2 Timothy 1:4

1:1-5 The promise of eternal life to believers in Christ Jesus, is the leading subject of ministers who are employed according to the will of God. The blessings here named, are the best we can ask for our beloved friends, that they may have peace with God the Father and Christ Jesus our Lord. Whatever good we do, God must have the glory. True believers have in every age the same religion as to substance. Their faith is unfeigned; it will stand the trial, and it dwells in them as a living principle. Thus pious women may take encouragement from the success of Lois and Eunice with Timothy, who proved so excellent and useful a minister. Some of the most worthy and valuable ministers the church of Christ has been favoured with, have had to bless God for early religious impressions made upon their minds by the teaching of their mothers or other female relatives.

There was a great brotherly love amongst primitive Christians, so as the apostle often expresseth his desire to see such Christians as were at a distance from him, Romans 1:11 1 Thessalonians 2:17 ; but he expresseth aparticular reason of his desire to see Timothy, remembering the tears he shed at his parting from him and the rest, Acts 20:37,38 ; besides the desire he had by his presence to satisfy him, and give him occasion of joy, with which he also should be filled; unless he speaketh of the joy he promised himself when he saw Timothy, upon his seeing the improvement he had made both of his graces and gifts in the ministerial office.

2 Timothy 1:4 . Ἐπιποθῶν σε ἰδεῖν , earnestly desiring to see thee ) He begins his invitation to Timothy at first gradually.— μεμνημένος σου τῶν δακρύων , remembering thy tears ) He seems not merely to speak of the former tears of Timothy shed at bidding Paul farewell (for tears are usually elicited at parting, comp. Acts 20:37 ), but of his habitual tears under the influence of pious feeling. In this respect also he had him like-minded [ Php 2:20 ] with himself: Acts 20:19 , note. Tears, the flower of the heart, indicate either the greatest hypocrisy or the utmost sincerity. Turning tears into ridicule is a proof of the depravity of our age.— ἵνα , in order that ) Construe with ἰδεῖν , to see thee [not with μεμνημένος — δακρύων ].

Greatly desiring (ἐπιποθῶν) Better, longing. Pastorals only here. Quite frequent in Paul. See Romans 1:11; 2 Corinthians 5:2; 2 Corinthians 9:14; Philippians 1:8, etc. The compounded preposition ἐπὶ does not denote intensity, as A.V. greatly, but direction. Comp. 2 Timothy 4:9, 2 Timothy 4:21. Being mindful of thy tears (μεμνημένος σου τῶν δακρύων) The verb, μιμνήσκεσθαι in Paul, only 1 Corinthians 11:2. In Pastorals only here. The words give the reason for the longing to see Timothy. The allusion is probably to the tears shed by Timothy at his parting from Paul. One is naturally reminded of the parting of Paul with the Ephesians elders at Miletus (Acts 20:17 ff., see especially Acts 20:37). Holtzmann remarks that Paul's discourse on that occasion is related to this passage as program to performance. Bonds await the apostle (Acts 20:23), and Paul appears as a prisoner (2 Timothy 1:8). He must fulfill his course (Acts 20:24); here he has fulfilled it (2 Timothy 4:7). He bids the overseers take heed to the flock, for false teachers will arise in the bosom of the church (Acts 20:29, Acts 20:30); these letters contain directions for the guidance of the flock, and denunciations of heretical teachers. That I may be filled with joy Const. with longing to see you.

2 Timothy 1:4 . μεμνημένος — δακρύων : Parenthetical. St. Paul’s longing was made keener by his recollection of the tears Timothy had shed at their last parting. So Chrys. fixes the occasion. We are reminded of the scene at Miletus, Acts 20:37 . Bengel, comparing Acts 20:19 , thinks that reference is rather made to an habitual manifestation of strong emotion. At that time, and in that society, tears were allowed as a manifestation of emotion more freely than amongst modern men of the West. χαρᾶς πληρωθῶ : For πληρόω with a genitive, cf. Romans 15:13-14 . It takes a dat., Romans 1:29 , 2 Corinthians 7:4 , cf. Ephesians 5:18 ; an acc., Php 1:11 , Colossians 1:9 .

4 . being mindful of thy tears ] At the close we must suppose of the visit paid him by St Paul in accordance with the intention expressed 1 Timothy 3:14 . It seems very awkward to insert this clause as a subordinate parenthesis ‘with a faint causal force,’ ‘longing to see thee, as I remember thy tears in order that I may be filled with joy’; but this must be the effect of R.V. rendering. And again there is difficulty in either rendering of the participle in 2 Timothy 1:5 with this construction; (1) A.V. ‘when I call to remembrance’ present, whereas we ought to read the aorist (2) R.V. ‘having been reminded,’ implying that there had been some occasion or messenger to give such news, of which we have at least no other hint. It is better to follow Drs Westcott and Hort in putting a comma after ‘tears’ and joining 2 Timothy 1:4-5 thus, ‘that I may be filled with joy in being reminded.’ The thought underlying this phrase ‘to be filled with joy,’ ‘to have one’s joy fulfilled,’ is, as Dr Westcott puts it in 1 John 1:4 , that the fulfilment of Christian joy depends upon the realisation of fellowship. This fellowship may be with bodily presence, as 2 John 1:12 ; John 3:29 ; or without , as John 15:11 ; John 16:24 ; John 17:13 ; 1 John 1:4 , ‘these things we write that our joy may be fulfilled.’ The joy of the apostle is secured by his ‘little children’ realising full fellowship.

Similarly the thought here is an echo of St Paul’s feelings expressed 5 or 6 years before to his Philippian ‘beloved ones,’ and the expressions are an echo too. Through that letter ran the theme ‘gaudeo: gaudete’; in that, with a wonderful tenderness and delicacy St Paul shews them that ‘unity,’ ‘brotherly love,’ is ‘the one thing lacking’ to perfect their joy: the one thing that to hear of or see in them will fulfil his too. Compare Php 1:3-8 ; Php 2:1-2 ; Php 4:4 . Through this letter runs the theme ‘fidem servavi: serva’; and with the same considerate love St Paul makes the appeal to his timid son to be ‘strong in the faith’ turn first on the fulfilment of his own joy which will result. The final conjunction ‘in order that’ depends then formally on ‘I give thanks in my supplications,’ really on the whole affectionate yearning and praying spirit of 2 Timothy 1:3-4 .

Greatly desiring to see thee; - see 2 Timothy 4:9 , 2 Timothy 4:21 . It was probably on, account of this earnest desire that this Epistle was written. He wished to see him, not only on account of the warm friendship which he had for him, but because he would be useful to him in his present circumstances; see the introduction, Section 3. Being mindful of thy tears - Alluding probably to the tears which he shed at parting from him. The occasion to which he refers is not mentioned; but nothing is more probable than that Timothy would weep when separated from such a father and friend. It is not wrong thus to weep, for religion is not intended to make us stoics or savages. That I may be filled with joy - By seeing you again. It is easy to imagine what joy it would give Paul, then a prisoner, and forsaken by nearly all his friends, and about to die, to see a friend whom he loved as he did this young man. Learn hence, that there may be very pure and warm friendship between an old and young man, and that the warmth of true friendship is not diminished by the near prospect of death.

(4) Greatly desiring to see thee. —In view of that violent death which, at this time a close prisoner, he saw was imminent, the memory, too, of the tears of his friend made him long yet more earnestly to see him once again on earth. Being mindful of thy tears.—Shed probably by Timothy when his aged master had last taken leave of him. It is likely that the clouds of danger which were gathering thickly round St. Paul towards the close of his career had oppressed the brave-hearted Apostle with a foreboding of coming evil, and had invested the last parting with Timothy with circumstances of unusual solemnity. St. Paul had affected others besides Timothy with the same great love, so that tears were shed by strong men when he bade them farewell. (See the account of the leave-taking of the Ephesian elders at Miletus, Acts 20:37-38—“And they all wept sore, and fell on Paul’s neck, and kissed him, sorrowing most of all for the words which he spake, that they should see his face no more.”) There is no necessity for Hofmann’s singular, but rather far-fetched, theory here that the tears were simply an expression for Timothy’s intense sorrow at hearing of the Apostle’s arrest and close imprisonment, which sorrow St. Paul was made acquainted with in a letter. The tears, according to Hofmann, were those “welche Timotheus brieflich geweint hat.” That I may be filled with joy.—When he meets Timothy again.