1 Timothy 4:8

Linguistic Bible Translation from Source Texts

For bodily training is of some value, but godliness is valuable in every way, holding promise for both the present life and the life to come.

📖 Grammatical Analysis

Original Text

Ἡ γὰρ σωματικὴ γυμνασία πρὸς ὀλίγον ἐστὶν ὠφέλιμος: ἡ δὲ εὐσέβεια πρὸς πάντα ὠφέλιμός ἐστιν, ἐπαγγελίαν ἔχουσα ζωῆς τῆς νῦν, καὶ τῆς μελλούσης.

Transliteration

The gar sōmatikē gymnasia pros oligon estin ōphelimos: the de eusebeia pros panta ōphelimos estin, epangelian echousa zōēs tēs now, and tēs mellousēs.

Grammar Details

• *gar*: conjunction, postpositive - for/because
• *sōmatikē*: nominative, feminine, singular - bodily/physical
• *gymnasia*: nominative, feminine, singular - exercise/training
• *pros*: preposition + accusative - for/toward
• *oligon*: accusative, neuter, singular - little/small/brief
• *estin*: present, active, indicative, 3rd singular - is
• *ōphelimos*: nominative, feminine, singular - profitable/useful/beneficial
• *de*: conjunction, postpositive - but/and
• *eusebeia*: nominative, feminine, singular - godliness/piety
• *panta*: accusative, neuter, plural - all things
• *epangelian*: accusative, feminine, singular - promise
• *echousa*: present, active, participle, nominative, feminine, singular - having/holding
• *zōēs*: genitive, feminine, singular - of life
• *tēs*: genitive, feminine, singular - of the
• *mellousēs*: present, active, participle, genitive, feminine, singular - coming/future

Word Meanings

• *sōmatikē gymnasia*: bodily exercise/physical training
• *oligon*: little/brief time/small extent
• *ōphelimos*: profitable/beneficial/useful
• *eusebeia*: godliness/piety/reverence toward God
• *panta*: all things/every way
• *epangelian*: promise/pledge
• *zōēs*: life/existence
• *mellousēs*: coming/future/about to be

Other Translations

• King James Version 1769 (Standard Version)

  For bodily exercise profiteth little: but godliness is profitable unto all things, having promise of the life that now is, and of that which is to come.

• KJV1611 – Modern English

  For bodily exercise profits little, but godliness is profitable for all things, having promise of the life that now is, and of that which is to come.

• King James Version 1611 (Original)

  For bodily exercise profiteth little: but godliness is profitable unto all things, having promise of the life that now is, and of that which is to come.

• American Standard Version with Strong's Numbers

  for{G1063} bodily{G4984} exercise{G1129} is{G2076} profitable{G5624} for a little;{G3641} but{G1161} godliness{G2150} is{G2076} profitable{G5624} for all things,{G3956} having{G2192} promise{G1860} of the life{G2222} which now is,{G3568} and{G2532} of that which is to come.{G3195}

• King James Version with Strong's Numbers

  For{G1063} bodily{G4984} exercise{G1129} profiteth{G2076}{(G5748)}{(G5624)} little{G4314}{G3641}: but{G1161} godliness{G2150} is{G2076}{(G5748)} profitable{(G5624)} unto{G4314} all things{G3956}, having{G2192}{(G5723)} promise{G1860} of the life{G2222} that now is{G3568}, and{G2532} of that which is to come{G3195}{(G5723)}.

• Tyndale Bible (1526/1534)

  For bodely exercise proffiteth lyttll: But godlines is good vnto all thynges as a thynge which hath promyses of the lyfe that is now and of the lyfe to come.

• Coverdale Bible (1535)

  For bodely exercyse profyteth litle, but godlynes is profytable vnto all thinges, as a thinge which hath promyses of the life that is now, and of the life for to come.

• Geneva Bible (1560)

  For bodily exercise profiteth litle: but godlinesse is profitable vnto all things, which hath the promes of the life present, and of that that is to come.

• Bishops' Bible (1568)

  For bodyly exercise profiteth litle: but godlinesse is profitable vnto all thinges, hauing promise of the lyfe that is nowe, and of that which is to come.

• Authorized King James Version (1611)

  For bodily exercise profiteth little: but godliness is profitable unto all things, having promise of the life that now is, and of that which is to come.

• Webster's Bible (1833)

  For bodily exercise has some value, but godliness has value for all things, having the promise of the life which is now, and of that which is to come.

• Young's Literal Translation (1862/1898)

  for the bodily exercise is unto little profit, and the piety is to all things profitable, a promise having of the life that now is, and of that which is coming;

• American Standard Version (1901)

  for bodily exercise is profitable for a little; but godliness is profitable for all things, having promise of the life which now is, and of that which is to come.

• American Standard Version (1901)

  for bodily exercise is profitable for a little; but godliness is profitable for all things, having promise of the life which now is, and of that which is to come.

• Bible in Basic English (1941)

  For the training of the body is of profit for a little, but religion is of profit in every way, giving hope for the life which now is, and for that which is to come.

• World English Bible (2000)

  For bodily exercise has some value, but godliness has value in all things, having the promise of the life which is now, and of that which is to come.

• NET Bible® (New English Translation)

  For“physical exercise has some value, but godliness is valuable in every way. It holds promise for the present life and for the life to come.”

Referenced Verses

• Matt 6:33 : 33 But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.
• 1 Tim 6:6 : 6 But godliness with contentment is great gain.
• Rev 3:21 : 21 The one who conquers I will grant to sit with me on my throne, just as I also conquered and sat down with my Father on His throne.
• Mark 10:30 : 30 'who will not receive a hundred times as much now in this present age—homes, brothers, sisters, mothers, children, and fields—along with persecutions, and in the age to come, eternal life.
• Ps 84:11 : 11 For a day in Your courts is better than a thousand elsewhere. I would rather stand at the threshold of the house of my God than dwell in the tents of wickedness.
• Job 5:19-26 : 19 He will deliver you from six troubles; in seven, no harm will touch you. 20 In famine, He will redeem you from death, and in battle, from the power of the sword. 21 You will be protected from the scourge of the tongue, and you will not fear destruction when it comes. 22 You will laugh at destruction and hunger, and you will not fear the beasts of the earth. 23 For you will have a covenant with the stones of the field, and the beasts of the field will be at peace with you. 24 You will know that your tent is secure; you will inspect your dwelling and find nothing amiss. 25 You will know that your descendants will be many, and your offspring will be like the grass of the earth. 26 You will come to the grave in full vigor, like a sheaf of grain gathered in its season.
• Ps 37:3-4 : 3 Trust in the LORD and do what is good; dwell in the land and cultivate faithfulness. 4 Take delight in the LORD, and He will give you the desires of your heart.
• Ps 37:9 : 9 For evildoers will be cut off, but those who wait for the LORD will inherit the land.
• Ps 145:19 : 19 He fulfills the desires of those who fear him; he hears their cry and saves them.
• Prov 3:16-18 : 16 Long life is in her right hand, and in her left hand are riches and honor. 17 Her ways are ways of pleasantness, and all her paths are peace. 18 She is a tree of life to those who take hold of her, and those who hold her fast are blessed.
• Prov 19:23 : 23 The fear of the LORD leads to life; one is content and rests untroubled by harm.
• Prov 22:4 : 4 The reward for humility and the fear of the LORD is riches, honor, and life.
• Eccl 8:12 : 12 Although a sinner does evil a hundred times and lives a long time, I know that it will be well with those who fear God, who honor Him.
• Isa 1:11-16 : 11 "What is the multitude of your sacrifices to Me?" says the LORD. "I have had enough of burnt offerings of rams and the fat of well-fed animals; I take no pleasure in the blood of bulls, lambs, or goats. 12 When you come to appear before Me, who has asked this of you, this trampling of My courts? 13 Do not bring any more meaningless offerings; your incense is detestable to Me. New Moons, Sabbaths, and the calling of assemblies—I cannot endure iniquity combined with solemn assembly. 14 Your New Moons and appointed festivals My soul hates. They have become a burden to Me; I am weary of bearing them. 15 When you spread out your hands in prayer, I will hide My eyes from you. Even though you multiply your prayers, I will not listen. Your hands are full of blood. 16 Wash yourselves and make yourselves clean. Remove your evil deeds from My sight; stop doing evil.
• Isa 3:10 : 10 Tell the righteous that it will go well for them, for they will enjoy the fruit of their deeds.
• Isa 32:17-18 : 17 The work of righteousness will be peace, and the result of righteousness will be quietness and confidence forever. 18 My people will live in a peaceful habitation, in secure dwellings, and in undisturbed resting places.
• Isa 33:16 : 16 He will dwell on the heights; his refuge will be the rocky fortresses. His bread will be provided, and his water will be sure.
• Isa 58:3-5 : 3 'Why have we fasted,' they say, 'and you have not seen it? Why have we humbled ourselves, and you have not noticed?' Yet on the day of your fasting, you pursue your own desires and oppress all your workers. 4 Your fasting ends in quarreling and strife, and in striking each other with wicked fists. You cannot fast as you do today and expect your voice to be heard on high. 5 Is this the kind of fast I have chosen, only a day for people to humble themselves? Is it only for bowing one's head like a reed and for lying in sackcloth and ashes? Is that what you call a fast, a day acceptable to the Lord?
• Isa 65:13-14 : 13 Therefore, this is what the Lord GOD says: 'Behold, my servants will eat, but you will go hungry; behold, my servants will drink, but you will go thirsty; behold, my servants will rejoice, but you will be put to shame.' 14 Behold, my servants will sing out of the joy of their hearts, but you will cry out from the pain of your hearts and wail from a broken spirit.
• Jer 6:20 : 20 What use is frankincense brought from Sheba, or sweet cane from a distant land? Your burnt offerings are not acceptable, and your sacrifices do not please me.
• Amos 5:21-24 : 21 I hate, I despise your festivals, and I take no pleasure in your solemn assemblies. 22 Even if you bring me burnt offerings and grain offerings, I will not accept them; I will not regard your fattened peace offerings. 23 Take away from me the noise of your songs! I will not listen to the melody of your harps. 24 But let justice flow like a river, and righteousness like a never-ending stream.
• Matt 5:3-9 : 3 Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. 4 Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted. 5 Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth. 6 Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled. 7 Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy. 8 Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God. 9 Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God. 10 Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. 11 Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you, and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me. 12 Rejoice and be exceedingly glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.
• Ps 37:11 : 11 But the humble will inherit the land and delight in abundant peace.
• Ps 37:16-19 : 16 Better is the little that the righteous have than the abundance of many wicked. 17 For the arms of the wicked will be broken, but the LORD supports the righteous. 18 The LORD knows the days of the blameless, and their inheritance will last forever. 19 They will not be ashamed in the time of disaster, and in days of famine they will be satisfied.
• Ps 37:29 : 29 The righteous will inherit the land and dwell in it forever.
• Ps 50:7-9 : 7 Hear, my people, and I will speak; O Israel, I will testify against you: I am God, your God. 8 Not for your sacrifices do I rebuke you; your burnt offerings are continually before me. 9 I will not take a bull from your house, nor goats from your pens. 10 For every beast of the forest is mine, the cattle on a thousand hills. 11 I know all the birds of the mountains, and everything that moves in the field is mine. 12 If I were hungry, I would not tell you, for the world and its fullness are mine. 13 Do I eat the flesh of bulls or drink the blood of goats? 14 Offer to God a sacrifice of thanksgiving, and fulfill your vows to the Most High. 15 Call upon me in the day of trouble; I will deliver you, and you will glorify me.
• Job 22:2 : 2 Can a man benefit God? Even a wise man benefits only himself.
• Deut 28:1-9 : 1 If you diligently obey the voice of the LORD your God by carefully keeping all His commandments that I am commanding you today, the LORD your God will set you high above all the nations of the earth. 2 All these blessings will come upon you and overtake you if you listen to the voice of the LORD your God. 3 You will be blessed in the city, and you will be blessed in the field. 4 Blessed will be the fruit of your womb, the produce of your land, and the offspring of your livestock—including the young of your cattle and the increase of your flocks. 5 Blessed will be your basket and your kneading bowl. 6 You will be blessed when you come in, and you will be blessed when you go out. 7 The LORD will cause your enemies who rise up against you to be defeated before you. They will come out against you in one direction but flee from you in seven directions. 8 The LORD will command the blessing on your storehouses and on all you set your hand to do. He will bless you in the land that the LORD your God is giving you. 9 The LORD will establish you as His holy people, as He swore to you, if you keep the commandments of the LORD your God and walk in His ways. 10 Then all the peoples of the earth will see that the name of the LORD is called upon you, and they will stand in awe of you. 11 The LORD will make you prosper abundantly in the fruit of your womb, in the offspring of your livestock, and in the produce of your land on the land that the LORD swore to your fathers to give you. 12 The LORD will open the heavens, His rich treasury, to give rain to your land in its season and bless all the work of your hands. You will lend to many nations, but you will not borrow. 13 The LORD will make you the head and not the tail, and you will only go upwards and not downwards, if you listen to the commandments of the LORD your God that I am commanding you today, to observe and to do them. 14 You must not turn aside from any of the words I am commanding you today, neither to the right nor to the left, to follow other gods and serve them.
• 1 Sam 15:22 : 22 Then Samuel said, 'Does the LORD delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices as much as in obeying the voice of the LORD? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to heed is better than the fat of rams.'
• Ps 91:10-16 : 10 no evil shall befall you, nor shall any plague come near your dwelling. 11 For He will command His angels concerning you, to guard you in all your ways. 12 They will lift you up in their hands, so that you will not strike your foot against a stone. 13 You will tread on the lion and the cobra; you will trample the young lion and the serpent. 14 "Because he loves Me, I will deliver him; I will set him on high because he knows My name. 15 He will call upon Me, and I will answer him; I will be with him in trouble. I will deliver him and honor him. 16 With long life I will satisfy him and show him My salvation."
• Ps 112:1-3 : 1 Praise the LORD! How blessed is the man who fears the LORD and greatly delights in His commandments. 2 His descendants will be mighty in the land; the generation of the upright will be blessed. 3 Wealth and riches are in his house, and his righteousness endures forever.
• Ps 128:1-6 : 1 A song of ascents: Blessed is everyone who fears the Lord, who walks in His ways. 2 You will eat the fruit of your labor; you will be blessed, and it will go well with you. 3 Your wife will be like a fruitful vine within your house; your children will be like olive shoots around your table. 4 Behold, this is how the man who fears the Lord will be blessed. 5 May the Lord bless you from Zion, and may you see the prosperity of Jerusalem all the days of your life. 6 May you live to see your children’s children—peace be upon Israel.
• Luke 12:31-32 : 31 Instead, seek His kingdom, and these things will be given to you as well. 32 Do not be afraid, little flock, for your Father has been pleased to give you the kingdom.
• Matt 19:29 : 29 And everyone who has left houses, brothers, sisters, father, mother, wife, children, or fields for the sake of my name will receive a hundred times as much and will inherit eternal life.
• Mark 10:19-20 : 19 'You know the commandments: "Do not commit adultery, do not murder, do not steal, do not bear false witness, do not defraud, honor your father and mother."' 20 The man said to him, 'Teacher, I have kept all these commandments since my youth.'
• 1 Cor 3:22 : 22 whether Paul or Apollos or Cephas or the world or life or death or the present or the future—all are yours,
• 1 Cor 8:8 : 8 Food will not bring us closer to God. We are no worse off if we do not eat, and no better off if we do.
• Col 2:21-23 : 21 "Do not touch, do not taste, do not handle"— 22 which all perish as they are used—based on human commands and teachings. 23 These have an appearance of wisdom in self-made religion, false humility, and severe treatment of the body, but they have no value against the indulgence of the flesh.
• Titus 3:8 : 8 This saying is trustworthy, and I want you to insist on these things, so that those who have believed in God may be careful to devote themselves to good works. These things are excellent and profitable for all people.
• Heb 9:9-9 : 9 This is a symbol for the present time, indicating that the gifts and sacrifices being offered cannot perfect the worshiper in conscience. 10 They are only regulations concerning food and drink and various ceremonial washings, external ordinances imposed until the time of reformation.
• Heb 13:9 : 9 Do not be carried away by all kinds of strange teachings. It is good for our hearts to be strengthened by God’s grace, not by eating ceremonial foods, which have not benefited those who have followed them.
• 2 Pet 1:3-4 : 3 His divine power has granted us everything we need for life and godliness through the knowledge of Him who called us by His own glory and excellence. 4 Through these, He has given us His very great and precious promises, so that through them you may become partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption in the world caused by evil desires.
• 1 John 2:25 : 25 And this is the promise that He Himself made to us: eternal life.
• Rev 3:12 : 12 The one who conquers I will make a pillar in the temple of my God, and they will never go out again. I will write on them the name of my God, and the name of the city of my God, the new Jerusalem that comes down from heaven from my God, and my new name.
• Rom 8:28 : 28 And we know that all things work together for the good of those who love God, who are called according to His purpose.