2 Timothy 2:25

in meekness instructing Meekness, gentleness of heart, the feeling as separate from the demeanour: still more clearly brought out by the use of the compound word 1 Timothy 6:11. The corresponding adjective is used by -the Lord" Himself of Himself, -I am meek and lowly in heart," Matthew 11:29. See note on Titus 3:2. A very interesting passage where it occurs is Galatians 5:22, where Bp Lightfoot divides the nine fruits of the Spirit into three sets of three, and shews how each of the first two triads is arranged in an ascending scale, (1) love, joy, peace, (2) patient endurance, kindly feeling, active beneficence. May not the third triad be similarly arranged thus, (3) a childlike trust, a woman's meekness, a man's self-mastery?

instructing The word is explained 1 Timothy 1:20 and Titus 2:12; in all but two of the thirteen places where it occurs in N.T. the sense of -correction," -discipline" is clear; and in those two, Acts 7:22; Acts 22:3, the instruction is that of school or college, and -schooled" will best express it. So here -correcting," bringing under discipline.

those that oppose themselves Lit. -that are becoming contentiously disposed"; the usage of the middle is disponere aliquid, not disponere se; hence -oppose themselves" must not be taken as at any rate a literal version; the word corresponding to the perfectof this verb is the well known -adversaries" 1 Corinthians 16:9, used also 1 Timothy 5:14.

if God peradventure Lit. -if God might perchance at some time," Lat. -si forte aliquando."

will give The optative not subjunctive mood has the best authority. The exact force then is -You must discipline them, in case God may give them repentance, as we wish and pray."

repentance The word occurs only four times in St Paul's Epistles, though frequent in St Luke's Gospel and Acts. Cf. Trench, N. T. Syn. p. 247, who defines it as -a change of mind, taking a wiserview of the past, a regret for the ill done in that past, and out of all this a change for the better."

to the acknowledging of the truth Better, unto the full knowledge; -unto" expresses the state into which repentance is designed to bring them, as Acts 11:18, -hath God granted repentance unto life"; -full knowledge" as in 1 Timothy 2:4, where see note.