1 Timothy 4:12 (DBY)

Passage

Let no one despise thy youth, but be a model of the believers, in word, in conduct, in love, in faith, in purity.

Nearby Context

1 Timothy 4:10 for, for this we labour and suffer reproach, because we hope in a living God, who is preserver of all men, specially of those that believe.

1 Timothy 4:11 Enjoin and teach these things.

1 Timothy 4:12 Let no one despise thy youth, but be a model of the believers, in word, in conduct, in love, in faith, in purity.

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

1 Timothy 4:14 Be not negligent of the gift [that is] in thee, which has been given to thee through prophecy, with imposition of the hands of the elderhood.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "faith", "despise", "youth", "model", "believers", "word", "conduct", and "love". 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 "Enjoin and teach these things..." into verse 13's "Till I come give thyself 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.