Bible Strands
1 Timothy 3:12
A deacon must be the husband of but one wife, a good manager of his children and of his own household.
Berean Standard Bible
Follow its threads on the canvas →
Study note
Setting — The apostle Paul writes to Timothy, providing specific qualifications for men appointed to the diaconal office within the Ephesian church.
The words — προϊστάντες (proistamenoi) literally means "managing" or "standing over," denoting the active oversight of a household.
The thread — The text's household management requirement runs parallel to the overseer qualifications in 1 Timothy 3:2 and 1 Timothy 3:4, and the deacon office appears alongside overseers in Philippians 1:1.
Why it lands — It requires that any man seeking diaconal service must first demonstrate competent leadership and marital fidelity through his current management of his own family.
Drafted by a language model from the text, its original words and its cross-references, then checked against them. It can still be wrong: open the verse in the app to report it.
The Greek words
King James Version
Let the deacons be the husbands of one wife, ruling their children and their own houses well.
Cross-references
- 1 Timothy 3:2 An overseer, then, must be above reproach, the husband of but one wife, temperate, self-controlled, respectable, hospitable, able to teach,
- 1 Timothy 3:4 An overseer must manage his own household well and keep his children under control, with complete dignity.
- Philippians 1:1 Paul and Timothy, servants of Christ Jesus, To all the saints in Christ Jesus at Philippi, together with the overseers and deacons:
- 1 Timothy 3:8 Deacons likewise must be dignified, not double-tongued or given to much wine or greedy for money.