those wishing or willing} Consider therefore whether you are willing ; comp. the word wishing (intending), Luke xiv. 28. Even a persevering will has a beginning. — svasfiuc %fiv) to live godly ; the whole energy of their life being devoted to Christian piety, Phil. i. 21. — Qfy to live) to pass life, Gal. ii. 14. — sv xpiffrti, in Christ) There is no godliness out of Christ Jesus. [And indeed the world easily ivears that mask of religion which depends on itself ; but the piety which flourishes directly Jesus Christ is very hateful, as it was to the old Jews, so to the modern Christians, who are without any token of good. — V. g.] — huxpfaovrat, shall suffer persecution) Nor will they indeed refuse it, Gal. v. 11. They shall proceed to worse and worse, ver. 13, stands in opposition to this future.
13. novTjpo/, evil men) The antithesis is godly, ver. 12. These are xXavupevoi, with a middle signification, who permit themselves to be seduced. — y^ng) seducers, enchanters, like those of Egypt, ver. 8. These are whavuvresj seducers. — vf*xfa\*wtt9, shall pro ceed to) so that no one will persecute them, but they will per secute the godly. — vXavwrs; xai -rXavw^gvo/, deceiving and being deceived) He who has once begun to deceive others, is the less easily able to recover himself from error, and the more easily embraces in turn the errors of others.
14. 2;) de, but thou) Whatever they may do. He takes up again what he began to say at ver. 10. — wr/tfrcWjj;) T/Vrow, I make sure a thing on the mind : sv oTg iiriffrufyg, in which thou hast been rendered viffrbg, faithful and firm (thou hast been assured) [out of the Scripture, ver. 15. — Y. g.] Comp. LXX., Ps. Ixxviii. 8, 37, where veiffTovadai corresponds to p&O. — zidug — nai on oTda$, knowing — and because thou hast known) A double ^Etiology [assigning of a reason : see Append.], of which the first part is to be referred to in those things which thou hast learned, the second to thou hast been rendered faithful (assured). A similar construction, fi/a — %a/ 6V/, occurs, John ii. 24, 25 : also sV/yi/oOc — *«/ or/, Acts xxii. 29. — Ta^a rivo$, from whom) from Paul, an approved teacher, ver. 10, 11.
15. Ka/, and) Even after the death of Paul, Timothy is the more bound to the Scripture. Paul does not bind Timothy to himself alone, but enjoins him who, however grown up, was his son in the faith, to use the Scriptures. They ought to