3
m Gen. xix. Κύριος ™ εὑρεῖν ™ ἔλεος παρὰ Kupiou! ἐν ” ἐκείνῃ "τῇ " ἡμέρα---καὶ
19, Num. xi. 15,
Judg. vi. 17, Dan. LXX, iii. “5 - 39(TH. Χριστῷ Ιησού: ili. 38), ix.
n See ver. 12.
οἱ Pet. i. 12, iv. 10, with acc.
d 1 Cor. xv. 9, 2 Cor. ii. 16, iii. 5.
a See 1 Tim. i. 2.
ὅσα ἐν ᾿Εφέσῳ ° διηκόνησεν, βέλτιον σὺ γινώσκεις. ‘ > a b2 a - δ II. 1. Σὺ οὖν, "τέκνον μου, " ἐνδυναμοῦ ἐν τῇ χάριτι τῇ ἐν Ν a » 3 ~ - , 2. καὶ ἃ ἤκουσας παρ᾽ ἐμοῦ διὰ πολλῶν μαρτύρων κα ε =~ 9 da¢ ν ν ταῦτα “παράθου πιστοῖς ἀνθρώποις οἵτινες “ἱκανοὶ ἔσονται καὶ
b See x Tim. i, 14. ς Seer Tim. i. 18.
19εῷ D*, d, ο.
mula that the recurrence did not seem harsh.
καὶ ὅσα κ.τ.λ. : afterthought.
διηκόνησεν: The verb is used with a perfectly general reference here, as in Heb. vi. Io.
βέλτιον: The comparative here is in- tensive or elative. See Blass, Grammar, ΡΡ. 33, 141,142. Other examples are in 1 Tim. iii. 14 (Tisch.) and in the Received Text of ver. 17 of this chapter.
CHAPTER I].—Ver. 1. σύ: emphatic, asini Tim. vi. ΤΙ andch. iii. το; but the appeal is not primarily that Timothy should imitate Onesiphorus, or learn by the example of Phygelus and Hermo- genes, but rather marks the intensity of the apostle’s anxiety for the future con- duct of Timothy in the Church; and similarly οὖν is resumptive of all the considerations and appeals for loyalty in chap. 1.
τέκνον : See note on r Tim. i. 2.
ἐνδνναμοῦ ἐν, κ.τ.λ.: The thought is resumed from i. 8, 9, and expanded in vv. 3-13. The closest parallel is that in Eph. ‘vi. 10, ἐνδυναμοῦσθε ἐν Κυρίῳ, κ.τ.λ. See note on 1 Tim. i. 12 and τεῇ., esp. Rom. iv. 20, Phil. iv. 13. Although the verb is passive, as indicated in the R.V., those who are, or who are exhorted to be, strengthened are not merely passive recipients of an influence from without. The act of reception in- volves man’s co-operation with God. Compare “ Abide in me, and I in you”’ (John xv. 4). The perfection of God’s power is conditioned by the weakness of man (2 Cor. xii. 9).
τῇ χάριτι τῇ ἐν Χρ. Ἴησ.: The two passages, 2 Cor. xii. 9, and Eph. vi. 1ο, alluded to in the last note, explain this. Grace here hasits simplest theological meaning, as the divine help, the un- merited gift of assistance that comes from God.
Ver. 2. St. Paul is here contemplating an apostolical succession in respect of
This clause is an
teaching rather than of administration. It is natural that in the circumstances of the primitive Church the building up of converts in the faith should have occupied a larger place in the Christian conscious- ness than the functions of an official ministry; but the historical continuity of the ministry of order is of course in- volved in the direction here. St. Paul would have been surprised if any other conclusion had been drawn from his words. In any case, the Providence of God sees further than do His servants.
ἃ ἤκουσας παρ᾽ ἐμοῦ: See note oni. ΤΆΣ
διὰ πολλῶν μαρτύρων : not per multos testes (Vulg.), but coram multis testibus (Tert. de Praescript. 25). The usual Greek for ‘‘in the presence of witnesses ἢ is ἐπὶ μαρτύρων; but διὰ θεῶν μαρτύρων is quoted from Plutarch (see Field, in loc.).
The διὰ is that of accompanying cir- cumstances. The reference is to a solemn tradttio of the essentials of the faith on the occasion of Timothy’s or- dination, rather than his baptism. The former reference seems clear from the parallel drawn between St. Paul’s com- mittal of the faith to Timothy and Timothy’s committal of it to others. On the other hand, a comparison of 1 Tim. vi. 12 favours the view that this refers to aformal public instruction at baptism. Reasons have been already suggested against the identification of the laying-on of hands of τ Tim. iv. 14 with that of 2 Tim. i. 6. Otherwise it would be natural to suppose that the many witnesses were the members of the presbytery who were joined with St. Paul in the ordination of Timothy. But there is no reason why the reference should be thus restricted. The action was a public one, “in the face of the Church’’. So Chrys., ‘‘ Thou hast not heard in secret, nor apart, but in the presence of many, with all openness of speech’’, The view of Clem. Alex.