But the younger widows refuse: for when they have begun to wax wanton against Christ, they will marry;

1 TIMOTHY 5:11KJV
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1 Timothy 5:11 (KJV)

What does 1 Timothy 5:11 mean?

1 Timothy 5:11 instructs Timothy not to put younger widows on the list of those who receive special care and support from the church, because they may later decide to remarry, turning away from their earlier commitment to Christ. The verse suggests that younger widows might not remain dedicated to a single way of life and could seek marriage again.

Paul is writing to Timothy, a young church leader in Ephesus, giving practical advice about how to care for widows in the Christian community. In the surrounding verses, Paul distinguishes between older widows, who might be more likely to remain single and devoted to ministry, and younger widows, who may still desire to marry. The instruction is meant to help Timothy manage church resources wisely and set realistic expectations.

The Greek behind 1 Timothy 5:11

  • "Refuse" (παραιτοῦ, paraitou): This Greek word means to decline or reject. Paul is telling Timothy to actively not include younger widows in a particular group, rather than simply ignoring them.
  • "Wax wanton against" (καταστρηνιάσωσιν, katastrēniasōsin): This phrase carries the idea of becoming restless or acting in a way that is no longer loyal to Christ. It suggests a strong desire or impulse that leads them away from their earlier commitment.
  • "Will marry" (γαμεῖν θέλουσιν, gamein thelousin): The Greek here combines the idea of wishing or wanting (θέλω, thelō) with the act of marrying (γαμέω, gameō), emphasizing that the desire to remarry is a deliberate choice.

Why 1 Timothy 5:11 matters

  • This verse clarifies that Paul’s instructions are practical, not a judgment on younger widows’ character, but a recognition of likely life choices and needs.
  • The verse helps explain why the early church had specific guidelines for who received ongoing support, showing sensitivity to both spiritual and practical realities.
  • Understanding this verse in context prevents misunderstandings about the church’s care for widows and highlights the importance of matching support to individual circumstances.

Where else these words appear

“refuse” Greek G3868 · used in 9 verses

  • Luke 14:18 And they all with one consent began to make excuse. The first said unto him, I have bought a piece of ground, and I must needs go and see it: I pray thee have me excused.
  • Acts 25:11 For if I be an offender, or have committed any thing worthy of death, I refuse not to die: but if there be none of these things whereof these accuse me, no man may deliver me unto them. I appeal unto Caesar.
  • Titus 3:10 A man that is an heretick after the first and second admonition reject;

“younger” Greek G3501 · used in 20 verses

  • Matthew 9:17 Neither do men put new wine into old bottles: else the bottles break, and the wine runneth out, and the bottles perish: but they put new wine into new bottles, and both are preserved.
  • Luke 15:13 And not many days after the younger son gathered all together, and took his journey into a far country, and there wasted his substance with riotous living.
  • 1 Timothy 5:1 Rebuke not an elder, but intreat him as a father; and the younger men as brethren;

“widows” Greek G5503 · used in 25 verses

  • Matthew 23:14 Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye devour widows' houses, and for a pretence make long prayer: therefore ye shall receive the greater damnation.
  • Luke 18:3 And there was a widow in that city; and she came unto him, saying, Avenge me of mine adversary.
  • 1 Corinthians 7:8 I say therefore to the unmarried and widows, It is good for them if they abide even as I.

“marry” Greek G1060 · used in 25 verses

  • Matthew 5:32 But I say unto you, That whosoever shall put away his wife, saving for the cause of fornication, causeth her to commit adultery: and whosoever shall marry her that is divorced committeth adultery.
  • Mark 10:12 And if a woman shall put away her husband, and be married to another, she committeth adultery.
  • 1 Corinthians 7:10 And unto the married I command, yet not I, but the Lord, Let not the wife depart from her husband: