Bible Strands
1 Timothy 5:23
Stop drinking only water and use a little wine instead, because of your stomach and your frequent ailments.
Berean Standard Bible
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Study note
Setting — Paul writes to Timothy, instructing him to adjust his dietary habits amid his ongoing physical complaints. This directive follows immediate warnings about church leadership and the gradual revelation of hidden sins.
The words — The Greek phrase οἴνῳ ὀλίγῳ χρῷ (oinō oligō chrō) literally commands the use of a little wine. It directly replaces the prior instruction to drink only water (ὑδροπότει, hudropotei) because of a change in circumstance.
The thread — This practical instruction aligns with the creation-affirming stance of 1 Timothy 4:4 and the restorative purpose of wine noted in Psalm 104:15. It stands distinct from the prohibitions against rulers and kings drinking wine in Proverbs 31:4.
Why it lands — The text commands a specific medical adjustment for stomach ailments rather than endorsing intoxication or condemning water. It asks the reader to accept physical remedies without spiritualizing the need or elevating personal preference above bodily health.
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
Drink no longer water, but use a little wine for thy stomach’s sake and thine often infirmities.
Cross-references
- Psalms 104:15 wine that gladdens the heart of man, oil that makes his face to shine, and bread that sustains his heart.
- Proverbs 31:4 It is not for kings, O Lemuel, it is not for kings to drink wine, or for rulers to crave strong drink,
- 1 Timothy 4:4 For every creation of God is good, and nothing that is received with thanksgiving should be rejected,
- 1 Timothy 3:3 not dependent on wine, not violent but gentle, peaceable, and free of the love of money.
- 1 Timothy 3:8 Deacons likewise must be dignified, not double-tongued or given to much wine or greedy for money.
- Leviticus 10:9 “You and your sons are not to drink wine or strong drink when you enter the Tent of Meeting, or else you will die; this is a permanent statute for the generations to come.
- Ezekiel 44:21 No priest may drink wine before he enters the inner court.
- Ephesians 5:18 Do not get drunk on wine, which leads to reckless indiscretion. Instead, be filled with the Spirit.
- Titus 1:7 As God’s steward, an overseer must be above reproach—not self-willed, not quick-tempered, not given to drunkenness, not violent, not greedy for money.
- Titus 2:3 Older women, likewise, are to be reverent in their behavior, not slanderers or addicted to much wine, but teachers of good.