The Pulpit Commentary — 1 Timothy — Section 129

Ver. 9.-DeBire lo for wfll, A.V.: 11 is not " the love of money," bu\ the IIIOll8J '6mptaUoo for temptation, A.V.; many for itself. To avoid this, Hofmann (quoted by lnlo many, A.V.: 8Uch 118 for which, A.V. Rather) makes ~!(11 the antecedent to 1j,, A temptation. The reason of the insertion and the metaphor to be of a pereon turning of the article before "temptation" in the out of his path to grasp a. plant which turns R.V. seems to be that, as the three substan- out to be not desirable, but a. root of bitter- tives all depend upon the one preposition ness. This is ingenious, but hardly to be ,ls, they ought all to be treated alike. But o.ccepted as the true interpretation. Pieroed if so, the reasoning is not good, because themselves through (,r,p1,,mpo.Y); only here "temptation" implies a state, not merely a in the New Testament, and rare in classical single temptation. The prefixing of the Greek. But the simple verb ...,ep.,, to article is therefore improper. It should be 11 pierce through," "transfix," applied espe- "temptation," as in the A.V. and in Matt. cially to "spitting" meat, is very common in Ti. 13; xxvi. 41 ; Luke xlrii. 40, etc. Snare Homer, who also applies it metaphorically (11'11')1!611); as eh. iii. 7, note. The concur- exo.ctly as St. Paul does here, to grief or rence of the two words ,r«pairµ.&, and ,ra')lls pa.in. '066vvu, -rorapµ.lvos, "pierced with show that the agency of Sa.tan was in the pa.in" (' II.,' v. 399). writer's mind. Severo.I good manuscripts, Ver. 11.-0 mo.n of God. The force of Fe.there, and versions, add the words .-ou this address is very great. It indicates that 6,11/3&>..ou after .,,.,.1'(611 (Ruther). Drown the money-lovers just spoken of were not (/3u9l(ou,n); only here and Luke v. 7 in the and could not be" men of God," whatever New Testament. Found also in 2 Maco. they might profess; and it lea.de with sin- xii. 4, and in Polybius-" to sink," tran- gular strength to the opposite direction in sitive. Destruction and perdition (6>..,Bpoi, which Timothy's aspirations should point. ttal ,br~>..«11v). The two words taken to- The treasures which he must covet aa "a. gether imply utter ruin and destruction of man of God" were ":righteousness, godli- body and soul. '0>..,8pos, very common in ness, faith, Jove, patience, meekness." For ola.ssica.1 Greek, occurs in 1 Cor. v. 5; 1 the phrase, " man of God," see 2 Tim. iii. 'fhess. v. 3; 2 Thess. i. 9, and is limited in 17 and 2 Pet. i. 21. In the Old Testament the first passo.ge to the destructioo of the it always applies to a. prophet (Deut. xxx:iii. body, by the words, .-ijs u11pr<&s. 'A,ro,>..elcz, 1 ; Judg. xiii. 6; 1 Sam. ii. 27; 1 Kings less common in ola.ssica.l Greek, is of fre- xii. 22 ; 2 Kings i. 9: J er. x:xxv. 4 ; and a. quent use in the New Testament, and, when great many other paesages). St. Paul uses applied to persons, seems to be always used the expression with especial reference to (except in Acts xxv. 16) in the sense of Timothy and his holy office, and here, per- "perdition" (Matt. vii. 13; John xvii. 12; haps, in contrast with the .-our l.vllp,:,...ous Rom. ix. 22 ; Phil. iii. 19 ; 2 These. ii. 3 : mentioned in ver. 9. l'lee these things. Heh. x. 39; 2 Pet. iii. 7; Rev. ivii. 3, eto.). Note the sharp contrast between "the men" Ver. 10.-A root for fJia root, A.V.; all of the world, who reach after, and the man kinds of for all, A.V.; stnne reaching after of God, who a.voids, ,pi>..11p')'Up£c,.. The ex- for whi't.e some ooveted after, A. V.; have been pression. " these thingii," is a little looee, led 118tray for they havs erred, A.V.; have but seems to apply to the love of money, pieroed for pierced, A.V. Love of money aud the desire to be rich, with e.11 tllalr (,PIA<tp')'Uplc); only here in the New Testa- attendant•• foolish and hurtful lusts." The ment, but found in the LXX. and in clas- man of God avoids the perdition and mani- sical Greek. The substo.nCive ,p,>..dnupos is fold sorrows of the covetous, by a.voiding the folllld in Luke x:vi 14 o.nd 2 Tim. iii. 2. A covetousness which is their root. :rollow root. The root is better English. Moreover, after (8!.,,,,); pursue, in direct contrast with the following ,..di,.,..,., .,..,,, '"'""'" (not ,r&>,.>,..,,, ,P•,ry•, fiee from, avoid (eee 2 Tim. ii. 22). """"'") necessitates the giving a definite Meekness (,rptiu,r118,!,.,,). This rare word, sense to ~!(11, though it ho.s not the article; found in Philo, but nowhere in the New and Alford shows olearly that a word like Testament, is the reading of the R.T. (in- ~l(cz, especie.lly when placed o.s here in an eteo.d of the rp<f&.,..,,.,.,. of the T .R.) and emphatic position, doea not require it (comp. accepted by al.most e.11 critics on the autho- 1 Oor. lri. 3, where in the second and third rity of e.11 the older manuscripts. It baa cla118e ,u,P<&>..f/, being in the emphatic place, no perceptible duference of meanillg from hH not the article). Alford also quotes a rp11d.-11s, meeknees or gentlene1111, • striking passage from Diog. Lo.ert., in which Ver. 12.-The faith fer faitJ&, A.V.: the be mentions a saying of the philosopher life etsmal for stsmal ~ife, A.V.; to111tfor an Diogenes that II the love of money (ii ,p,>..o.l'" alio,A.V.and T.B.; didstoonfeu thsgood«m- .,.,pl11) ia the metropolill, or home, -rJ.rr.,,, "°'" /688100 for had profeued. a good 'J'!Ofeuion, tt.u&,,." Beaohing after (cip•')l&1.,.,,o,). It h111 A.V.: in ths Bight of for 'be/ore, A.V. :right been juatly remarked that the phrase ii the good fight. This is not quite a happy lltahUJ we.oonrate. What some reach after t'f'nrl-,ring. 'A"Y'1• ia the •oontea&." ai Ula  122 THE FIRST EPISTLE TO TIMOTHY. [on. VI. 1-21.