1 Timothy 5:13

5:9-16 Every one brought into any office in the church, should be free from just censure; and many are proper objects of charity, yet ought not to be employed in public services. Those who would find mercy when they are in distress, must show mercy when they are in prosperity; and those who show most readiness for every good work, are most likely to be faithful in whatever is trusted to them. Those who are idle, very seldom are only idle, they make mischief among neighbours, and sow discord among brethren. All believers are required to relieve those belonging to their families who are destitute, that the church may not be prevented from relieving such as are entirely destitute and friendless.

{11} And withal they learn to be idle, wandering about from house to house; and not only idle, but tattlers also and busybodies, speaking things which they ought not. (11) Another reason: because they are for the most part gossips and busybodies, and idly roving up and down, neglecting their charge and duty.

The apostle here gives some other reasons, why he would not have widows too young taken into the ministry of the church. And withal they learn to be idle, wandering about from house to house; they being young, and having no business at home, nor any husbands to conduct and govern them, are subject to be gadding up and down; and not only idle, but tattlers also; and to be tattling idly and impertinently, and that not only of their own, but others’ concerns; and busybodies, interesting themselves in the matters of other persons and families; speaking things which they ought not, and in the multitude of words, folly being never wanting, they are prone to speak things which they ought not: from whence we may deserve, that nothing more becometh Christians than a gravity and composedness of behaviour and speech, a government of their tongues, and considering aforehand well what they speak.

1 Timothy 5:13 . Μανθάνουσι περιερχόμεναι , they learn going about ) This participle is not put for the infinitive, but the genus, ‘learning,’ is reprehended: the species follows, they learn the things which are learned by going about from house to house, i.e. they curiously pry into the state of families. The Mimesis[42] lies in this, that the expression used is, they learn . For elsewhere those things are only said to be learned which are good. But these women learn by going about , they search out all things; and thence their progress is progress in the wrong direction.— τὰς οἰκίας , houses ) 2 Timothy 3:6 .— φλύαροι , [tattlers] triflers ) in respect to words.— περίεργοι busybodies ) in respect to deeds.— λαλοῦσαι , speaking ) This word is construed with they leanr . They speak out all that they have learned.— τὰ μὴ δέοντα ) ἃ μὴ δεῖ , Titus 1:11 . [42] A figure, whereby the word which the party reprehended would use is alluded to; as here these young widows would call their inquiries by the favourable term, learning . They learn (the genus), says Paul; but the speeies of learning they learn is what is to be learnt by going about visiting houses.—ED.

They learn (μανθάνουσιν) To be taken absolutely, as 1 Corinthians 14:31; 2 Timothy 3:7. They go about under the influence of an insatiable curiosity, and meet those who "creep into houses and take captive silly women" (2 Timothy 3:7), and learn all manner of nonsense and error. Going about (περιερχόμεναι) oP. Comp. Acts 19:13. Tattlers (φλύαροι) N.T.o. Comp. 4 Macc. 5:10. The verb φλυαρεῖν to prate, 3 John 1:10. Busybodies (περίεργοι) In this sense only here. Comp. τὰ περίεργα curious arts, Acts 19:19. The participle περιεργαζομένοι busybodies, 2 Thessalonians 3:11. See note. Rend. the whole passage: "And withal, being also idle, they learn, gadding about from house to house; and not only (are they) idle, but tattlers also, and busybodies, speaking things which they ought not."

13. withal—"at the same time, moreover." learn—usually in a good sense. But these women's "learning" is idleness, trifling, and busybodies' tattle. wandering—Greek, "going about." from house to house—of the members of the Church (2Ti 3:6). "They carry the affairs of this house to that, and of that to this; they tell the affairs of all to all" [Theophylact]. tattlers—literally "trifling talkers." In 3Jo 10, translated "prating." busybodies—mischievously busy; inconsiderately curious (2Th 3:11). Ac 19:19, "curious," the same Greek. Curiosity usually springs from idleness, which is itself the mother of garrulity [Calvin]. speaking—not merely "saying." The subject-matter, as well as the form, is involved in the Greek word [Alford]. which they ought not—(Tit 1:11).

Verse 13. - Also to be for to be , A.V.; going for wandering , A.V. Also seems unnecessary, as "withal" seems to represent ἅμα καὶ . Learn to be idle ( ἀργαὶ μανθάνουσιν ). This is a construction which has no similar passage in Greek to support it, except one very doubtful one in Plato, 'Euthudemus' (vol. 4. p. 105, Bekker's edit.). But the other constructions proposed, viz. to construe μανθάνουσι , "they are inquisitive, or, curious," as Grotius and substantially Bengel; or to take περιερχόμεναι after μανθάνουσι , "they learn to go about" (Vulgate, De Wette, etc.), cannot be justified by examples either, as μανθάνειν has always either an accusative ease or an infinitive mood after it, unless it is used in quite a different sense, as in the passage from Herod., 3:1, quoted by Alford: Διαβεβλημένος ... οὐ μανθάνεις , "You are slandered without being aware of it." In this difficulty it is best to take the sense given in the A.V. and the R.V., following Chrysostom, etc., and of moderns Winer, Ellicott, Alford, etc., which the general turn and balance of the sentence favors. Going about ( περιερχόμεναι ); comp. Acts 29:13, where there is the same idea of reproach in the term. It is used in a good sense in Hebrews 11:37 . Tattlers ( φλύαροι ); only here in the New Testament, and once only in the LXX. (4 Macc. 5:10), but common in classical Greek. It means "a trifling silly talker." The verb φλυαρέω occurs in 3 John 1:10 .

Busybodies ( περίεργοι ); only here and Acts 19:19 in the New Testament or LXX., but not uncommon in classical Greek, in the sense in which it is used here. The verb περιεργάζεσθαι occurs in 2 Thessalonians 3:11 in the same sense, "meddling with what does not concern you." 1 Timothy 5:13

13 . they learn to be idle ] Insert ‘also’; R.V. they learn also to be idle . The position of ‘idle’ and the stress in the next clause ‘not only idlers but’ point to this construction, making ‘idle’ predicate, though no infinitive ‘to be,’ ‘to become,’ is inserted. The rendering of Bp Wordsworth, Grimm and others, ‘Being idle they are learners running about from house to house,’ gives indeed ‘an oxymoron—a common figure of speech with St Paul.’ But the authority for ‘learn’ in so absolute a sense is very doubtful, since everywhere, e.g. in 1 Timothy 2:11 . ‘let a woman learn in silence,’ and 2 Timothy 3:7 , ‘always learning and never able to come to the full knowledge,’ there is much more in the context of connected phrase and subject . wandering about from house to house ] Lit. ‘the houses’ that made up the Christian settlement: so 2 Timothy 3:6 , ‘they that creep into our houses.’ Compare 3 John 1:14 , ‘our friends salute thee.’ tattlers also and busybodies ] The first word occurs again only as participle in 3 John 1:10 , ‘tattling of us with evil words.’ ‘Its derivation (connected with fluere ) points to a babbling profluent way of talking.’ Bp Ellicott. ‘Busybodies,’ prying round into other people’s business; so 2 Thessalonians 3:11 , ‘not busy, but busybodies.’ Hence its use for ‘magical arts,’ Acts 19:19 . Contrast the epithet of the younger women, Titus 2:5 (best mss.) ‘busy at home,’ which is not found elsewhere.

1 Timothy 5:13 . ἅμα δὲ καί is Pauline. See reff. It is best to assume an omission of εἶναι , not necessarily through corruption of the text, as Blass supposes ( Gram . p. 247). On the example cited by Winer-Moulton, Gram . p. 437 from Plato, Euthyd . p. 276 b , οἱ ἀμαθεῖς ἄρα σοφοὶ μανθάνουσιν , and Dio. Chrys. lv. 558, Field notes, “Although the reading in Plato may be doubtful, there is no doubt of the agreement of St. Paul’s construction with later usage”. Field adds two from St. Chrysostom T. vii. p. 699 a : τί οὖν ; ἂν παλαιστὴς μανθάνῃς ; T. ix. p. 259 b : εἰ ἰατρὸς μέλλοις μανθάνειν . He notes that the correlative phraseology, διδάξαι (or διδάξασθαι ) τινὰ τεκτόνα , χαλκέα , ἱππέα , ῥήτορα , is to be found in the best writers. It is impossible to connect μανθ . περιερχ . as Vulg., discunt circuire domos ; for, as Alf. says, “ μανθάνω with a participle always means to be aware of, take notice of , the act implied in the verb”. Here, e.g. , the meaning would be “they learn that they are going about,” which is absurd. Bengel’s view, that μανθάνουσι is to be taken absolutely, is equally impossible: “being idle, they are learners,” the nature of the things they learn to be inferred from the way they spend their time.

Von Soden connects μανθ . with τὰ μὴ δέοντα ; suggesting that they learnt in the houses referred to in 2 Timothy 3:6 what was taught there ( ἂ μὴ δεῖ , Titus 1:11 ). περιερχόμεναι τὰς οἰκίας : These last words may possibly refer to the house to house visitation, going about (R.V.), which might be part of the necessary duty of the Church widows; but which would be a source of temptation to young women, and would degenerate into wandering (A.V.). οὐ μόνον δὲ … ἀλλὰ καί is a Pauline use of constant occurrence. See Romans 5:3 ; Romans 5:11 ; Romans 8:23 ; Romans 9:10 ; 2 Corinthians 7:7 ; 2 Corinthians 8:19 ; Php 2:27 [ οὐ … δὲ μόνον ]; 2 Timothy 4:8 . Also in Acts 19:27 , 3Ma 3:23. ἀργαί , φλύαροι , περίεργοι : A series of natural causes and consequences. The social intercourse of idle people is naturally characterised by silly chatter which does not merely affect the understanding of those who indulge in it, but leads them on to mischievous interference in other people’s affairs. φλύαροι : φλυαρεῖν is found in 3 John 1:10 , prating . φλύαρος is an epithet of φιλοσοφία in 4Ma 5:10; and in Proverbs 23:29 ([283] [284]) φλυαρίαι ὁμιλίαι ἐνφιλόνικοι are among the consequences of excessive wine-drinking. [283] Codex Sinaiticus (sæc. iv.), now at St. Petersburg, published in facsimile type by its discoverer, Tischendorf, in 1862. [284] Codex Sinaiticus (sæc. iv.), now at St.