The Pulpit Commentary — 1 Timothy — Section 107

1111 • widow hR8 memben of her own hou@e night" (Rev. iv. 8; vii, 15; xii. 10: xiv. who a.re oble to support her, the Church 11; xx. 10). ought not to be burdened (see ver. 16) To Ver. 6.-Gi'lleth herself to for liueUa ,11, requite (uµo,{3;., a.,ro6l6ov111); litere.lly, to A.V. Giveth herself to pleasure (,) 11,..,..,.,.. gfoe back the return or e:uhange dllll. 'Aµo,fJfr >-<»era); only here and Jas. v. 5 ( l11,ra.,-aJ,.fr- 1s only found here in the New 'l'eatament, 11a.,.., "ta.ken your pleasure," R.V. "been but is not uncommon in the LXX., and is wanton," A.V.) in the New Teste.m~nt, but much used in the be..t classical authors. found (as well e.a 11,ra.,-&>...,, and 11,r,fra/\os) in 'l'he ..-po-yovo, hnd nourished and oared for Ecclus. xxi. 15, and in Polybius (Lid,lell and them in their childhood; they must requit.e Scott). Trench (' Synonyms of New Testa- thRt ""re by honouring and supporthg them ment,' p. 191) compares e.nd contrasts a-rp"I· in their old Rge. This is aooeptable ( o.,r&6,,,. vui"', 1'pv<f>dr.,, e.nd u,raraA&.,, e.nd says the.t rov); only here in the New Testament or the le.tier in~lud~ the idea of prodigality. LXX., and rarelv if ever in ole.ssical Greek. The word brmgs into the strongest possible 'J'he same idea iii expressed in eh. i. 15, by contrast the widow who we.s like Anne., and ,racr11s a...-oaoxiis ~ws, and in I Pet. ii. 19, those whom St. Pnul here denounces. la 20. by xd,,,s. Toirro xd/>cs -rap/i 8«i, "This dee.d while she liveth; or, has died (is dead) ie &el'eptable with God.'' in her lffetime. She is dead to God, e.nd, e.s Ver. 5.-Hath her hope set on for tnuiteth Alford suggests, is no longer e. living mem- i,., .A.. V. A widow indeed (see ver. 3). ber of the Church of Christ. Compo.re St. Desolate (µ,µovr.,µ•V1/; only here in the New Jude's expression "twice dead" (ver. 12). Testo.ment, rare in Greek versions of Old The expression in Rev. iii. 1 is different, 'l'estament, frequent in classical Greek); UD.less (oiua here can have the same mean- literally, kft alone, or made solitary, which ing a.a ~voµa tx,. il-r, {f, " though nominally is also the exact meaning of " desolate," a.live e.s e. Christian," 'etc. from eolu., alone. A widow with children Ver. 7.-These things also command for or grandchildren able to support her is not and these thing, give in charge, A.V.; with. altogether desole.t.e. As rega,·ds the connect- out reproach for blameless, A.V. These ing a.;, rendered "now" both in the A.V. things, etc. The apostle he.d been giving and the R. V., Bishop Ellicott rightly renden Timothy his own instructions concerning it "but." The apostle is contrasting the widows e.nd their me.intene.nce by their own condition of the iiv-rr.,s x>/pa, who has only relations. He now e.dde the direction that God to look to for help, e.nd who passes her he should give these things in charge to the time in prayer, with tha.t of the widow with Ephesian Church, lest they should be guilty children e.nd grandchildren. The second e.nd blameworthy by e.cting in a different .. bat " in ver. 6 is no ree.l objection ; the spirit. He probably we.a a.we.re of e. disposi- widow who" giveth herself to plee.sure" is tion existing in some qunrtere to throw the contrasted in her turn with the devout burden of maintaining their widows npon prayerful widow whose conduct has just the Church. Without reproe.oh (uv,..-l>..11• lk<en described. The inference intended to ,..,.o,): above, eh. iii. 2, note. If they did not be drawn, as Ellicott justly remarks, is the.t ao they would be liable to the terrible re- tht: one is eminently fit, and the other proach mentioned in ver. 8, the.t, Chrfatie.ns emi11e11tly unfit, to be supported e.t the com- as they ce.lled themselves, they were in their ruon che.rge of the Church. Re.th her hope conduct worse the.n unbelievers. set on God (see eh. iv. 10). Snpplioati.ona Ver. 8.-Provideth for provide, A.V.: Ai, e.nd pre.yen (see eh. ii. 1, note). Night and own househol,d, for for those of his own lwuse, de.y. Perhaps by night and by day would A.V. e.nd T.R.; unbelief/er for infidel, A.V. express the genitive better (Me.tt. ii. 14; Provideth (wpovoii). Elsewhere in the New Lnke xviii. 7), as indice.ting time tDhen, Testament only in Rom. xii. 17 and 2 Cor. rather than time 1ww long. In Lnke ii. 37, viii. 21, where it he.s e.n e.ccuse.tive of the Anne. the prophetess is so.id f;o worship thing provided; here, as in classical Greek, " with fa.stings and supplice.tioilll night e.nd with e. genitive of the person: frequent in day (vuKn Kal 71 µ,pa.v)," where the accua&- the LXX., e.nd still more so in cle.asical tive conveys rather more the notion of Greek. The sub,tu.ntive ,rpovola occurs in vigils prolonged through the night. As Acts xxiv. 2 e.nd Rom. xiii. 14. Ris own regards the order of the words, "de.y e.nd ho11Behold ; bece.uae in me.ny ea.see the widow uight," or" uight e.n<l de.y," there seems to would be actually living in the house of her bt: no rule. St. Mark al we.ye he.s " night child or grandchild. But even if she were aud de.y" (iv. 7; v. 5); !St. Luke uses not, filial duty would prompt e. proper pro- butL (ii. 37; xviii. 7; Acts ix. 24; :u. vision for her we.nts He he.th denied the ill ; :uvi. 7). St. Paul alw"ys "nhdit faith; viz. by repudiating those duties which and day," as in thie 1,e.s:,0,ge (Acts xx. 31; the Christian fe.ith req uhed of him (see Eph. I 'J'lu,..,. ii. 9; iii. 10; 2 Theos. iii. 8 ; 2 vi. 1-:J). 'l'w... i. 3). St. John e.lwo.) d "day e.ud Ver. 9.-Let uone 116 enrolled a, • widou, on. T, 1-25.) THE FIRST EPISTLE TO TIMOTHY. 97 --------------------------- -~--- for let not a tDidO'IJI be taken into the nwmhe1', compass of e. few verses (see ver. 14) recom- A.V. Let none be enrolled, etc. The mend the marriage of yonng widows, e.nd proper tranele.tion eeeme certainly to be yet make the fact of e. second marriage an (Ellicott, Alford, Huther, etc.), let a woman absolute bar to e. woman being enrolled be enrolled a, a widow not unde1' ,izty years among the Church widows. old; i.e. xfipa ia the predicate, not the sub- Ver. 10.-Jlnth for ha'lle, A.V. (five times); ject. It follows tho.t the worcl " wiclow " wed hnspitahty lo for lod'.Jed, A. V. Well here ie need in e. slightly different sense reported of (µapru,,ouµev11; see eh. iii. 7 and from the.t in the preceding verses, viz. in note). This use is frequent in the Epistle the technical sense of one belonging to the to the Hebrews (vii. 8; xi. 2, 4, 5, 39), e.lso order of widow9, of which it appears from in 3 John G, 12. Good works (tp-yoir ,ca.J<ois). the word Kara.l<,-ylu9w there was a regular The phrase occurs frequently in the past.oral roll kept in the Church. We do not know Epistles, both in the singubr e.nd in the enough of the Church institutions of the plural (eh. ii. 10; iii. I; in this verae; ,postolic e.ge to eno.ble us to say positively ver. 25; vi. 18; 2 Tim. ii. 21; iii. 17; Titus wbe.t their status or their functions were, i. 16; ii. 7, 14; iii. 1, 8, 14). Our Lord had but doubtless they were the germ from first used the phrase, and taught how "good which the later development (of which see works" were to be (be distinctive marks of Bingham, bk. vii. eh. iv.) took its rise. We hid disciples (i\latt. v. 16), as they were may gather, however, frurn the passage before evidences of bis own mission (John x. 3:!, ue tho.t their lives were specially consecrated 33). It denotes all kinds of good actions as to the service of God e.ncl the Church ; that distinguished from sentiments. Love, e.g. is they were expected to be instant and cun- not e. aood work. Feeding the hungry and ete.nt in prayer, and to devote themselves to clothiug the naked e.nd visiting the sick works of charity; the.t the e.po~tle did not are good worlcs (see Matt. xx v. 35, etc.). approve of their marrying again after their Brought np children ('r,,cvorp6cp71rr,v}; only ha\'ingembraced this life of widowhood, e.nd here in the New Testament or LX.X., but therefore would have noue enrolled under found, as well e.s r,,cvorpocpia., in Aristoll,·. sixty years of age; e.nd generally the.t, once The word must mean "brought op children on the roll, !hey would continue there for of her own," because r,,cvov does not mean their life. Enrolled (1<a.ra.1<,-ylu60,); only here "a child" wilh rel"erence to its age, but" e. i11 tl,e New Teatament or (in this sense) in child" with rtfcreuc" to its parent who the LXX.; but it is the regular classical bare it. Tlie only appare11t exception in won! for enrolling, enlisting, soldiers, etc. Holy Scripture is 1 These. ii. 7, where llcnce our worcl "catalogue." In like the nurse's alumni e.re called "her own m,mner, in the lin,ee of the Empress Helene., cliilt!ren," but obviously this is no -1 the virgins of the Church e.re described e.e exception. The clo.ssice.l usage is the ae.me. tl.va-yt-ypaµµI va.s i-v T~ -r-ijs fH,c>..71<1lar ,cav&v, We must, therefore, underst,md the apostle (Socr., i. 17), "registered in the Church's here to mee.n "if she bath brought up her register," or list of virgins. Under three children well e.nd carefully, e.nd been o. good aoore yee.1e old. A similar rule we.a le.id down mother to them." The precept corresponds in sever.ii early canons, which forbade the to that laid down for an ''""""""' in eh. iii. veiliug of vir;.;ins before thee.geofjorty. This 4. Possibly, e.s Grotiue suggests, e. contrast care t.i preve11t women From being entangled may be intended with the conduct of some by vows or engageu,ents which they had heathen mothers, who, if they were very lfOt well oonsitlered, or of which they did poor, exposed their children. lJ'eed hospi- not know the full force, is in striking con- tality to (•!•voli&x11u,v); only here in tbe trast with the system which allows young New Testament or LXX., but, 11.11 well &11 girls to me.ke irrevocable vows. The par- !•voli&,cos e.nd !oolioxl.., not uncommon in ticiple -y,-yovui'cz, "being," belongs to this classical Greek. The common form in the clause (not as in the A.V. to the following New Testament is ~oi(«v. (For the in- one), as Alford clearly shows, e.nd as the culcation of hospitality, see eh. iii. 2, note, R.V. e.lso indicates, by putling havi11g been e.nd 3 John 5.) We.shed the saints' feet (sf-e ia italics; tuough it dues not tro.nsle.te John xiii. 5-S; e.n<l comp. Luke vii. -H, ;,-yovuia. in this olo.use, unless possibly tue where the omission to provicle water to word "old" is considered o.e rnpresouting we.eh the feet of a guest is reprulio.ted as -y,-yovui'a. It should be, L,t none be en- inhospitable), The saints (Rom. xii. 13). rolled as widpws, being under sizty years of He.th relieved (E,nfp,c,a-,v); only here e.n<l age. The wife of one me.n; see nbove, twioe in ver. 16 in the New Testament, e.nd eh. iii. 2, the eimilnr phrnse, "the husb11ud iu 1 Me.co. viii. 26 e.nd :xi. 35; but common of oue wifo" (which iiktnvise stmuls without in ole.ssic,11 Greek. The e.flticted ( ro,s any pu.rticiple), e.ud the note there. To 91<1/:loµevo,s); used of ,my kiu<l of truul>l,· which muy be t\1lded tho.t it is hardly con• or e.ffiiotions (61<11j11s); cowpt1re. for the pre- 1eive.ble the.t St. Paul should witl,in the cept, Rom. xiii 15. Diligently followed L TIMOTllY, B  98 THE FIRST EPISTLE TO TIMOTHY. [OB. T, 1-26,