Timothy to Hebrews - The Preterist Archive

162 First Timothy VI. 18.
5, seq.; from speaking of the desire to be ricli the apostle proceeds
to speak of those who are rich. Similarly already Schleiermacher,
p. 227. Even the manner in which the apostle expresses himself in
this passage shews that he has this connexion in view. Tolc ttXovoioiq
f'v Tw 1 ir aiwi'i placed at the beginning of the sentence, evidently
involves an opposition to another kind of riches (not therefore
to vcr. 19, as De Wette thinks), those
riches, namely, to which the
apostle has directed the attention of Timothy in the preceding,
where he reminds him of the apj)caring which the blessed God will
in due time shew. 'Ei' rw vvv alCJvi (comp. Winer's Gr., § 20, 2,
p. 123) is to be connected with rol^ nXovoioic, so as to form one idea.
Other MSS., D.E., some versions and church Fathers, have rov vvu
aloivog, comp. Tischendorf. The apostle now shews in a few brief
sentences what disposition ought to be cherished by those who have
riches, what use they ought to make of their riches, and the consequences
of their making such use of them. In ver. 17 the apostle
warns the rich against a twofold danger : against haughtiness
(yrpT]Xo(Ppovdv the opposite of ra7Teivo(f)poavvr], comp. Rom. xii. 20, rd
v^Xd (ppovelv), and against that which lies at the root of haughtiness,
namely, trust in riches.
MT/de ijXmKtvai (on the Perf. comp. iv.
10), tm ttXovtov d67]X6TT]Ti : the expression itself represents this
trust as misplaced, in so ftir as it is trust in what is uncertain and
changeable. On this mode of giving emphasis to an idea by means
of the substantive comp. Winer's Gr., § 33, 2, p. 211. "AdrjXoc properly
non manifestus—uncertain, insecure, occurs besides at Luke
xi. 44, and is used by the apostle again only at 1 Cor. ix. 26, xiv. 8.
Theodoret : " the possession of riches is indeed insecure, for now
they accompany this person, and now they pass over to that, and
that which has many masters is possessed by none." Confidence is
rather to be placed and reposed in the living God (rw ^wvri is perhaps
not genuine, comp. Tischendorf ; instead of y^i as before, tv
= upon, in) for he it is who giveth us all things (transfertur ejus
officium ad divitias, si spes in iis locatur— Calvin) and who giveth
them dg dmjXavaiv for enjoyment, not that the heart may cleave to
them,
Ver. 18.—As the right use which is to be made of riches, Timothy
is to enjoin the rich to do good {dyaOof-pydv, comp. Acts xiv. 17
= dyaOoTToinv) to be rich in good works (a stronger exi)rcssion than
the foregoing, with allusion to the being rich in this loorld), liberal,
ready to communicate (both expressions only here). 8