The Pulpit Commentary — 1 Timothy — Section 20

ee.mple (wp~s Jwon\w..,,,.cv). The word only oe~in that St. Paul is here using a familiar ><'CUl'II in the New Testament here Rlltl 2 Jewish phrase for" eternal" whioh bas no- l'im. i. 12; bnt both it nnd the n,l'b 1\rro• thing whatever to do with Gnostio te0ne. rv1r&r., nre good classical words. The mean- Perh11ps i.n the use of the phrase, /Ja.u,>-.,lis ing of L/,rch·tnr'r.,uu is u e. ~ketch" or outline,'' H ,,.,;;v a,C:,,.,,,,, we may traoe a contrast passing 11nd hence" a pattern." This pattern is through the writer's mind between the spoken of B8 being the property of, being for short-lived power of that hateful /Jau,>-.,o,, the use of, them which should hereafter Nero, by whom bis life would soon be taken belie\'e. Just as tl,e workman looks at his away, and the kingdom of the eternnl King plan, or outline, by which he is to work, so (comp.ch.vi.15, 16). Inoorruptible (a.,p8&.p-r'f'); those future bPlie,·ers w .. uld see in Christ's applied to God also in Rom. i. 23, where, as dealin!,.'8 with St. Paul the exact pattern of hcrl',it means "immortal'' (6 µovos lxr.iv d.8a- the long-suft~-l'iug which tl,ey might expect vaG"iav, eh. vi. 16), not subject to the "°""'P· for themselves. Others take V1roT61r..,1,,s in tion of death, just as a.,p8apuia. is coupled with the sense of " instruction," but this sense "lire" (2 Tim. i.10) and opposed to" death" ('><11not he made good. Believe on him unto So on the other hand, ,p8op& means "death." eternal life. These words bang together. ,p8apTds,." perishnble." msewhere it is applied The pll.rticular force of 1rurTEVfl11 J1r' allTlp, to a crown, to the rnise,l dead, to the inherit- .. found in the New Testament only here ance of the saints, to the seed of the new and Rom. ix. 33; x. 11 ; and 1 Pet. ii. 6" birth, to the apparel of a holy heiu-t, which lHuther}-as distinguished from the other no rust or moth corrupts (1 Cor. ix. 25; xv. eont--tructions of ,riu-reUEiv 1-is to "rest,'' 52 ; l Pet. i. 4, 23 ; iii. 4). Invisible ( a.op&Tq,) ; .. kau on·• (Ellicott). St. Paul thus iuci- as Col. i. 15; Heh. xi. 27. (See also Rom. dental I I' affirms that his own faith rested i. 20; and comp. eh. vi. 16, for the sense.) upon J°esus Christ in the full Assurance of The word is used by Philo of God, and of attainiug lo eternal life (see eh. vi 12; 2 the Word. Here it iB especially predicated Tim. i. l, 2). of God the Father, a.roording to what our Ver. li.-Incorrupti'"ble for immorl.ol, A.V.; Lord says (John i. 18; vi. 46; xiv. 9); only God for only wise God, A. V. and T.R. though some of the Fathers, Nicene and post- The King eternal The Greek has the un- Niccne, predicate it also of the Word or usual plirase, '7tj f3a.u,AeL -rWv aLdJvwlf., ,. the king Second Person (Hilary, Chrysostom, etc.). of the world,; or ages," which i..snot found else- But in Scripture the Son is spoken of as the where in the New Testament, but is found Manifestation, the Image (,l,cC:,v and xapa,c- twice in the LXX.-Tobit xiii. 6 aud 10- "TIP) of the Father, through whom the Father and in the Liturgy of St. James, in the eux¾ iB seen and known; cidpaTos, therefore, applies T;j< t!v&pt•ws and elsewhere. The similar to the Father (see Bishop Lightfoot's note phrase, 6 0eos Tii,v a.,,:,,,,,,,,, is also found in on Col. i. 15). The only God. The best Ecclus. xxxvi 17. In all theee passages it manuscripts omit a-o,pt;, which seems to have is quite clear that the phrase is equivalent crept in here from Rom. xvi. 26. 'l'he exact to a1C:mos, Eternal, as a title of the Lord, B8 construction is, "To the eternal King, the iu Rom. xvi. 26. The genitive ,,;;,,, a.iwvwv Immortal, the Invisible, the only God [or, ie qualitative. In Tobit xiii. 6 he is" the • who alone is God '], be honour," et.o. Be Lord of righteousue111<," i.e. the righteous honour and glory. A little varied from St. Lord ; and " the King of the e.geH," i.e. of Paul's usual doxologies (see Rom. :u. 36; rtt:m.ity, i.e." the eternal King," the King xvi 27; Gal. i. 5 ; Eph. iii. 21 ; and oh. vi. through all tbe agee. And in ver. 10 it is 16, where li&(a stands alone, and has the ,;aid, "Bk-,,s the eLernal King," who, it article-Eilicott on Gal. i. 5). In Rom. ii. follows, will, a• King, "love the miserable 10 ~uta anJ T,µ-f, are coupled together, but ~ts 1ra.Da.s ,-Us J'~llf-o.~- -ruii a.LWvos;" and the11 it applied tc. man. Thie interposition of 11, follow!!, in ver. 12,"'.rhey that Jove thee shall doxology is quite in St. Paul's manner. iie blessed ,is Tov a.iwva.;" and again iu \'er.18, Ver. 18.-My chiW for 800, A.V.; by them "BletlB the Lord, who bath exalted Jerusalem thou maye•t for thou bi, them mightellt, A.V.; Eis ·,rtivra.s Tolls alWvas;" and the same conet:~ the good for a good, A. V. This oharge. The tion is in the phraee, .-i, ,l 6 0eos Twv a.iC:,vwv. apostle now picks up the thread which he Sat.an, on the other hand, iB 6 e,os Toii had dropped at ver. 4, and solemnly com- a.iwvos ,,.o{,,ov, "the god of tliis world " ( com- mits to Timothy the episcopal care of the pare inch p1M!t!agee wi Pe. cii. 24; civ. 31 ; Ephesian Church, for which he had bid cv. 8; cxx.xv. 13; ex.Iv. 13; and the doxo- hiu1 stop at Ephesus. Omitting the long logy in the Lord's Prayer, "Thiue i• the digresaion in vers. 5-l 7, the sense runs kingdom, and the power, and the glory, ,is clearly thus: "Ae I besought thee to ta.ny at "ovs a.iwva.s "). It seems to be, therefore, quite Ephesus i11 order that thou mighte,t oliarge sorne not to teach e. different doctrine, so now 1 n,a-'Tf6EII' airr,j, J,, ,,,;,,,,;, .,, a.ti-ror, and do I place this charge in thy hands, e.ocord- •.,,·...,,.t,,,. in&' t.o the prophecies whiuh pointed to thee,  OB. J. 1-20.] THE FIRS'f EPISTLE TO TIMOTHY. 7