First Timothy 5:23 is Paul’s practical advice to his younger co-worker Timothy: stop drinking only water, and take a little wine to help his stomach and his frequent illnesses. It is a personal, medical-style suggestion rather than a rule for the whole church. Paul wrote this letter to Timothy, whom he had left to lead the church in Ephesus, and he gave Timothy instruction on caring for both the congregation and himself.
Be no longer a drinker of water only, but use a little wine for your stomach’s sake and your frequent infirmities.
1 Timothy 5:23 (WEB)
What 1 Timothy 5:23 Means
The verse begins with a correction: “Be no longer a drinker of water only.” Timothy had apparently been living on a strict, water-only diet, perhaps out of a desire to avoid anything that could tempt him or cloud his judgment. Paul tells him to ease up. Water was the safe default in the ancient world, but Paul sees that Timothy’s body needs something more.
The reason Paul gives is plain and down to earth. Wine, in the first-century Mediterranean world, was often mixed with water and was used to help digestion and to treat minor ailments. Paul calls it “a little wine,” which signals moderation, not indulgence. He names two needs: his stomach and his “frequent infirmities,” meaning recurring sicknesses.
What the verse does not do is give a general command about drinking or a blanket endorsement of alcohol for everyone. It speaks to one man’s health in one situation. Scripture elsewhere warns against drunkenness, so this verse is best read as a specific, limited piece of counsel rather than a universal policy.
The Context of 1 Timothy 5:23
First Timothy is one of the Pastoral Epistles, letters traditionally attributed to Paul and addressed to Timothy, a leader Paul had mentored and sent to Ephesus. The letter gives guidance on church order, leadership, caring for widows, and resisting false teaching. Its audience is Timothy personally, though the instructions shape the wider church.
The verses just before and after this one deal with discernment and integrity in leadership: how to handle accusations against elders, avoiding favoritism, and not rushing into appointing leaders. Verse 23 sits in the middle of this discussion, and verse 24 shifts to how sins and good works become visible over time. Seen in this setting, Paul’s concern for Timothy’s health reads as part of a larger pastoral care for the man doing the work, not a stray comment about diet.
Key Phrases in 1 Timothy 5:23
1 Corinthians 6:19-20
19 Or don’t you know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God? You are not your own, 20 for you were bought with a price. Therefore glorify God in your body and in your spirit, which are God’s.
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Paul teaches here that the body is a temple of the Holy Spirit and should be honored. This adds to 1 Timothy 5:23 by showing why Paul would care about Timothy’s stomach and illnesses: the body matters to God, so tending it well is a form of respect for Him.
Ecclesiastes 9:7
Go your way—eat your bread with joy, and drink your wine with a merry heart; for God has already accepted your works.
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Ecclesiastes encourages people to enjoy the gifts of food and drink that God provides. Read alongside 1 Timothy 5:23, it reinforces that wine and everyday pleasures can be received with gratitude, while the wider Scriptures keep a steady warning against excess.
A Short Prayer From 1 Timothy 5:23
Lord, thank You that You care about my body as well as my soul. Help me to take my health seriously without making it an idol or a source of fear. Show me where I have been too strict or too careless, and give me wisdom to find the balance You intend. Strengthen me for the work You have given me, and let me serve You with a body that You have made and that You keep. Amen.
