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1Ti_6:13-14. Παραγγέλλω σοι ] Matthies regards τὴν καλὴν ὁμολογίαν as the subject belonging to this; but against this construction there is both the meaning of the verb and the τηρῆσαί σε following.[204] Leo justly says: quo magis ad finem vergit epistola, eo gravior existit apostoli oratio. To give his exhortation greater force, Paul adds to παραγγέλλω (comp. 1Ti_1:3) the words of adjuration: ἐνώπιον τοῦ Θεοῦ κ . τ . λ .
Τοῦ ζωογονοῦντος τὰ πάντα ] ζωογονεῖν in the classic usage, equivalent to “bring forth alive, make alive,” serves in the LXX. for translating the Piel and Hiphil of äÈéÈä in the double signification: “maintain in life,” Exo_1:17; Jdg_8:19, and other passages; and “make alive,” 1Sa_2:6 (comp. 2Ki_5:7). In the N. T. it occurs here and at Luk_17:33, Act_7:19, in the sense of “maintain in life.” When connected with τὰ πάντα , ζωογ . is not to be understood specially of the resurrection (de Wette, van Oosterzee), but either “of God’s might that upholds everything” (Wiesinger, Hofmann), or, still better, of “His power that quickens everything” (Plitt), in the same sense as it is said of God in Neh_9:6 : ΣῪ ΖΩΟΠΟΙΕῖς ΤᾺ ΠΆΝΤΑ . God is therefore mentioned here as the source of life for the universe ( ΤᾺ ΠΆΝΤΑ ), there being a special reference to 1Ti_6:12 : ἘΠΙΛΑΒΟῦ Τῆς ΑἸΩΝΊΟΥ ΖΩῆς .
ΚΑῚ ΧΡ . ἸΗΣ . ΤΟῦ ΜΑΡΤΥΡΉΣΑΝΤΟς ἘΠῚ ΠΟΝΤΊΟΥ ΠΙΛΆΤΟΥ ΤῊΝ ΚΑΛῊΝ ὉΜΟΛΟΓΊΑΝ ] ΤῊΝ Κ . ὉΜΟΛΟΓΊΑΝ is not dependent on ΠΑΡΑΓΓΈΛΛΩ (Matthies: “I make known to thee … the good confession”), but on ΜΑΡΤΥΡΉΣΑΝΤΟς . It is open to question, however, whether the ΚΑΛῊ ὉΜΟΛΟΓΊΑ is the confession of the Christian which Timothy too has made (Wiesinger, Plitt, Hofmann), or the confession which Christ made (Leo, van Oosterzee). In the former case, ΜΑΡΤΥΡΕῖΝ is much the same as “testify, i.e. confirm, declare for truth;” in the latter it is kindred in meaning with ὁμολογεῖν . Wiesinger asserts that μαρτυρεῖν never has the latter meaning, but unjustly; because in Joh_5:32 we have μαρτυρίαν μαρτυρεῖν , and in Joh_3:11 we have ὃ οἴδαμεν λαλοῦμεν καὶ ὃ ἑωράκαμεν μαρτυροῦμεν (1Jn_1:2; Rev_1:2). On the contrary, there is no passage to be found where μαρτυρεῖν with the accus. means so much as “confirm the truth of an utterance by a testimony in regard to it.”[205] The first view, therefore, is to be rejected as contrary to usage. Besides, the confession made by Jesus, and Timothy’s confession mentioned in 1Ti_6:12, are not in contents different from one another. De Wette thinks that ΜΑΡΤΥΡΕῖΝ “is used here in the well-known ecclesiastical signification, consequently that Christ is represented as the first martyr,” and that the meaning is: “Christ confirmed the confession of the truth by His suffering and death.” This is not only against the usage of the N. T., but fails also by generalizing in an arbitrary way the idea of Ἡ ΚΑΛῊ ὉΜΟΛΟΓΊΑ .
If Ἡ Κ . ὉΜΟΛ . is the confession which Christ witnessed of Himself, ἘΠῚ ΠΟΝΤ . ΠΙΛ . cannot mean: “under Pontius Pilate” (de Wette), but only: “before Pontius Pilate.” Ἐπί stands here as in Mat_28:14, Act_25:9; Act_26:2, and other passages.
As the words added with ΤΟῦ ΘΕΟῦ point back to ΤῊς ΑἸΩΝ . ΖΩῆς , so do those added here with ΧΡ . ἸΗΣ . point back to ΚΑῚ ὩΜΟΛΌΓΗΣΑς Κ . Τ . Λ .
ΤΗΡῆΣΑΊ ΣΕ ΤῊΝ ἘΝΤΟΛῊΝ ἌΣΠΙΛΟΝ , ἈΝΕΠΊΛΗΠΤΟΝ ] These words, depending on ΠΑΡΑΓΓΈΛΛΩ ), give the purpose of Paul’s exhortation to Timothy. ΤΗΡΕῖΝ , joined with ἘΝΤΟΛΉ in many passages of the N. T., means “keep, observe,” as in chap. 1Ti_5:22 (de Wette and most expositors; Wiesinger differs).
ΤῊΝ ἘΝΤΟΛΉΝ is not a single moral or official law given specially to Timothy; it is synonymous with Ἡ ΠΑΡΑΓΓΕΛΊΑ in 1Ti_1:5 (so, too, Hofmann), pointing out the law of the gospel as the divine standard, according to which the Christian has to regulate his life.[206]
ἄσπιλον and ἀνεπίληπτον must, from their position, be referred to ἐντολήν (with de Wette, van Oosterzee, Plitt, Hofmann, and others), and not to σε , as Leo, Matthies, Wiesinger, and most suppose.[207] Expositors take ἌΣΠΙΛΟΝ and ἈΝΕΠΊΛΗΠΤΟΝ as two co-ordinate adjectives, so that for the sense ΚΑΊ has to be supplied between them (so hitherto in this commentary). This, however, is against usage; ΚΑΊ is dropped only when more than two attributes are reckoned, comp. e.g. 1Ti_3:2 ff., or when the one adjective forms one idea with the substantive, so that the other adjective defines the compound idea more precisely (comp. e.g. 1Co_10:4; see Winer, pp. 488 f. [E. T. p. 659]). It is more correct, therefore, to connect ἄσπιλον closely with ἘΝΤΟΛΉ , and to take ἈΝΕΠΊΛΗΠΤΟΝ in such a way that it declares how Timothy is to keep this ἘΝΤΟΛῊ ἌΣΠΙΛΟς : he is to keep the commandment which is in itself spotless, and to keep it so as to expose it to no blame.
ΜΈΧΡΙ Τῆς ἘΠΙΦΑΝΕΊΑς Τ . ΚΝΡΊΟΥ ἩΜ . ἸΗΣ . ΧΡ ]. Ἡ ἘΠΙΦΆΝΕΙΑ is the second coming of Christ. The word occurs outside of the Pastoral Epistles only in 2Th_2:17 (2Ti_4:1; 2Ti_4:8; Tit_2:13; in 2Ti_1:10, it is used to denote Christ’s first coming in the flesh). For the second coming we usually have ἈΠΟΚΆΛΥΨΙς (1Co_1:7) or ΠΑΡΟΥΣΊΑ . The word ἘΠΙΦΆΝΕΙΑ brings into prominence the element of visibility in the ΠΑΡΟΥΣΊΑ ; comp. 2Th_2:8 (Wiesinger). Chrysostom’s explanation is wrong: ΜΈΧΡΙ Τῆς Σῆς ΤΕΛΕΥΤῆς .
Bengel: fideles in praxi sua proponebant sibi diem Christi, ut appropinquantem, nos solemus nobis horam mortis proponere.
[204] The objections made by Matthies against the correct construction are only founded on this, that he considers the definite article τήν to be unsuitable before καλὴν ὁμολογίαν .
[205] Had Paul wished to express the thought that Christ had confirmed, by word or deed, the truth of the Christian confession, he would have written the dative τῇ καλῇ ὁμολογίᾳ .—The expression μαρτυρίαν μαρτυρεῖν , also occurring in classic Greek, does not mean: “confirm the truth of a testimony,” but simply: “testify, i.e. make a testimony.”—The old expositors justly directed attention to Mat_27:11 and Joh_18:26 f. in regard to ἡ καλὴ ὁμολογία .
[206] The special reference to ver. 12 (van Oosterzee) is arbitrary. Still it might perhaps be said that Paul sums up in τὴν ἐντολήν commands which he gave to Timothy in vv. 11, 12. In this command, however, there is also contained the sum of the whole Christian law.
[207] Wiesinger thinks that ἄσπ . and ἀνεπίλ . denote the result of τηρῆσαι τὴν ἐντολήν . But how can this he justified grammatically?