1 Timothy 5:23
New International Version
Stop drinking only water, and use a little wine because of your stomach and your frequent illnesses.

New Living Translation
Don’t drink only water. You ought to drink a little wine for the sake of your stomach because you are sick so often.

English Standard Version
(No longer drink only water, but use a little wine for the sake of your stomach and your frequent ailments.)

Berean Standard Bible
Stop drinking only water and use a little wine instead, because of your stomach and your frequent ailments.

Berean Literal Bible
No longer drink only water, but use a little wine, because of the stomach and your frequent ailments.

King James Bible
Drink no longer water, but use a little wine for thy stomach's sake and thine often infirmities.

New King James Version
No longer drink only water, but use a little wine for your stomach’s sake and your frequent infirmities.

New American Standard Bible
Do not go on drinking only water, but use a little wine for the sake of your stomach and your frequent ailments.

NASB 1995
No longer drink water exclusively, but use a little wine for the sake of your stomach and your frequent ailments.

NASB 1977
No longer drink water exclusively, but use a little wine for the sake of your stomach and your frequent ailments.

Legacy Standard Bible
No longer drink water only, but use a little wine for the sake of your stomach and your frequent ailments.

Amplified Bible
No longer continue drinking [only] water, but use a little wine for the sake of your stomach and your frequent illnesses.

Christian Standard Bible
Don’t continue drinking only water, but use a little wine because of your stomach and your frequent illnesses.

Holman Christian Standard Bible
Don’t continue drinking only water, but use a little wine because of your stomach and your frequent illnesses.

American Standard Version
Be no longer a drinker of water, but use a little wine for thy stomach's sake and thine often infirmities.

Aramaic Bible in Plain English
Do not drink water from now on, but drink a little wine because of your stomach and because of your chronic illness.

Contemporary English Version
Stop drinking only water. Take a little wine to help your stomach trouble and the other illnesses you often have.

Douay-Rheims Bible
Do not still drink water, but use a little wine for thy stomach's sake, and thy frequent infirmities.

English Revised Version
Be no longer a drinker of water, but use a little wine for thy stomach's sake and thine often infirmities.

GOD'S WORD® Translation
Stop drinking only water. Instead, drink a little wine for your stomach because you are frequently sick.

Good News Translation
Do not drink water only, but take a little wine to help your digestion, since you are sick so often.

International Standard Version
Stop drinking only water, but use a little wine for your stomach because of your frequent illnesses.

Literal Standard Version
no longer be drinking water, but be using a little wine, because of your stomach and of your frequent sicknesses;

Majority Standard Bible
Stop drinking only water and use a little wine instead, because of your stomach and your frequent ailments.

New American Bible
Stop drinking only water, but have a little wine for the sake of your stomach and your frequent illnesses.

NET Bible
(Stop drinking just water, but use a little wine for your digestion and your frequent illnesses.)

New Revised Standard Version
No longer drink only water, but take a little wine for the sake of your stomach and your frequent ailments.

New Heart English Bible
Be no longer a drinker of water only, but use a little wine for your stomach's sake and your frequent infirmities.

Webster's Bible Translation
Drink no longer water, but use a little wine for thy stomach's sake, and thy frequent infirmities.

Weymouth New Testament


World English Bible
Be no longer a drinker of water only, but use a little wine for your stomach’s sake and your frequent infirmities.

Young's Literal Translation
no longer be drinking water, but a little wine be using, because of thy stomach and of thine often infirmities;

Additional Translations ...
Audio Bible



Context
A Charge to Timothy
22Do not be too quick in the laying on of hands and thereby share in the sins of others. Keep yourself pure. 23 Stop drinking only water and use a little wine instead, because of your stomach and your frequent ailments. 24The sins of some men are obvious, going ahead of them to judgment; but the sins of others do not surface until later.…

Cross References
Acts 18:5
And when Silas and Timothy came down from Macedonia, Paul devoted himself fully to the word, testifying to the Jews that Jesus is the Christ.

1 Timothy 3:8
Deacons likewise must be dignified, not double-tongued or given to much wine or greedy for money.


Treasury of Scripture

Drink no longer water, but use a little wine for your stomach's sake and your often infirmities.

1 Timothy 3:3
Not given to wine, no striker, not greedy of filthy lucre; but patient, not a brawler, not covetous;

1 Timothy 4:4
For every creature of God is good, and nothing to be refused, if it be received with thanksgiving:

Leviticus 10:9-11
Do not drink wine nor strong drink, thou, nor thy sons with thee, when ye go into the tabernacle of the congregation, lest ye die: it shall be a statute for ever throughout your generations: …

Jump to Previous
Ailments Drink Drinker Drinking Exclusively Frequent Frequently Good Ill Illnesses Infirmities Longer Often Sake Stomach Stop Use Using Water Wine
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Ailments Drink Drinker Drinking Exclusively Frequent Frequently Good Ill Illnesses Infirmities Longer Often Sake Stomach Stop Use Using Water Wine
1 Timothy 5
1. Rules to be observed in reproving.
3. Of widows.
17. Of elders.
23. A precept for Timothy's health.
24. Some men's sins go before unto judgment, and some men's follow after.














(23) Drink no longer water, but use a little wine for thy stomach's sake and thine often infirmities.--Those who argue that this Epistle was the artificial composition of an age subsequent to St. Paul's, and was written in great measure to support the hierarchical development, which, they say, showed itself only in the century after St. Paul's death, have no little difficulty in accounting for the presence of such a command as this. It can, in fact, only be explained on the supposition that the letter was, in truth, written by St. Paul to Timothy in all freedom and in all love: by the older and more experienced, to the younger and comparatively untried man: by the master to the pupil: by an old and trusted friend, accustomed to speak his whole mind, to one his inferior in years, in rank, in knowledge. No ecclesiastical forger of the second or third century would have dreamed, or, had he dreamed, would have dared to weave into the complicated tapestry of such an Epistle such a charge as "Drink no longer water, but use a little wine--considering thine often infirmities."

The reminder was, no doubt, suggested by St. Paul's own words, with which he closed his solemn direction respecting Timothy's dealings with the accused presbyters, and the care to be used in the laying on of hands: "Keep thyself pure." That Timothy possessed--as did his master Paul--a feeble body, is clear from the words "thine often infirmities." He was, above all things, considering his great position in that growing church, to remember "to keep himself pure," but not on that account to observe ascetical abstinence, and so to weaken uselessly the frail, perishable, perhaps ever dying body, in which he must work that great work committed to him in the master's church. Abstinence from wine was a well-known characteristic feature of the Essene and other Jewish ascetic sects. We know there was frequent intercommunion between Alexandria and Ephesus (see Acts 18:24); and it has even been conjectured that Apollos, who taught publicly at Ephesus, was himself a famous Essene teacher. The practice of these grave and ascetic Jews, many of whom became Christians, no doubt affected not a little the habits and tone of thought of the Ephesian congregations. Hence the necessity of St. Paul's warning against allowing the bodily power to be weakened through abstinence and extreme asceticism.

Verse 23. - Be no longer a drinker of for drink no longer, A.V. Be... a drinker of water (ὑδροπότει); here only in the New Testament. It is found in some codices of the LXX. in Daniel 1:12, and also in classical Greek. We learn from hence the interesting fact that Timothy was, in modern parlance, a total abstainer; and we also learn that, in St. Paul's judgment, total abstinence was not to be adhered to if injurious to the health. The epithet, "a little," should not be overlooked. Was Luke, the beloved physician, with St. Paul when he wrote this prescription (see 2 Timothy 4:11)? It is also interesting to have this passing allusion to Timothy's bad health, and this instance of St. Paul's thoughtful consideration for him. Infirmities (ἀσθενείας); in the sense of sicknesses, attacks of illness.

Parallel Commentaries ...


Greek
Stop drinking [only] water
ὑδροπότει (hydropotei)
Verb - Present Imperative Active - 2nd Person Singular
Strong's 5202: From a compound of hudor and a derivative of pino; to be a water-drinker, i.e. To abstain from vinous beverages.

[and] use
χρῶ (chrō)
Verb - Present Imperative Middle or Passive - 2nd Person Singular
Strong's 5530: To use, make use of, deal with, take advantage of.

a little
ὀλίγῳ (oligō)
Adjective - Dative Masculine Singular
Strong's 3641: Puny; especially neuter somewhat.

wine
οἴνῳ (oinō)
Noun - Dative Masculine Singular
Strong's 3631: Wine. A primary word (yayin); 'wine'.

instead,
ἀλλὰ (alla)
Conjunction
Strong's 235: But, except, however. Neuter plural of allos; properly, other things, i.e. contrariwise.

because of
διὰ (dia)
Preposition
Strong's 1223: A primary preposition denoting the channel of an act; through.

[your]
τὸν (ton)
Article - Accusative Masculine Singular
Strong's 3588: The, the definite article. Including the feminine he, and the neuter to in all their inflections; the definite article; the.

stomach
στόμαχον (stomachon)
Noun - Accusative Masculine Singular
Strong's 4751: The stomach. From stoma; an orifice, i.e., the 'stomach'.

and
καὶ (kai)
Conjunction
Strong's 2532: And, even, also, namely.

your
σου (sou)
Personal / Possessive Pronoun - Genitive 2nd Person Singular
Strong's 4771: You. The person pronoun of the second person singular; thou.

frequent
πυκνάς (pyknas)
Adjective - Accusative Feminine Plural
Strong's 4437: Frequent, often, much. From the same as skenopoios; clasped, i.e. frequent; neuter plural frequently.

ailments.
ἀσθενείας (astheneias)
Noun - Accusative Feminine Plural
Strong's 769: From asthenes; feebleness; by implication, malady; morally, frailty.


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NT Letters: 1 Timothy 5:23 Be no longer a drinker of water (1 Tim. 1Ti iTi 1tim i Tm)
1 Timothy 5:22
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