1 Timothy 5:4

5:3-8 Honour widows that are widows indeed, relieve them, and maintain them. It is the duty of children, if their parents are in need, and they are able to relieve them, to do it to the utmost of their power. Widowhood is a desolate state; but let widows trust in the Lord, and continue in prayer. All who live in pleasure, are dead while they live, spiritually dead, dead in trespasses and sins. Alas, what numbers there are of this description among nominal Christians, even to the latest period of life! If any men or women do not maintain their poor relations, they in effect deny the faith. If they spend upon their lusts and pleasures, what should maintain their families, they have denied the faith, and are worse than infidels. If professors of the gospel give way to any corrupt principle or conduct, they are worse than those who do not profess to believe the doctrines of grace.

{3} But if any widow have children or nephews, let them learn first to shew piety {4} at home, and {5} to requite their parents: {6} for that is good and acceptable before God. (3) Widow's children and nephews must take care of their parents according to their ability. (4) The first reason, because that which they bestow upon their parents, they bestow it upon themselves. (5) Another, because nature itself teaches us to repay our parents. (6) The third: because this duty pleases God.

But if any widow have children or nephews: by the widows indeed, mentioned by the apostle, 1 Timothy 5:3 , he here showeth that he meant women that not only wanted husbands, but children, or grandchildren or any near kindred that were Christians, and in a capacity to relieve them; but if any widows had any such near relations, the apostle willeth that they should be taught to shew piety at home; ton idion oikon eusebein, word for word, to worship their own house, or to be religious or godly toward their own house; that is, to show a respect or pagan homage to their own house. For worship is nothing but a respect, honour, or homage paid to another in consideration of his or her excellency and superiority; only the use of this word, which is the Greek word generally used to express religion and godliness by, lets us know that religion and godliness is vainly pretended to any that have of this world’s goods, and relieve not those from whom they are descended, (for the word ekgona signifies persons descended from another, whether in the first generation or not), if they be in want, and stand in need of their assistance. And to requite their parents: nor is this an act of charity, but justice, a just requital of our parents for their care of us, and pains with us in our education.

For that is good and acceptable before God; and this is good, just, decent, and commanded by God, and acceptable in the sight of God, for the precept: Honour thy father and mother, is the first commandment with promise, Ephesians 6:2 . By the way, that precept is excellently expounded by this text, both as to the act commanded, which this text teacheth is to be extended to maintenance as well as compliments; and as to the object, viz. all those as to whom we are ekgona, descended from, whether immediate parents, yea or no.

1 Timothy 5:4 . Μανθανέτωσαν , let them learn ) i.e. let the sons learn; and rather the grandsons, for in the correlative progenitors ( τοῖς προγόνοις ) alone are mentioned. There is an elegant Metonymy of the antecedent for the consequent; the consequent is, that the widows should remain with their relations (viz. their sons or grandchildren).— πρῶτον τὸν ἴδιον , first their own ) before they are put into any public office (duty).— οἷκου εὐσεβεῖν , to treat their family with dutiful affection ) We have the same word with the accusative, Acts 17:23 . The reason (ground) for the dutiful conduct enjoined, is evident from the end of the verse.— ἀμοιβὰς ἀποδιδόναι τοῖς προγόνοις , to requite their progenitors [ parents , Engl. Vers.]) Some think that the duty of widows who have families, is here intended; and Pricæus compares with this passage that of Augustine regarding his mother Monica, She had requited her parents, she had treated her family with pious affection , 1 Timothy 1:9 , Confess, 100:9. That saying of the Roman censors in reference to old bachelors is quite in accordance with this: Nature writes in you the law, as of being born, so also of begetting; and your parents, by supporting you, have bound you, if you have any shame, to pay the debt of bringing up grandchildren (for them).—Val. Max., l. 2, c. 4. But the word μανθανέτωσαν , let them learn , and its plural number, shows that the matter under discussion, is the duty of children and grandchildren.

Nephews (ἔκγονα) N.T.o. Often in lxx. Nephews, in the now obsolete sense of grandsons or other lineal descendants. Derived from Lat. nepos. Trench (Select Glossary) remarks that nephew was undergone exactly the same change of meaning that nepos underwent, which, in the Augustan age, meaning grandson, in the post-Augustan age acquired the signification of nephew in our present acceptation of that word. Chaucer: "How that my nevew shall my bane be." Legend of Good Women, 2659. 'His (Jove's) blind nevew Cupido." House of Fame, 67. Jeremy Taylor: "Nephews are very often liken to their grandfathers than to their fathers." Let them learn The subject is the children and grandchildren. Holtzmann thinks the subject is any widow, used collectively. But the writer is treating of what should be done to the widow, not of what she is to do. The admonition is connected with widows indeed. They, as being utterly bereft, and without natural supporters, are to be cared for by the church; but if they have children or grandchildren, these should assume their maintenance. First (πρῶτον) In the first place: as their first and natural obligation. To show piety at home (τὸν ἴδιον οἶκον εὐσεβεῖν) More correctly, to show piety toward their own family. Piety in the sense of filial respect, though not to the exclusion of the religious sense. The Lat. pietas includes alike love and duty to the gods and to parents.

Thus Virgil's familiar designation of Aeneas, "pius Aeneas," as describing at once his reverence for the gods and his filial devotion. The verb εὐσεβεῖν (only here and Acts 17:23) represents filial respect as an element of godliness (εὐσέβεια). For τὸν ἴδιον their own, see on Acts 1:7. It emphasizes their private, personal belonging, and contrasts the assistance given by them with that furnished by the church. It has been suggested that οἶκον household or family may mark the duty as an act of family feeling and honor. To requite (ἀμοιβὰς ἀποδιδόναι) continued...

4. if any widow have children—not "a widow indeed," as having children who ought to support her. nephews—rather, as Greek, "descendants," or "grandchildren" [Hesychius]. "Nephews" in old English meant "grandchildren" [Hooker, Ecclesiastical Polity, 5.20]. let them—the children and descendants. learn first—ere it falls to the Church to support them. to show piety at home—filial piety towards their widowed mother or grandmother, by giving her sustenance. Literally, "to show piety towards their own house." "Piety is applied to the reverential discharge of filial duties; as the parental relation is the earthly representation of God our heavenly Father's relation to us. "Their own" stands in opposition to the Church, in relation to which the widow is comparatively a stranger. She has a claim on her own children, prior to her claim on the Church; let them fulfil this prior claim which she has on them, by sustaining her and not burdening the Church. parents—Greek, (living) "progenitors," that is, their mother or grandmother, as the case may be. "Let them learn," implies that abuses of this kind had crept into the Church, widows claiming Church support though they had children or grandchildren able to support them. good and—The oldest manuscripts omit. The words are probably inserted by a transcriber from 1Ti 2:3.

Verse 4. - Hath for have , A.V.; grandchildren for nephews , A.V.; towards their own family for at home , A.V.; this for that , A.V.; acceptable in the sight of for good and acceptable before , A.V. and T.R. Grandchildren ( ἔκγονα ; only here in the New Testament, but common in the LXX. and in classical Greek); descendants, children or grandchildren (as on the other hand, πρόγονοι in this verse includes grandparents as well as parents ). In Latin nepotes , "descendants;" nos neveux (in French), "our descendants;" and so the English word "nephews" (derived from nepos , through the French neveu ) properly means, and is commonly so used in all old English writers, as e.g. , in Holinshed (Richardson's Dictionary), "their nephews, or sons' sons, which reigned in the third place." Locke's phrase, "a nephew by a brother," seems to show the transition to the modern use of "nephew." But as the old meaning of "nephews" is now obsolete, it is better to substitute "grandchildren," as in the R.V. Let them learn. Clearly "the children or grandchildren" is the subject. To show piety towards ( εὐσεβεῖν ). In the only other passage in the New Testament where this word occurs, Acts 17:23 , it has also an accusative of the person - "whom ye worship." In classical Greek also εὐσεβεῖν τινα is used as well as εἰς , or περὶ , or πρὸς τινα .. Their own family , of which the widowed mother or grandmother formed a part.

The force of τὸν ἴδον οῖκον , " their own family," lies in the implied contrast with the Church. As long as a widow has members of her own house who are able to support her, the Church ought net to be burdened (see ver. 16). To requite ( ἀμοιβὰς ἀποδίδοναι ); literally, to give back the return or exchange due . Ἀμοιβή is only found here in the New Testament, but is not uncommon in the LXX., and is much used in the best classical authors. The πρόγονοι had nourished and cared for them in their childhood; they must requite that care by honoring and supporting them in their old age. This is acceptable ( ἀπόδεκτον ); only here in the New Testament or LXX., and rarely if ever in classical Greek. The same idea is expressed in 1 Timothy 1:15 , by πάσης ἀποδοχῆς ἄξιος , and in 1 Peter 2:19, 20 , by χάρις Τοῦτο χάρις παρὰ Θεῷ , "This is acceptable with God." 1 Timothy 5:4

4 . children or nephews ] Rather, grandchildren , ‘nephews’ no longer having this meaning as in the time of Jeremy Taylor, who says, ‘If naturalists say true, that nephews are often liker to their grandfathers than to their fathers.’ to shew piety ] The deeper meaning given to this word above, 1 Timothy 2:2 , 1 Timothy 3:8 , &c., is not lost here, though it be practical godliness. Our Lord’s own teaching on this very subject, Matthew 15:3-6 , is just this word, ‘writ large.’ to shew piety at home ] More accurately towards their own house . If it is a little strained to speak of the children learning to shew piety towards their own house when the care of parents or grandparents is meant, it is much more strained to speak of aged widows requiting their parents by the care of their own children or grandchildren. ‘Let the children learn,’ then it should run. In answer to Bp Wordsworth’s objections to this, notice (1) that the Apostle’s whole subject is Christian duty towards widows, (2) that the repetition in 1 Timothy 5:16 is only in keeping with other repetitions of the passage, (3) that the word ‘learn’ here has a clause dependent upon it and so differs in sense from 1 Timothy 5:13 , 1 Timothy 2:11 , and 2 Timothy 3:7 , where it is absolute. The plural verb is used, although the subject to be supplied is in the neuter, according to the common N.T. use in the case of persons: e.g.