1 Timothy 3

¹ This is a faithful saying: someone who seeks to be an overseer desires a good work.

² The overseer therefore must be without reproach, the husband of one wife, temperate, sensible, modest, hospitable, good at teaching;

³ not a drinker, not violent, not greedy for money, but gentle, not quarrelsome, not covetous;

⁴ one who rules his own house well, having children in subjection with all reverence;

⁵ (for how could someone who doesn’t know how to rule his own house take care of God’s assembly?)

⁶ not a new convert, lest being puffed up he fall into the same condemnation as the devil.

⁷ Moreover he must have good testimony from those who are outside, to avoid falling into reproach and the snare of the devil.

⁸ Servants, in the same way, must be reverent, not double-tongued, not addicted to much wine, not greedy for money,

⁹ holding the mystery of the faith in a pure conscience.

¹⁰ Let them also first be tested; then let them serve if they are blameless.

¹¹ Their wives in the same way must be reverent, not slanderers, temperate, and faithful in all things.

¹² Let servants be husbands of one wife, ruling their children and their own houses well.

¹³ For those who have served well gain for themselves a good standing and great boldness in the faith which is in Christ Jesus.

¹⁴ These things I write to you, hoping to come to you shortly,

¹⁵ but if I wait long, that you may know how men ought to behave themselves in God’s house, which is the assembly of the living God, the pillar and ground of the truth.

¹⁶ Without controversy, the mystery of godliness is great: God was revealed in the flesh, justified in the spirit, seen by angels, preached among the nations, believed on in the world, and received up in glory.

Around 1 Timothy 3

Context

Context for this book is being written. A note appears here only once it names its sources.

AI explanation

1 Timothy 3 · Written by an AI model · Not reviewed by a theological reader

This explanation was written by an AI model to help you get started. It names no sources and can contain mistakes. Scripture comes first, and context with sources is shown separately on this page.

What this chapter says

“This is a faithful saying: someone who seeks to be an overseer desires a good work.” With that, Paul sets out what kind of person should lead a church. The overseer must be without reproach, temperate, sensible, hospitable and good at teaching. He must not be violent or greedy, and he must manage his own household well, for how could someone who cannot do that care for God’s assembly? He must not be a new convert, and he must have a good name with those outside.

The same care is asked of servants, who are to hold the mystery of the faith in a pure conscience and to be tested first. The chapter says something about the women in verse 11, and Christians read it in two ways: as the wives of these men, or as women who serve in the same office.

Paul says he hopes to come soon, but writes so that Timothy will know how to behave in God’s house, the assembly of the living God. The chapter ends with what looks like a hymn about Christ, revealed in the flesh and received up in glory.

Background

Paul gives Timothy a working list for choosing leaders in a church at Ephesus. Many Christians read the phrase husband of one wife in different ways: as a ban on more than one wife at once, as a call to faithfulness in marriage, or in other ways. Churches also differ on who may hold these offices. Tradition links the letter to Paul, though many scholars think a later follower wrote in his name. See Titus 1 for a similar list and Acts 20 for elders at Ephesus.

About this explanation

Written by Claude Sonnet 5.5, an AI model, on 18 October 2026. It draws on the WEB text and general knowledge and was not checked against sources by a person. Every quotation from Scripture is checked automatically against the WEB text.

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World English Bible. Public-domain source and edition notes