4:13

continue applying yourself: Or “give your full attention.” Timothy was an experienced minister and overseer. (Php 2:20-22; 1Th 3:2) Even so, Paul here encourages him to give special attention to public reading, exhortation, and teaching. To do this, Timothy would no doubt have to study carefully and prepare thoroughly. The Greek verb is in the present tense, which suggests that Timothy would need to keep on, or continue, putting thought and effort into these aspects of his ministry.

public reading: The practice of reading the Scriptures out loud was an important part of worship in Jewish synagogues, and the same practice became a feature of Christian meetings. (Lu 4:16 and study note; Ac 13:15 and study note) When Christians gathered, they read passages from the Hebrew Scriptures and, in time, from writings that came to be part of the Christian Greek Scriptures. Also, responsible brothers sent letters that were to be read to the congregations. (Ac 15:22, 23, 30, 31; 16:4, 5; Col 4:16; 1Th 5:27; Re 1:3) Someone had to read this material out loud because few people in the audience would have had written copies; some may even have been illiterate. Those who read publicly had to prepare well in order to read skillfully, putting meaning into the text. (Compare Ne 8:8.) These readers faced an additional challenge because the Greek manuscripts then in use did not have spaces between the words and contained little or no punctuation. For such reasons, Timothy surely valued Paul’s counsel about public reading and shared it with others.

exhortation: Or “encouragement.” While exhortation involves stirring others to action, the Greek word used here also includes the idea of giving encouragement and comfort. Just as Timothy needed to prepare carefully for public reading and teaching, he needed to devote thought and effort to consoling and encouraging his brothers.​—See study notes on Ro 12:8; Php 2:1.