• 1 Timothy 6:20
    The Kingdom Interlinear Translation of the Greek Scriptures

    • 20 ῏Ω O Τιμόθεε, Timothy, τὴν the παραθήκην what is put beside φύλαξον, guard you, ἐκτρεπόμενος turning self out of τὰς the βεβήλους profane κενοφωνίας empty voicings καὶ and ἀντιθέσεις antitheses τῆς of the ψευδωνύμου falsely named γνώσεως, knowledge,

  • 1 Timothy Study Notes—Chapter 6
    New World Translation of the Holy Scriptures (Study Edition)

    • 6:20

      guard what has been entrusted to you: Here Paul includes the Scriptural truths with which Timothy was entrusted. (1Th 2:4; 2Ti 1:14; compare Ro 3:2 and study note.) The term rendered “what has been entrusted” was sometimes used of valuables deposited in a bank. It could also denote objects given to someone to care for, which is how it is used in the Greek Septuagint. (Le 6:2, 4 [5:21, 23, LXX]) Timothy was to guard the sacred message, not by locking it away for safekeeping, but by passing it along carefully and accurately when teaching. (2Ti 2:2) He would thus help guard, or protect, precious truths from being changed or corrupted by promoters of “empty speeches” and “the falsely called ‘knowledge.’”

      empty speeches: Lit., “empty sounds.” Here Paul uses a Greek expression that denotes “talk that has no value,” and some Bible translations have rendered it “empty chatter” and “pointless discussions.” Such speech was based on speculation rather than on solid truths from God’s Word. It was empty in that it was of no value in building faith. (1Ti 1:6; 2Ti 4:4; Tit 3:9) Even worse, such chatter or discussion would often violate what is holy, that is, it would be profane or irreverent. Those who were involved in such discussions substituted the truths of God’s Word with the mere thoughts of men. Paul warned Timothy to have nothing to do with such speech.​—1Ti 4:7 and study note; 2Ti 2:16.

      the falsely called “knowledge”: The “knowledge” Paul refers to is not fit to be called knowledge; he asserts that it is a mere sham. It finds no support in God’s Word. In fact, it contains contradictions, conflicting ideas or arguments and, even worse, ideas that contradict inspired writings. In this letter, Paul has repeatedly warned Timothy of the divisive, empty words of false teachers, who make a show of their learning and seek to influence the congregation. (1Ti 1:4, 7; 4:1-3, 7; 6:3-6) False ideas about “knowledge” (Greek, gnoʹsis) persisted. In the second century C.E., some groups of apostate Christians were known for calling themselves Gnostics, that is, “those possessing knowledge.”​—See study note on Joh 1:14.