1:1 From Paul, 1 an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, to further the promise 2 of life in Christ Jesus,
2:14 Remind people 9 of these things and solemnly charge them 10 before the Lord 11 not to wrangle over words. This is of no benefit; it just brings ruin on those who listen. 12 2:15 Make every effort to present yourself before God as a proven worker who does not need to be ashamed, teaching the message of truth accurately. 13
1:6 Because of this I remind you to rekindle God’s gift that you possess 16 through the laying on of my hands.
4:1 I solemnly charge you before God and Christ Jesus, who is going to judge the living and the dead, and by his appearing and his kingdom:
1:3 I am thankful to God, whom I have served with a clear conscience as my ancestors did, 20 when I remember you in my prayers as I do constantly night and day. 21
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…”
3 tn Grk “the man of God,” but ἄνθρωπος (anqrwpos) is most likely used here in a generic sense, referring to both men and women.
4 tn This word is positioned for special emphasis; it carries the sense of “complete, competent, able to meet all demands.”
5 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.
7 tn Or “chains,” “bonds.”
8 tn Or “word.”
9 tn Or “chained,” “bound.”
9 tn Grk “remind of these things,” implying “them” or “people” as the object.
10 tn Grk “solemnly charging.” The participle διαμαρτυρόμενος (diamarturomeno") has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.
11 tc ‡ Most witnesses (A D Ψ 048 1739 1881 Ï sy) have κυρίου (kuriou, “Lord”) instead of θεοῦ (qeou, “God”) here, while a few have Χριστοῦ (Cristou, “Christ”; 206 {429 1758}). θεοῦ, however, is well supported by א C F G I 614 629 630 1175 al. Internally, the Pastorals never elsewhere use the expression ἐνώπιον κυρίου (enwpion kuriou, “before the Lord”), but consistently use ἐνώπιον θεοῦ (“before God”; cf. 1 Tim 2:3; 5:4, 21; 6:13; 2 Tim 4:1). But this fact could be argued both ways: The author’s style may be in view, or scribes may have adjusted the wording to conform it to the Pastorals’ universal expression. Further, only twice in the NT (Jas 4:10 [v.l. θεοῦ]; Rev 11:4 [v.l. θεοῦ]) is the expression ἐνώπιον κυρίου found. That such an expression is not found in the corpus Paulinum seems to be sufficient impetus for scribes to change the wording here. Thus, although the external evidence is somewhat on the side of θεοῦ, the internal evidence is on the side of κυρίου. A decision is difficult, but κυρίου is the preferred reading.
12 tn Grk “[it is] beneficial for nothing, for the ruin of those who listen.”
11 sn Accurately is a figure of speech that literally means something like “cutting a straight road.” In regard to the message of truth, it means “correctly handling” or “imparting it without deviation.”
13 sn Correcting is the word for “child-training” or “discipline.” It is often positive (training, educating) but here denotes the negative side (correcting, disciplining).
14 tn Grk “repentance unto knowledge of the truth.”
15 tn Grk “that is in you.”
17 tn Grk “the testimony of our Lord.”
18 tn Or “according to.”
19 tn Grk “suffer hardship together,” implying “join with me in suffering.”
19 tn Grk “from my ancestors.”
20 tn Or “as I do constantly. By night and day I long to see you…”
21 sn A quotation from Num 16:5.
22 tn Grk “names the name of the Lord.”