1-timothy 4:15
Translations
King James Version (KJV)
Meditate on these things; give yourself wholly to them; that your profiting may appear to all.
American King James Version (AKJV)
Meditate on these things; give yourself wholly to them; that your profiting may appear to all.
American Standard Version (ASV)
Be diligent in these things; give thyself wholly to them; that thy progress may be manifest unto all.
Basic English Translation (BBE)
Have a care for these things; give yourself to them with all your heart, so that all may see how you go forward.
Webster's Revision
Meditate upon these things; give thyself wholly to them; that thy profiting may appear to all.
World English Bible
Be diligent in these things. Give yourself wholly to them, that your progress may be revealed to all.
English Revised Version (ERV)
Be diligent in these things; give thyself wholly to them; that thy progress may be manifest unto all.
Clarke's 1-timothy 4:15 Bible Commentary
Meditate upon these things - Ταυτα μελετα· Revolve them frequently in thy mind; consider deeply their nature and importance; get them deeply fastened in thy heart, and let all thy conduct flow from this inward feeling and conviction. Let the nature, reasons, and motives of thy ministry, be ever in the view of thy heart and conscience.
Give thyself wholly to them - Εν τουτοις ισθι· Be thou in these things. Horace has a similar expression: Omnis in hoc sum. "I am absorbed in this." Occupy thyself wholly with them; make them not only thy chief but thy sole concern. Thou art called to save thy own soul, and the souls of them that hear thee; and God has given thee the Divine gifts for this and no other purpose. To this let all thy reading and study be directed; this is thy great business, and thou must perform it as the servant and steward of the Lord. Bengel has a good saying on this verse, which I will quote: In his qui est, minus erit in sodalitatibus mundanis, in studiis alienis, in colligendis libris, conchis, nummis, quibus multi pastores notabilem aetatis partem insistentes conterunt; "He who is wholly in these things will be little in worldly company, in foreign studies, in collecting books, shells, and coins, in which many ministers consume a principal part of their life." Such persons are worthy of the deepest reprehension, unless all these studies, collections, etc., be formed with the express view, of illustrating the sacred records; and to such awful drudgery few Christian ministers are called. Many, when they have made such collections, seem to know nothing of their use; they only see them and show them, but can never bring them to their assistance in the work of the ministry. These should be prayed for and pitied.
That thy profiting may appear to all - By being made a universal blessing; convincing and converting sinners; and building up the Church of God on its most holy faith.
Barnes's 1-timothy 4:15 Bible Commentary
Meditate upon these things - Upon the train of events by which you have been led into the ministry, and upon the responsibilites and duties of the office. Let your mind be deeply impressed with these things; make them the subject of profound and serious thought.
Give thyself wholly to them - Greek "Be in them" - a phrase similar to that of Horace - "totus in illis." The meaning is plain. He was to devote his life wholly to this work. He was to have no other grand aim of living. His time, attention, talents, were to be absorbed in the proper duties of the work. He was not to make that subordinate and tributary to any other purpose, nor was he to allow any other object to interfere with the appropriate duties of that office. He was not to live for money, fame, or pleasure; not to devote his time to the pursuits of literature or science for their own sakes; not to seek the reputation of an elegant or profound scholar; not to aim to be distinguished merely as an accomplished gentleman, or as a skillful farmer, teacher, or author. Whatever was done in any of these departments, was to be wholly consistent with the direction, ἐν τούτοις ἴσθι en toutois isthi - "be in these things" - be absorbed in the appropriate duties of the ministerial office. It may be remarked here that no man will ever make much of himself, or accomplish much in any profession, who does not make this the rule of his life. He who has one great purpose of life to which he patiently and steadily devotes himself, and to which he makes everything else bend, will uniformly rise to high respectability, if not to eminence. He who does not do this can expect to accomplish nothing.
That thy profiting - Greek Thy going forward; that is, thy advancement, or progress. A minister of the gospel ought to make steady improvement in all that pertains to his office. No man ought to be satisfied with present attainments.
To all - Margin, "in all things." The margin is the more correct rendering, but either of them makes good sense. It should be apparent to all persons who attend on the stated preaching of a minister of the gospel, that he is making steady advances in knowledge, wisdom, and piety, and in all things that pertain to the proper performance of the duties of his office. If a man really makes progress, it will be seen and appreciated by others; if he does not, that will be as well understood by his hearers.
Wesley's 1-timothy 4:15 Bible Commentary
4:15 Meditate - The Bible makes no distinction between this and to contemplate, whatever others do. True meditation is no other than faith, hope, love, joy, melted down together, as it were, by the fire of God's Holy Spirit; and offered up to God in secret. He that is wholly in these, will be little in worldly company, in other studies, in collecting books, medals, or butterflies: wherein many pastors drone away so considerable a part of their lives.