Lectionary Calendar
Tuesday, July 29th, 2025
the Week of Proper 12 / Ordinary 17
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Bible in Basic English

1 Timothy 4:4

Because everything which God has made is good, and nothing is evil, if it is taken with praise:

Bible Study Resources

Concordances:

- Nave's Topical Bible - Animals;   Asceticism;   Commandments;   Food;   Gifts from God;   Minister, Christian;   Prayer;   Thankfulness;   Thompson Chain Reference - Eating;   Food;   Food, Physical-Spiritual;   Gratitude-Ingratitude;   Temperance;   Thanksgiving;   The Topic Concordance - Goodness;   Last Days;   Sanctification;   Torrey's Topical Textbook - Gifts of God, the;   Thanksgiving;  

Dictionaries:

- Bridgeway Bible Dictionary - Evil;   Food;   Fornication;   Goodness;   Marriage;   Paul;   Thanksgiving;   Uncleanness;   Wealth;   Baker Evangelical Dictionary of Biblical Theology - Thankfulness, Thanksgiving;   Timothy, First and Second, Theology of;   Fausset Bible Dictionary - Abstinence;   Antichrist;   John the Apostle;   Law;   Meals;   Timothy, the First Epistle to;   Timothy, the Second Epistle to;   Unclean and Clean;   Holman Bible Dictionary - Joy;   Sex, Biblical Teaching on;   1 Timothy;   Hastings' Dictionary of the Bible - Church Government;   Creature;   Sanctification, Sanctify;   Hastings' Dictionary of the New Testament - Drunkenness;   Gnosticism;   Philosophy;   Rejection;   Timothy and Titus Epistles to;   Worldliness;   Morrish Bible Dictionary - Animals, Clean and Unclean;   Sanctification;  

Encyclopedias:

- International Standard Bible Encyclopedia - Brethren of the Lord;   Refuse;   Kitto Biblical Cyclopedia - Abstinence;  

Devotionals:

- Daily Light on the Daily Path - Devotion for August 6;  

Parallel Translations

Christian Standard Bible®
For everything created by God is good, and nothing is to be rejected if it is received with thanksgiving,
King James Version (1611)
For euery creature of God is good, and nothing to be refused, if it be receiued with thankesgiuing:
King James Version
For every creature of God is good, and nothing to be refused, if it be received with thanksgiving:
English Standard Version
For everything created by God is good, and nothing is to be rejected if it is received with thanksgiving,
New American Standard Bible
For everything created by God is good, and nothing is to be rejected if it is received with gratitude;
New Century Version
Everything God made is good, and nothing should be refused if it is accepted with thanks,
New American Standard Bible (1995)
For everything created by God is good, and nothing is to be rejected if it is received with gratitude;
Legacy Standard Bible
For everything created by God is good, and nothing is to be rejected if it is received with thanksgiving,
Berean Standard Bible
For every creation of God is good, and nothing that is received with thanksgiving should be rejected,
Contemporary English Version
Everything God created is good. And if you give thanks, you may eat anything.
Complete Jewish Bible
For everything created by God is good, and nothing received with thanksgiving needs to be rejected,
Darby Translation
For every creature of God [is] good, and nothing [is] to be rejected, being received with thanksgiving;
Easy-to-Read Version
Everything that God made is good. Nothing he made should be refused if it is accepted with thanks to him.
Geneva Bible (1587)
For euery creature of God is good, and nothing ought to be refused, if it be receiued with thankesgiuing.
George Lamsa Translation
For all things created by God are good, nothing is to be rejected if it is received with thanksgiving,
Good News Translation
Everything that God has created is good; nothing is to be rejected, but everything is to be received with a prayer of thanks,
Lexham English Bible
because everything created by God is good and nothing is to be rejected if it is received with thankfulness,
Literal Translation
Because every creature of God is good, and nothing to be thrust away, but having been received with thanksgiving;
Amplified Bible
For everything God has created is good, and nothing is to be rejected if it is received with gratitude;
American Standard Version
For every creature of God is good, and nothing is to be rejected, if it be received with thanksgiving:
Hebrew Names Version
For every creature of God is good, and nothing is to be rejected, if it is received with thanksgiving.
International Standard Version
For everything God created is good, and nothing should be rejected if it is received with thanksgiving,Romans 14:14,20; 1 Corinthians 10:25; Titus 1:15;">[xr]
Etheridge Translation
because every creature of Aloha is good, and nothing to be abominated, if with thanksgiving it be received;
Murdock Translation
Because whatever is created by God is good; and there is nothing which should be rejected if it be received with thankfulness;
Bishop's Bible (1568)
For euery creature of God [is] good, and nothyng to be refused, yf it be receaued with thankes geuyng.
English Revised Version
For every creature of God is good, and nothing is to be rejected, if it be received with thanksgiving:
World English Bible
For every creature of God is good, and nothing is to be rejected, if it is received with thanksgiving.
Wesley's New Testament (1755)
For every creature of God is good, and nothing to be rejected, being received with thanksgiving.
Weymouth's New Testament
For everything that God has created is good, and nothing is to be cast aside, if only it is received with thanksgiving.
Wycliffe Bible (1395)
For ech creature of God is good, and no thing is to be cast awei, which is takun with doyng of thankyngis;
Update Bible Version
For every creature of God is good, and nothing is to be rejected, if it is received with thanksgiving:
Webster's Bible Translation
For every creature of God [is] good, and nothing to be refused, if received with thanksgiving:
New English Translation
For every creation of God is good and no food is to be rejected if it is received with thanksgiving.
New King James Version
For every creature of God is good, and nothing is to be refused if it is received with thanksgiving;
New Living Translation
Since everything God created is good, we should not reject any of it but receive it with thanks.
New Life Bible
Everything God made is good. We should not put anything aside if we can take it and thank God for it.
New Revised Standard
For everything created by God is good, and nothing is to be rejected, provided it is received with thanksgiving;
J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
Because, every creature of God, is good, and nothing to be cast away, if, with thanksgiving, it be received, -
Douay-Rheims Bible
For every creature of God is good, and nothing to be rejected that is received with thanksgiving:
Revised Standard Version
For everything created by God is good, and nothing is to be rejected if it is received with thanksgiving;
Tyndale New Testament (1525)
For all the creatures of God are good and nothynge to be refused yf it be receaved with thankes gevynge.
Young's Literal Translation
because every creature of God [is] good, and nothing [is] to be rejected, with thanksgiving being received,
Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
For euery creature off God is good, and nothinge to be refused, yt is receaued with thankesgeuynge:
Mace New Testament (1729)
for all that God has created is good, and nothing is to be rejected, provided it be receiv'd with thanksgiving:
Simplified Cowboy Version
Nothing is to be rejected if God made it and a man is thankful for the full belly.

Contextual Overview

1 But the Spirit says clearly that in later times some will be turned away from the faith, giving their minds to spirits of deceit, and the teachings of evil spirits, 2 Through the false ways of men whose words are untrue, whose hearts are burned as with a heated iron; 3 Who keep men from being married and from taking food which God made to be taken with praise by those who have faith and true knowledge. 4 Because everything which God has made is good, and nothing is evil, if it is taken with praise: 5 For it is made holy by the word of God and by prayer.

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

every: Genesis 1:31, Deuteronomy 32:4

and: Acts 11:7-9, Acts 15:20, Acts 15:21, Acts 15:29, Acts 21:25, Romans 14:14, Romans 14:20, 1 Corinthians 10:23, 1 Corinthians 10:25

Reciprocal: Genesis 2:16 - thou mayest freely eat Genesis 9:3 - even Genesis 9:4 - the life Leviticus 3:17 - blood Leviticus 7:13 - leavened Leviticus 7:26 - ye shall eat Leviticus 11:2 - General Deuteronomy 8:10 - thou hast Deuteronomy 12:16 - General 1 Samuel 9:13 - he doth bless Ecclesiastes 8:15 - Then I Matthew 14:19 - he blessed Matthew 15:11 - that which goeth Matthew 15:36 - and gave thanks Mark 6:41 - blessed Luke 9:16 - he blessed Luke 11:41 - all Luke 22:17 - gave John 6:11 - when Acts 27:35 - and gave 1 Corinthians 10:30 - for which 1 Timothy 1:18 - according 1 Timothy 4:3 - with 1 Timothy 5:23 - General Titus 1:15 - the pure

Cross-References

Genesis 4:16
And Cain went away from before the face of the Lord, and made his living-place in the land of Nod on the east of Eden.
Genesis 4:17
And Cain had connection with his wife and she became with child and gave birth to Enoch: and he made a town, and gave the town the name of Enoch after his son.
Genesis 4:19
And Lamech had two wives; the name of the one was Adah, and the name of the other Zillah.
Genesis 4:20
And Adah gave birth to Jabal: he was the father of such as are living in tents and keep cattle.
Genesis 15:17
Then when the sun went down and it was dark, he saw a smoking fire and a flaming light which went between the parts of the bodies.
Exodus 13:12
You are to put on one side for the Lord every mother's first male child, the first-fruit of her body, and the first young one of every beast; every male is holy to the Lord.
Leviticus 9:24
And fire came out from before the Lord, burning up the offering on the altar and the fat: and when all the people saw it, they gave a loud cry, falling down on their faces.
Numbers 16:35
Then fire came out from the Lord, burning up the two hundred and fifty men who were offering the perfume.
Numbers 18:12
All the best of the oil and the wine and the grain, the first-fruits of them which they give to the Lord, to you have I given them.
Numbers 18:17
But no such payment may be made for the first birth of an ox or a sheep or a goat; these are holy: their blood is to be dropped on the altar, and their fat burned for an offering made by fire, a sweet smell to the Lord.

Gill's Notes on the Bible

For every creature of God is good,.... For food; and should be taken and used for that purpose, at all times, without distinction; even every creature which is made for food, and which is easy to be discerned by men:

and nothing to be refused; or rejected as common and unclean, or to be abstained from at certain times:

if it be received with thanksgiving: if not, persons are very ungrateful, and very unworthy of such favours; and it would be just in God to withhold them from them; and this they may expect at his hands, who reject them with contempt, or receive them with unthankfulness, or abstain front them in a religious way he never enjoined.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

For every creature of God is good - Greek, “all the creatures, or all that God has created” - πᾶν κτίσμα pan ktisma: that is, as he made it; compare Genesis 1:10, Genesis 1:12, Genesis 1:18, Genesis 1:31. It does not mean that every moral agent remains good as long as he is “a creature of God,” but moral agents, human beings and angels, were good as they were made at first; Genesis 1:31. Nor does it mean that all that God has made is good “for every object to which it can be applied.” It is good in its place; good for the purpose for which he made it. But it should not be inferred that a thing which is poisonous in its nature is good for food, “because” it is a creation of God. It is good only in its place, and for the ends for which he intended it. Nor should it be inferred that what God has made is necessarily good “after” it has been perverted by man. As God made it originally, it might have been used without injury.

Apples and peaches were made good, and are still useful and proper as articles of food; rye and Indian-corn are good, and are admirably adapted to the support of man and beast, but it does not follow that all that “man” can make of them is necessarily good. He extracts from them a poisonous liquid, and then says that “every creature of God is good, and nothing to be refused.” But is this a fair use of this passage of Scripture? True, they “are” good - they “are” to be received with gratitude as he made them, and as applied to the uses for which he designed them; but why apply this passage to prove that a deleterious beverage, which “man” has extracted from what God has made, is good also, and good for all the purposes to which it can be applied? As “God” made these things, they are good. As man perverts them, it is no longer proper to call them the “creation of God,” and they may be injurious in the highest degree. This passage, therefore, should not be adduced to vindicate the use of intoxicating drinks. As employed by the apostle, it had no such reference, nor does it contain any “principle” which can properly receive any such application.

And nothing to be refused - Nothing that God has made, for the purposes for which he designed it. The necessity of the case the “exigency of the passage” - requires this interpretation. It “cannot” mean that we are not to refuse poison if offered in our food, or that we are never to refuse food that is to us injurious or offensive; nor can it anymore mean that we are to receive “all” that may be offered to us as a beverage. The sense is, that as God made it, and for the purposes for which he designed it, it is not to be held to be evil; or, which is the same thing, it is not to be prohibited as if there were merit in abstaining from it. It is not to be regarded as a religious duty to abstain from food which God has appointed for the support of man.

If it be received with thanksgiving - see the 1 Corinthians 10:31 note; Ephesians 5:20 note; Philippians 4:6 note.

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse 1 Timothy 4:4. For every creature of God is good — That is: Every creature which God has made for man's nourishment is good for that purpose, and to be thankfully received whenever necessary for the support of human life; and nothing of that sort is at any time to be refused, ουδεν αποβλητον, rejected or despised. We find a saying very similar to this in Lucian's Timon: Ουτοι αποβλητα εισι δωρα τα παρα Διος. The gifts which are from Jove ought not to be DESPISED. This appears to have been a proverbial saying among the heathens.


 
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