Text -- 2 Timothy 1:1-11 (NET)

Salutation

1:1 From Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, to further the promise of life in Christ Jesus, 1:2 to Timothy, my dear child. Grace, mercy, and peace from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Lord!

Thanksgiving and Charge to Timothy

1:3 I am thankful to God, whom I have served with a clear conscience as my ancestors did, when I remember you in my prayers as I do constantly night and day. 1:4 As I remember your tears, I long to see you, so that I may be filled with joy. 1:5 I recall your sincere faith that was alive first in your grandmother Lois and in your mother Eunice, and I am sure is in you. 1:6 Because of this I remind you to rekindle God’s gift that you possess through the laying on of my hands. 1:7 For God did not give us a Spirit of fear but of power and love and self-control. 1:8 So do not be ashamed of the testimony about our Lord or of me, a prisoner for his sake, but by God’s power accept your share of suffering for the gospel. 1:9 He is the one who saved us and called us with a holy calling, not based on our works but on his own purpose and grace, granted to us in Christ Jesus before time began, 1:10 but now made visible through the appearing of our Savior Christ Jesus. He has broken the power of death and brought life and immortality to light through the gospel! 1:11 For this gospel I was appointed a preacher and apostle and teacher.

Commentary -- Verse Notes / Footnotes

NET Notes: 2Ti 1:1

¹ tn Grk “Paul.” The word “from” is not in the Greek text, but has been supplied to indicate the sender of the letter.

² tn Grk “for the promise…” or possibly “in accordance with the promise…”

NET Notes: 2Ti 1:3

¹ tn Grk “from my ancestors.”

² tn Or “as I do constantly. By night and day I long to see you…”

NET Notes: 2Ti 1:4

¹ tn Grk “longing to see you, remembering your tears” (as a continuation of the preceding clause). Because of the length and complexity of the Greek sentence, a new sentence was started here in the translation.

NET Notes: 2Ti 1:5

¹ tn Grk “recalling” (as a continuation of the preceding clause). Because of the length and complexity of the Greek sentence, a new sentence was started here in the translation.

² tn Grk “the sincere faith in you.”

³ tn Or “convinced.”

NET Notes: 2Ti 1:6

¹ tn Grk “that is in you.”

NET Notes: 2Ti 1:7

¹ tn Or “a spirit,” denoting the human personality under the Spirit’s influence as in 1 Cor 4:21; Gal 6:1; 1 Pet 3:4. But the reference to the Holy Spirit at the end of this section (1:14) makes it likely that it begins this way also, so that the Holy Spirit is the referent.

NET Notes: 2Ti 1:8

¹ tn Grk “the testimony of our Lord.”

² tn Or “according to.”

³ tn Grk “suffer hardship together,” implying “join with me in suffering.”

NET Notes: 2Ti 1:9

¹ tn More literally, “who saved us,” as a description of God in v. 8. Because of the length and complexity of the Greek sentence, a new sentence was started here in the translation.

² tn Or “according to,” or “by.”

³ tn Grk “before eternal times.”

NET Notes: 2Ti 1:10

¹ tn Grk “having broken…and having brought…” (describing Christ). Because of the length and complexity of the Greek sentence, a new sentence was started here (and at the beginning of v. 11) in the translation.

NET Notes: 2Ti 1:11

¹ tn Grk “for which.”

² tc Most mss (א² C D F G Ψ 1739 1881 Ï latt sy co) have ἐθνῶν (eqnwn, “of the Gentiles”) after “teacher.” The shorter reading has poorer external credentials (א* A I 1175 pc), but is preferred because ἐθνῶν probably represents a gloss added by copyists familiar with 1 Tim 2:7. There is no easy explanation for the omission of the word if it were original here.