1 Timothy 6:2

A Christian slave would be more likely to presume on his newly acquired theory of liberty, equality and fraternity in relation to a Christian master than in relation to one that was a heathen. The position of a Christian master must have been a difficult one, distracted between the principles of a faith which he shared with his slave, and the laws of a social state which he felt were not wholly wrong. 1 Corinthians 7:22 and Philemon 1:16 illustrate the position.

μᾶλλον δουλευέτωσαν : serve them all the more, magis serviant (Vulg.).

For this use of μᾶλλον cf. Romans 14:13 1 Corinthians 5:2; 1 Corinthians 6:7; 1 Corinthians 6:9; Ephesians 4:28; Ephesians 5:11. Ignat. Polyc. 4 says of Christian slaves, μηδὲ αὐτοὶ φυσιούσθωσαν, ἀλλʼ εἰς δόξαν θεοῦ πλέον δουλευέτωσαν.

ὅτι πιστοί, κ. τ. λ.: The Christian slave is to remember that the fact of his master being a Christian, believing and beloved, entitles him to service better, if possible, than that due to a heathen master. The slave is under a moral obligation to render faithful service to any master. If the spiritual status of the master be raised, it is reasonable that the quality of the service rendered be not lowered, but rather idealised. “ The benefit is the improved quality of the service, and they that partake of or enjoy it are the masters” (Field in loc.). So Vulg., qui beneficii participes sunt.

εὐεργεσία has its usual non-religious signification, as in Acts 4:9. It does not indicate the goodness of God in redemption, as suggested in A.V., influenced no doubt directly by Calvin and Beza, though the explanation is as old as Ambr., because they are faithful and beloved, partakers of the benefit. On the other hand, it is more natural to use εὐεργεσία of the kindness of an employer to a servant or employee, than of the advantage gained by the employer from his servant's good-will. Accordingly Chrysostom takes it here in the former sense, the whole clause referring to the slaves. Von Soden, taking εὐεργεσία similarly, renders, as those who occupy themselves in doing good. No doubt the best reward of faithful service is the acquisition of a character of trustworthiness and the grateful love of the master to whom you are invaluable; but it is rather far-fetched to read this subtle meaning into the passage before us. In support of the view taken above, Alford quotes from Seneca, De Beneficiis, iii. 18, a discussion of the query, “An beneficium dare servus domino possit?” which Seneca answers in the affirmative, adding further: “Quidquid est quod servilis officii formulam excedit, quod non ex imperio sed ex voluntate praestatur, beneficium est”. See Lightfoot, Philippians, 270 sqq., St. Paul and Seneca.

ἀντιλαμβανόμενοι : ἀντιλαμβάνεσθαι properly means to lay hold of, hence to help, as in reff.; and the Harclean Syriac gives that sense here. Like our English word apprehend, it passes from an association with the sense of touch to an association with the other senses or faculties which connect us with things about us. Field (in loc.) gives examples of the use of ἀντιλαμβάνεσθαι as expressive of a person being sensible of anything which acts upon the senses, e.g., the smell of a rose. The Peshitta agrees with this. Alford renders mutually receive, by which he seems to intend the same thing as Ell., who suggests that ἀντί has “a formal reference to the reciprocal relation between master and servant”. Field rejects this because “receive in exchange” is ἀντιλαμβάνειν, and the examples cited by Alf. are middle only in form.

δίδασκε καὶ παρακάλει : See note on 1 Timothy 4:13.