1 Timothy 6

Syntactic observation

Ὅσοι εἰσὶν ὑπὸ ζυγὸν δοῦλοι, τοὺς ἰδίους δεσπότας πάσης τιμῆς ἀξίους ἡγείσθωσαν, ἵνα μὴ τὸ ὄνομα τοῦ θεοῦ καὶ ἡ διδασκαλία βλασφημῆται. οἱ δὲ πιστοὺς ἔχοντες δεσπότας μὴ καταφρονείτωσαν, ὅτι ἀδελφοί εἰσιν· ἀλλὰ μᾶλλον δουλευέτωσαν, ὅτι πιστοί εἰσιν καὶ ἀγαπητοὶ οἱ τῆς εὐεργεσίας ἀντιλαμβανόμενοι. Ταῦτα δίδασκε καὶ παρακάλει. εἴ τις ἑτεροδιδασκαλεῖ καὶ μὴ προσέρχεται ὑγιαίνουσι λόγοις, τοῖς τοῦ κυρίου ἡμῶν Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ, καὶ τῇ κατ’ εὐσέβειαν διδασκαλίᾳ, τετύφωται, μηδὲν ἐπιστάμενος, ἀλλὰ νοσῶν περὶ ζητήσεις καὶ λογομαχίας, ἐξ ὧν γίνεται φθόνος, ἔρις, βλασφημίαι, ὑπόνοιαι πονηραί, διαπαρατριβαὶ διεφθαρμένων ἀνθρώπων τὸν νοῦν καὶ ἀπεστερημένων τῆς ἀληθείας, νομιζόντων πορισμὸν εἶναι τὴν εὐσέβειαν — Let all who are slaves under a yoke count their own masters worthy of all honour, so that the name of God and the teaching may not be blasphemed. And those who have believing masters, let them not despise them because they are brothers, but rather serve as slaves, because those who take hold of the good deed are believing and beloved. Teach and exhort these things. If anyone teaches differently and does not come to healthy words, those of our Lord Jesus Christ, and to the teaching according to piety, he has become conceited, knowing nothing, but sick about inquiries and word-fights, out of which come envy, strife, blasphemies, evil suspicions, constant frictions of men destroyed in mind and defrauded of the truth, supposing piety to be a source of gain. ὑπὸ ζυγὸν δοῦλοι ‘slaves under a yoke’ — Gal 5:1 ‘a yoke of slavery’ · δεσπότας ‘masters’ — the word of Luke 2:29 ‘Master’ (addressed to God), here of slave-owners · a different word from Eph 6:5 κύριος ‘lords’, kept apart (site-rule) · πάσης τιμῆς ἀξίους ‘worthy of all honour’ — the word of 5:17 ‘double honour’ · βλασφημῆται ‘be blasphemed’ — the passive of Rom 2:24. οἱ τῆς εὐεργεσίας ἀντιλαμβανόμενοι ‘those who take hold of the good deed’ — Acts 4:9 ‘good deed’ · Acts 20:35 ‘take hold of’ · whether masters receiving the slaves’ good deed or slaves receiving the masters’ the text does not settle · the rendering keeps the words and leaves it open. ἑτεροδιδασκαλεῖ ‘teaches differently’ — the verb of 1:3 (two places in the New Testament) · προσέρχεται ὑγιαίνουσι λόγοις ‘come to healthy words’ — 1:10 ‘healthy teaching’ · τοῖς τοῦ κυρίου ‘those of our Lord Jesus Christ’ — words the Lord spoke or words about him, left open · κατ’ εὐσέβειαν ‘according to piety’. τετύφωται ‘has become conceited’ — the verb of 3:6 (perfect) · νοσῶν ‘sick’ (once in the New Testament — νόσος ‘disease’) · ζητήσεις ‘inquiries’ — Acts 25:20 · λογομαχίας ‘word-fights’ (once — λόγος + μάχη) · five come without conjunctions — φθόνος (Phil 1:15 envy) · ἔρις (strife) · βλασφημίαι (blasphemies) · ὑπόνοιαι πονηραί ‘evil suspicions’ (once) · διαπαρατριβαί ‘constant frictions’ (once) · διεφθαρμένων … τὸν νοῦν ‘destroyed in mind’ — 2 Cor 4:16 ‘be destroyed’ · ἀπεστερημένων τῆς ἀληθείας ‘defrauded of the truth’ — 1 Cor 7:5 ‘defraud’ · νομιζόντων πορισμὸν εἶναι τὴν ⸀εὐσέβειαν ‘supposing piety to be a source of gain’ — πορισμός (here and v.6) ‘source of gain’ · the Received Text adds ‘withdraw from such’.

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Syntactic observation

ἔστιν δὲ πορισμὸς μέγας ἡ εὐσέβεια μετὰ αὐταρκείας· οὐδὲν γὰρ εἰσηνέγκαμεν εἰς τὸν κόσμον, ὅτι οὐδὲ ἐξενεγκεῖν τι δυνάμεθα· ἔχοντες δὲ διατροφὰς καὶ σκεπάσματα, τούτοις ἀρκεσθησόμεθα. οἱ δὲ βουλόμενοι πλουτεῖν ἐμπίπτουσιν εἰς πειρασμὸν καὶ παγίδα καὶ ἐπιθυμίας πολλὰς ἀνοήτους καὶ βλαβεράς, αἵτινες βυθίζουσι τοὺς ἀνθρώπους εἰς ὄλεθρον καὶ ἀπώλειαν· ῥίζα γὰρ πάντων τῶν κακῶν ἐστιν ἡ φιλαργυρία, ἧς τινες ὀρεγόμενοι ἀπεπλανήθησαν ἀπὸ τῆς πίστεως καὶ ἑαυτοὺς περιέπειραν ὀδύναις πολλαῖς — But piety with sufficiency is a great source of gain; for we brought nothing into the world, because neither can we carry anything out; but having means of sustenance and coverings, with these we shall have enough. But those who want to be rich fall into testing and a snare and many foolish and harmful desires, which sink men into ruin and destruction; for a root of all the evil things is the love of money, reaching for which some have been led astray from the faith and have pierced themselves through with many pains. πορισμὸς μέγας ἡ εὐσέβεια ‘piety is a great source of gain’ — turning the echo of v.5 · μετὰ αὐταρκείας ‘with sufficiency’ — 2 Cor 9:8 ‘sufficiency’ (two places in the New Testament). εἰσηνέγκαμεν … ἐξενεγκεῖν ‘brought in … carry out’ — the pair εἰσ-/ἐκ- · Acts 17:20 ‘bring in’ · the verb of Acts 5:6 ‘carrying him out’, here of things · ⸀ὅτι ‘because’ (the Received Text adds ‘it is clear’). διατροφάς ‘means of sustenance’ (once in the New Testament — Matt 3:4 τροφή ‘sustenance’) · σκεπάσματα ‘coverings’ (once) · ἀρκεσθησόμεθα ‘we shall have enough’ — the future passive of John 6:7 ‘enough’. βουλόμενοι πλουτεῖν ‘those who want to be rich’ — Luke 1:53 ‘rich’ · ἐμπίπτουσιν εἰς πειρασμὸν καὶ παγίδα ‘fall into testing and a snare’ — taking up 3:7 ‘fall into … the snare’ · βλαβεράς ‘harmful’ (once) · βυθίζουσι ‘sink’ — the verb of Luke 5:7 ‘the boats were sinking’ · ὄλεθρον καὶ ἀπώλειαν ‘ruin and destruction’ — the two words of 1 Thess 5:3 · 2 Thess 2:3. ῥίζα … ἡ φιλαργυρία ‘the love of money is a root’ — ῥίζα without the article (‘a root’) · φιλαργυρία occurs once (the noun of Luke 16:14 φιλάργυρος ‘lover of money’) · πάντων τῶν κακῶν ‘of all the evil things’ · ὀρεγόμενοι ‘reaching for’ — the verb of 3:1 ‘reaches for oversight’ · ἀπεπλανήθησαν ‘have been led astray’ — the passive of Mark 13:22 ‘lead astray’ (site-rule) · περιέπειραν ‘pierced through’ (once) · ὀδύναις is Rom 9:2 ‘pain’.

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Syntactic observation

Σὺ δέ, ὦ ἄνθρωπε θεοῦ, ταῦτα φεῦγε· δίωκε δὲ δικαιοσύνην, εὐσέβειαν, πίστιν, ἀγάπην, ὑπομονήν, πραϋπαθίαν. ἀγωνίζου τὸν καλὸν ἀγῶνα τῆς πίστεως, ἐπιλαβοῦ τῆς αἰωνίου ζωῆς, εἰς ἣν ἐκλήθης καὶ ὡμολόγησας τὴν καλὴν ὁμολογίαν ἐνώπιον πολλῶν μαρτύρων. παραγγέλλω σοι ἐνώπιον τοῦ θεοῦ τοῦ ζῳογονοῦντος τὰ πάντα καὶ Χριστοῦ Ἰησοῦ τοῦ μαρτυρήσαντος ἐπὶ Ποντίου Πιλάτου τὴν καλὴν ὁμολογίαν, τηρῆσαί σε τὴν ἐντολὴν ἄσπιλον ἀνεπίλημπτον μέχρι τῆς ἐπιφανείας τοῦ κυρίου ἡμῶν Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ, ἣν καιροῖς ἰδίοις δείξει ὁ μακάριος καὶ μόνος δυνάστης, ὁ βασιλεὺς τῶν βασιλευόντων καὶ κύριος τῶν κυριευόντων, ὁ μόνος ἔχων ἀθανασίαν, φῶς οἰκῶν ἀπρόσιτον, ὃν εἶδεν οὐδεὶς ἀνθρώπων οὐδὲ ἰδεῖν δύναται· ᾧ τιμὴ καὶ κράτος αἰώνιον· ἀμήν — But you, O man of God, flee these things; and pursue righteousness, piety, faith, love, endurance, gentleness of spirit. Contend in the good contest of the faith; take hold of the eternal life, to which you were called and confessed the good confession before many witnesses. I charge you before God, who keeps all things alive, and Christ Jesus, who bore witness before Pontius Pilate the good confession, that you keep the commandment spotless, beyond reproach, until the appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ, which in its own times the blessed and only ruler will show — the King of those who reign and Lord of those who lord, who alone has immortality, dwelling in unapproachable light, whom no one among men has seen nor can see; to whom be honour and eternal might. Amen. ὦ ἄνθρωπε ⸀θεοῦ ‘O man of God’ — vocative · the Received Text adds the article · φεῦγε / δίωκε ‘flee / pursue’ — 1 Cor 6:18 ‘flee’ · 1 Thess 5:15 ‘pursue’ · six without conjunctions — righteousness · piety · faith · love · endurance · ⸀πραϋπαθίαν ‘gentleness of spirit’ (once in the New Testament — Col 3:12 πραΰτης ‘gentleness’ with πάθος · the Received Text reads a form of πραΰτης ‘gentleness’). ἀγωνίζου τὸν καλὸν ἀγῶνα ‘contend in the good contest’ — a cognate object · Col 1:29 ἀγωνίζομαι ‘strive’ here paired with 1 Thess 2:2 ἀγών ‘contest’, so ‘contend’ (site-rule) · a different word from 1:18 ‘the good soldiering’ · ἐπιλαβοῦ τῆς αἰωνίου ζωῆς ‘take hold of the eternal life’ — Acts ‘take hold of’ · again at v.19 · ὡμολόγησας τὴν καλὴν ὁμολογίαν ‘confessed the good confession’ — a second cognate object · Rom 10:9 ‘confess’ · 2 Cor 9:13 ‘confession’ · paired with Christ’s ‘good confession’ of v.13. τοῦ ⸀ζῳογονοῦντος ‘who keeps alive’ — Luke 17:33 ‘keep alive’ (the Received Text reads ζῳοποιέω ‘give life’) · τοῦ μαρτυρήσαντος ἐπὶ Ποντίου Πιλάτου ‘who bore witness before Pontius Pilate’ — Luke 3:1 ‘Pontius Pilate’ · whether ἐπί is ‘before’ or ‘in the time of’ is left open. τηρῆσαί … τὴν ἐντολήν ‘keep the commandment’ — which commandment the text does not say · ἄσπιλον ἀνεπίλημπτον ‘spotless, beyond reproach’ — two without a conjunction · attaching to the commandment or to you, left open · μέχρι τῆς ἐπιφανείας ‘until the appearing’ — 2 Thess 2:8 ‘appearing’. ἣν καιροῖς ἰδίοις δείξει ‘which in its own times he will show’ — 2:6 ‘its own times’ · ὁ μακάριος καὶ μόνος δυνάστης ‘the blessed and only ruler’ — the word of Luke 1:52 ‘rulers’, of God · 1:11 ‘the blessed God’ · ὁ βασιλεὺς τῶν βασιλευόντων καὶ κύριος τῶν κυριευόντων ‘the King of those who reign and Lord of those who lord’ — Rom 5:14 ‘reign’ · Luke 22:25 ‘lord it over’ · two nouns and two participles on one root each · ὁ μόνος ἔχων ἀθανασίαν ‘who alone has immortality’ — 1 Cor 15:53 ‘immortality’ · φῶς οἰκῶν ἀπρόσιτον ‘dwelling in unapproachable light’ — Rom 7:17 ‘dwell’ · ἀπρόσιτος once in the New Testament · ὃν εἶδεν οὐδεὶς ἀνθρώπων ‘whom no one among men has seen’ — the grain of John 1:18 · τιμὴ καὶ κράτος αἰώνιον ‘honour and eternal might’ — Col 1:11 ‘might’ · paired with the doxology of 1:17 · ἀμήν.

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Syntactic observation

Τοῖς πλουσίοις ἐν τῷ νῦν αἰῶνι παράγγελλε μὴ ὑψηλοφρονεῖν μηδὲ ἠλπικέναι ἐπὶ πλούτου ἀδηλότητι, ἀλλ’ ἐπὶ θεῷ τῷ παρέχοντι ἡμῖν πάντα πλουσίως εἰς ἀπόλαυσιν, ἀγαθοεργεῖν, πλουτεῖν ἐν ἔργοις καλοῖς, εὐμεταδότους εἶναι, κοινωνικούς, ἀποθησαυρίζοντας ἑαυτοῖς θεμέλιον καλὸν εἰς τὸ μέλλον, ἵνα ἐπιλάβωνται τῆς ὄντως ζωῆς. Ὦ Τιμόθεε, τὴν παραθήκην φύλαξον, ἐκτρεπόμενος τὰς βεβήλους κενοφωνίας καὶ ἀντιθέσεις τῆς ψευδωνύμου γνώσεως, ἥν τινες ἐπαγγελλόμενοι περὶ τὴν πίστιν ἠστόχησαν. Ἡ χάρις μεθ’ ὑμῶν — To the rich in the present age charge that they not be high-minded, nor have hoped on the uncertainty of riches, but on God, who provides us all things richly for enjoyment, to work what is good, to be rich in good works, to be generous in sharing, ready to share in, storing up for themselves a good foundation for what is to come, so that they may take hold of the life that is indeed life. O Timothy, guard the deposit, swerving from the profane empty-voicings and antitheses of the falsely named knowledge, which some, professing, have missed the mark concerning the faith. Grace be with you all. τοῖς πλουσίοις ἐν τῷ νῦν αἰῶνι ‘the rich in the present age’ — Gal 1:4 ‘the present age’ · ὑψηλοφρονεῖν ‘be high-minded’ (once in the New Testament — a one-word form of Rom 12:16 ‘not thinking high things’) · ἠλπικέναι ἐπὶ πλούτου ἀδηλότητι ‘have hoped on the uncertainty of riches’ — ἀδηλότης occurs once in the New Testament — the noun of 1 Cor 14:8 ἄδηλος ‘indistinct’ · the same perfect ‘have hoped’ as 4:10 · 5:5 · ⸀ἐπὶ ⸀θεῷ (the Received Text ‘on the living God’) · τῷ παρέχοντι ‘who provides’ — Luke 7:4 ‘provide’ · πλουσίως ‘richly’ (Col 3:16) · εἰς ἀπόλαυσιν ‘for enjoyment’ (here and Heb 11:25). ἀγαθοεργεῖν ‘work what is good’ (once — a one-word form of Gal 6:10 ‘let us work what is good’) · πλουτεῖν ἐν ἔργοις καλοῖς ‘be rich in good works’ — taking up v.17 ‘the rich’ · εὐμεταδότους ‘generous in sharing’ (once — Rom 1:11 μεταδίδωμι ‘share’) · κοινωνικούς ‘ready to share in’ (once — Phil 4:15 κοινωνέω ‘share in’) · ἀποθησαυρίζοντας ‘storing up’ (once — Matt 6:19 θησαυρίζω ‘store up’ with ἀπο-) · θεμέλιον καλόν ‘a good foundation’ — Eph 2:20 ‘foundation’ · ἐπιλάβωνται τῆς ⸀ὄντως ζωῆς ‘take hold of the life that is indeed life’ — taking up v.12 ‘take hold of the eternal life’ · the base text ὄντως (the Received Text ‘eternal’). Ὦ Τιμόθεε ‘O Timothy’ — vocative with ὦ · τὴν παραθήκην φύλαξον ‘guard the deposit’ — the noun of 1:18 ‘entrust’ (παρατίθημι) (three places in the New Testament — 2 Tim 1:12 · 14) · what was deposited the text does not say · ἐκτρεπόμενος ‘swerving from’ — the verb of 1:6 · 5:15 · βεβήλους κενοφωνίας ‘profane empty-voicings’ — 1:9 ‘profane’ · κενοφωνία (here and 2 Tim 2:16 — 1 Thess 2:1 κενός ‘empty’ + φωνή ‘voice’) · ἀντιθέσεις ‘antitheses’ (once) · ψευδωνύμου γνώσεως ‘falsely named knowledge’ (once — ψεῦδος + ὄνομα) · ἐπαγγελλόμενοι ‘professing’ — the site-rule of 2:10 · ἠστόχησαν ‘have missed the mark’ — the verb of 1:6 · the letter opens and closes on one verb. Ἡ χάρις ⸂μεθ’ ὑμῶν⸃ ‘Grace be with you all’ — a letter to one person ends with the plural ‘you’ (the Received Text ‘with you’ singular · adds Amen).

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