the reflexive pronoun self · personal pronoun — genitive singular masculine
reward
μισθοῦmisthou
G3408
pay for service (literally or figuratively) · noun — genitive singular masculine
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
Deuteronomy 25:4 Thou shalt not muzzle the ox when he treadeth out the corn.
1 Corinthians 9:14 Even so hath the Lord ordained that they which preach the gospel should live of the gospel.
1 Corinthians 9:7-10 Who goeth a warfare any time at his own charges? who planteth a vineyard, and eateth not of the fruit thereof? or who feedeth a flock, and e…
Luke 10:7 And in the same house remain, eating and drinking such things as they give: for the labourer is worthy of his hire. Go not from house to hou…
Matthew 10:10 Nor scrip for your journey, neither two coats, neither shoes, nor yet staves: for the workman is worthy of his meat.
Deuteronomy 24:14-15 Thou shalt not oppress an hired servant that is poor and needy, whether he be of thy brethren, or of thy strangers that are in thy land with…
Leviticus 19:13 Thou shalt not defraud thy neighbour, neither rob him: the wages of him that is hired shall not abide with thee all night until the morning.
James 4:5 Do ye think that the scripture saith in vain, The spirit that dwelleth in us lusteth to envy?
Cross-references from OpenBible.info (CC BY), in the lineage of the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (public domain).
Commentary
Matthew Henry on 1 Timothy 5:17–end
Here are directions,
I. Concerning the supporting of ministers. Care must be taken that they be honourably maintained (Ti1 5:17): Let the elders that rule well be counted worthy of double honour (that is, of double maintenance, double to what they have had, or to what others have), especially those who labour in the word and doctrine, those who are more laborious than others. Observe, The presbytery ruled, and the same that ruled were those who laboured in the word and doctrine: they had not one to preach to them and another to rule them, but the work was done by one and the same person. Some have imagined that by the elders that rule well the apostle means lay-elders, who were employed in r…
the scripture-- (Deu 25:4; quoted before in Co1 9:9).
the ox that treadeth out--Greek, An ox while treading.
The labourer is worthy of his reward--or "hire"; quoted from Luk 10:7, whereas Mat 10:10 has "his meat," or "food." If Paul extends the phrase, "Scripture saith," to this second clause, as well as to the first, he will be hereby recognizing the Gospel of Luke, his own helper (whence appears the undesigned appositeness of the quotation), as inspired Scripture. This I think the correct view. The Gospel according to Luke was probably in circulation then about eight or nine years. However, it is possible "Scripture saith" applies only to the passage quoted from Deu 25:4; and then his…
The Scripture saith, Thou shalt not muzzle the ox - This is a manifest proof that by τιμη, honor, in the preceding verse, the apostle means salary or wages: "Let the elders that rule well be accounted worthy of double honor," a larger salary than any of the official widows mentioned before, for "the laborer is worthy of his hire." The maintenance of every man in the Church should be in proportion to his own labor, and the necessities of his family. He that does no work should have no wages. In the Church of Christ there never can be a sinecure. They who minister at the altar should live by the altar; the ox that treadeth out the corn should not be muzzled; the laborer is worthy of his hire:…
The Church Fathers
And the same law commands "not to muzzle the ox which treadeth out the corn: for the labourer must be reckoned worthy of his food."
He alleges the Law, he alleges the words of Christ, both agreeing herein. For the Law says, "Thou shall not muzzle the ox that treadeth out the corn." See how he would have the teacher labor! For there is not, indeed there is not, any other labor such as his. But this is from the Law. But how does he quote from Christ? "The laborer is worthy of his reward." Let us not then look only to the reward, but to the terms of the commandment. "The laborer," he says, "is worthy of his reward." So that if any one lives in sloth and luxury, he is unworthy of it. Unless he is as the ox treading out the corn, and bearing the yoke, in spite of heat and thorns, and ceases not till he has carried the corn into the granary, he is not worthy.
And it should be noted what is added: "The laborer is worthy of his hire," because the very food for sustenance is already part of the wages of the work, so that here the reward from the labor of preaching may begin, which is perfected there in the vision of truth. In this matter it should be considered that two rewards are owed to our one work: one on the way, the other in the homeland; one which sustains us in labor, another which recompenses us in the resurrection. Therefore the reward which is received in the present ought to accomplish this in us: that we may strive more vigorously toward the subsequent reward. Therefore every preacher should not preach in order to receive a reward in this time, but should receive a reward in order to continue preaching. For whoever preaches in order to receive here a reward of either praise or gift, without doubt deprives himself of the eternal reward.
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
Bullock · 9:9; — 9:9;
Commandments · PRECEPTS OF PAUL. EXPLICITLY STATED OR IMPLIED IN DIDACTIC EPISTLES — PRECEPTS OF PAUL. EXPLICITLY STATED OR IMPLIED IN DIDACTIC EPISTLES
Elder · IN THE CHRISTIAN CHURCH — IN THE CHRISTIAN CHURCH
Employee · General scriptures concerning — General scriptures concerning
Employer · General scriptures concerning — General scriptures concerning
Labor · General scriptures concerning — General scriptures concerning
Master · SCRIPTURES RELATING TO MASTERS OF SERVANTS — SCRIPTURES RELATING TO MASTERS OF SERVANTS
Threshing · By treading — By treading
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).
In Deuteronomy 25:4
thou shalt not muzzle the ox that treadeth out the corn; See Gill on 1 Corinthians 9:9. See Gill on 1 Corinthians 9:10. The ox, for its strength and labour, is a fit emblem of a Gospel minister; and its treading the corn out of the husk and ear aptly represents the beating out, as it were, of Gospel truths, by the ministers of it, their making the doctrines of the Gospel clear, plain, and evident to the understandings of men; wherefore, as the ox was not muzzled when it trod out the corn, but might freely and largely feed upon it, so such who labour in the preaching of the Gospel ought to have a sufficient and competent maintenance: for which purpose this citation is m…
17. Let the elders that rule well be counted worthy of double honour, especially they who labour in the word and doctrine.
17. Presbyteri, qui bene praesunt, duplici honore digni habeantur; maxime qui laborant in verbo et doctrina.
18. For the scripture saith, Thou shalt not muzzle the ox that treadeth out the corn. And, The labourer is worthy of his reward.
18. Dicit enim scriptura: Non obligabis os bovi trituranti, (Deuteronomy 25:4) et, Dignus est operarius mercede sua, (Matthew 10:10).
19. Against an elder receive not an accusation, but before two or three witnesses.
19. Adversus presbyterum accusationem ne admittas, nisi sub duobus aut tribus testibus.
20. Them that sin rebuke bef…
Elders: As in Judaism, community leaders (see also 3:1-7; Titus 1:5-9) were usually older men who were leaders in the wider community. The letters to Timothy and Titus recognize an office of elders, as here (see also 1 Tim 4:14; Titus 1:5), but the word is also used generally for older men in the community (as in 1 Tim 5:1).
5:17-18 should be respected and paid well (literally should be worthy of double honor): Cp. Gal 6:6. There is no evidence of a paid clergy at this time; the word used here is never used for a continuous salary, though it does imply something beyond a show of respect. The quotations from Scripture (Deut 25:4; Luke 10:7) suggest gifts of money.
