Paul Tells Timothy to Meditate

In Paul’s first letter to Timothy, he includes an imperative to “meditate.” The Greek verb here can be understood as ‘premeditate, imagine, practice,” and has been rendered as ‘occupy one’s self, be careful about’ and ‘attend to, care for, ponder.’

In addition to the lexical meaning, it is to be noted that Paul uses the second person singular. This is an individual and personal activity for Timothy. The text reads:

Meditate upon these things; give yourself wholly to them; so that all may see your progress.

Paul is encouraging solitary times of meditation, prayer, and study by using the singular imperative instead of the plural. This is a counterbalance to Timothy’s ministry among the people in his area.

Paul is relaying the example set by Jesus, who likewise balanced His solitary time against time spent among large crowds and small groups. The lesson for the reader is clear: it’s good to spend time in fellowship, and it’s good to spend time alone. Both are necessary.