1 Timothy 3:8

Deacons (diakonou). Accusative case of general reference like the preceding with dei einai understood. Technical sense of the word here as in Philippians 1:1 which see (two classes of church officers, bishops or elders, deacons). Grave (semnou). See Philippians 4:8 . Repeated in verse 1 Timothy 3:11 ; Titus 2:2 . Not double-tongued (mh dilogou). Rare word (di, legw) saying same thing twice. Xenophon has dilogew and dilogia. In Pollux, but LXX has diglwsso (double-tongued, Latin bilinguis). Only here in N.T. One placed between two persons and saying one thing to one, another to the other. Like Bunyan's Parson "Mr. Two-Tongues." Not given to much wine (mh oinwi pollwi proseconta). "Not holding the mind (ton noun understood as usual with prosecw, 1 Timothy 1:4 ) on much wine" (oinwi, dative case). That attitude leads to over-indulgence. Not greedy of filthy lucre (mh aiscrokerdei). Old word from aiscro ( Ephesians 5:12 ) and kerdo ( Philippians 1:21 ). "Making small gains in mean ways" (Parry). Not genuine in verse 1 Timothy 3:3 . In N.T. only here and Titus 1:7 (of bishops).