1 Timothy 3:1-2

Qualifications for Overseers and Deacons

3:1 This saying ¹  is trustworthy: “If someone aspires to the office of overseer, ²  he desires a good work.” 3:2 The overseer ³  then must be above reproach, the husband of one wife, ⁴  temperate, self-controlled, respectable, hospitable, an able teacher,

[3:1]  ¹ tn Grk “the saying,” referring to the following citation (see 1 Tim 1:15; 4:9; 2 Tim 2:11; Titus 3:8 for other occurrences of this phrase).

[3:1]  ² tn Grk “aspires to oversight.”

[3:2]  ³ tn Or “bishop.”

[3:2]  ⁴ tn Or “a man married only once,” “devoted solely to his wife” (see 1 Tim 3:12; 5:9; Titus 1:6). The meaning of this phrase is disputed. It is frequently understood to refer to the marital status of the church leader, excluding from leadership those who are (1) unmarried, (2) polygamous, (3) divorced, or (4) remarried after being widowed. A different interpretation is reflected in the NEB’s translation “faithful to his one wife.”