KJV King James Version
A bishop then must be blameless, the husband of one wife, vigilant, sober, of good behaviour, given to hospitality, apt to teach;
VERSE STUDY • KJV
1 Timothy 3:2
A bishop then must be blameless, the husband of one wife, vigilant, sober, of good behaviour, given to hospitality, apt to teach;
Read it in 5 translations
BSB Berean Standard Bible
An overseer, then, must be above reproach, the husband of but one wife, temperate, self-controlled, respectable, hospitable, able to teach,
WEB World English Bible
The overseer therefore must be without reproach, the husband of one wife, temperate, sensible, modest, hospitable, good at teaching;
ASV American Standard Version
The bishop therefore must be without reproach, the husband of one wife, temperate, sober-minded, orderly, given to hospitality, apt to teach;
YLT Young’s Literal Translation
it behoveth, therefore, the overseer to be blameless, of one wife a husband, vigilant, sober, decent, a friend of strangers, apt to teach,
Surrounding context — 1 Timothy 3
1 This [is] a true saying, If a man desire the office of a bishop, he desireth a good work.
2 A bishop then must be blameless, the husband of one wife, vigilant, sober, of good behaviour, given to hospitality, apt to teach;
3 Not given to wine, no striker, not greedy of filthy lucre; but patient, not a brawler, not covetous;
4 One that ruleth well his own house, having his children in subjection with all gravity;
5 (For if a man know not how to rule his own house, how shall he take care of the church of God?)
Topics connected to this verse
Original-language word links
These Hebrew/Greek tokens are linked by Strong's number. Click one for its lexicon definition and other occurrences.
δεῖG1163 · deibe necessaryοὖνG3767 · ountherefore/thenτὸνG3588 · hothe/this/whoἐπίσκοπονG1985 · episkoposoverseerἀνεπίλημπτονG423 · anepilēptosirreproachableεἶναι,G1511 · einaito existμιᾶςG1520 · ehisoneγυναικὸςG1135 · gunēwomanἄνδρα,G435 · anērmanνηφάλιον,G3524 · nēphaleossoberσώφρονα,G4998 · sōphrōnself-controlledκόσμιον,G2887 · kosmiosrespectableφιλόξενον,G5382 · philoxenoshospitableδιδακτικόν,G1317 · didaktikosable to teach
Cross-references
2 Timothy 2:24And the servant of the Lord must not strive; but be gentle unto all [men], apt to teach, patient,Titus 1:6-9If any be blameless, the husband of one wife, having faithful children not accused of riot or unruly.Romans 12:13Distributing to the necessity of saints; given to hospitality.1 Timothy 5:9Let not a widow be taken into the number under threescore years old, having been the wife of one man,1 Peter 4:9Use hospitality one to another without grudging.1 Timothy 3:10-11And let these also first be proved; then let them use the office of a deacon, being [found] blameless.1 Peter 5:8Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour:Philippians 2:15That ye may be blameless and harmless, the sons of God, without rebuke, in the midst of a crooked and perverse nation, among whom ye shine as lights in the world;Titus 2:2That the aged men be sober, grave, temperate, sound in faith, in charity, in patience.Hebrews 13:2Be not forgetful to entertain strangers: for thereby some have entertained angels unawares.Hebrews 3:14For we are made partakers of Christ, if we hold the beginning of our confidence stedfast unto the end;1 Timothy 4:3Forbidding to marry, [and commanding] to abstain from meats, which God hath created to be received with thanksgiving of them which believe and know the truth.Luke 1:6And they were both righteous before God, walking in all the commandments and ordinances of the Lord blameless.1 Peter 4:7But the end of all things is at hand: be ye therefore sober, and watch unto prayer.Isaiah 56:10His watchmen [are] blind: they are all ignorant, they [are] all dumb dogs, they cannot bark; sleeping, lying down, loving to slumber.
HISTORICAL INTERPRETATION
Compare classic commentaries on 1 Timothy 3:2
Put Matthew Henry, Adam Clarke, Calvin, Wesley, Barnes, Jamieson–Fausset–Brown, Aquinas’ Catena and other public-domain sources beside the passage.
Compare commentaries →