1 Timothy 4:12 (ASV)

Passage

Let no man despise thy youth; but be thou an ensample to them that believe, in word, in manner of life, in love, in faith, in purity.

Nearby Context

1 Timothy 4:10 For to this end we labor and strive, because we have our hope set on the living God, who is the Saviour of all men, specially of them that believe.

1 Timothy 4:11 These things command and teach.

1 Timothy 4:12 Let no man despise thy youth; but be thou an ensample to them that believe, in word, in manner of life, in love, in faith, in purity.

1 Timothy 4:13 Till I come, give heed to reading, to exhortation, to teaching.

1 Timothy 4:14 Neglect not the gift that is in thee, which was given thee by prophecy, with the laying on of the hands of the presbytery.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "faith", "despise", "youth", "thou", "ensample", "believe", "word", and "manner". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "faith" and "despise", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 11's "These things command and teach..." into verse 13's "Till I come give heed to reading...", so "faith" and "despise" belong inside that flow. In 1 Timothy context, the local focus is Christ, faith, and discipleship.

A plain takeaway is to answer the verse's own emphasis on "faith" and "despise" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.