τεκνοτροφέω

I bring up children

Definition

τεκνοτροφέω means to raise, nurture, or bring up children. It specifically denotes the comprehensive care involved in raising offspring to maturity, encompassing physical provision, education, and moral formation. In its sole New Testament occurrence (1 Timothy 5:10), it is used as a criterion for evaluating a widow's character, indicating she has successfully managed a household and raised children. The term implies a sustained, responsible duty rather than a single act of childbirth.

Biblical Usage

This verb is used only once in the New Testament, in 1 Timothy 5:10. It appears in a list of qualifications for widows to be enrolled for church support, specifically as evidence of a woman's proven faithfulness and managerial skill within the domestic sphere. The context is ecclesiastical and ethical, using a woman's past domestic conduct as a measure of her character for a formal role in the Christian community.

Etymology

τεκνοτροφέω is a compound verb from τέκνον (teknon, G5043), meaning 'child,' and τρέφω (trephō, G5142), meaning 'to nourish, feed, or rear.' Literally, it means 'to child-nourish.' The combination emphasizes the active process of feeding and caring for children to promote their growth and development.

Semantic Range

While not a central doctrinal term, τεκνοτροφέω holds theological significance in modeling Christian discipleship and community standards. In 1 Timothy 5:10, it connects faithful family management with fitness for service in the church, affirming the spiritual value of ordinary domestic faithfulness. It underscores that godly character is often demonstrated in the private, sustained work of nurturing others, a concept that enriches the biblical view of leadership and service.

In the first-century Greco-Roman world, a woman's primary sphere of influence and virtue was the household. Successfully 'bringing up children' was a publicly recognized and respected achievement, demonstrating prudence, loyalty, and managerial capability. The term in 1 Timothy 5:10 leverages this cultural understanding to establish a tangible, socially recognized criterion for assessing a widow's proven godly character before entrusting her with a formal church role.

παιδεύω (paideuō, G3811) — focuses on training, instruction, and discipline, often with an educational or corrective emphasis. τρέφω (trephō, G5142) — the root verb, meaning simply to nourish or feed, without the specific focus on children. ἐκτρέφω (ektrephō, G1625) — a strengthened form meaning to nourish up, bring up, or nurture, used in Ephesians 6:4 for bringing children up in the Lord's training.

Word Details

Scripture References