1 Timothy 6

1 Timothy · Chapter 6

1 Timothy 6:20

1Let as many servants as are under the yoke count their own masters worthy of all honour, that the name of God and his doctrine be not blasphemed.2And they that have believing masters, let them not despise them, because they are brethren; but rather do them service, because they are faithful and beloved, partakers of the benefit. These things teach and exhort.3If any man teach otherwise, and consent not to wholesome words, even the words of our Lord Jesus Christ, and to the doctrine which is according to godliness;4He is proud, knowing nothing, but doting about questions and strifes of words, whereof cometh envy, strife, railings, evil surmisings,5Perverse disputings of men of corrupt minds, and destitute of the truth, supposing that gain is godliness: from such withdraw thyself.6But godliness with contentment is great gain.7For we brought nothing into this world, and it is certain we can carry nothing out.8And having food and raiment let us be therewith content.9But they that will be rich fall into temptation and a snare, and into many foolish and hurtful lusts, which drown men in destruction and perdition.10For the love of money is the root of all evil: which while some coveted after, they have erred from the faith, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows.11But thou, O man of God, flee these things; and follow after righteousness, godliness, faith, love, patience, meekness.12Fight the good fight of faith, lay hold on eternal life, whereunto thou art also called, and hast professed a good profession before many witnesses.13I give thee charge in the sight of God, who quickeneth all things, and before Christ Jesus, who before Pontius Pilate witnessed a good confession;14That thou keep this commandment without spot, unrebukeable, until the appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ:15Which in his times he shall shew, who is the blessed and only Potentate, the King of kings, and Lord of lords;16Who only hath immortality, dwelling in the light which no man can approach unto; whom no man hath seen, nor can see: to whom be honour and power everlasting. Amen.17Charge them that are rich in this world, that they be not highminded, nor trust in uncertain riches, but in the living God, who giveth us richly all things to enjoy;18That they do good, that they be rich in good works, ready to distribute, willing to communicate;19Laying up in store for themselves a good foundation against the time to come, that they may lay hold on eternal life.20O Timothy, keep that which is committed to thy trust, avoiding profane and vain babblings, and oppositions of science falsely so called:21Which some professing have erred concerning the faith. Grace be with thee. Amen.

King James Version (1769)

Other translations

VerseKJVBSBASV
20O Timothy, keep that which is committed to thy trust, avoiding profane and vain babblings, and oppositions of science falsely so called:O Timothy, guard what has been entrusted to you. Avoid irreverent, empty chatter and the opposing arguments of so-called “knowledge,”O Timothy, guard that which is committed unto thee, turning away from the profane babblings and oppositions of the knowledge which is falsely so called;

In context

AI-assisted, sourced

This is Paul's closing charge at the end of the letter. After warning about false teachers who quarrel over words and treat godliness as a way to get rich, he tells Timothy to guard what was entrusted to him. He also tells him to turn away from empty talk and from rival claims to 'knowledge' that some have followed away from the faith. 1 Timothy 6:31 Timothy 6:41 Timothy 6:51 Timothy 6:201 Timothy 6:211 Timothy overview

Commonly taken out of context

How it’s often usedThe KJV phrase 'science falsely so called' is often quoted as if Paul were warning against modern science or scientific theories.

In contextThe Greek word translated 'science' is gnōsis, meaning 'knowledge', especially claimed spiritual knowledge. In context, Paul is warning about the arguments of false teachers in the church who claimed a 'knowledge' that led some away from the faith. He is not talking about the study of nature. Strong's G1108Strong's G5581Strong's G04771 Timothy 6:201 Timothy 6:211 Timothy 6:3

SpeakingPaul the apostle, who names himself at the start of the letter. Many critical scholars think a follower wrote in Paul's name. Others defend Paul's authorship. 1 Timothy overview

ToTimothy, Paul's younger co-worker, addressed here by name. Paul had left him to lead the church at Ephesus. 1 Timothy 6:201 Timothy overview

Also involvedThe church in Ephesus, and the 'some' who took up this so-called knowledge and went astray from the faith. 1 Timothy 6:211 Timothy overview

Timothy is to keep safe the 'deposit' entrusted to him. That means the sound teaching he received. He must also steer clear of irreverent, empty chatter and the opposing arguments of a 'knowledge' that does not deserve the name. 1 Timothy 6:20Strong's G3866Strong's G5442IStrong's G2757Strong's G0477Strong's G5581Strong's G11081 Timothy 6:3

The letter was sent to Ephesus, a wealthy port city and capital of the Roman province of Asia, known for its temple of Artemis. Where it was written is not stated. It may have been Macedonia. 1 Timothy overview

ACHAIAASIAGALATIAAegean SeaEphesusLaodiceaMiletusPhilippiThessalonicaCorinth

The eventsThe charge comes at the close of the letter, while Timothy was leading the Ephesian church after Paul had gone on to Macedonia. 1 Timothy overview1 Timothy 6:21

WrittenTraditional view: about AD 62-64, between Paul's two Roman imprisonments. Scholarly view: many critical scholars date it around AD 80-110. Others defend the earlier date. 1 Timothy overview

HereThe letter aims to help Timothy confront false teachers in Ephesus. This verse sums up that task in one final command: protect the true teaching and refuse to be drawn into the false teachers' talk. 1 Timothy overview1 Timothy 6:31 Timothy 6:20

In the whole of ScriptureThe same charge appears in 2 Timothy, where Timothy is told to keep 'that good thing which was committed unto thee' and to 'shun profane and vain babblings'. It fits the letter's theme that sound teaching and godly living belong together. 2 Timothy 1:142 Timothy 2:161 Timothy overview

For readersReaders are called to treat the faith as something entrusted to them and to guard it. They are also warned not to be impressed by talk that claims special insight but leads people away from the faith. 1 Timothy 6:201 Timothy 6:21Colossians 2:8

  • that which is committed to thy trust (deposit)παραθήκη
    Greek · parathēkē · G3866

    Parathēkē means a deposit or trust, something placed in another's keeping for safekeeping. The teaching is pictured as valuable property Timothy holds for its owner, not something he may change. Strong's G38662 Timothy 1:122 Timothy 1:14

  • keep (guard)φυλάσσω
    Greek · phulassō · G5442I

    The verb means to guard or watch, as a sentry does. Timothy's role is active protection, not just remembering. Strong's G5442I

  • science (knowledge)γνῶσις
    Greek · gnōsis · G1108

    Gnōsis means knowledge, in the New Testament often of spiritual truth. The KJV word 'science' here meant knowledge in general, not modern natural science. Strong's G1108

  • oppositionsἀντίθεσις
    Greek · antithesis · G0477

    Antithesis means opposition, here opposing arguments. It shows Paul has in mind rival teachings that set themselves against the faith. Strong's G04771 Timothy 6:21

Takeaway

Guard the faith you have been entrusted with. Do not be drawn away by empty talk or by teaching that calls itself 'knowledge' but leads people from the faith. 1 Timothy 6:201 Timothy 6:21Strong's G3866Strong's G1108

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

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
OὮŌG5599
oh!

ὦ (ō) ὦ interj., with vocat., O; (a) in simple address (less frequently than in cl.; M, Pr., 71); Act.1:1 18:14 27:21, Rom.2:1, 3 9:20, 1Ti.6:20; expressing reproof, Jas.2:20; (b) in exclamations of surprise, etc.: Mat.15:28, Luk.24:25, Act.13:10, Rom.11:33, Gal.3:1; with nom. (Bl., § 33, 4), Mat.17:17, Mrk.9:19, Luk.9:41.† (AS)

Timothy,Τιμόθεε,TimotheeG5095
Timothy

Τιμόθεος (Timotheos) Τιμόθεος, -ου, ὁ Timothy: Act.17:14-15 18:5, Rom.16:21, al. (AS)

deposit committed [to you]παραθήκηνparathēkēnG3866
deposit

παραθήκη (parathēkē) παρα-θήκη, -ης, ἡ (παρατίθημι), [in LXX: Lev.6:2, 4 (Lev 5:21, 23) (פִּקָּדוֹן), and in Tob 10:13, 2Ma.3:10 2Mac 3:15, seel. for παρακαταθήκη (which see) * ;] a deposit or trust: 1Ti.6:20, 2Ti.1:12 1:14 (for exx. of this form, see MM, Exp., iii, xviii).† (AS)

do guardφύλαξονphulaxonG5442I
to keep/guard: observe

φυλάσσω (phulassō) φυλάσσω [in LXX chiefly and very frequently for שָׁמַר, also for נָצַר, etc. ;] to guard, watch; (a) to guard or watch: with cogn. accusative, φυλακάς, Luk.2:8; with accusative of person(s), Act.12:4 28:16; pass., Luk.8:29, Act.23:35; with accusative of thing(s), Act.22:20; …

avoidingἐκτρεπόμενοςektrepomenosG1624
to turn/wander away

ἐκτρέπω (ektrepō) ἐκ-τρέπω [in LXX for הָפַךְ, Amo.5:8 * ;] to turn out of the course, turn aside, with accusative Pass., with middle sense, intrans., to turn aside: Heb.12:13 (R, txt., for be put out of joint, R, mg., see Thayer, see word Westc., in l); figuratively, before εἰς, 1Ti.1:6; ἐπί, 2Ti.4:4; ὀπίσω, 1Ti.5:15; with accusative, to shun, avoid: 1Ti.6:20.† (AS)

profaneβεβήλουςbebēlousG0952
profane

βέβηλος (bebēlos) βέβηλος, -ον (βαίνω, whence βηλός, a threshold), [in LXX chiefly for חֹל ;] 1. permitted to be trodden, accessible (see DCG, ii, 422b); hence, 2. (opposite to ἱερός) unhallowed, profane: of things, 1Ti.4:7 6:20, 2Ti.2:16; of men, 1Ti.1:9, Heb.12:16 (cf. κοινός; Cremer, 140). † (AS)

empty babblingsκενοφωνίαςkenophōniasG2757
empty talk

κενοφωνία (kenophōnia) κενοφωνία, -ας, ἡ (κενός, φωνέω), [cf. κενολογέω (צָפַף), Isa.8:19 * ;] empty talk, babbling: pl., 1Ti.6:20, 2Ti.2:16.† (AS)

andκαὶkaiG2532
and

καί (kai) καί, conj., and I. Copulative. 1. Connecting single words; (a) in general: Mat.2:18, 16:1, Mrk.2:15, Luk.8:15, Heb.1:1, al. mult.; repeated before each of the terms in a series, Mat.23:23, Luk.14:21, Rom.7:12, 9:4, al. (b) connecting numerals (WM, §37, 4): Jhn.2:20, Act.13:20; (with) joining terms which are not mutually exclusive, as the part with the whole: Mat.8:33, 26:59, Mrk.16:17, Act.5:29, al. 2. Connecting clauses and sentences: Mat.3:12, Act.5:21, al. mult.; esp. …

opposing argumentsἀντιθέσειςantitheseisG0477
opposition

ἀντίθεσις (antithesis) ἀντί-θεσις, -εως, ή (τίθημι), opposition: 1Ti.6:20.† (AS)

falsely calledψευδωνύμουpseudōnumouG5581
falsely called

ψευδώνυμος (pseudōnumos) ψευδώνυμος, -ον (ψευδής, ὄνομα) under a false name, falsely called: 1Ti.6:20 (Æsch., Plut., a1.).† (AS)

knowledge,γνώσεως,gnōseōsG1108
knowledge

γνῶσις (gnōsis) γνῶσις, -εως, ἡ (γιγνώσκω), [in LXX chiefly for דַּעַת ;] 1. a seeking to know, inquiry, investigation. 2. knowledge, in NT, specially of the kn. of spiritual truth: absol., Luk.11:52, Rom.2:20 15:14, 1Co.1:5 (Lft., Notes, 147) 8:1, 7, 10, 11, 13:2, 8 14:6, 2Co.6:6 8:7 11:6, Eph.3:19, Col.2:3, 1Pe.3:7, 2Pe.1:5, 6; with genitive obj., σωτηρίας, Luk.1:77; τ. δόξης τ. θεοῦ, 2Co.4:6; τ. θεοῦ, 2Co.2:14 10:5; Χριστοῦ Ἰησοῦ, Php.3:8 (see Deiss., LAE, 383.8), 2Pe.3:18; with genitive subjc., θεοῦ, Rom.11:33; λόγος γνώσεως, 1Co.12:8; ψευδωνύμου γνώσεως, 1Ti.6:20. …

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