1 Timothy 6:18

ἀγαθοεργεῖν. We have ἀγαθουργεῖν, the contracted form, at Acts 14:17 (in St Paul’s speech at Lystra); elsewhere in the Greek Bible the word is not found.

πλουτεῖν ἐν ἔργοις καλοῖς, to be rich in good works, a play on the meaning of πλουτεῖν. “Men must not compute their riches so much from what they have, as from what they give” (Bp Beveridge). See the note on 1 Timothy 2:10 above, on ἔργα καλά in the Pastoral Epistles.

εὐμεταδότους εἶναι, κοινωνικούς, ready to impart and to communicate. Neither εὐμετάδοτος nor κοινωνικός occurs elsewhere in the Greek Bible, although cognate forms of the latter word are common. κοινωνικός seems to express a wider idea than εὐμετάδοτος, which is concerned only with the giving or sharing of worldly goods; there may, however, be a κοινωνία of sympathy which sometimes the rich have peculiar opportunities of shewing. He who is κοινωνικός in the fullest sense will be quick to recognise all the claims of human, and especially of Christian, fellowship. As is often the case, the larger word is placed second, by way of explanation; a kind heart as well as a generous hand is demanded of the rich. This κοινωνία is again directly connected with the doing of good works in Hebrews 13:16, τῆς δὲ εὐποιΐας καὶ κοινωνίας μὴ ἐπιλανθάνεσθε.