1 Timothy 1:6-7 6For some people, by departing, have turned away to empty talk,7by wanting to be teachers of the law, not understanding either what they are saying or about the matters about which they make confident assertions.
Paul continues to highlight the problem in Ephesus about the false teachers. Verse 6 is a major contrast to the ideals set out in verse 5. He does not name the some people (tines) and may not have even known many details about them. The participle departing (astochēsantes) has the nuance of deviating from a moral or spiritual norm.
The verb turned away (exetrapēsan) adds emphasis to the wrong actions of the false teachers. Instead of embracing and nurturing the qualities of love given in verse 5, these people have turned away from love and followed their own thinking shown in their empty talk. This word in Greek is a compound of “vain” (mataio) and “speech” (logian). This type of communication does not accomplish anything and, in fact, may make things worse.
Verse 7 suggests that they may have had some Jewish connection because of their focus on the Law, referring to the Old Testament. In many places, Paul had to deal with legalistic Jewish Christians who insisted that Gentile believers be circumcised or follow other Jewish regulations. The false teachers in Ephesus may have been of a similar perspective. They pretended they know what they are talking about because of their confident assertions. But they lacked understanding of what they were trying to teach. They wanted to be teachers but lacked the essential qualifications. Teaching requires more than looking or sounding smart. The core requirements are given in verse 5. Paul will emphasize these qualifications in this letter and urge Timothy to develop them in his own life.
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