1Tim 5:9 Church Widows

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Church Widows

1Tim 5:9 Do not let a widow under sixty years old be taken into the number, and not unless she has been the wife of one man

In the early church they apparently kept a list of those widows the church would officially support. And not all who were widows were on the list.

One had to be old enough to be on the list. For the younger Paul speaks of later in verse 11. And as for having been the wife of one man, she must have been married but once in her lifetime. Perhaps there was concern of a divorce and remarriage situation which in light of Luke 16:18 may taint her reputation, but perhaps even in the case of remarrying as a widow there may be concern that such a person already has two families who could offer support.

But the Bible also implies a special virtue in having married but once in a lifetime, as in the Old Testament priests were not allowed to marry widows. "No priest is to drink wine when he enters the inner court. They must not marry widows or divorced women." Eze 44:21,22

Thus widows having been married to one man only were particularly above reproach, remaining faithful to their spouse even beyond what they were required.

The Berean Christian Bible Study Resources

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