1 Timothy 5:24

5:17-25 Care must be taken that ministers are maintained. And those who are laborious in this work are worthy of double honour and esteem. It is their just due, as much as the reward of the labourer. The apostle charges Timothy solemnly to guard against partiality. We have great need to watch at all times, that we do not partake of other men's sins. Keep thyself pure, not only from doing the like thyself, but from countenancing it, or any way helping to it in others. The apostle also charges Timothy to take care of his health. As we are not to make our bodies masters, so neither slaves; but to use them so that they may be most helpful to us in the service of God. There are secret, and there are open sins: some men's sins are open before-hand, and going before unto judgment; some they follow after. God will bring to light the hidden things of darkness, and make known the counsels of all hearts. Looking forward to the judgment-day, let us all attend to our proper offices, whether in higher or lower stations, studying that the name and doctrine of God may never be blasphemed on our account.

{20} Some men's sins are open beforehand, going before to judgment; and some men they follow after. (20) Because hypocrites sometimes creep into the ministry, even though there is ever so great diligence used, the apostle wishes the pastors not to be therefore troubled, or slack at all in their diligence in trying and examining, because the Lord has appointed a time to discover the faults of such men, and it is our duty to take heed that we do not offend in our trying and examining.

The sense of this verse depends upon the term krisin, which we translate judgment, it being doubtful whether it is to be understood of the judgment of God, or the judgment of men in ecclesiastical judicatories. If we understand the words of the judgment of God, the sense is this: Some men’s sins are punished in this life, before their persons come before God’s judgment-seat; others are more private and concealed, the punishment of which follows after. But this interpretation must suppose Paul here to run into another argument, differing from what he had before spoken upon, which though it be not unusual with the apostle, yet there being no need we should say he doth so in this place, I rather incline to think, that by judgment is in this place meant the judgement of the church, as to persons fit to be trusted with any part of the ministry of it: Some men (saith the apostle) are open, lewd, scandalous persons, whose erroneousness, or sottish life, hath been manifest before they offer themselves to the church’s judgment, to be put into the office of elders or deacons; concerning these thy way is plain, admit them not. Others discover not the erroneousness of their principles, nor the impetuousness of their lusts, before they have obtained what they aim at, and are got into office; for these, they must fall under thy judgment, when they do discover what they are, and turn them out again.

1 Timothy 5:24 . Τινῶν , of some ) Not only is the aspect of the sins which are committed [ i.e the footing on which they stand, the point of view from which they are to be regarded] different, but also of the men, though committing the same sins.— αἱ ἁμαρτίαι , the sins ) their evil deeds, and their evil habits to be known from the former.— πρόδηλοι ) manifest before any inquiry is made, or anything determined concerning the men.— προάγουσαι ) going before , preceding him that commits them, so that he is immediately seen to be unworthy of the imposition of hands. The antithesis is, follow after .— εἰς κρίσιν ) [Engl. Vers. to judgment ] so far as concerns the judgment to be formed of the men.— τισὶ ) That is more emphatic than if he had repeated τινῶν ; some also their own sins follow.— ἐπακαλουθοῦσι follow after ) Meanwhile we must wait patiently, till the matter fully discloses itself, and we must not inquire too harshly. God, however, directs His faithful servant to do and say what is seasonable. The preposition ἐπὶ implies no long interval.

Open beforehand (προδηλοί) A.V. wrong in giving πρὸ a temporal force, whereas it merely strengthens δηλοί evident, manifest. The meaning is openly manifested to all eyes. In N.T. only here, 1 Timothy 5:25, and Hebrews 7:14. In lxx, see Judith 8:29; 2 Macc. 3:17; 14:39. Going before to judgment (προάγουσαι εἰς κρίσιν) Προάγειν, oP. In N.T. habitually with a local meaning, either intransitive, as Matthew 2:9; Matthew 14:22; Mark 11:9; or transitive, as Acts 12:6; Acts 17:5. The meaning here is that these open sins go before their perpetrator to the judgment-seat like heralds, proclaiming their sentence in advance. Κρίσιν, not specifically of the judgment of men or of the final judgment of God, or of the sentence of an ecclesiastical court - but indefinitely. The writer would say: no judicial utterance is necessary to condemn them of these sins. The word in Paul, only 2 Thessalonians 1:5. They follow after (ἐπακολουθοῦσιν) The verb only here, 1 Timothy 5:24, 1 Peter 2:21, and (the disputed) Mark 16:20. The sins follow up the offender to the bar of judgment, and are first made openly manifest there.

24. Two kinds of sins are specified: those palpably manifest (so the Greek for "open beforehand" ought to be translated; so in Heb 7:14, it is translated "evident"; literally, "before" the eyes, that is, notorious), further explained as "going before to judgment"; and those which follow after the men ("some men they, that is, their sins, follow after"), namely, not going beforehand, loudly accusing, but hidden till they come to the judgment: so 1Ti 5:25, the good works are of two classes: those palpably manifest (translate so, instead of "manifest beforehand") and "those that are otherwise," that is, not palpably manifest. Both alike "cannot be hid"; the former class in the case of bad and good are manifest already; the latter class in the case of both are not manifest now, but shall be so at the final judgment. going before to judgment—as heralds; crying sins which accuse their perpetrator.

The connection seems to me this: He had enjoined Timothy, 1Ti 5:20, "Rebuke them that sin before all": and in 1Ti 5:22, "Neither be partaker of other men's sins," by ordaining ungodly men; having then by a digression at the clause, "keep thyself pure," guarded against an ascetical error of Timothy in fancying purity consisted in asceticism, and having exhorted him to use wine for strengthening him in his work, he returns to the subject of his being vigorous as an overseer in rebuking sin, whether in presbyters or people, and in avoiding participation in men's sins by ordaining ungodly candidates. He says, therefore, there are two classes of sins, as there are two classes of good works: those palpably manifest, and those not so; the former are those on which thou shouldest act decidedly at once when called on, whether to rebuke in general, or to ordain ministers in particular; as to the latter, the final judgment alone can decide; however hidden now they "cannot be hid" then. This could only be said of the final judgment (1Co 4:5; therefore, Alford's reference of this verse to Timothy's judgment in choosing elders must be wrong); all judgments before then are fallible.

Verse 24. - Evident for open beforehand , A.V.; unto for to , A.V.; men also for men , A.V. Some men's sins , etc. St. Paul is evidently here recurring to the topic which he had been dealing with ever since ver. 17, viz. Timothy's duty as a bishop, to whom was entrusted the selection of persons for the office of elder, or presbyter, and also the maintaining of discipline among his clergy. Alford sees the connection of the precept about drinking a little wine with what went before, and with this twenty-fourth verse, in the supposed circumstance that Timothy's weak health had somewhat weakened the vigor of his rule; and that the recommendation to leave off water-drinking was given more with a view to the firmer discharge of those duties than merely for his bodily comfort. This may be so. But there is nothing unlike St. Paul's manner in the supposition that he had done with the subject in hand at the end of the twenty-second verse, and passed on to the friendly hint with regard to Timothy's health, but then subjoined the fresh remarks in vers. 24 and 25, which were an afterthought. Evident ( πρόδηλοι ); only found in the New Testament, in Hebrews 7:14 besides these two verses, and in the apocryphal books of the Old Testament. It is common, with the kindred forms, προδηλόω προδήλωσις , etc., in classical Greek.

It is doubted whether πρὸ in this compound verb has the force of "beforehand," as in the A.V., and not rather that of "before the eyes of all," and therefore only intensifies the meaning of δηλόω . But the natural force of πρὸ in composition certainly is "before" in point of time; and hence in a compound like πρόδηλος would mean" evident before it is examined," which of course is equivalent to "very evident." St. Paul's meaning, therefore, would be: Some men's sins are notorious, requiring no careful inquisition in order to find them out; nay, they of themselves go before - before the sinner himself - unto judgment. But there are also some whose sins follow after them. It is not till after close inquiry that they are found out. They go up to the judgment-seat apparently innocent, but after a while their sins come trooping up to their condemnation. This enforces the caution, "Lay hands hastily on no man." 1 Timothy 5:24

24 . It is most natural to regard 1 Timothy 5:24-25 as a review under a fresh aspect of the two main duties urged upon Timothy in the paragraph; just as in the former paragraph, 1 Timothy 5:3-16 , 1 Timothy 5:16 is similarly related to its preceding context. The meaning thus will be; ‘I have bidden you in rebuking your presbyters “to be so merciful that you be not too remiss, so to minister discipline that you forget not mercy”; remember how quickly sometimes error stands “self-condemned,” how slow at other times its evil is in working out. Again, in rewarding your presbyters I have bidden you, as a wise and faithful servant, “give to God’s family their portion in due season,” by deserved promotion and preferment; remember how readily some clerical “good work” comes to the front, while yet the more quiet pastoral service cannot be left in the dark and cold.’ are open beforehand ] Better, as R.V., are evident ; the preposition in the compound adjective only signifies ‘at once’ ‘before one’s eyes;’ the word is used just as we use ‘evident’ in geometrical proof, in Hebrews 7:14 , ‘For it is evident that our Lord sprang out of Juda.’ going before to judgment ] The verb is common in the Gospels in its simple sense, e.g.

Mark 11:9 , ‘they that went before and they that followed;’ here, somewhat metaphorically, it describes the obtrusive forward character of ‘advanced’ teaching and ‘fast’ living; cf. 2 John 1:9 , ‘every one that goeth forward,’ ‘that advances in bold confidence beyond the limits set to the Christian Faith’ (Bp Westcott). The judgment is that of Timothy and of the Church. The clause seems to recur compressed into one word, Titus 3:11 , ‘such an one sinneth , being self-condemned ’ or ‘self-judged.’ Our metaphors ‘ patent error,’ ‘ rampant vice,’ are modern representatives of the two phrases. some men they follow after ] More exactly, some men they only follow after ; the evil consequences and evil repute are slow in attaching themselves.