The Pulpit Commentary — 2 Timothy — Section 55

mon nee In cfoesfoal Greek; hence simply or the New Testament, is thie term applieit "to depart," The olassical use of livdA.u,r,r ~irectly eithe! f-? God or to Christ. Surely rather favours the sense, either of" release" its use here 1s mfluenced by the preceding or of" dissolution." But St. PRul's use of metaphor of the li')'~v e.nd the Bp&µ.or and livo.A.6., in Phil. i. 23, and the frequent use of the 11Tltpav0f; and "the righteous Jndge" io the same verb in the LXX. and by Josephus, the impartial fJpafJ,or, or "judge," whn in the sense of "to depart," favours the ren- assigned the prizes at the games to those deri11g of dvdA.u11n by "departure," as in the who had fairly won them. And this is the A.V. n111l R.V. 1B oome; rather, is at hand proper meaning of ,,,,,,,.~,, "the nmpire." (i,pl11T711«); the sRme verb as ,1rl11T7181 in applied, especially at.Athens, to the "judge," ver. 2. (On the difference betwe-,n ,v,11T711<• at the poetic contestd (Liddell and Sc,,lt ). (" is come") and ,q,/11,,-711<• (" is at hand"), Thucydides contrRsts the 1<pmir and the see Alford on 2 These. ii. 2, and comp. Acte lz')'.,v111T,j, : Aristophanes the ,cp,nl and the xxii. 20.) 8,a.,,.aC, the "spectators; " and the word Ver. 7.-The for a, A.V.: the for my, A.V. "critic" is derived frnm this meanini. o( I have fonght the good fight; as I 'l'im. vi. ,,,,,.fir and 1tp,,,.,,,&r. The whole picture i1 12 (Tov d')'wvo. ,,-1,v 1<aA.&v), meaning that, that of the apostle running his noble race however honourable the contests of the of righteousneBB to the very end, and of the games were deemed, the Christian contest Lord himself assigning to him the well- . was far more honournble than them all. earned crown of victory in the presence of The word "fight" does not adequately ex- heaven and earth Bl'sembled for the solem- press ,,-1,v d')'wvo., which em braces all kinds of nity of that great day. That ha.ve loved contests-chariot-race, foot-race, wrestling, his appearing. It will be a characteristic etc. "I have played out the honourable of those who will be crowned at that day game" would give the sense, though in- that ell the time they were fighting the elegantly. The course (Tov Bp&µov); Acts good fight they were looking forward with xiii. 25; xx. 24. The runner in the race hope and desire for their Lord's appenring had a definite Bpoµor, or course to run, marked and kingdom. "Thy kingdom come" was out for him. St. Paul's life was that course, their desire and their petitfon. They will and he knew that he had run it out. I have be able to say at that day, "l.", this is onr kept the faith. St. Paul here quite metaphor Uod; we have waited for him, •md he will and explains the foregoing figures. Through BBVe us: this is the Lord; we have waited his long eventful course, in spite of all for him, we will be glad and rejoice in his lifficulties, conflicts, dangers, and tempta- salvation" (lBB. :u-v. 9). His appearing; tions, he had kept the faith of Jesus Christ as in ver. 2. committed to him, inviolable, unadulterated, Ver. 9.-Do thy diligence (uToillla<10v); see whole, and complete. He bed not shrunk eh. ii. 15, note. St. Paul's affectionate long- rrom confessing it when death stared him in ing for Timothy's company in present the face; he liad not oorru p Ied it to meet danger and desertion is very touching. (For the views of Jews or Gentiles; with courage the chronological bearing of thia pasBBge, and resolution and persevnance he hnd see Introduction.) kept it to the end. Oh I let 'l'imothy do the Ver. 10.-Forsook for hatA forsaken, A. V.; mme. toent for ia departed, A.V.; to for unto, A.V. Ver. 8.-T/,e for a, A.V.; to me for me, (twice). Demas. Nothing more is known of A.V,; only to me for to me only, A.V.; also Demas then what is gathered from the to all them for unto all them also, A.V.; have mention of him in Col. iv. H and Philem. loved for love. Henoeforth (A.onrov); as Heh. 24. We learn from those pueages that he x. 13. The work of conflict being over, it was a fellow-labourer of the apostle, and it only remains to receive the crown. The is remarkable that in them both he i1 crown of righteousneBB means that crown coupled, 88 here, with Luke and Mark (Col. the pos_session of which marks the wearer iv. 10). (See Introduction.) Having loved as righteous before God. The auRlogous thia pre■ent world. It would appear from phrnses are, "the oruwn of glory" (I Pet. this that Demas hRd not the faith or the v. 4) aud "the crown of life" (Jae. i. 12; cournge to run the risk of she.ring St. Rev. ii. 10). The righ1eouenees, the glory, Paul's imminent martyrdom at Rome, but and the life of the sai11ts are oonoeived es Iert him, while he was free to do so, under displayed in crowns, as the kingly dignity pretence of an urgent call to Theesalonice.; is in the crown of royalty. The righteona just as Muk left Paul and Barnabas (Acla Judge (1tp1T1J<). In Acts i:. 42 the Lord xiii. 13). But tl ,ere is no ground to believe Jesus is said to be orduined of God Kp,,,.~r that he was an apostate from the faith. (.Svnw ,cul v,1<pwv, "the Ju<lge or quick and The coupling together of DemBB e.nd Aria- dead ; '' and in Heh. xii. 23 we rrnd, Kp1T)i' t.nch11s in Philem. 24 suggests that Demaa 0,,,; 1rclVT.,v, "God the Judge or nil." But may ht<ve been a Thessalonian, a• wo know nowhere else, either in the Old Testament that Aristarohus wu (Aots n. 4). DfflWII  60 THE SECOND EPISTLE TO TIMOTHY. [cH. lV. 1-22,