Cambridge Greek Testament Commentary

1 Timothy 1:14

ὑπερεπλεόνασεν. A rare word, not found elsewhere in N.T. or in the LXX.; it occurs in the Psalms of Solomon, 1 Timothy 5:19, and in Hermas, Mand. 1 Timothy 1:2. St Paul shews a marked inclination in all four groups of his letters for verbs compounded with ὑπέρ, e.g. ὑπεραυξάνω (2 Thessalonians 1:3); ὑπερβαίνω (1 Thessalonians 4:6); ὑπερεκτείνω (2 Corinthians 10:14), ὑπερεντυγχάνω (Romans 8:26); ὑπερνικάω (Romans 8:37); ὑπερυψόω (Philippians 2:9); ὑπερφρονέω (Romans 12:3); all of which are ἅπαξ λεγὁμενα in the N.T. Compare with the present passage ὑπερεπερίσσευσεν ἡ χάρις (Romans 5:20).

The simple title ὁ κύριος ἡμῶν, without the addition of Ἰησοῦς χριστός either before or after, is only used by St Paul here and at 2 Timothy 1:8; cp. Hebrews 7:14.

μετὰ πίστεως κ.τ.λ. Faith and love are the characteristic concomitants of the grace of our Lord. The best gifts of the grace which is from Christ are faith in Him, and love which, centred in Him, necessarily embraces all the members of that human family whose brotherhood is revealed in the Fact of the Incarnation. There is an intimate connexion between them; ἀγάπη μετἀ πίστεως is part of St Paul’s benediction at the close of the Ephesian letter (Ephesians 6:23); the breastplate ‘πίστεως καἰ�’ is part of the Christian panoply (1 Thessalonians 5:8); it is indeed through ‘love’ that ‘faith’ manifests itself most plainly; cp. Galatians 5:6, πίστις διʼ ἀγάπης ἐνεργουμένη. see on 1 Timothy 1:5 and Titus 2:2.

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Cambridge Greek Testament Commentary

1 Timothy 1:14

Old Testament

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