPLIED IN DIDACTIC EPISTLES — PRECEPTS OF PAUL. EXPLICITLY STATED OR IMPLIED IN DIDACTIC EPISTLES
Liberality · 3:10-12; — 3:10-12;
Poor · 2:10;6:10; — 2:10;6:10;
Widows · Should be: Relieved by their friends — Should be: Relieved by their friends
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).
If any man or woman that believeth have widows,.... That is, if any member of a church, whether a brother or a sister, have mothers or grandmothers, or any near relations widows, in mean circumstances, and incapable of taking care of themselves:
let them relieve them; out of their own substance; which is what the apostle before calls showing piety at home, and requiting their own parents:
and let not the church be charged; or burdened with the maintenance of them:
that it may relieve them that are widows indeed; that the church may be in a better capacity, its stock not being expended on others, to supply the wants of those who are really widows; who have neither husbands, nor children, n…
14. I will therefore that the younger women marry, bear children, guide the house, give none occasion to the adversary to speak reproachfully.
14. Volo igitur juniores nubere, liberos gignere, domum administrare, nullam occasionem dare adversario, ut habeat maledicendi causam.
15. For some are already turned aside after Satan.
15. Nonnullae enim jam deflexerunt post Satanam.
16. If any man or woman that believeth have widows, let them relieve them, and let not the church be charged; that it may relieve them that are widows indeed.
16. Quodsi quis fidelis, aut si qua fidelis habet viduas, suppeditet illis, et non oneretur Ecclesia, ut iis, quae vere viduae sunt, suppetat.
14 I wish the…
Individual Christian households maintained their function and identity within the church (cp. 2:15; 3:15). They were not eclipsed by the church, although the household of God is primary to the identity of the believing community (see Mark 3:31-35).
