2 Timothy 1:13

λόλων ὦν παρʼ ἐμοῦ ἤκουσας. Dr Hort (Notes on Select Readings, p. 135) held that we must translate “As a pattern of sound words, hold what thou hast heard” (see note in loc.) and that thus the attraction in case of ὦν to λόγων offered a very unusual construction. He therefore suggested that ὦν is a primitive corruption of ὅν, and WH accordingly obelise the passage. But for this conjecture there is no manuscript authority.

13. ὑποτύπωσιν. See note on 1 Timothy 1:16 for the meaning of this word.

ὑγιαινόντων λόγων, of sound words; see the note on 1 Timothy 1:10.

The usual rendering of this verse Hold the pattern of sound words which thou hast heard &c. is not free from difficulty. (1) The emphatic word is ὑποτύπωσιν as its position in the sentence shews, (2) it is used without an article and so seems to have a predicative force, (3) the verb is ἔχε, not κάτεχε; i.e. hold, not ‘hold fast’ (as in 1 Corinthians 11:2; 1 Corinthians 15:2; 1 Thessalonians 5:21). But the difficulty of translating Hold, as a pattern of sound words, even those which thou hast heard from me is that we must then suppose ὧν to stand for οὔς governed by ἔχε (see crit. note). On the whole, therefore, we prefer the ordinary rendering.

ἑν πίστει καὶ�. Ἰησοῦ. The connexion is again uncertain. (a) It seems weak to take this clause with ἤκουσας. (b) It is better to take it with ἔχε, faith and love forming, as it were, the atmosphere in which the ‘sound words’ are to be preserved; but the order of the words in the sentence does not favour this. Thus (c) it has been urged that a period should be placed at ἤκουσας and that ἑν πίστει καὶ�. κ.τ.λ. are to be taken adverbially with what follows, viz. ‘In faith and love guard the good deposit.’ But this seems to deprive τὴν καλὴν παραθήκην of the emphasis which its place at the beginning of an injunction gives it. On the whole (b) seems best, and the meaning of the whole sentence is: ‘Hold as a pattern of sound words, in faith and love, what you heard from me’; cp. 2 Timothy 2:2.

ἐν Χρ. Ἰησοῦ. He is the source and spring of both faith and love; cp. 1 Timothy 3:13.