1 Timothy 5:23 Meaning and Explanation
“Drink no longer water, but use a little wine for thy stomach’s sake and thine often infirmities.”
King James Version (KJV)
Read this verse in context with translation switching:
Read Full Chapter →Few lines in the letters sound so ordinary. A chapter weighted with instruction about widows, elders, and accusations stops for one sentence about a sore stomach. The pause rewards attention. It shows an apostle who cares about the body of the man he is training, and it keeps the work of ministry attached to a real human frame.
Paul pauses his instructions to give Timothy personal health advice: set aside a strict water-only habit and take a little wine as a remedy for a troubled stomach and his repeated bouts of illness.
The Context of 1 Timothy 5:23
First Timothy is a letter from Paul to a younger colleague left in charge at Ephesus. Chapter five gathers instructions for handling different groups within the congregation: older and younger men and women (verses 1-2), widows in genuine need (verses 3-16), and elders who lead and teach (verses 17-20). Verse 21 lays a solemn charge on Timothy to act without partiality, and verse 22 warns him against hasty ordination and tells him to keep himself pure. The advice about wine follows immediately, then verses 24 and 25 return to the theme of hidden and open conduct.
What Does 1 Timothy 5:23 Mean?
The sentence moves in four short steps. 'Drink no longer water' addresses a settled habit, which suggests Timothy had been abstaining as a matter of personal discipline. 'Use a little wine' sets a measured limit, and the smallness belongs to the instruction itself. 'For thy stomach's sake' gives a bodily reason for the change, tying the counsel to one specific complaint. 'Thine often infirmities' widens the frame to repeated weaknesses that had become part of Timothy's ordinary life. Paul writes as a man who knows this younger colleague closely, close enough to prescribe for him, and the wording stays modest, practical, and free of any grand claim.
Placement matters here. Verse 22 has just told Timothy to keep himself pure, and a young leader hearing that charge could easily push self-denial into places it was never meant to go. Paul's next words guard against harm to the body in the name of holiness. Scripture holds this balance across its pages: bodily discipline has real value, and the body itself remains a gift from God to be cared for. The same letter has already warned against teachers who forbid marriage and command abstinence from foods God created to be received with thanksgiving. Health, food, and drink belong inside a life of godliness.
A small kindness like this one sits inside a large pattern. The God of Scripture feeds Elijah under the juniper tree before asking anything more of him, and the Lord Jesus tells his weary disciples to come apart and rest. Care for tired bodies runs through the whole story rather than standing off to the side of it. Timothy's stomach trouble did not disqualify him from service; it simply came along with him into it. Many faithful servants carry ongoing weakness, and Paul himself speaks elsewhere of a thorn he asked God to remove. Grace works through frail people, and wise care of the frame we have is part of receiving that grace.
1 Timothy 5:23 in the Original Language
oinos (οἶνος), 'wine' -- the common fermented grape drink of the ancient table, used daily with meals and also valued as a mild remedy for stomach ailments. Paul pairs it here with a word for a small quantity, keeping his counsel measured.
Bible Verses Related to 1 Timothy 5:23
“For every creature of God is good, and nothing to be refused, if it be received with thanksgiving:”
- 1 Timothy 4:4
“For he knoweth our frame; he remembereth that we are dust.”
- Psalm 103:14
“Wine is a mocker, strong drink is raging: and whosoever is deceived thereby is not wise.”
- Proverbs 20:1
“And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me.”
- 2 Corinthians 12:9
Where 1 Timothy 5:23 Echoes in Scripture
Psalm 104:15 praises God for wine that gladdens the human heart, listing it beside bread and oil among the gifts that come from the Maker's hand. That older song stands behind Paul's practical line. Wine belongs to the created order that God calls good, and its right use has a place among his provisions. Scripture elsewhere warns sharply about excess, and the two strands hold together: a gift received in measure blesses, and the same gift seized without limit harms.
How to Apply 1 Timothy 5:23 Today
Attending to our health can feel like a distraction from the work God has given us. This verse suggests otherwise. Adjusting a diet, seeing a doctor, accepting a remedy, and admitting that a body has limits all belong to faithful living. We can also take the hint about how we treat others who serve: asking a tired volunteer how they are sleeping honors God as much as praising their diligence. Where our own discipline has quietly turned into neglect, we are free to change course. Where a friend carries chronic weakness, we can offer practical help along with prayer.
Reflection & Prayer
What weakness have we been treating as a failure of faith when it may simply be a matter of the body needing care? Lord, thank you for making us of dust and for knowing our frame. Teach us to steward the strength we have, to receive help without shame, and to serve you gladly within the limits you have allowed. Amen.