πιστεύειν ἐπ᾿ αὐτῷ: πιστεύειν is 115- ually followed by εἰς and the acc., or the simple dat. But ἐπί with acc., and ἐν are also found. The construction in the text is due to an unconscious recollection of Isaiah xxviii. 16 (also quoted Rom. ix. 533. Χ ττ 1 beter 11.6) 5)and πο other explanation need be sought. The only other certain instance of the same con- struction is Luke xxiv. 25. The critical editors reject it in Matt. xxvii. 42.
Ver. 17. This noble doxology might be one used by St. Paul himself in one of his eucharistic prayers. It is signifi- cant that in the Jewish forms of thanks-
giving OPT To is of constant
occurrence. See reff., and θεὸς τῶν ai.in Ecclus. xxxvi. 22. Bengel’s suggestion (on ch. i. 4) that there is a polemical reference to the aeons of Gnosticism is fanciful and unnecessary. βασιλεύς, as a title of God the Father, is found in vi. 15 and Rev. xv. 3, a passage of which Swete says (comm. in loc.), ‘“The thought as well as the phraseology of the Song is strangely Hebraic’: Cf. Ps. ix. 37 (x. 16).
ἀφθάρτῳ: The three adjectives ἀφθά-
100
I ς Α 2A lal 27 > / 1 See νετ.».αἰώνας τῶν αἰώνων' αἁμην. SLuke xii, ,
ΠΡΟΣ ΤΙΜΟΘΕΟΝ A fe
18. Ταύτην τὴν * παραγγελίαν "παρα-
48, xxiii, τίθεμαί σοι, τέκνον Τιμόθεε, κατὰ τὰς “ προαγούσας ἐπὶ σὲ προφη-
46, Acts XIV. 23, i ee XX. 32, 2 Tim. ii. 2, 1 Pet. iv. 19.
ρτῳ, ἀοράτῳ, μόνῳ are co-ordinate epi- thets of θεῷ, to God immortal, invisible, unique.
ἄφθαρτος, immortal, as an epithet of God, occurs Rom. i. 23 (cf. Wisd. xii. 1, τὸ γὰρ ἄφθαρτόν σου . . . πνεῦμά ἐστιν ἐν πᾶσιν, and Moulton and Milligan, Expositor, vii-, vi. 376). It is expanded in vi. 15 sq., who only hath immortality, just as ἀοράτῳ becomes whom no man hath seen, nor can see (for the thought, see John i. 18, Col. i. 15, Heb. xi. 27, τ John iv. 12), and μόνῳ becomes the blessed and only potentate. For the epithet pdvos, used absolutely, see reff. and also Ps. Ixxxvi. 10, John xvii. 3, Rom. xvi. 27.
τιμὴ καὶ δόξα: This combination in a doxology is found Rev. iv. 9, δώσουσιν . . . δόξαν καὶ τιμὴν ; Υ. 13, ἣ τιμὴ καὶ ἡ δόξα. In St. Paul’s other doxologies (Gal. i. 5, Rom. xi. 36, xvi. 27, Phil. iv. 20, Eph. iii. 21, 1 Tim. vi. 16, 2 Tim. iv. 18), with the exception of 1 Tim. vi. 16 (τιμὴ καὶ κράτος), τιμή is not found; and he always has ἡ δόξα (see Westcott, Addi- tional Note on Heb. xiii. 21).
Vv. 18-20. The charge that lam giving you now is in harmony with what you heard from the prophets at your ordi- nation. It only emphasises the funda- mental moral! relations of man to things unseen and seen. The rejection of these principles of natural religion naturally issues in a perversion of revealed religion, such as caused the excommunication of Hymenaeus and Alexander.
Ver. 18. ταύτην THY παραγγελίαν is partly resumptive of ver. 3; it is the positive aspect of what is there nega- tively expressed; but as it concerns Timothy directly, it has a reference for- ward to ἵνα στρατεύῃ, κ.τ.λ., and to the general contents of the epistle. Bengel refers it to παραγγελίας, ver. 5. Peile to πιστὸς ὁ λόγος, κ.τ.λ.
παρατίθεμαί σοι: The use of this word, as in Luke xii. 48, 2 Tim. Π. 2, suggests that the παραγγελία is more than an injunction of temporary urgency, that it is connected with, if not the same as, the παραθήκη (depositum) of τ Tim. νι. 2ο. Cte:
τέκνον Τιμόθεε: There is a peculiar affectionate earnestness in this use of the personal name, here and in the con-
t See ver. 2.
1 Tim. v. 24.
clusion of the letter (vi. 20). Cf. Luke x. 41, Martha, Martha; xxii. 34, Peter; John xiv. 9, Philip; xx. 16, Mary. For τέκνον Se@note ΟΠ Ver. 2.