What Does 1 Timothy 4:10 Mean?
For this we toil and endure insults, because we have set our hope on the living God, who is the deliverer of all humankind, especially of those who trust.
Key words are shown with the Hebrew or Greek and what each word meant.
Selah Decoded Version The Selah Decoded Version renders what the Hebrew and Greek words meant to the people who first heard them.
King James wording
King James Version
For therefore we both labour and suffer reproach, because we trust in the living God, who is the Saviour of all men, specially of those that believe.THE KEY
God is named as deliverer of all people, while those who trust are singled out for special emphasis.
THE MEANING
Your labor and exposure to reproach rest on hope set upon the living God. The verse names God as deliverer of all humanity, and gives particular emphasis to those who trust. Both the wide scope and that special emphasis stand together.
WHAT THIS UNDOES
God’s deliverance is not reserved for believers; the verse names all humanity within its scope.
THE ROOT
σωτήρ
sōtēr
GROWS FROM
σῴζω
sōzō
To rescue, preserve, or bring into safety.
“deliverer” in this verse is sōtēr. This title names God through the act of bringing people into safety. Set beside “all men” and “especially those that believe,” deliverance is spoken over a wide human scope, with believers given particular emphasis.
ALSO GROWS
sōtēria: Deliverance; rescue
σωτηρία
This noun from the same word family makes the act behind “Saviour” visible: deliverance.
sōzō: To deliver; rescue
σῴζω
The verb names what the title describes God as doing.
ἠλπίκαμεν
ēlpikamen
GROWS FROM
ἐλπίζω
elpizō
To hope or expect.
“set our hope on” in this verse is ēlpikamen. The Greek word rendered “trust” carries the sense of hope or expectation directed toward God. The verse presents the labor and reproach as resting on that forward-looking reliance.
ALSO GROWS
elpís: Hope; expectation
ἐλπίς
The related noun shows the expectation beneath the trust described here.
apelpízō: To give up hope; despair
ἀπελπίζω
This contrasting branch throws the verse’s posture into relief: hope remains set on the living God despite labor and reproach.
πιστῶν
pistōn
GROWS FROM
πιστός
pistós
Firm, steady, or trustworthy; here, those who trust.
The Greek describes people by their trust, with a word family that also carries firmness and reliability. “Especially” marks them as a distinct group within the wider scope of “all men.”
ALSO GROWS
pístis: Trust; reliance
πίστις
This related noun links the people named as believers with the trust that characterizes them.
pisteúō: To trust; believe
πιστεύω
This verb shows the active reliance expressed by the description “those that believe.”
THE PATTERN
God’s goodness and deliverance are spoken with a scope that reaches all people.
Who desires all humankind to be delivered, and to come to know the truth.For the favor of God that brings deliverance has shone upon all humankind.The LORD is good to all, and his compassions are over all his works.THE THREAD
Who desires all humankind to be delivered, and to come to know the truth.“To be saved” comes from the same Greek word family as “Saviour” in 1 Timothy 4:10. Together, the verses place deliverance and its all-human scope side by side.
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