The Pulpit Commentary — 2 Timothy — Section 40

progreuln! evil. They would "proceed (li,w-,,,u.oi't); e.e Matt. 11111. 21; Acts viii. l ; further in ungo,llin,•ss," 1\8 he s1tid in oh. ii. xiii. 50; 2 Cor. xii. 10, cte. Suffering■ 16, botnot up to the point of destroying the ( To,, ,ra8,fµ.C11nv); usually so rendered in the gospel, 88 history bu sho•.-n. The vurioue A.V. (Hom. viii. 18; 2 Cor. i. 5; Col. I. 24, forms of Gnosticism hRve perished. The etc.) ; rendered " nffl ictions " in Heb. x. 82 ; gospel remains. Aa theirs &lso o&me to be 1 Pet. v. 9. At Antiooh; in Pieidie. (A~ts ( Exod. ,·iii. 18, 19). Surely the A. V. "wu" xiii. 14). For an Rooount of the perseoutions is better. encountered by St. Paul e.t Antioch, Ico- Ver. 1O.-Dulst jollmr, my fHwhing for nium, ,md Lystra, see Acts xiii., xiv. It we.~ ha..t fully knoum my doctriM, A. V. and T.R.; at St. Paul's second, or rather third, visit to oond.uot for manner of life, A.V.; looe for Lystre. lluit he chose Timothy for his com- charity, A.V. Didst follow (,rap71,,:o>,.0087111'as, panion (Acts xvi 1-3). I endured (/nrl- wllich is the R.T. for ,rap71,,:o>..00871,cas, in v,,-,ca); not simply •• suffered," but "under- the perfect, which is the T.R.). The evi- went,'' willingly e.nd firmly suffered (see denoe for the two ren.dings is nioely ba- 1 Pet. ii. 19). As rege.rda the construction, lanced. But St. Paul uses the perfect in the antecedent to oTa is Tra8-/iµ.a.11'1v, e.nd the I Tim. iv. 6 (where see note), and it seems di1frrence between & e.nd ofa is the.t & would highl!' improbable that he here nsed the lim t the referenoc to the e.otue.1 1ra8-/i,u.a-ra at aorist in order to convey a rebuff to Timothy Antioch, Iconium, and Lystre., but ofa ex- by insinuating that he had once f111lowed, tends the reference to a.II similar sufferings. hut that he was doing so no longer. The The proper English rendering is "such as sentence, "thou didst follow," eto., is singu- befell me." But the clause e.t the end of larly insipid. The A.V. "thou hast fully the sentence should be rendered " whe.t lrnowu" gives the sense fully and clPnrly. great persccutiouij I endured." As Bengel Timothy had fully known St. Paul's whole notes, "ofos demonstrat rei i-:re.vite.tcm," e.nd career, partly from wh,,t he had heard, and oTous preceding the substLLnlive with which partly from what he had been e.n eye-wit. it agreee(li,w;,,u.ou,), cannot be construed the nes11 of. lily teaohing. How different from same e.e ofa the re!ntive. The sentence, o1ous the.t of thoee impostors I Conduot (a:;,w11i); li,cii-,,µous u1r•v•;,tca., is e.n amplifiee.tion of the here only in the New Testament, but found preceding 1i1w;,,u.ois : "Thou he.at fully in the LXX. in Esth. ii. 20 (·d,v o:;,Cd')'¾,v known my persecutions ... viz. whe.t great ,urrijs, "her manner of life "-her behaviour persecutions I endured." And out of them towards Mordecai, where there is nothing to e.11, etc. This is added for Timothy's en- answer to it in the Hebrew text); 2 Mace. couragement, the.t he might stand fa.et in iv, 16 (-rus U')'"")'4S); vi 8; xi 24. Aristotle the fuce of persecutions e.nd sufferings. uses a:;,oryf/ for "conduct," or "mode of Delivered me (µ., •f,po11'a-ro ). He.d the life" ('Ethics'), and Polybins (iv. 74, 14), apostle in his mind the clause in the Lord's quoted by Alford, bile a:;,~ and °'i'"'i'"I Prayer," Deliver ns from evil" (Matt. vi. 13)? -roii /Jfou," way" or" manner of life." The Comp. eh. iv. 18, where the resemblance is A. V. "manner of life" is a very good still more striking. Observe the testimony rendering. Purpose ( ..-po8•11'"'); that which to Christ's omnipotence in this 88Cription a pe!'IIOn aete before him e.e the end to be to him, in both pe.ese.gee, of St. Paul's de- attained (Aots xi 23; xxvii. 13; 2 Mace. li verance (comp. Acts xviii. 10). iii 8; and in Aristotle, Poly bi us, e.nd Ver. 12.-Would for will, A.V. Yee. and othen). Used often of God's eternal pur- e.11 (teal 1ra.vns li,). As though he he.d ea.id, pose, 88 e.g. eh. i. 9; Eph. i. 11, etc. In "Mine is not e. solitary e11e.mple of 11 servant enumerating these and the following, " faith, of God being peraecuted ; it is the comwon lot long-11uffering, charity, e.nd patience," St. of e.11 who will live godly in Christ Jesus" Pe.ul doubtle88 liad in view, not self- (comp. John xv. 20 e.nd 1 Pet. iv. l, 12, 13). glorifioe.tion, which WW! wholly a.lien to hie Ver. 13.-lmpostors for seducers, A.V. earnest, self-denying character, but the Evil men (Trov71po[). In eh. iv. 18 it is ..-av- mention of those qualities which he se.w -ros (p;,ou ..-ov71poii. The adjective is applied were m<>Bt needed by Timothy. Long-su1fer- indifferently to persons and things-vii ing ( -rfi /UU<poBuµ.l'f) ; e.e 1 Tim. i. 16, of the men, evil servants, evil persons, evil gene- long-eo1fering of Jeans Chri~t towards him• ration. evil spirits, etc., and evil deeds, evil self, and elsewhere frequently of human fruits, evil eye, evil works, etc. Se.tan, the patience and forbee.re.nce toward& othera. embodiment of evil. is I, ..-ov71pos. Impostors Pe.tienoe ( -rp irroµ.ovff). This is exercised in (;,1n1-ru); only here in the New Testament. the patient endure.nee of e.fBictious for In cle.eeical Greek ;,071s ia e. juggler, e. cheat, Christ'~ u.ke. It is coupled, W3 here, with an enchanter. St. Pe.ul still had the µ.a.,<po8uµ.la., long-su~ering, in (?DI; i. ll. Egyptian magicians in his mind. Shall wax Ver. 11.-Su.ffenng for ajftwt.om, A.V.; worae e.nd worse (1rpo,co,j,oul1'w ,.,,1 -rb Xftipov); v,/iat thing• btfell. me for which came unt.o eee above, ver. 9, note. - . A..V.; and for belt, A..V. Peneoutiom Ver. 14,-.dbide for oontinUll, A.V . .I.bide C:H, III, 1-17,] TlIE SECOND EPISTLE TU T!MOTHY.