“Let the elders that rule well be counted worthy of double honour, especially they who labour in the word and doctrine.”
My Notes
What Does 1 Timothy 5:17 Mean?
1 Timothy 5:17 addresses a practical but important matter in the early church: how to treat leaders who serve well. "Let the elders that rule well be counted worthy of double honour" — the Greek timē can mean both respect and financial remuneration. Paul is likely talking about both. Elders who lead effectively deserve twice the recognition — and the material support — that the community normally provides.
The phrase "especially they who labour in the word and doctrine" singles out teaching elders. The word "labour" is kopiaō — to work to the point of exhaustion, to toil strenuously. Paul isn't describing casual Bible studies. He's describing the draining, demanding work of accurately handling Scripture and training others in sound doctrine. This kind of labor deserves particular honor because it shapes the spiritual health of the entire community.
Paul writes this to Timothy, a young pastor navigating the complexities of church leadership in Ephesus. The instruction reflects a principle that runs throughout Scripture: those who give themselves to serving God's people shouldn't be taken for granted. The community has a responsibility to recognize, support, and sustain the people who pour themselves out on its behalf.
Reflection Questions
- 1.Who has labored in 'the word and doctrine' in your life, and have you ever told them what their teaching meant to you?
- 2.What does 'double honour' look like practically — beyond just saying thank you?
- 3.Why do you think it's so easy to take spiritual leadership for granted?
- 4.How can you actively support or sustain the leaders who are pouring into your community right now?
Devotional
This verse might seem like it belongs in a church leadership manual rather than your personal devotional reading. But there's something here for everyone — because everyone is shaped by the leaders in their life.
Paul says elders who rule well and labor in teaching deserve "double honour." Not polite applause. Not a nice card at Christmas. Real, tangible recognition — the kind that costs you something. Think about the people who've poured into your spiritual life. The pastor who studied all week to feed you on Sunday. The mentor who showed up when you were falling apart. The teacher who made the Bible make sense for the first time. How have you honored that labor?
It's easy to consume spiritual leadership without thinking about what it costs the person giving it. Paul says: don't do that. The people who exhaust themselves in the word and in doctrine — who lose sleep over getting it right, who carry the weight of other people's crises alongside their own — they need more than your attendance. They need your gratitude, your support, your willingness to lighten the load. Honor isn't just a feeling you have toward someone. It's something you do.
Commentary
Trusted original commentary from respected historical Bible scholars and theologians.
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Cross References
Related passages throughout Scripture