1 Timothy 6:9

they that will be rich In so wealthy a city as Ephesus the temptation would be very great to the teacher to adapt his -wares" of doctrine to the popular Asiatic speculations, so as to get and keep name and means; and his hearers would be equally tempted to accept such a compromise. There would be the genius locito whisper -si possis, recte; si non, quocunque modo, rem;" -ye know that by this business we have our wealth." Hence the specially appropriate warning now addressed to those that are desiring to be rich, as we must render exactly. Chrysostom's words -not "the rich," for one may have money and dispense it well and disesteem it all the while," are well quoted here. But G. Herbert's words are still better (Priest to the Temple, c. 3), -The country parson is very circumspect in avoiding all covetousness, neither being greedy to get, nor niggardly to keep, nor troubled to lose any worldly wealth; but in all his words and actions slighting and disesteeming it, even to a wondering that the world should so much value wealth, which in the day of wrath hath not one dram of comfort for us."

temptation and a snare There seems no reason to depart from the usual rendering elsewhere of the phrase -into temptation" as R.V. does -into a temptation," because of the words coupled with it; -a snare" naturally follows, just as -deliver us from the evil one" follows -bring us not into temptation," Matthew 6:13; it is the thought present to the Apostle's mind at this time; see above 1 Timothy 3:7, -lest he fall into reproach and the snare of the devil" where the conjunction of words is very similar, and from whence some mss. have even added here -of the devil;" and 2 Timothy 2:26, -that they may recover themselves out of the snare of the devil." See Appendix, K.

lusts, which drown men The lengthened generalised relative here is properly -of a kind which," -which indeed naturally," so R.V. such as. Cf. 1 Timothy 3:15. The simple use of the passive of -drown" in Luke 5:7, -they were being sunk," is the only other N. T. use of the verb; the noun from which it comes is used by St Paul of his (unrecorded) shipwreck, 2 Corinthians 11:25, -a night and a day I have been in the deep."

destruction and perdition The two words give solemnity to the idea of the ruin to be incurred, though it is too much to assign -ruin of body" to the one and -ruin of soul" to the other. The compound word is instinctively chosen (see 1 Timothy 6:8) to complete the terrible picture.

Chrysostom gives many instances of these -snares and lusts" in his day leading to -destruction and perdition." To the example (almost forced upon the memory by the word) from Holy Scripture itself of -the son of perdition" (John 17:12), may well be added G. Herbert's searching words to his brethren; -they, who, for the hope of promotion, neglect any necessary admonition or reproof sell (with Judas) their Lord and Master." The Priest to the Temple, ch. 2.