1 Timothy 5.13-Paul Presents A Second Reason Why He Prohibits Younger Widows From Being Put On The List To Receive Financial Support From The Church
Wenstrom Bible Ministries
Pastor-Teacher Bill Wenstrom
Tuesday August 16, 2011
1 Timothy: 1 Timothy 5:13-Paul Presents A Second Reason Why He Prohibits Younger Widows From Receiving Financial Support From The Church
Lesson # 108
Please turn in your Bibles to 1 Timothy 5:9.
The apostle Paul in 1 Timothy 5:13 presents a second reason why he prohibits younger widows from receiving financial support from the church.
1 Timothy 5:9 A widow is to be put on the list only if she is not less than sixty years old, having been the wife of one man, 10 having a reputation for good works; and if she has brought up children, if she has shown hospitality to strangers, if she has washed the saints’ feet, if she has assisted those in distress, and if she has devoted herself to every good work. 11 But refuse to put younger widows on the list, for when they feel sensual desires in disregard of Christ, they want to get married, 12 thus incurring condemnation, because they have set aside their previous pledge. 13 At the same time they also learn to be idle, as they go around from house to house; and not merely idle, but also gossips and busybodies, talking about things not proper to mention. (NASU)
“At the same time they also learn to be idle” is composed of the adverb hama (ἅμα) (ah-mah), “at the same time” and this is followed by the post-positive conjunction de (δέ) (theh), “but” and then we have the conjunction kai (καί) (keh), “and” and this is followed by the nominative feminine plural form of the adjective argos (ἀργός) (ahdehroce), “idle” and then we have the third person plural present active indicative form of the verb manthano (μανθάνω) (mahn-thano), “must learn.”
The conjunction de is used in an adjunctive sense meaning it is introducing a reason why Paul does not want younger widows put on the list to receive financial support from the church at Ephesus, which is “in addition to” the previous reason presented by him in 1 Timothy 5:11.
The conjunction kai is emphatic meaning that the word is emphasizing this second reason for refusing to put younger widows on the list to receive financial support from the church.
The word emphasizes to Timothy and the Ephesian church how extremely important that widows remarry rather than take a vow to not remarry in order to gain financial support from the church.
It is extremely to the church that their younger widows remarry so that they don’t become idle and become gossips and busybodies because it will hurt the testimony of their church before the unsaved, not to mention that it will hinder the growth of these young widows.
Here in 1 Timothy 5:13, hama functions as an adverb and means “at the same time” or “simultaneously” since it denotes the coincidence of two actions in time.
It denotes that Paul’s second reason why he doesn’t want younger widows to be put on the list to receive financial support from the church takes place simultaneously or at the same as his first reason.
Hama is saying that their desire to be married parallels their being idle.
In 1 Timothy 5:13, the verb manthano does not mean “to learn through experience” or “to learn through instruction or study” but rather it means “to acquire a particular habit.”
It teaches that since they have no husband or families or homes to be occupied with and take care of, they “acquire the habit of” idleness.
The adjective argos means “idle ones” and pertains to being without anything to do or any responsibilities to be occupied with.
“As they go around from house to house” is composed of the nominative feminine plural present middle participle form of the verb perierchomai (περιέρχομαι) (pehdee-airhoe-meh), “as they go around from house” and this is followed by the articular accusative feminine plural form of the noun oikia (οἰκία) (ee-kee-ah), “to house.”
The verb perierchomai is used in a general sense of moving about from place to place involving significant changes in direction.
It is used here of younger widows “moving about from household to household” as a result of having no responsibilities to be occupied with.
The contrast with the older, godly widows is implied in the sense that in contrast to the godly, older widows who are occupied with prayer and good deeds that are divine in quality and character, these younger widows are spending their free time going from house to house in order to gossip and to be busybodies.
The present tense of the verb is a customary present indicating that these younger, idle widows were making it their habit of going from house to house in order to gossip and meddle in the affairs of others.
The noun oikia refers to the various homes in the Christian community at Ephesus, which were visited by these idle, young widows.
“And not merely idle, but also gossips and busybodies” is composed of the emphatic negative adverb ou (οὐ) (oo), “not” which is followed by the adverb monos (μόνος) (moe-noce), “merely” and this is followed by the post-positive conjunction de (δέ) (theh), “but” and the nominative feminine plural form of the adjective argos (ἀργός) (ahdehroce), “idle” and conjunction alla (ἀλλά) (ah-lah), “but rather” and then we have the conjunction kai (καί) (keh), “also” and this is followed nominative feminine plural form of the adjective phluaros (φλύαρος) (flee-ahroce), “gossips” and then we have the conjunction kai (καί) (keh), “and” and the nominative feminine plural form of the adjective periergos (περίεργος) (pehree-ahroce), “busybodies.”
The conjunction de is “emphatic” since it introduces a statement that advances upon Paul’s previous assertion that younger, idle widows make it their habit of wandering about the various homes and intensifies it.
It is not only presenting “additional” information about these younger idle widows but it is also advancing and intensifying the previous assertion about younger idle widows.
The fact that it is emphatic is clearly indicated by the context because the word is followed by a correlative clause that signifies an advancement upon the previous assertion about young, idle widows.
The emphatic objective negative particle ou, “not” is coupled with the adverb monos, “only” and together they are employed with the conjunction alla, “but” which is coupled with the adjunctive use of the conjunction kai, “also.” These four words form a correlative clause.
The adverb monon is employed with emphatic negative objective particle ou in order to state in emphatic terms that the idleness of these younger widows is “not limited” simply to wandering about the various homes.
The expression alla kai, “but…also” is used “ascensively” meaning they introduce an “additional” description of these idle widows that serves to advance the previous description of them that they make it their habit of wandering about the various homes.
Therefore, these two words indicate that in addition to younger idle widows wandering about from house to house, they in fact acquire the habit of being gossips and busybodies.
With these four words, Paul is saying that not only are these younger idle widows making it their habit of wandering about the various homes in the Christian community but also they are in fact acquiring the habit of being gossips and busybodies because of this idleness.
The adjective phluaros means “gossips” referring to a person given to gossip.
The word is used here to describe indiscreet conversation and conduct of young widows who have not remarried.
It speaks of bringing either justified or unjustified charges against another human being.
It refers to gossip of a slanderous or malicious sort.
The adjective periergos means “busybodies” since it describes someone who meddles in the affairs of someone else.
In other words, it describes someone who pays attention to things that do not concern them (BDAG, page 800).
This behavior by these young idle widows would damage the credibility of the Ephesian Christian community in the opinion of the unsaved.
1 Timothy 5:13 At the same time they also learn to be idle, as they go around from house to house; and not merely idle, but also gossips and busybodies, talking about things not proper to mention. (NASU)
“Talking about things not proper to mention” is composed of the nominative feminine plural present active participle form of the verb laleo (λαλέω) (lah-leh-owe), “talking about” which is followed by the negative particle me (μή) (me), “not” which is negating the articular accusative neuter plural present active participle form of the verb dei (δεῖ) (thee), “proper.”
Here in 1 Timothy 5:13, the verb laleo refers to the act of these widows speaking about things not proper to mention but does not speak of the content of their speech, i.e. what they are speaking about.
The present tense of the verb is a customary present used to signal a regularly occurring action.
Here it refers to a younger, idle widow making it her habit of wandering to the various homes in the Christian community in order to gossip and meddle in the affairs of others.
The verb dei means “it is proper” and speaks of what ought to be spoken.
The negative particle me, “not” negates the meaning of the verb denying any idea that these idle, young widows are speaking of these things they ought to speak about or in other words, those things, which are “improper.”
Thus, these two words describe these young, idle widows as speaking of things they ought not to be speaking of.
They are making a comment about gossiping and meddling in the affairs of others.