Cambridge Greek Testament Commentary

1 Timothy 1:16

Ἰησοῦς Χριστός. So אKLP with the Syriac and Egyptian versions; Westcott and Hort follow AD2 and the Latin Versions in reading Χριστὸς Ἰησοῦς (which occurs six times in the preceding verses of the chapter) giving Ἰησ. Χρ. a place in their margin.

ἅπασαν with אAG &c. is preferable to πᾶσαν of D2KLP and the rec. text. At the same time it is noteworthy that ἅπας only occurs once elsewhere in the Pauline Epistles (Ephesians 6:13), πᾶς being the usual form.

16. ἀλλὰ διὰ τοῦτο ἠλεήθῃν, ἵνα κ.τ.λ. ‘Howbeit for this cause I obtained mercy, viz., that &c. διὰ τοῦτο emphasises the following ἴνα as in 2 Corinthians 13:10.

ἐν ἐμοὶ πρώτῳ, in me as chief; this is the rendering of the Revisers, and certainly brings out the connexion with ὦν πρῶτός εἰμι ἐγώ of the preceding verse better than A.V. “first.” As Bengel puts it: ‘Incomparabile exemplum Pauli, sive peccatum sive misericordiam spectes.’ This is borne out by the words which follow, that in me as chief Jesus Christ might shew forth (‘display,’ ‘give a signal instance of’) the entire range of His long-suffering. ἄπας (see critical note) is stronger than the more usual πᾶς, and is deliberately used by St Paul here. A close parallel is found in Ephesians 2:7, ἵνα ἐνδείξηται ἐν τοῖς αἰῶσιν τοῖς ἐπερχομένοις τὸ ὑπερβάλλον πλοῦτος τῆς χάριτος αὐτοῦ ἐν χρηστότητι ἐφʼ ἡμᾶς ἐν Χρ. Ἰη.

μακροθυμίαν. This is a late Greek word, of frequent occurrence in N.T. and LXX., but rarely elsewhere (it is found e.g. in Plutarch). In 2 Timothy 3:10; 2 Timothy 4:2 (and generally in St Paul) it is applied to the longsuffering which becomes a Christian apostle; here, as in Romans 2:4; Romans 9:22; 1 Peter 3:20, it is used of God.

πρὸς ὑποτύπωσιν κ.τ.λ. ὑποτύπωσις does not occur in the Greek Bible save here and in 2 Timothy 1:13. It is, literally, an ‘outline sketch,’ and so a ‘pattern’ or ‘ensample’; and the meaning is that the purpose of the manifestation of the Divine longsuffering to St Paul was that he might furnish a type or ensample of them which should hereafter believe. A somewhat similar expression is found in 2 Peter 2:6, ὑπόδειγμα μελλόντων�, where it is applied to the Cities of the Plain, which were, as we say in common speech, ‘made an example of’ for their abominations.

πιστεύειν ἐπʼ αὐτῷ εἰς ζωἡν αἰώνιον. Faith in Christ has as its consequent eternal life. For πιστ. ἐπʼ αὐτῷ, cp. Isaiah 28:16 (quoted in Romans 9:33; Romans 10:11) πᾶς ὁ πιστεύων ἐπʼ αὐτῷ οὐ καταισχυνθήσεται.

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Cambridge Greek Testament Commentary

1 Timothy 1:16

Old Testament

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