1 Timothy 5.7-Paul Commands Timothy To Continue Commanding The Things He Taught In 1 Timothy 5.3-6 In Order That The Church May Be Irreproachable
Wenstrom Bible Ministries
Pastor-Teacher Bill Wenstrom
Wednesday August 3, 2011
1 Timothy: 1 Timothy 5:7-Paul Commands Timothy To Continue Making It His Habit Of Commanding The Things He Taught In 1 Timothy 5:3-6 In Order That Widows May Be Irreproachable
Lesson # 102
Please turn in your Bibles to 1 Timothy 5:3.
The apostle Paul in 1 Timothy 5:7 commands Timothy to continue making it his habit of commanding the things he related to him in 1 Timothy 5:3-6 in order that the widows in Ephesus may be irreproachable.
1 Timothy 5:3 Honor widows who are widows indeed; 4 but if any widow has children or grandchildren, they must first learn to practice piety in regard to their own family and to make some return to their parents; for this is acceptable in the sight of God. 5 Now she who is a widow indeed and who has been left alone, has fixed her hope on God and continues in entreaties and prayers night and day. 6 But she who gives herself to wanton pleasure is dead even while she lives. 7 Prescribe these things as well, so that they may be above reproach. (NASB95)
“Prescribe these things as well” is composed of the conjunction kai (καί) (keh), “as well” which is followed by the accusative neuter plural form of the immediate demonstrative pronoun houtos (οὗτος) (oo-toce), “these things” and this is followed by the second person singular present active imperative form of the verb parangello (παραγγέλλω) (pah-dahn-yellow), “prescribe.”
The immediate demonstrative pronoun houtos refers to Paul’s teaching in 1 Timothy 5:3-6.
This is indicated by the fact that each time Paul uses this word in the accusative plural form in 1 Timothy (1:18; 3:14; 4:6, 11, 15), it sums up the immediate preceding paragraph.
Specifically, houtos refers to Paul’s commands in verse 3 (timao) and in verse 4 (manthano) since parangello means “command” thus indicating that Paul wants Timothy to pass along these two commands.
Therefore, Paul wants Timothy to “command” the Ephesians to comply with his command in verse 3 to honor widows by supporting them financially who are qualified to receive financial support.
It also means that Timothy is to “command” the Ephesians in verse 4 to instruct their children and grandchildren with regards to their responsibility to support their parents and grandparents (Exodus 20:12).
In verse 5, he identifies a widow who is qualified to receive support and in verse 6, he identifies one who is not qualified.
The former is godly and the latter is not.
Therefore, these two verses are related to the first command in verse 3 since they help them to identify what widows the Ephesians should honor.
Thus, these two verses aid the Ephesians in how they are to apply this command.
In 1 Timothy 5:7, the verb parangello again means “to command, order” and is used with Timothy as its subject but this time it is used with reference to Paul’s teaching in 1 Timothy 5:3-6.
Specifically, it refers to Paul’s commands in verse 3 (timao) and in verse 4 (manthano).
Parangello implies as it did in 1 Timothy 1:3 and 4:11 that Paul has delegated authority to Timothy.
The word expresses the idea that Timothy is to stand before the Ephesian Christian community and officially and authoritatively communicate to them all that Paul taught in 1 Timothy 5:3-6.
In 1 Timothy 5:7, the present imperative form of the verb parangello is a “customary present imperative” whose force is for Timothy to simply continue commanding the Ephesian Christian community to comply to Paul’s instructions in 1 Timothy 5:3-6 and specifically to comply with his commands in verses 3 and 4.
Paul’s statements in 1 Timothy 1:3 and 4:6 imply that Timothy was carrying out everything he wrote in this epistle including the command here in 1 Timothy 5:7.
Thus, this command here in 1 Timothy 5:7 is simply a reminder to Timothy to continue doing what they talked about before Paul left for Macedonia.
Furthermore, Paul would not have delegated Timothy such a difficult task as the one in Ephesus unless he felt confident that his young delegate could carry out everything he required of him.
Therefore, the present imperative is simply a reminder to Timothy to continue doing what Paul told him to do before he left for Macedonia.
The conjunction kai is adjunctive indicating that Paul’s command here in 1 Timothy 5:7 that Timothy is to relate to the Ephesians his commands in verses 3 and 4 are “in addition to” the previous commands in this epistle that Timothy is to communicate to the Ephesian Christian community.
1 Timothy 5:7 Prescribe these things as well, so that they may be above reproach. (NASB95)
“So that they may be above reproach” is composed of the conjunction hina (ἵνα) (ee-nah), “so that” and the nominative masculine plural form of the adjective anepilemptos (ἀνεπίλημπτος) (ahna-peelee-toce), “above reproach” which is followed by the present active subjunctive form of the verb eimi (εἰμί) (ee-mee), “they may be.”
The conjunction hina is employed with the subjunctive mood of the verb eimi, “they may be” in order to form a purpose clause that emphasizes the “intention” of the preceding command.
This indicates that hina is introducing a clause that presents Paul’s purpose for Timothy obeying his previous command to continue making it his habit of commanding the Ephesians to obey his commands in verses 3 and verse 4.
The verb eimi means “to be” in the sense of possessing a particular characteristic.
It indicates that the purpose of Paul commanding Timothy to pass along his commands in verses 3 and 4 was so that the Ephesian Christian community would “possess the characteristic of being” beyond reproach.
The identity of those referred to by the third person plural form of the verb is debated among Bible expositors.
Some contend that widows are being referred to and others the entire Ephesian Christian community and some argue that the children and grandchildren of widows or in other words, the families are being referred to with the third person plural form.
This can be resolved by understanding that the command ταῦτα παράγγελλε, “continue making it your habit of commanding these things” is referring to Timothy passing along to the Ephesians Paul’s commands in verses 3 and 4.
The first requires that the Ephesian Christian community honor widows who truly are qualified to receive financial support from them.
Verses 5 and 6 help the Ephesians to identify which widows they were to honor and the ones they were not to support.
The command in verse 4 is for the Ephesians to instruct their children and grandchildren with regards to their financial responsibility to their parents and grandparents, which would enable these children and grandchildren to exercise godliness with their own families, i.e. support their parents and grandparents.
Therefore, based upon this, it is clear that the third person plural form of eimi in this hina purpose clause in verse 7 is referring to the entire Christian community in Ephesus since the two commands in verses 3 and 4 are addressed to the entire community.
The entire community is required to honor widows who are truly in need and to instruct their children and grandchildren with regards to their responsibility to support their parents and grandparents financially.
The adjective anepilemptos describes a person who “affords nothing that an adversary could use as the basis for an accusation, one against whom it is impossible to bring any charge of wrong doing such as could stand impartial examination.”
Thus, here in 1 Timothy 5:7 Paul wants Timothy to continue making it his habit of commanding that the Ephesians comply with his commands in verses 3 and 4 in order that they would be irreproachable in character.
Obedience to these two commands will result in the Ephesians affording nothing that the unsaved could use as a basis for accusation against them and thus Christianity itself.
It would be impossible for the unsaved to bring any charge of wrongdoing against them and Christianity such as could stand impartial examination if they obey Paul’s commands in verses 3 and 4.