The Pulpit Commentary — 1 Timothy — Section 106

EXPOSITION. of" price" (M"tt. xxvii. 6, 9; Acts Iv. ~+: OHAPTRR V. vii. IC; xix. W; I Cor. vi. 20, etc.). Th~ Ver. 1.-Ezlwrt for inlreat, A.V.; anrl p,issage migli t, thercf,,re, be pe.raphraae<l, omitted. Rebuke not v,.11 brnr/l.f,( 11 •); only " Pay due regard to the wants of those here in the New 'festawent for the more widows who are widows indee,1." The usual bnnµ.d.w (2 Tim. iv. 2, and fre• "honour" here prescribed would be exactiy quently in the Gospels) or ill.i-yxw, as Titus the opposite to the "nPglect" (1rap•••w· i. 13; ii. 15; Rev. iii. 19, and elsewhere. pouno) complained of by the Grecian Jews In classical Greek it expresses a sharp casti- (Acts vi. l). The same idea is in the Latin gation with words. Compare the "patrua; hrmararium, for a fee. Widows indeed ; i.e. verbern lingum"' (Hor., • Od.,' iii. xii. 3). It really, as in yers. 5 and J6, desolate and answers to the Latin ol,ji,rqo. An elder alone. We learn from this passage the.t the ('rrp«1/JvTlpq,). The context shows that the cure of widows by the whole Church, which meaning is not e. "presbyter," but "an old began at Jerusalem in the very infancy of me.n." 'l'he precept bas relation to Timothy's the Church, was continued in the Churches youth (eh. iv. 12). See the so.me order in planted by St. Paui. We find the same in- respect to the persons to be admonished stitution though somewl,at different in (Titus ii. 1-6, where, however, we have the character, in subsequent ages of tbe Church. forms 1rp«1{J6Ta, aud 1rp«1/J6naas with vias Widowhood, as wdl e.s virginity, became a and VEOJT<povs). The direction is an instance religious profession, and widows were ad• of that e.dmire.ble propriety of conduct, mitted with certain ceremonies, includino- liased upon e. true charity, which vital the placing on their heads e. veil consecrated Christianity produces. A true Christian by the bishop. Deaconesses were very fre- never forgets what is due to others, never quently chosen from the ranks of the widows "behaves himself unseemly." Exhort (1rapa· (l:lingbam, 'Antiq.,' bk. vii. eh. iv.). ,cd./1...); certainly a much bett&r rendering Ver. 4.-Hath for have, A.V.; grand- than intreat in the A.V. The younger men. children for nephews, A.V.; toward• their This and the other accus11tives in this and own family for at home, A.V.; this for that, the following verse a.re governed by -rrapa.• A. V. ; acceptable i11 the lfight of for good and ,.&.11... ; the prohibitive µ.1/ i1r11rll.f/!r,s is cou- acaptahle before, A.V. and T.R. Grand- fined to the wpeufjvTipa,. As brethren. This children (l,c-yova; only here in the New phrase shows that Timothy was still a young Testament, but common in the LXX. and in man himself. Observe, too, how even in classical Greek); descendants, children or reproving the sense of love is to be main- granrlchildren (e.s on the other band, 1rpo-yova, tained. The n,emhers of the Church over in this verse includes grandparents e.s well which he rules a.re either fathers and as parents). In Latin nepotes, "descend- mothers, or brothers and sisters, or, it may 1\nts; " nos 11evew: (in French), "our de- be e.dded, e.s his own children, to the faithful scendl\nts ; ·• and so the English word pe.slor. "nephews" (derived from nepos, through Ver. 2.-In fort.Dith, A.V. Purity(ci.-yve!~); the French neveu) properly means, and is com- s,ee oh. iv. 12, note. See how jealously the monly so used in all old English writers, as apostle guards against any possibility of e.g. in Holinshed (Richardson's Dictionary), abnse of the familiar intercourse of a clergy- "their nephews, or sons' oon~, which reigned man with the women of his flock. They a.re in the third place." Locke's phrase, " a his sisters, and ci.-yve{., is to be the constant nephew by a brother," seems to show the oondition of his bee.rt and character. transition to the wodern use of" nephew." Ver. 3.-Xonour (Tlµ.a.). The use of the But as the old meaning of "nephews " is verb T1µ&.., in the comment on the fourth now obsolete, it is better tc snbstitut6 commandment in Mntt. xv. 4-6, where the "grandchildren," as in the R."\t. Let them withholding of the honour due consists in learn. Clelll'ly "the children or grandchil- saying, "lt is corbcm, by whatsoever thou dren" is the subject. To show piety towards mightest be profited by me," and so with- (eu<T•/J•iv). In the only other pa$sa.ge iu holding the honour due, shows clearly that the New Testament where this word occurs, in the :notion of honouring is included that Acts xvii. 23, it has o.lso an aceusutive of m11tel"ial support which their condition as the person-"whom ye worship." Inclassica.1 widows required. So again in ver. 17 of this Greek also euue/Je"iv Twa. is used e.s well as chapter, tlw "double honour" due to elders els, or 1repl, or 1rpbs, T<va.. Their own family, wbo labour in the Word and doctrine is of which the widowed mother or graDLl- clei.rly shown by ver. 18 to include payment mother formed a part. The force of TDv for their mainten11nce. This is also borne :a,av oi,cov, "their own family,'' lies in the out by ,he frequent uee of ,,.,,.~ in the eenee implied contrast with the Chw·ch. As lnug  98 THE l<'IRST EPrBTLE TO TIMOTHY. [oB. V. 1-26.