The Pulpit Commentary — 2 Timothy — Section 20

L11wfully (voµ(µ,.,s, NI 1 Tim. i. 8); 11ccord- Othc-re, u Ruther, think the clrmse points ing tot.be laws and usRgcs of the gHmf's. So to the Messianic dignity of David. Others. Timothv must conform to 1be lrtwR of the thRt it is inserted in rerut.ntion of Uae Chriet.i~n ,nrfure, And not shrink from Docc-tm, and to show the reality of the death afflictions, if he would gain the gre11t Chris- and resurrection of Christ; or that it is tian prize. meant to miuk especially the fulfilment of Ver. 6.-ThefirFt to parlake for first par- prophecy. But the first eirplsne.tion is quite talrer, A.V. That laboureth (Tlw 1<0,r1wv'Ta), satisfactory, and the general purpose of the Let not Timothy think to shirk labour and reference to our Lord as intended to en- yet enjoy its fruits. (For 1e01r,&,.,, see not.a on courage Timothy to endure hurdnees as e. I Tim. V. 17.) good soldier of Jesus Ohrist, is fully borne Ver. 7.-For the Lord shall gifle for and out by the " faithful saying" in vers. 11 and the Lord give, A. V. Consider what I say. 12, " If we died with him, we she.II also live The apostle's lessons had been given in with him : if we endure, we shall e.Iao reign psra.bles or eimilitndes. He therefore begs with him." Timothy to note them well, lest the applica- Ver. 9.-Ha.rdship for trouble, A.V.; unto tion to himself should esoope him, suggest- for ef/en unto, A. V.; aa a malefactor for aB ing further th&t he should seek the necessary an eml-doer, A.V.; transposition of olause, wisdom and underst&nding from God. So unto bonds. Wherein (lv ,p) ; i.e. in whioh our Lord, at the end of the pe.rsbles recorded gospel, in the preaching of whioh. Suft'er in Matt. xiii., se.ys to his disciples in ver. 51, hardship (1ea1eo,ra6w); as ver. 3, T.R. Unto "Have ye understood all these things?" bonds (µlxp• li,,,.µ.wv). So µ.lxp, 611vchou, and elsewhere, " He that bath ears to Lear, Phil. ii. 8; µ.lxp,s 111µ.a.Tos, Heh. xii. 4; but let him hear." Understanding (1Tuv<1T1v); most frequently of time, "until," as Matt. xi. one of the special gifts of the Spirit (Isa. 23 ; xiii. 30 ; Acts x. 30, etc. A malefe.otor xi. 2, LXX. ; see Col. i. 9 ; ii. 2). (,ca1eovpyos); as Luke xxiii. 32, 33, 39; com- Ver. 8.-Jesus Chrut, rvenfrom the dead mon in classical Greek. Bonds t B«rµ.i.,v) ; e.■ for that JeAUB Christ ... 11148 raued from the Acts xxvi. 29; Phil. i. 7, 13, eto. ; Col. iv. 18. dead, A.V.; of the seed of David for JIJBUB So St. Paul calls himself Blrrµ.,os, in respect Chrut of tl,e seed of Da1Jid, A. V. Remember of these bonds (Eph. iii. l ; iv. 1 ; eh. i. 8 ; 111811.B Christ. The A.V. seems to give the Philem. 1, 9). The Word of God is not sense more correctly than the R.V. The bound. A beautiful reflection of e.n utterly point of the exhortation is to remember that unselfish mind I The thought of hie own Jesus Christ was raiaed from the dead, and bonds, likely soon to be exchanged for the by that remembrunce to be encoumged to bonds of e. martyr's de&th, a.we.kens the com- face even death courageously. The verb forting thought," Though they bind me with ,,.,,.,µov,ua1, in the New Testament, usnally 1rn iron chain, they ce.nn,ot bind the gospel. governs the genitive case as e.g. Acts xx. 35; While I em here, shut up in prison, the Gal. ii. 10. But in l These. ii. 9; Matt. Word of God, preached by a thousand xvi. 9; Rev. xviii. 5, it has an accusative, tongues, is giving life and liberty to myriads as here, a.ad commonly in classical Greek. of my brethren of the human race. The There seems to be hardly sufficient ground tyrant can silence my voice and confine it for the distinction mentioned by Bishop within the walls of my dungeon; but all Ellicott, that with a genitive it means the while the sound of the gospel is going simply "remember," with the accusative through a.II the earth, its se.ving words to the "keep in remembrance." It is more diffi- ends of the world; and I therein rejoice, yea, oult to determine tbe exact forc-e and intent and will rejoice; and not all the legions of of the clause, "of the seed of David." It Borne can take this joy from me." 11eems, however, to point to Christ's human Ver. 10.-Sake for sake11, A.V.; a.l,o may nature, so as to make the example of Christ's for may a.1.so, A.V. Therefore (3,?. .,-oii-ro); reeum,ction apposite as e.n encoumgement for this caUBe. Some (Wiesinger, Alford, to Timothy. And this view is much etc.) refer this to whe.t follows, viz. "that strengthened by Ram. i. 3, where the addi- tbe elect may obtain the salvation," et.o., tion, ·' a.ccordiug to the flesh," as contrasted after the model of 1 Tim. i. 16 and Philem. with " the Son of God according to the Spirit 15, where 3,?. 'TOv'To clearly refers to the of holiness." marks the clause, "of the seed words which follow. But the interposition of David," as specially pointing to the of the words, 31?. Toor l1<>.<1<'To6s, is strongly human nature of Christ. The particular adverse to this view. It seems, therefore, form which tlie reference takes probably rather to refer collectively to all the con- &ri8es from the form to which the apostle siderations which he had just been urging refers WI as "my gospel." In that creed, upon Timothy, perhaps especially the lost, which was the epitome of the gospel as of the resurrection of Christ, which he now preached by St. Paul, there was no doubt again enforces by hie own example of willing wention IIllMlil of Christ's Davidic descent. su1fering in order that the elect may obtain CH, TT, 1-26,] THE SECOND EPISTLE TO TIMOTHY. 21