Expositor's Greek Testament (Nicoll)

1 Timothy 4:2

ἐν ὑποκρίσει ψευδολόγων : The three genitives ψευδολ. κεκαυστ. κωλ. are coordinate, and refer to the human agents of the seducing spirits and demons. ἐν ὑποκρίσει depends on πνεύμασι and διδασκαλίαις. The spirits work, and the teachings are exhibited, in the hypocrisy of them that speak lies; and this hypocrisy finds detailed expression in regulations suggested by a false asceticism.

Although the ψευδολόγοι are included in the τινες … προσέχοντες, yet there is a large class of persons who are merely deceived; who are not actively deceiving others, and who have not taken the initiative in deceit. These latter are the ψευδολόγοι. For this reason it is better to connect ἐν ὑποκρίσει with προσέχοντες (Ell., von Soden) rather than with ἀποστήσονται (Bengel, Alf.), though no doubt both verbs refer to the same class.

ἐν ὑποκρίσει of course is not adverbial as A.V., speaking lies in hypocrisy. This could only be justified if ψευδολόγων referred to δαιμονίων. The absence of an article before ὑποκρίσει need cause no astonishment.

ψευδολόγων : This word expresses perhaps more than ψεύστης the notion of definite false statements. A man might be on some occasions and on special points a ψευδολόγος, a speaker of that which is not true, and yet not deserve to be classed as a ψεύστης, a liar.

κεκαυστηριασμένων τὴν ἰδίαν συνείδησιν : These speakers of falsehood are radically unsound. They are in worse case than the unsophisticated heathen whose conscience bears witness with the law of God (Romans 2:15). The conscience of these men is perverted. κεκαυστ. may mean that they are past feeling, ἀπηλγηκότες (Ephesians 4:19), that their conscience is callous from constant violation, as skin grows hard from searing (A.V., R.V. m., so Theodoret); or it may mean that these men bore branded on their conscience the ownership marks of the Spirit of evil, the devil's seal (ctr. 2 Timothy 2:19), so perhaps R.V.; as St. Paul “bore branded on his body the marks of Jesus” (Galatians 6:17), as “Christ's bondservant” (1 Corinthians 7:22). (So Theophylact). Either of these interpretations is more attractive than that of Bengel, followed by Alford, who takes it to mean that the marks of crime are burnt into them, so that they are self-condemned. See Titus 1:15; Titus 3:11.

There is no special force in ἰδίαν (see on chap. 1 Timothy 3:4), as though a course of deceiving others should, by a righteous judgment, result in a loss to themselves of moral sensitiveness.

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Expositor's Greek Testament (Nicoll)

1 Timothy 4:2

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