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1Ti_6:17. The apostle might have stopped at 1Ti_6:16; but, glancing back to 1Ti_6:9 ff., he adds another injunction in regard to the rich.[209]
τοῖς πλουσίοις ἐν τῷ νῦν αἰῶνι ] Chrysostom: ΕἸΣῚ ΓᾺΡ ΚΑῚ ἌΛΛΟΙ ΠΛΟΎΣΙΟΙ ἘΝ Τῷ ΜΈΛΛΟΝΤΙ . Still we cannot press the contrast so far as to make the earthly riches necessarily exclude the heavenly (wealth in God, Luk_12:21).
ΠΑΡΆΓΓΕΛΛΕ ΜῊ ὙΨΗΛΟΦΡΟΝΕῖΝ ] ὙΨΗΛΟΦΡΟΝΕῖΝ only here and at Rom_11:20 (Rom_12:16 : ΤᾺ ὙΨΗΛᾺ ΦΡΟΝΕῖΝ ): “exalt themselves haughtily over others because of their possessions.”
ΜΗΔῈ ἨΛΠΙΚΈΝΑΙ ἘΠῚ ΠΛΟΎΤΟΝ ἈΔΗΛΌΤΗΤΙ ] ἈΔΗΛΌΤΗς ( ἍΠ . ΛΕΓ .), from ἌΔΗΛΟς , which is equivalent to “not manifest, hidden,” is properly “hiddenness,” then “uncertainty.” The word indicates that it is uncertain whether or not riches continue to him who possesses them (comp. 1Co_9:26 : ἀδήλως ). Instead of the substantive, we might have had the adjective: ἘΠῚ Τῷ ΠΛΟΎΤῼ Τᾷ ἈΔΉΛῼ (Luther: “on uncertain riches”); still the form of expression here makes the idea of uncertainty more prominent (see Winer, p. 221 [E. T. p. 296]), and that is all the more appropriate here that it points out more forcibly the folly of the hope. Hofmann explains ἈΔΗΛΌΤΗς unsuitably by “hiddenness,” in the sense of “the rich man having put his riches safely away,” as if riches would be put safely away by being hidden.
ἈΛΛʼ ἘΝ Τῷ ΘΕῷ ] The construction of ἙΛΠΊΖΕΙΝ with ἘΝ is in the N. T. the more uncommon one, but comp. Eph_1:12; 1Co_15:19.
The truth that all hope must rest on God is confirmed by adding the words: Τῷ ΠΑΡΈΧΟΝΤΙ ἩΜῖΝ ΤᾺ ΠΆΝΤΑ (i.e. all that we possess) πλουσίως εἰς ἀπόλαυσιν ] εἰς ἀπόλαυσιν (comp. 1Ti_4:3 : ΕἸς ΜΕΤΆΛΗΨΙΝ ) is not added by way of opposition to a wrong abstinence, but in opposition to the ὙΨΗΛΟΦΡΟΝΕῖΝ and ἨΛΠΙΚΈΝΑΙ ἘΠῚ ΠΛΟΎΤῼ . The apostle means to say that God does not give us earthly blessings that we may possess them and be proud over them, but that we may enjoy them,—according to His will,—and therefore use them rightly.
[209] “There Paul had spoken of the dangers of those who wish to become rich; now he turns to those who are rich” (van Oosterzee).