1 Timothy 4

1 Timothy · Chapter 4

1 Timothy 4:2

1Now the Spirit speaketh expressly, that in the latter times some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits, and doctrines of devils;2Speaking lies in hypocrisy; having their conscience seared with a hot iron;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.4For every creature of God is good, and nothing to be refused, if it be received with thanksgiving:5For it is sanctified by the word of God and prayer.6If thou put the brethren in remembrance of these things, thou shalt be a good minister of Jesus Christ, nourished up in the words of faith and of good doctrine, whereunto thou hast attained.7But refuse profane and old wives’ fables, and exercise thyself rather unto godliness.8For bodily exercise profiteth little: but godliness is profitable unto all things, having promise of the life that now is, and of that which is to come.9This is a faithful saying and worthy of all acceptation.10For therefore we both labour and suffer reproach, because we trust in the living God, who is the Saviour of all men, specially of those that believe.11These things command and teach.12Let no man despise thy youth; but be thou an example of the believers, in word, in conversation, in charity, in spirit, in faith, in purity.13Till I come, give attendance to reading, to exhortation, to doctrine.14Neglect not the gift that is in thee, which was given thee by prophecy, with the laying on of the hands of the presbytery.15Meditate upon these things; give thyself wholly to them; that thy profiting may appear to all.16Take heed unto thyself, and unto the doctrine; continue in them: for in doing this thou shalt both save thyself, and them that hear thee.

King James Version (1769)

Other translations

VerseKJVBSBASV
2Speaking lies in hypocrisy; having their conscience seared with a hot iron;influenced by the hypocrisy of liars, whose consciences are seared with a hot iron.through the hypocrisy of men that speak lies, branded in their own conscience as with a hot iron;

In context

AI-assisted, sourced

This verse continues a sentence that starts in 4:1. The Spirit warns that some will leave the faith by following deceiving spirits and teachings from demons. Verse 2 describes the human teachers who spread those teachings: they lie while pretending to be godly, and their consciences are branded as if with a hot iron. 1 Timothy 4:11 Timothy 4:2

SpeakingPaul the apostle writes the letter. He passes on what the Spirit says clearly about the latter times. 1 Timothy overview1 Timothy 4:1

ToTimothy, Paul's younger co-worker, whom Paul left to lead the church at Ephesus. 1 Timothy overview

Also involvedThe false teachers who lead people away from the faith. Verse 3 shows they forbid marriage and command people to avoid certain foods. 1 Timothy 4:11 Timothy 4:3

The verse names two marks of these teachers. They speak lies in hypocrisy, and their conscience is "seared with a hot iron." The next verse describes what they teach: forbidding marriage and rejecting foods God created. 1 Timothy 4:21 Timothy 4:3Strong's G5272Strong's G2743

The letter is addressed to the church in Ephesus, a wealthy port city and capital of the Roman province of Asia. The text does not say where Paul wrote from, though he may have been in Macedonia. 1 Timothy overview

ACHAIAASIAGALATIAAegean SeaEphesusLaodiceaMiletusPhilippiThessalonicaCorinth

The eventsPaul speaks of 'the latter times,' when some will depart from the faith. The rest of the chapter treats this as a danger Timothy must deal with now, by reminding the believers of these things. 1 Timothy 4:11 Timothy 4:6

WrittenTraditional view: Paul wrote about AD 62-64, between his two Roman imprisonments. Scholarly view: many critical scholars date it around AD 80-110 and think a follower wrote it in Paul's name; others defend Paul's authorship and the earlier date. 1 Timothy overview

HerePaul describes the false teachers so Timothy can recognize and confront them. He then tells Timothy to refuse such fables and train himself in godliness. 1 Timothy overview1 Timothy 4:61 Timothy 4:7

In the whole of ScriptureThe letter teaches that sound teaching and godly living belong together. Here false teaching is linked to dishonest speech and a damaged conscience. It stands against the truth that everything God created is good when received with thanksgiving. 1 Timothy overview1 Timothy 4:41 Timothy 4:5

For readersReaders are urged to watch both their own lives and their teaching. Paul says that in doing this Timothy would save both himself and those who hear him. 1 Timothy 4:16

Christians read this differently

Readers differ on 'the latter times' in 4:1. Some take it as a warning about a future period just before the end. Others take it as the whole age of the church, including Paul's own day, since Timothy is told to deal with these teachers now. The sources here do not settle the question. 1 Timothy 4:11 Timothy 4:61 Timothy overview

  • speaking liesψευδολόγος
    Greek · pseudologos · G5573

    The Greek word describes people as 'speakers of lies.' So the demonic teachings of 4:1 spread through human liars, not only through spirits. Strong's G55731 Timothy 4:1

  • hypocrisyὑπόκρισις
    Greek · hupokrisis · G5272

    The word first meant play-acting, then pretence. These teachers look religious, but their piety is a mask. Strong's G5272

  • searedκαυτηριάζω
    Greek · kautēriazō · G2743

    The word means to mark by branding. The lexicon notes the KJV's "seared" and an older rendering "scar," and points to other readings of the image. Strong's G2743

  • conscienceσυνείδησις
    Greek · suneidēsis · G4893

    Conscience is the inner sense that judges oneself. Elsewhere this letter praises a good and pure conscience, so a branded conscience is the opposite of the healthy faith Paul wants. Strong's G4893

Takeaway

This verse is not a general label for anyone who sins without guilt. It describes false teachers whose pious-sounding lies come from a damaged conscience. Timothy is to answer them with sound teaching and a godly example. 1 Timothy 4:21 Timothy 4:31 Timothy 4:121 Timothy 4:16

Drafted by AI from the Scripture and data shown under “Show sources,” then checked automatically and by a second AI pass. Updated 2026-10-22.

The world around the text

Behind this verse

Ephesus: The church at Ephesus
Priscilla and Aquila taught there, and Paul stayed about three years, teaching daily in the school of Tyrannus. Saying farewell to its elders, he warned that from among themselves men would arise "speaking perverse things, to draw away disciples after them." Acts 18:24-26Acts 19:9-10Acts 20:17Acts 20:29-31

About AD 62-64. Roman emperor: Nero (AD 54-68). Where Timothy was when Paul wrote. A port city on the west coast of today's Turkey and the greatest market of the province of Asia.

Who ruled
  • Roman emperorNeroAD 54-68

    Emperor over the whole Roman world, including Ephesus, Macedonia and Judea. When Paul appealed to Caesar as a Roman citizen, the Caesar was Nero. Paul tells Timothy to have prayers made "for kings, and for all that are in authority." Acts 25:10-12Acts 28:161 Timothy 2:1-2Suetonius, NeroTacitus, Annals 13-16

  • Governor of the province where Ephesus stoodThe proconsul of AsiaOne-year terms

    Asia was governed by a proconsul, a former consul appointed by the Senate for a year at a time, who heard cases in the province's leading cities. During the riot in Ephesus the town clerk reminded the crowd that "the law is open, and there are deputies" (proconsuls). Acts 19:38-39Strabo, Geography 17.3.25

  • Jewish client kingHerod Agrippa IIc. AD 50-90s

    Ruled territories north and east of Galilee under Rome and had the right to appoint the high priest in Jerusalem. He heard Paul's defense with Festus and told him, "Almost thou persuadest me to be a Christian." Acts 25:13Acts 26:28Josephus, Antiquities 20.179, 20.203

  • Roman governors of JudeaFestus, Albinus and Florusc. AD 59-66

    Porcius Festus sent Paul to Rome and died in office around AD 62. Lucceius Albinus (62-64) and Gessius Florus (64-66) followed; Josephus blames Florus's greed and brutality for pushing Judea into revolt. Acts 24:27Acts 25:12Josephus, Antiquities 20.197-203, 20.252-258Josephus, Jewish War 2.271-308

  • King of ParthiaVologases Ic. AD 51-78

    Ruler of the Parthian empire east of the Euphrates, Rome's one great rival. He fought Rome over Armenia until a settlement in AD 63 let his brother Tiridates rule Armenia as Rome's client. Tacitus, Annals 15.1-17, 15.24-31Cassius Dio, Roman History 62.19-23

What was happening, AD 58 to AD 68
  1. AD 58-63
    WarRome and Parthia fight over Armenia

    Roman armies under Corbulo took the Armenian capitals Artaxata and Tigranocerta. In AD 62 a second Roman army under Paetus surrendered at Rhandeia, and in AD 63 the two empires made peace. Tacitus, Annals 13.34-41, 14.23-26, 15.1-17, 15.24-31

  2. AD 60
    DisasterEarthquake destroys Laodicea

    Laodicea, about 150 km (95 miles) east of Ephesus in the same province, was ruined by an earthquake and rebuilt from its own wealth without help from Rome. Paul's letters mention the church there, and Revelation later quotes the city's boast, "I am rich." Tacitus, Annals 14.27Colossians 4:13-16Revelation 3:17

  3. AD 60-61
    WarBoudica's revolt in Britain

    Boudica, queen of the Iceni, led a rising that burned Camulodunum (Colchester), Londinium (London) and Verulamium before the Roman governor Suetonius Paulinus defeated her. Tacitus, Annals 14.29-39

  4. c. AD 60-62
    The churchPaul under guard in Rome

    Paul lived two whole years in Rome under house arrest, receiving visitors and preaching openly. The traditional date for 1 Timothy places it soon after his release. Acts 28:16Acts 28:30-31

  5. c. AD 61-63
    DiscoveryNero's expedition up the Nile

    Nero sent a party of soldiers to find the source of the Nile. They travelled far beyond Egypt and reached vast marshes they could not cross, likely the Sudd in today's South Sudan. The date is approximate. Seneca, Natural Questions 6.8.3-4Pliny, Natural History 6.181

  6. AD 62
    The churchJames, the Lord's brother, is killed in Jerusalem

    Festus died in office. Before the next governor arrived, the high priest Ananus had "James, the brother of Jesus who was called Christ" and others stoned. Ananus was removed after three months. Josephus, Antiquities 20.197-203Galatians 1:19Acts 15:13

  7. AD 62 or 63
    DisasterEarthquake hits Pompeii

    An earthquake badly damaged Pompeii and Herculaneum in Italy, seventeen years before Vesuvius buried them. Seneca dates it to AD 62; Tacitus to AD 63. Seneca, Natural Questions 6.1Tacitus, Annals 15.22

  8. c. AD 62
    DiscoveryHero of Alexandria's machines

    The engineer Hero of Alexandria, whose work is dated by an eclipse of AD 62 he describes, wrote up a steam-spun sphere (the aeolipile) and a coin-operated machine that dispensed water in temples. Hero, Pneumatics 1.21, 2.11Hero, Dioptra 35

  9. c. AD 63-64
    BuildingJerusalem's temple is finished

    Work on the temple Herod began around 20 BC was completed under Albinus, leaving some 18,000 workers without jobs. Six years later Roman armies destroyed it, as Jesus had foretold. Josephus, Antiquities 20.219-222John 2:20Luke 21:5-6

  10. July AD 64
    DisasterThe Great Fire of Rome

    Fire burned for days. Of Rome's fourteen districts, three were destroyed and seven badly damaged. Nero then built his vast Golden House on the cleared land. Tacitus, Annals 15.38-43Suetonius, Nero 31, 38

  11. AD 64
    The churchNero blames and kills Christians

    To end rumours that he had started the fire, Nero blamed the Christians of Rome. Tacitus records a "vast multitude" put to death, some torn by dogs and some burned as torches. Tacitus, Annals 15.44Suetonius, Nero 16.2

  12. AD 65
    RulersA plot against Nero fails

    The Pisonian conspiracy to kill Nero was betrayed. Among those forced to take their own lives was Seneca, Nero's former tutor and the brother of Gallio, the governor who dismissed the case against Paul in Corinth. Tacitus, Annals 15.48-74Acts 18:12-17

  13. AD 66
    WarThe Jewish revolt begins

    After Florus seized money from the temple treasury, Jerusalem rose against Rome and the daily sacrifice offered for the emperor was stopped. The war ended with Jerusalem and its temple destroyed in AD 70. Josephus, Jewish War 2.293-308, 2.409-410Luke 21:20-24

  14. AD 66-67
    BuildingNero tours Greece and starts a canal at Corinth

    Nero competed in the Greek games and broke ground for a canal across the Isthmus of Corinth. The work stopped after his death; the canal was finally cut in 1893. Suetonius, Nero 19, 22-24

  15. c. AD 67
    The churchPaul's death in Rome

    In his last letter Paul writes from prison that "the time of my departure is at hand." Early Christian tradition says he was beheaded in Rome under Nero. 2 Timothy 4:6-8Eusebius, Church History 2.25

  16. June AD 68
    RulersNero dies

    Facing revolt in the provinces and declared an enemy by the Senate, Nero took his own life. Four emperors ruled in turn during the following year before Vespasian took power. Suetonius, Nero 47-49Tacitus, Histories 1.2

The full picture: places, culture and daily life. Scripture first, then the ancient historians who wrote about these years (Tacitus, Suetonius, Josephus, Seneca, Pliny the Elder, Strabo, Cassius Dio). Dates are as those writers give them; approximate dates say so. Drafted by Claude and not yet reviewed by a person.

Original Greek words

EnglishGreekSay itStrong'sMeaning
inἐνenG1722
in/on/among

ἐν (en) ἐν, prep, (the most frequently of all in NT), with dative (= Heb. בְּ, Lat. in, with abl.). I. Of place, with dative of thing(s), of person(s), in, within, on, at, by, among: ἐν τ. πόλει, Luk.7:37; τ. οφθαλμῷ, Mat.7:3; τ. κοιλίᾳ, Mat.12:40; τ. ὄρει, 2Pe.1:18; τ. θρόνῳ, Rev.3:21; τ. δεξιᾷ τ. θεοῦ, Rom.8:34; ἐν ἡμῖν Abbott-Smith has ὑμῖν., Luk.1:1; of books, ἐν τ. βιβλίῳ, Gal.3:10; τ. νόμῳ, Mat.12:5, al.; ἐν τοῖς τ. Πατρός, in my Father's house (RV; cf. M, Pr., 103), Luk.2:49; trop., of the region of thought or feeling, ἐν τ. καρδίᾳ (-αις), Mat.5:28, 2Co.4:6, al.; τ. συνειδήσεσιν, 2Co.5:11; af …

hypocrisyὑποκρίσειhupokriseiG5272
hypocrisy

ὑπόκρισις (hupokrisis) ὑπό-κρισις, -εως, ἡ (ὑποκρίνομαι, which see) [in LXX: 2Ma.6:25 * ;] 1. a reply, answer (Hdt.). 2. play-acting (Arist., Polyb., al.). Metaphorical, pretence, hypocrisy: Mat.23:28, Mrk.12:15, Luk.12:1, Gal.2:13, 1Ti.4:2, 1Pe.2:1 (Polyb., Pss Sng.4:7).† (AS)

of speakers of lies,ψευδολόγων,pseudologōnG5573
lying

ψευδολόγος (pseudologos) ψευδο-λόγος, -ον (ψευδής, λέγω), speaking falsely, lying: 1Ti.4:2 (Aristoph., Polyb., al.).† (AS)

searedκεκαυστηριασμένωνkekaustēriasmenōnG2743
to brand

καυτηριάζω (kautēriazō) καυστηριάζω (Rec. καυτηρ-, and so usually in Gk. writers, see Soph., Lex., see word) to mark by branding, brand (AV, scar, but see CGT, in l): metaphorically, pass. pf. ptcp., 1Ti.4:2 (cf. καυτήριον, 4Ma.15:22 *).† (AS)

[in their] ownἰδίανidianG2398
one's own/private

ἴδιος (idios) ἴδιος, -α, -ον (in Attic usually -ος, -ον), [in LXX chiefly for of person(s) suff., also for לָהֶם, etc.; (τὰ ἴ.) בֵּיתוֹ ;] 1. one's own; (a) of that which is private and personal (in cl. opposite to κοινός, δημόσιος; cf. infr. 3); …

conscience,συνείδησιν,suneidēsinG4893
conscience

συνείδησις (suneidēsis) συν-είδησις, -εως, ἡ (συνεῖδον), [in LXX: Ecc.10:20 (מַדָּע), Wis.17:11, Sir.42:18 א * ;] 1. consciousness: with genitive obj., Heb.10:2, 1Pe.2:19. 2. In ethical sense, innate discernment, self-judging consciousness, conscience (Stoics and late writers): Rom.2:15 9:1, 1Co.10:29, 2Co.1:12 4:2 5:11, 1Ti.4:2, Heb.9:14; σ. ἀγαθή, Act.23:1, 1Ti.1:5 1:19, 1Pe.3:16 3:21; ἀσθενής, 1Co.8:7 8:10; ἀσθενοῦσα, 1Co.8:12; ἀπρόσκοπος, Act.24:16; καθαρά, 1Ti.3:9, 2Ti.1:3; καλή, Heb.13:18; πονηρά, Heb.10:22; ὁ νοῦς καὶ ἡ σ., Tit.1:15; διὰ τὴν σ., Rom.13:5, 1Co.10:25 10:27-28; κατὰ σ., Heb.9:9; ὑπὸ (τῆς) σ., J …

Words and meanings from STEPBible data (Tyndale House, Cambridge, CC BY 4.0). The capitalized syllable is the stressed one.