1 Timothy 5:8 (KJV): "But if any provide not for his own, and specially for those of his own house, he hath denied the faith, and is worse than an infidel."

Context First

This verse isn't primarily about gender roles at all. Read in its full passage (1 Timothy 5:3–16), Paul is instructing Timothy on how the early church should care for widows. The immediate issue: some widows had family members who could support them but weren't doing so, leaving that burden to fall on the church's limited resources instead.

1 Timothy 5:8 (KJV): "But if any provide not for his own…"

"Any" here is addressed to family members generally – children and grandchildren of widows (v. 4) – not specifically husbands or men as a category. The word translated "any" (Greek tis) is gender-neutral.

So the verse's plain original target is: if you have family who need support and you can provide it but don't, you're failing a basic obligation that even non-believers ("infidels" – those outside the faith) generally recognize. It's a statement about family responsibility, not a job-assignment rule dividing "who is allowed to work."

Does It Mean Only Men Can Work?

No – nothing in the verse restricts work to men, or says women can't work. That reading imports an assumption the text doesn't state. The verse addresses neglecting family need, not who holds a job.

Is It Okay If a Woman Works?

The verse itself doesn't address this question directly. Other passages are often brought into this conversation – Proverbs 31 describes the "virtuous woman" engaging in what's clearly economic activity: buying a field, planting a vineyard, selling merchandise (Prov. 31:16, 18, 24) – a portrait of active, capable work, not confinement to the home. So nothing in scripture as a whole demands women can't work.

There are many other examples in the Bible of women that held employment: Lydia (she had a "household"), Priscilla, Deborah, and many more.

Bottom Line on the Verse Itself

1 Timothy 5:8 is a warning against neglecting your family's needs when you're able to meet them – it doesn't itself specify which spouse must be the one working, or forbid women from working.