SEV Biblia, Chapter 5:18
Porque la Escritura dice: No embozars al buey que trilla; y: Digno es el obrero de su jornal.
Clarke's Bible Commentary - 1 Timothy 5:18
Verse 18. The Scripture saith, Thou shalt not muzzle the ox] This is a manifest proof that by timh, honour, in the preceding verse, the apostle means salary or wages: "Let the elders that rule well be accounted worthy of double honour," a larger salary than any of the official widows mentioned before, for "the labourer is worthy of his hire." The maintenance of every man in the Church should be in proportion to his own labour, and the necessities of his family. He that does no work should have no wages. In the Church of Christ there never can be a sinecure. They who minister at the altar should live by the altar; the ox that treadeth out the corn should not be muzzled; the labourer is worthy of his hire: but the altar should not support him who does not minister at it; if the ox won't tread out the corn, let him go to the common or be muzzled; if the man will not labour, let him have no hire.
John Gill's Bible Commentary
Ver. 18. For the Scripture saith , etc.] In ( Deuteronomy 25:4) thou shalt not muzzle the ox that treadeth out the corn ; (See Gill on Corinthians 9:9). (See Gill on 1 Corinthians 9:10). The ox, for its strength and labour, is a fit emblem of a Gospel minister; and its treading the corn out of the husk and ear aptly represents the beating out, as it were, of Gospel truths, by the ministers of it, their making the doctrines of the Gospel clear, plain, and evident to the understandings of men; wherefore, as the ox was not muzzled when it trod out the corn, but might freely and largely feed upon it, so such who labour in the preaching of the Gospel ought to have a sufficient and competent maintenance: for which purpose this citation is made, as also the following: and the labourer is worthy of his reward ; which seems to be taken from ( Luke 10:7) which Gospel was now written, and in the hands of the apostle; who here, by two testimonies, the one from Moses, and the other from Christ, supports the right of the honourable maintenance of the ministers of the Gospel.
Matthew Henry Commentary
Verses 17-25 - Care must be taken that ministers are maintained. And those who ar laborious in this work are worthy of double honour and esteem. It in their just due, as much as the reward of the labourer. The apostl charges Timothy solemnly to guard against partiality. We have grea need to watch at all times, that we do not partake of other men's sins Keep thyself pure, not only from doing the like thyself, but from countenancing it, or any way helping to it in others. The apostle als charges Timothy to take care of his health. As we are not to make ou bodies masters, so neither slaves; but to use them so that they may be most helpful to us in the service of God. There are secret, and ther are open sins: some men's sins are open before-hand, and going befor unto judgment; some they follow after. God will bring to light the hidden things of darkness, and make known the counsels of all hearts Looking forward to the judgment-day, let us all attend to our prope offices, whether in higher or lower stations, studying that the nam and doctrine of God may never be blasphemed on our account __________________________________________________________________
Greek Textus Receptus
λεγει 3004 5719 γαρ 1063 η 3588 γραφη 1124 βουν 1016 αλοωντα 248 5723 ου 3756 φιμωσεις 5392 5692 και 2532 αξιος 514 ο 3588 εργατης 2040 του 3588 μισθου 3408 αυτου 846
Vincent's NT Word Studies
18. The Scripture (h grafh). Comp. 2 Tim. iii. 16. To the Jews hJ grafh signified the O.T. canon of Scripture; but in most cases hJ grafh is used of a particular passage of Scripture which is indicated in the context. See John vii. 38, 42; Acts i. 16; viii. 32, 35; Rom. iv. 3; ix. 17; x. 11; Galatians iii. 8. Where the reference is to the sacred writings as a whole, the plural grafai or aiJ grafai is used, as Matt. xxi. 42; Luke xxiv. 32; John v. 39; Rom. xv. 4. Once grafai agiai holy Scriptures, Rom. i. 2. Etera grafh another or a different Scripture, John xix. 37; hJ grafh auth this Scripture, Luke iv. 21; pasa grafh every Scripture, 2 Tim. iii. 16. See on writings, John ii. 22. The passage cited here is Deut. xxv. 4, also by Paul, 1 Cor. ix. 9.
Thou shalt not muzzle (ou fimwseiv). In N.T. mostly in the metaphorical sense of putting to silence. See on speechless, Matthews xxii. 12, and put to silence, Matthews xxii. 34. Also on Mark iv. 39. On the whole passage see note on 1 Cor. ix. 9.
That treadeth out (alownta). More correctly, while he is treading out. The verb only here and 1 Cor. ix. 9,10. Comp. alwn a threshing-floor, Matthews iii. 12; Luke iii. 17. An analogy to the O.T. injunction may be found in the laws giving to the Athenians by the mythical Triptolemus, one of which was, "Hurt not the laboring beast." Some one having violated this command by slaying a steer which was eating the sacred cake that lay upon the altar, - an expiation-feast, Bouphonia or Diipolta was instituted for the purpose of atoning for this offense, and continued to be celebrated in Athens. Aristophanes refers to it (Clouds, 985). A laboring ox was led to the altar of Zeus on the Acropolis, which was strewn with wheat and barley. As soon as the ox touched the grain, he was killed by a blow from an axe. The priest who struck the blow threw away the axe and fled. The flesh of the ox was then eaten, and the hide was stuffed and set before the plough. Then began the steer-trial before a judicial assembly in the Prytaneum, by which the axe was formally condemned to be thrown into the sea.
The laborer is worthy, etc. A second scriptural quotation would seem to be indicated, but there is no corresponding passage in the O.T. The words are found Luke x. 7, and, with a slight variation, Matthews x. 10. Some hold that the writer adds to the O.T. citation a popular proverb, and that Christ himself used the words in this way. But while different passages of Scripture are often connected in citation by kai, it is not according, to N.T. usage thus to connect Scripture and proverb. Moreover, in such series of citations it is customary to use kai palin and again, or palin simply. See Matthews iv. 7; v. 33; John xii. 39; Rom. xv. 9-12; 1 Corinthians iii. 20; Heb. i. 5; ii. 13. According to others, the writer here cites an utterance of Christ from oral tradition, coordinately with the O.T. citation, as Scripture. Paul, in 1 Thess. iv. 15; 1 Cor. vii. 10, appeals to a word of the Lord; and in Acts x. 35 he is represented as quoting "it is more blessed to give than to receive" as the words of Jesus. In 1 Corinthians 9, in the discussion of this passage from Deuteronomy, Paul adds (ver. 14) "even so hath the Lord ordained that they which preach the gospel should live of the gospel," which resembles the combination here. This last is the more probable explanation.
Robertson's NT Word Studies
5:18 {Thou shalt not muzzle} (ou fimwseis). Prohibition by ou and future (volitive) indicative of fimow (from fimos, muzzle), old word, quoted also in #1Co 9:9 as here from #De 25:4, and for the same purpose, to show the preacher's right to pay for his work. See #1Co 9:9 for alownta ({when he treadeth out the corn}). {The laborer is worthy of his hire} (axios ho ergates tou misqou autou). These words occur in precisely this form in #Lu 10:7. It appears also in #Mt 10:10 with tes trofes (food) instead of tou misqou. In #1Co 9:14 Paul has the sense of it and says: "so also the Lord ordained," clearly meaning that Jesus had so said. It only remains to tell whether Paul here is quoting an unwritten saying of Jesus as he did in #Ac 20:35 or even the Gospel of Luke or Q (the logia of Jesus). There is no way to decide this question. If Luke wrote his Gospel before A.D. 62 as is quite possible and Acts by A.D. 63, he could refer to the Gospel. It is not clear whether Scripture is here meant to apply to this quotation from the Lord Jesus. For ergates (laborer) see #Php 3:2.
