1 Timothy 1:2
in 1 Timothy 1To Timothy, my true child in the faith: Grace, mercy, and peace from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Lord.
BSB
The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾
ASV
unto Timothy, my true child in faith: Grace, mercy, peace, from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Lord.
KJV
Unto Timothy, my own son in the faith: Grace, mercy, and peace, from God our Father and Jesus Christ our Lord.
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This verse in 1 Timothy 1
Commentary
11 notes on this verseMy own son in the faith - Brought to salvation through Christ by my ministry alone. Probably the apostle speaks here according to this Jewish maxim: כל המלמר בן תכירו תורה מעלה עליו הכתוב כאלו ילרו He who teaches the law to his neighbour’s son is considered by the Scripture as if he had begotten him; Sanhedrin, fol. xix.
This site's exposition
an apostle of Christ Jesus
on 1 Timothy 1:1-2
Paul writes as an apostle of Christ Jesus by the command of God our Savior. The letter gives the title Savior to God at its first line.
This site's exposition
my true child in the faith
Paul calls Timothy his true child in the faith, a son by conversion and training rather than by birth. Clarke cites a Jewish saying that whoever teaches his neighbour's son the law is counted as his father.
The record, by era
The Church Fathers2 voices
"Unto Timothy, my own son in the faith." This too is encouraging. For if he evinced such faith as to be called peculiarly Paul's "own" son, he might be confident also with respect to the future. For it is the part of faith not to be cast down or disturbed, though circumstances occur that seem contrary to the promises. But observe he says, "my son," and even "mine own son," and yet he is not of the same substance. But what? was he of irrational kind? "Well," says one, "he was not of Paul, so this does not imply 'being of' another." What then? was he of another substance? Neither was it so, for after saying "mine own son," he adds, "in the faith," to show that he was really "his own son," and truly from him. There was no difference. The likeness he bore to him was in respect to his faith, as in human births there is a likeness in respect of substance. The son is like the father in human beings, but with respect to God the proximity is greater. For here a father and a son, though of the same substance, differ in many particulars, as in color, figure, understanding, age, bent of mind, endowments of soul and body, and in many other things they may be like or unlike, but there is no such dissimilarity in the divine Essence. "By commandment." This is a stronger expression than "called", as we learn from other passages. As he here calls Timothy "mine own son," in like manner he says to the Corinthians, "in Christ Jesus I have begotten you," i.e. in faith; but he adds the word "own," to show his particular likeness to himself, as well as his own love and great affection for him. Notice again the "in" applied to the faith. […]
To Timothy, a genuine child in the faith: Grace, mercy, and peace from God our Father and Christ Jesus our Lord. a genuine child. Wow! The faith that Timothy demonstrated, that even through it he became a genuine child of Paul! For nothing changed according …
The Medieval Church2 voices
That is, begotten by me through faith. The preposition "in" – εν – means "through," as the apostle also says elsewhere: "I have begotten you in Christ Jesus through the gospel" (1 Cor. 4:15). And praising him, he calls him not only a son, but …
He describes the person greeted from three viewpoints: first, from his name, when he says, to Timothy: there was a certain disciple there named Timothy (Acts 16:1); second from his love, when he says, his beloved: for I have no man so of the same …
The Puritans and the Awakening1 voice
Grace, mercy, peace - St. Paul wishes grace and peace in his epistles to the churches. To Timotheus he adds mercy, the most tender grace towards those who stand in need of it.
3 more voices on this verse
The Puritans and the Awakening1 voice
Unto Timothy my own son in the faith,....
The Nineteenth Century2 voices
A commentator
Jamieson, Fausset & Brown1802–1910
Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871)
God extends His grace to men as they are guilty; His "mercy" to them as they are miserable [TRENCH]. Jesus Christ--The oldest manuscripts read the order, "Christ Jesus." In the Pastoral Epistles "Christ" is often put before "Jesus," to give prominence to the fact that the Messianic promises of the Old Testament, well known to Timothy (2Ti 3:15), were fulfilled in Jesus.
A commentator
Albert Barnes1798–1870
Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869)
proposed
Unto Timothy - For an account of Timothy, see Intro. Section 1. My own son in the faith - Converted to the Christian faith by my instrumentality, and regarded by me with the affection of a father; see notes, 1Co 4:15. Paul had no children of his own, and he adopted Timothy as a son, and uniformly regarded and treated him as such. He had the same feeling also toward Titus; Tit 1:4; compare Gal 4:19 note; 1Th 2:7, 1Th 2:11 notes; and Phm 1:10 note. Grace, mercy, and peace, ... - See the notes, Rom 1:7.
The words behind it
17 Greek wordsEvery Greek word of this verse in the order it stands, with what it means and the door to its own study. The last column counts the times a word stands in the whole Bible: the rarer the word, the more the places it appears belong together.
| Greek | Sound | Meaning | Word study | In the Bible |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Τιμοθέῳ | timotheo | To Timothy | G5095 → | 24 times |
| γνησίῳ | gnesio | [my] true | G1103 → | |
| τέκνῳ | tekno | child | G5043 → | 99 times |
| ἐν | en | in | G1722 → | 2738 times |
| πίστει· | pistei | [the] faith: | G4102 → | 242 times |
| χάρις, | charis | Grace, | G5485 → | 153 times |
| ἔλεος, | eleos | mercy, | G1656 → | |
| εἰρήνη | eirene | [and] peace | G1515 → | |
| ἀπὸ | apo | from | G575 → | 640 times |
| θεοῦ | theou | God | G2316 → | 1312 times |
| πατρὸς | patros | [the] Father | G3962 → | |
| καὶ | kai | and | G2532 → | 9120 times |
| Χριστοῦ | christou | Christ | G5547 → | 523 times |
| Ἰησοῦ | iesou | Jesus | G2424 → | 908 times |
| τοῦ | tou | the | G3588 → | 19766 times |
| κυρίου | kuriou | Lord | G2962 → | 711 times |
| ἡμῶν.¶ | hemon | of us. | G3165 → | 1936 times |
ΤιμοθέῳTo Timothy
timotheoG5095 →24 times
γνησίῳ[my] true
gnesioG1103 →
τέκνῳchild
teknoG5043 →99 times
ἐνin
enG1722 →2738 times
πίστει·[the] faith:
pisteiG4102 →242 times
χάρις,Grace,
charisG5485 →153 times
ἔλεος,mercy,
eleosG1656 →
εἰρήνη[and] peace
eireneG1515 →
ἀπὸfrom
apoG575 →640 times
θεοῦGod
theouG2316 →1312 times
πατρὸς[the] Father
patrosG3962 →
καὶand
kaiG2532 →9120 times
ΧριστοῦChrist
christouG5547 →523 times
ἸησοῦJesus
iesouG2424 →908 times
τοῦthe
touG3588 →19766 times
κυρίουLord
kuriouG2962 →711 times
ἡμῶν.¶of us.
hemonG3165 →1936 times
A shaded row is a word that stands 400 times or fewer in the Bible.
The walk
8 stopsEach card is a verse this one points to, and under it the verses that one points to in turn. Where several paths arrive at the same place, that place is listed first: the text keeps returning to it.
Through
2 Timothy 1:2To Timothy, my beloved child: Grace, mercy, and peace from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Lord.
it leads to
- 2 Timothy 2:1
You therefore, my child, be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus.
- Acts 16:1
Paul came to Derbe and then to Lystra, where he found a disciple named Timothy, the son of a believing Jewish woman and a Greek father.
- Romans 1:7
To all in Rome who are loved by God and called to be saints: Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
- 2 Timothy 2:1
Through
Titus 1:4To Titus, my true child in our common faith: Grace and peace from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Savior.
it leads to
- 2 Timothy 1:2
To Timothy, my beloved child: Grace, mercy, and peace from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Lord.
- Jude 1:3
Beloved, although I made every effort to write to you about the salvation we share, I felt it necessary to write and urge you to contend earnestly for the faith entrusted once for all…
- 2 Peter 1:1
Simon Peter, a servant and apostle of Jesus Christ, To those who through the righteousness of our God and Savior Jesus Christ have received a faith as precious as ours:
- 2 Corinthians 2:13
I had no peace in my spirit, because I did not find my brother Titus there. So I said goodbye to them and went on to Macedonia.
- 2 Peter 1:11
and you will receive a lavish reception into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
- 2 Timothy 1:2
Where this verse is studied
On this page
Studies12
On this verse
About 1 Timothy
Who and where
1 name in this verse with a page on the site.
This page draws on 11 works. Open the list of works
This page draws on Adam Clarke, Commentary on the Bible; Albert Barnes, Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869); Jamieson, Fausset & Brown, Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible; John Chrysostom, Homily on 1 Timothy 1; John Gill, Exposition of the New Testament; John Gill, Exposition of the New Testament (1746-1748); John Wesley, Explanatory Notes upon the New Testament; Matthew Henry, Commentary on the Whole Bible; Oecumenius, COMMENTARY ON 1 TIMOTHY; Theophylact of Ohrid, Commentary on 1 Timothy and Thomas Aquinas, Commentary on 1 Timothy.