1 Timothy 1:13
1 Timothy 1:13
“Who was before a blasphemer, and a persecutor, and injurious: but I obtained mercy, because I did it ignorantly in unbelief.”
King James Version (KJV)
Read this verse in context with translation switching:
Read Full Chapter →Paul recalls that he was once a blasphemer and persecutor, yet obtained mercy because he acted in ignorance and unbelief.
What Does 1 Timothy 1:13 Mean?
Paul does not hide his past. Before he knew Christ, he spoke against him and hunted his followers. He names his old life plainly: blasphemer, persecutor, violent man.
Yet mercy reached him. He had acted in ignorance, not knowing whom he opposed, and God met that ignorance with grace. Paul's story stands as proof that no past is beyond the reach of mercy when a heart is turned toward the truth.
In the Original Language
eleeo (ἐλεέω), 'obtained mercy' -- to be shown compassion by one able to help.