Word studies can be a bit tedious, but what you find is oftentimes fascinating. It is like a treasure hunt, except the prize is greater knowledge of God’s word. So as we dive into the Greek word oikodespoteō from 1 Timothy 5:14, bear with me because it will be worth it, I promise. It will have huge implications for women and shows us how Paul showed women greater respect than what would have been normal for his culture.
The Context of 1 Timothy 5:14
The New Testament was translated from Greek into English versions because Greek was the common language spoken in Paul’s day. Oikodespoteō is a Greek word that appears in 1 Timothy 5:14 in the ancient manuscripts used to translate this scripture. But to study the word’s meaning, we must first look at its context.
Verse 5:14 and its surrounding verses were written about and for widows. Paul has some God-inspired opinions for both older and younger widows and he relays this to Timothy. In the first part, Paul makes the case that true widows (the ones who have no family to take care of them), should be taken care of by the church but those with families should be taken care of by their families. He then follows his argument with instructions for younger widows. Paul believes that the younger widows should not seek to be financially dependent on the church, but should instead marry. It is in the middle of this discourse that we find verse 5:14 and the peculiar word we are studying.
So I would have younger widows marry, bear children, manage their households, and give the adversary no occasion for slander.
Manage Their Households
In the ESV version of 1 Timothy 5:14, note the phrase “manage their households.” As we already saw, it is used in the context of a widow remarrying. The Greek word behind the phrase is our word oikodespoteō which is a compound word made from two Greek words, oikos and despoteo. Oikos means house and despoteo means “ruler,” “lord,” or “master.” The latter is where we get our English word “despot.” So by just looking at the meaning of the root words, we can deduce that Paul is telling these younger widows who have remarried to “rule their households.” It would make sense then, how some Bible versions translate the word as “manage their households.” However, quite a few translations give the impression that the word implies housekeeping. But does it really mean that?
Does Oikodespoteō Mean Housewife or Housekeeping?
In addition to some Bible translations, several online commentators also take oikodespoteō to mean that a remarried widow should be a good housewife, however, that interpretation is inconsistent with the way the word was used in Greco-Roman society. Barring further explanation from Paul, we have to assume that he would use the word in the scriptures the way it was used colloquially. In other words, we cannot add meaning to the word, but rather take the meaning of the word as it was used.
There are two ways to determine how to best interpret oikodespoteō. The first is to look at how the word is used in other parts of the Bible. While the verb form of the word is only used here in 1 Timothy 5:14, the noun form, oikodespotes, is used in other parts of the Bible in the masculine and they are all translated as “master of the house” in the ESV (see Matthew 10:25, Matthew 13:27 and Luke 14:21 for examples).
The other way to determine the real meaning of oikodespoteō is to see how the word was used in contemporary non-biblical sources. I used AI to find every use of the word oikodespoteō in both biblical and nonbiblical sources and AI could not find any instance where the verb form of the word was used to refer to women other than I Timothy 5:15. Through AI, I was also able to find that the verb form was rarely used at all. So we already see here that Paul’s use of the word for women was rather unusual.
The most common Greek words used for describing managing or ruling a home were oikonomeo and oikodespotes. We already saw above how oikodespotes (the noun form of oikodespoteō ) is used biblically. The other word oikonomeo can be found in a parable about an employee/servant who managed the financial affairs of a rich man (See Luke 16:2). Here are some other helpful facts according to AI:
Both words often appear in non-biblical legal documents like contracts to describe managing estates, arrangements for household slaves, and financial agreements involving the household.
Philo, Plutarch, and Josephus (writers in the 1st century) all use the term oikodespotes almost exclusively to refer to men.
So why then would Paul use this word to refer to women? And could it be that there was no other word in the Greek vocabulary to refer to housewives? I went back to AI to help me answer that question. Oikouros was the common word used to refer to a housewife and despoina to refer to the mistress or lady of the house. Oikonomos was also sometimes used in describing women managing household affairs. Clearly, Paul had a lot of good words he could have chosen, but he used oikodespoteō, and it must have been for a reason.
To Manage a Household Means to Rule
What conclusions can we draw on what Paul could have meant by using oikodespoteō?
I believe it is pretty simple. Paul is not asking these remarried widows to be housewives, at least not in this verse. The use of the word does not refer to rearing children or making good meals. If that had been his intention, he would have used the Greek word to describe a housewife. Instead, he chose oikodespoteō and therefore implied that these women should take on the role of ruler of the house and involve themselves in the matters oikodespotes were concerned about such as finances, servants, and managing the estate. That is the most consistent interpretation that would align with how the word would have been understood in Greco-Roman society.
Note that this interpretation is also very consistent with the Proverbs 31 woman who manages a business and her maidens (slaves or servants), in addition to taking care of the needs of her kids and husband.
Does This Mean That the Woman is the Head of the Home?
Paul is very clear that the husband is the head of the wife. However, he acknowledges here, in I Timothy 5:14, the wife’s leadership role and her ability to take on tasks beyond child-rearing, cooking, and cleaning. As I have explained in more detail in “The Powerful Meaning of Help Meet,” and “Is the Husband the Head of the Household?,” there are two leaders in the home, but one, the husband, has the higher authority.
It also doesn’t negate the role of the woman working at home in the more traditional sense. In Titus 2:5 Paul uses the Greek word oikourgos. While it is also not a commonly used word, it lends itself more to the housewife interpretation.
Let’s be clear, Paul’s unusual way of using oikodespoteō is not dismantling his other guidance for the structures in the home, but he is creating a differentiation from what would have been normal in 1st-century, Greco-Roman society.
What Are the Implications for Women?
Paul is elevating women within Greco-Roman culture by implying that they are perfectly capable of handling more “complicated” roles, roles that were usually relegated only to men. Paul is often characterized as a woman-hater because he instructs wives to submit to their husbands. But no one in that culture would have batted an eye to that. They would, however, take note of his use of the word oikodespoteō here and its implications. Paul would have been seen as rather progressive. Imagine that! (And it is not the only time…see “The Mind-Blowing Context of Ephesians 5:22-33“).
Paul’s words are very consistent with the way God views women in the Bible. Their accomplishments yes, are tied to child-rearing and taking care of a home, but they are also so much more than that. The stories of Esther, Deborah, Jael, Rahab, Shiphrah, Puah, Mary of Bethany, Lydia, Priscilla and so on….reinforce that message to us.
Take heart ladies! God values the intelligence and wit women bring to the table in addition to their roles as mothers and ezers. He made us in His image and that is a very good thing!
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