CHAPTER 1
1. Paulus, one sent by the Anointed Yeshua, according to the decree of Elohim our Savior and of [the one He] Anointed, Yeshua, our hope,
Hope: or expectation.
2. to Timotheos, my legitimate child in the faith: empowering favor, compassion, total well-being from Elohim the Father and Messiah Yeshua, our master.
Legitimate: literally, offspring true to origin, born in wedlock, genuine, demonstrably valid, authentic, lawfully-begotten. (Thayer)
3. Just as I urged you to remain in Efesos when I was going into Makedonia, so that you might warn certain [people] not to teach differently
4. and not to pay attention to fanciful tales or endless [tracing of] genealogies, which give occasion for [speculative] controversies rather than management of Elohim’s affairs which [results] in faithfulness.
Controversies: or disputes. Faithfulness: or confident trust.
5. Instead, the goal of our instruction is love [that flows] out of a pure heart and a good conscience and an unfeigned trust,
Conscience: literally, a shared moral perception, “co-understanding”.
6. from which some, having deviated from their aim, have turned aside into fruitless discussions,
Deviated: stepped out of line, missed the target, gotten out of step (with Elohim), having walked off His path. Fruitless discussion: empty talk, meaningless discourse, illogical babble.
7. desiring to be teachers of the Torah, [yet] not applying their minds either to what they are saying or to that about which they make emphatic assertions.
There is much of this all over the Internet today.
8. Now we know that the Torah is good if one uses it properly,
Properly: legitimately, lawfully, in conformity to rule.
9. knowing this, that a law is not enacted for a righteous [person], but for the lawless and insubordinate, for the disrespectful and sinful, the irreverent and profane, murderers of fathers, murderers of mothers, manslayers,
“It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick.” (Mat. 9:12) Sinful: literally “wide of the mark”. Irreverent: without regard for what is sacred, willingly disrespectful. Profane: the term means accessible because a well-trodden path, but also accessed wrongly as by crossing a threshold in unauthorized entry; not recognizing or respecting what is set-apart.
10. fornicators, promiscuous with [their own] male [gender], kidnappers, falsifiers, perjurers, and anything else there may be in opposition to sound teaching
Kidnappers: literally, those who forcibly enslave. Perjurers: those who swear falsely
11. in accordance with the Glad News of the intrinsic value of the blessed Elohim, with which I have been entrusted.
12. I have gratitude toward the one who empowered me—Messiah Yeshua our master—that he considered me trustworthy and has appointed me to service--
Service: specifically ministry in the sense of waiting on another, but entered into willingly and humbly.
13. [I], who used to be a slanderer, a persecutor, and an arrogant insulter, but I was shown mercy, because, I did not recognize that in doing this I was betraying [his] trust.
Betraying his trust: or unfaithful. Thinking he was pleasing Elohim by opposing this sound teaching (see v. 10), which he did not yet realize was such. He had been making improper use of the Torah (v. 8), not really applying his mind to what he was asserting (v. 7), and thus came to the wrong conclusion about this Yeshua and his followers. The back story is in Acts chapters 8 and 9.
14. But the favor of our master was more than sufficient to supersede [this] with the faithfulness and love that are in Messiah Yeshua
15. Trustworthy is the saying and deserving of full acceptance, that “[the] Anointed One, Yeshua, came onto the public scene to rescue sinners”, of whom I am the foremost.
16. But for this reason I was shown mercy, in order that through me, the front-runner, Yeshua the Messiah might display the full measure of endurance as template-pattern for those who were about to put their confidence in him, [resulting] in eternal life.
17. On top of this, “unto the King eternal, imperishable, invisible—the sole Elohim—be esteem [as worthy] and honor into the ages of ages.” Amen!
18. This [fully-authorized] announcement I commit to you, Timotheos my child, according to the prophecies that were [placed] upon you in advance, so that through them you might fight the good fight,
Commit: deposit as a trust.
19. holding fast to faithfulness and a good conscience, which some, having rejected, have caused a shipwreck in regard to the faith--
Rejected: literally, pushed away or thrust aside.
20. among them Hümenaios and Alexandros, whom I have handed over to haSatan so that they may be taught not to speak lightly of what is holy.
Taught: disciplined like a child, trained “the hard way”.
CHAPTER 2
1. I urge you, therefore, first that requests, prayers, petitions, and thanksgiving be made for all humanity--
2. for kings and all who are in [high] authority], so that we can lead a tranquil and peaceable life in all reverence and honesty,
If we pray for them rather than annoy them or try to subvert them, YHWH can give us favor in their eyes so that we can carry out our calling openly instead of in hiding or in fear of persecution.
3. because this is honorable and acceptable in the sight of Elohim our Savior,
4. who would be pleased if all humanity were to be salvaged and come to the knowledge of the truth,
5. because there is one Elohim, and also one mediator between Elohim and human beings, the man Yeshua the Messiah,
Note that he is the mediator, but still belongs in the category of man, not Elohim, though he is a more complete human being than we are now. However, the intent was for him to be the firstborn among many brothers (Rom. 8:29), ultimately raising us to his level, which could never be the status of Elohim (the original temptation the serpent brought), but can be the kind of restored-to-original humanity that he is. He was glorified beyond the level of mere unfallen man because he humbled himself where Adam tried to grasp for more in arrogance, but we too can be glorified if we make the right choices in regard to what he has given us.
6. who gave himself as a ransom for all, to be witnessed at the proper time.
Having retained the innocence that Adam lost until he passed the test and became fully righteous, the second Adam was able to use his untainted blood as payment for his predecessor Adam’s sin, which had affected the whole human race.
7. into which I was appointed as a herald and an envoy (I am speaking the truth and not lying!)—a teacher of nations, in faithfulness and truth.
8. Therefore I desire that the men in every place pray, raising hands reverently, detached from anger and dissention.
How can we be sincerely respectful toward YHWH when we are involved in violent disputes with His other children?
9. The same for women as well: dressing respectably, adorning themselves with modesty and self-restraint--not with braided hair, gold, pearls, or expensive clothing,
Respectably: virtuously, decently, with order. Adorning: making appealing or attractive--the word from which we derive “cosmetics”, but which at root refers to putting something in order, for our fallen bodies become disorderly so easily. Self-restraint, moderation, sobriety, soundness of mind—i.e., thoughtfulness of where slackness in this regard could have undesired results. Not with: He is not forbidding the use of these things at all, but using the idiomatic sense that their main emphasis should be on the inner beauty which will express itself outwardly and much more convincingly than the baubles and glitz that the world thinks are necessary to constitute “beauty”. Dignity of such a nature as to direct attention not to themselves but to the One whom we are in this congregational setting to worship is the main consideration in how one dresses:
10. but with what is appropriate to women who profess to reverence Elohim: through good works.
11. A woman must learn calmly, completely under control.
Calmly: having quieted herself down and particularly desisted from bustle or meddling. The term does not mean “without speaking” as such, but from “an inner tranquility that supports appropriate action”. (Thayer) Control: keeping oneself under subjection, not recklessly blurting out whatever comes to mind or interrupting the one teaching with something she thinks is important enough to steal the audience’s attention. 1 Corinthians 14:33-36 give more insight into the context he may have been thinking about, though there it was more about calling out across the room than being in a position of leadership.
12. But I do not permit a woman to [direct the] instruction or exercise dominance over a man; but [rather] to remain calm.
Permit: yield or turn over leadership to. Man: not in the general sense of “human”, but “male”.
13. Adam was formed first, then Hawwah.
As birth order normally gave prominence within a family, so Paulus asserts that being created first gives the husband primacy over his wife if it should come to that.
14. Also, Adam was not deceived, but the woman, being thoroughly taken in, came to be in violation.
Taken in: hoodwinked, duped, deceived, having “taken the bait” and trapped into what amounts to slavery. Adam, on the other hand, appears to have preferred to die along with his wife, once he saw that she had already eaten the fruit that ended up poisoning her bloodstream, than to live forever and have to lose her. (Custance) Violation: overstepping one’s bounds.
15. Nonetheless, she will be kept out of trouble through bearing [and rearing] children, provided that they remain faithful and loving and pure and sensibly balanced.
Though she “botched it big-time”, she can still find a place of dignity and value by doing a job no man can do, thus being truly complementary rather than competing for the same place, which wastes and dissipates everyone’s energy.
CHAPTER 3
1. The saying is trustworthy: “If a man aspires to the office of an overseer, it is a good job [that] he desires.”
2. An overseer must be beyond reproach, the husband of one wife, soberly vigilant, self-controlled, orderly, hospitable to foreigners, skilled at teaching,
Husband of one wife: literally, a “one-woman man” (having neither mistresses nor paramours nor feuding rival wives as were thrust upon Yaaqov)—which will keep him out of as many scandals as the freedom from the loves of alcohol and money, as seen in the next verse, and thus preserving the integrity of our mission and calling even in the eyes of the world.
3. not given to wine, not a [pugnacious] brawler, but reasonable, not argumentative, not greedy,
4. taking the lead in his own household well, having his children in subordination with all dignity
Taking the lead: effective at influencing people with the history of a respected reputation, starting in his own home and extending outward.
5. (because if a man doesn’t know how to rule his own house, how will he take care of YHWH’s congregation?);
6. not a novice, lest being lifted up with pride he might fall into the condemnation of the Accuser.
Novice: literally, newly-planted. Thus he gets his cue here from Leviticus 19:23-25, where we are commanded not to eat a tree’s fruit until it has had several years to mature. Many celebrities who find the truth are thrust too quickly into positions of being spokesmen for something they are just beginning to learn and too much is expected of them. Also, people who are just “cutting their teaching teeth” and “know just enough to be dangerous” are unbalanced and in danger of misrepresenting our message.
7. Moreover, he must have a good report among outsiders, so that he may not fall into reproach and the adversary’s trap.
8. Likewise, [lower-ranking] servants [of the congregation] must be serious, not double-tongued, not given to much wine, not desirous after dishonest gain,
9 holding the mystery of the faith in a pure conscience.
10 And let these also first be proven, then let them use the office of a ministering attendant, having been found blameless.
Then: in order of succession, with the aim of leading eventually to actually become an overseer (vv. 1-2), but one cannot get to a higher degree without passing through the lower ones (v. 6, 7).
11. Women, likewise, must be dignified, not malicious gossips [but] clear-minded, trustworthy in every [way].
Women: in context, women in the same role—i.e., “deaconesses”, the counterpart of “deacons”, the cognate to the Greek term here for “ministering attendants”. Dignified: serious, august, reverent, having appropriate gravitas. Malicious gossips: talebearers, busybodies, meddling in others’ business and spreading slander—that is, things which may not be untrue but are designed to hurt or undermine others’ position and allow oneself an advantage. This is the same word from which we get “devil”—i.e., an adversarial accuser. Clear-minded: meaning circumspect, sober, and “free from negative, life-dominating influences”. (Thayer)
12. Ministering attendants must be husbands of one wife, managing their own children and households well,
Managing is their job, as stewards of what belongs to another, so they should gain their experience by working with what is their own first so they will not make their beginners’ mistakes in a context that affects many more people.
13. for those who have served well [as attendants] earn for themselves a good staging-point to rise higher, as well as a many-faceted, [strong] public demonstration of the faithfulness that is in Messiah Yeshua.
Not only is this a stepping-stone to a career that may include eventual promotion to overseer after having passed through the novice stages and been found “faithful in what was least”. (See Luke 16:10.) It is also of great value in itself as an example of the humble but dignified, fruitful servanthood that Yeshua both taught and lived himself. Even if one remained in that role his whole life, it would not have been wasted simply because he does not “climb the ladder” any further, as the world might think. This is the value system of the Kingdom, which turns things back to “right-side up”.
14. I am writing these things to you, hoping to come to you as quickly [as is appropriate],
15. but so that you may know (in case I may be delayed) how one must conduct himself in the household of Elohim, which is the called-out community of the living Elohim, the support and basis of the truth.
Support and basis: literally, pillar and foundation.
16. And without controversy, great is the mystery of pious dutifulness, which was manifest in the flesh, justified in the Spirit, seen of angels, proclaimed to the Gentiles, believed on in the world, received up into glory.
Without controversy: admitted to be so by all who “speak the same thing”, by common consent, unanimously agreed upon. Mystery: Aramaic, “divine mystery of righteousness: it is revealed in the flesh…” This translation reflects the pre-sixth-century version. Many have assumed from the later Greek version that this is of necessity speaking of Yeshua in particular, and have taken it as a proof that he is “God in the flesh”. He is a manifestation of the One who sent him, but this verse is not a solid basis for that doctrine which was NOT commonly agreed upon until Constantine forced it to be so encoded.
CHAPTER 4
1. But the Spirit explicitly indicates that on later occasions some will desert the faith, giving their full attention to misleading spirits and the instructions of demons,
Instructions: or doctrines, teaching applied to lifestyle.
2. hypocritically promulgating lies, their own consciences [having been] seared:
Seared: literally cauterized with a hot iron.
3. prohibiting marriage, abstaining from foods that YHWH created to be received with thanksgiving by those who are faithful and who deeply understand the truth,
Foods: This cannot be speaking about the kosher issue (since unclean animals are defined as “not food” by Torah).
4. because everything created by YHWH is valuable, and nothing is to be rejected as worthless when received with gratitude
Everything: not just speaking about foods, but also sexuality (v. 3)—another thing often abused but very appropriate when in the context of the fences YHWH built around it (e.g., 2:12-15). Demons (v. 1) can only distort or corrupt the good things YHWH has made; they cannot create anything new which is innately and inherently evil.
5. since they are rendered holy through the word of YHWH and [through] prayer.
Prayer: specifically petitions that are spot-on, hitting the target—the antonym of the word for sin. This is achieved by waiting on YHWH in prayer to find out His exact will (Thayer)—in this case, to determine the right use for the things He created and only use them rightly, which will bring them under His authority and therefore set apart from mundane or wrongful use.
6. [If you] present these things to the brothers [as a paradigm], you will be an honorable servant of Yeshua the Messiah, being nurtured on the forms of reasoning [based on] the faith and of the appropriate teaching that you have closely followed.
7. But shun the unholy old wives’ tales. Rather, train yourself in reverent piety,
Unholy: profane, because not cordoned off, and thus freely accessible; alternately, entered without authorization, based on the word for a threshold one crosses. Old wives’ tales: literally, fables or myths such as old women would engage in. Train: from the same root from which we get the term “gymnasium”—i.e., “directed exercise”. Reverent piety: literally, “good to be honored”.
8. because while bodily training is beneficial to a small degree, becoming honorable is valuable for every [purpose], holding promise for both the present life and the one [soon] to come.
Small degree: in its place, but it should not become an obsession that uses up all of our time and energy, because it would prevent us from accomplishing this more important form of training.
9. The matter is trustworthy and deserving of complete acceptance,
10. because for this we exhaust ourselves and strain hard, because we place our confidence upon the living Elohim, who is the Savior of all people, especially those who trust [Him].
11. Solemnly transmit and explain these things.
12. Don’t let anyone disregard you [because you are] young; rather, be a model for the believers—in word, in conduct, in love, in faithfulness, and in purity.
Disregard: or despise, consider you insignificant, look down on you. Model: an example to pattern themselves after.
13. Until I arrive, apply yourself to the public reading [of Scripture], to [personal] encouragement, [and] to teaching.
14. Don’t [carelessly] neglect the [spiritual] gift that was given you through prophecy, with the laying-on of the elders’ hands.
15. Ponder these things; be [absorbed] in them, so that your progress may be evident to everyone.
16. Hold fast to what is yours and to the teaching. Be persistent in them, because in so doing you will bring [both] yourself and those who hear you to safety.
CHAPTER 5
1. Do not reprove an elder, but encourage him as [you would] a father, younger men as brothers,
Today we especially need to be reminded of this standard, as it has been all but forgotten.
2. older women as mothers, and younger women like sisters, in all purity.
3. Honor widows—those who are really widows,
4. but if any widow has children or grandchildren, let them first learn to be dutiful to their own household and to give a fitting recompense to their parents, for this is pleasing to Elohim.
Recompense: i.e., pay them back for all they have done for you through caring for them in their own hardship. Pleasing: or acceptable, worthy to be received, agreeable, welcome.
5. But she who is truly a widow, [bereaved] and left solitary, sets her hope on Elohim and perseveres in petitions and prayers night and day.
Hope: or expectation. Petitions: or supplications, entreaties (for herself and others).
6. But she who lives in self-indulgence is dead [even while still] living.
7. Solemnly transmit these things also, so that they will be above reproach.
8. But if anyone does not provide [in advance] for his own, and especially his household, he has abnegated the faith, and is worse than an unbeliever.
Household: i.e., immediate family, while “his own” has broader implications, reaching to his extended family and possibly even those who work for him. Yeshua touched on this concept when he chided the P’rushim (Pharisees) for taking what they would have used to provide for their aging parents and make it a donation to the Temple, thinking YHWH would appreciate that more. All they were really getting, he said, was praise from men. (Mark 7:9-13; Mat. 6:2, 5, 16) Worse: or more evil, because even those who do not know YHWH do these things almost as a matter of course.
9. Don’t let a widow who is under sixty years of age be enrolled, being the wife of [only] one husband,
10. with good works [whom others] have borne witness to: if she has brought up children, if she has exercised hospitality to foreigners, if she has washed holy [people’s] feet, if she has brought relief to the oppressed, if she has pursued every kind of good work.
Oppressed: or persecuted.
11. But younger widows decline [to enroll], because if they experience sexual desires, they desire to get married [to someone outside of] the Messiah,
Enroll: to put on the “dole” list as established in Acts 6, of which Stefanos was one in charge—for the purpose of providing for the needs of those who had no one else to care for them any longer.
12. [thus] incurring judgment, because they have set aside [their] earlier faith.
13. But at the same time, they learn to be idle, making the rounds of the houses, thus [becoming] not merely idle but indulging in empty chatter with excessive meddling, talking about unnecessary things.
Unnecessary: or improper.
14. Therefore I want the younger ones to get married, bear children, [and] manage their households, giving those in opposition no occasion to even start speaking reproachfully on [their] account,
15. because some have already turned aside to [following] after the Accuser.
16. If any believing woman has widows [in her family], let her give them help, and not let the called-out assembly be burdened, so that it may provide relief to those who are truly bereaved.
I.e., do not use up the resources needed for those who are really experiencing emergency conditions.
17. Let those elders who rule well be counted worthy of double honor, especially those who wear themselves out with speaking and teaching.
Speaking: or possibly, in [the] word (i.e., of Elohim, studying the Scriptures).
18. For the Scripture says, “Do not muzzle an ox [that is] treading out grain”; likewise, the laborer is worthy of his compensation.
The quote is from Deuteronomy 25:4, and the second phrase is probably an allusion to or paraphrase of Leviticus 19:13.
19. Do not accept an accusation against an elder, unless [with the] exception of [being] on [the basis of] two or three witnesses.
Accusation: complaint or charge. This is the combination of the command in Leviticus 19:32 about respecting the elderly and that of what is admissible evidence in court, per Deuteronomy 19:15. We should not be quick to treat our elders so flippantly, but take their experience and wisdom into account, as well as their growing frailty and possibly declining memory.
20. But those who are in error, reprove in the presence of everyone, in order that the rest also may have fear.
Fear: or respect, but the underlying root is to run away or withdraw. “Those in error” might include those accused, but if the accusers do not follow the Torah’s rules, they are the ones to be rebuked publicly so others will be deterred from trying the same trickery. They must “withdraw” their accusation indeed. But not only will all fear; they should all learn the right way to do things as well.
21. I [myself] bear thorough witness before the Elohim and [His] Anointed, Yeshua, as well as the select messengers, that you should guard these things, without prejudice, doing nothing according to partiality.
Select messengers: or chosen/elect angels, but the first rendering can have wider application. Prejudice: unfair preference for anyone, since all could be guilty and our first impressions are often wrong. Partiality: a similar idea, often underlying the first. It means “leaning or inclined towards”—i.e., a bias.
22. Don’t lay hands on anyone hastily, and you will not share in the sins of others; keep your own self clean.
And you will not: or simply, nor share… (i.e., a second, not necessarily connected, imperative), as the grammatical construct seems to favor.
23. No longer drink [only] water, but make use of a little wine taken orally, because of your frequent ailments.
Only: unless he was in a location where it was unsafe to drink any of the water. He might have been under something like a temporary Nazirite vow, or simply preferred to avoid any possibility of drunken dissipation of his mental faculties; Paulus is saying that other considerations are legitimate if his health is suffering too greatly. Make use of: or, take advantage of (its antiseptic qualities). Ailment: or weakness, infirmity, something that keeps one from enjoying his full capacity. Orally: or, through the stomach (as this may have been his ailment), but Homer uses the same term for the throat, as it seems related to the usual word for “mouth”. So his ailment may have had to do with his vocal cords (not a good thing if one is a leader who must speak often).
24. Some people’s sins are obvious, leading directly into judgment; for some, however, they follow in close correspondence.
Leading: alternately, preceding them (as their reputation), or, going further than is proper. Correspondence: accompanying or dogging them, in a way clearly connected to and “fitting” with what led them along. But whether sooner or later, the truth eventually comes out:
25. Likewise, the actions of the good [people] are evident, and [even] those holding onto different [practices] cannot be concealed.
CHAPTER 6
1. As many as are under the yoke as slaves, let them esteem their own masters as worthy of honor, so that the name of Elohim and the Instruction may not be vilified.
Instruction: possibly speaking of the Torah itself, which also means “instruction”. Not be vilified: treated as something undignified which exists only to upset the social order rather than to resolve deeper matters.
2. Now those who have believing masters should not treat them with less respect [just] because they are brothers, but rather let them be devoted to them, since those who are benefitting from their well-done actions are [both] believers and beloved. Teach and encourage these things!
Rather than treating them with less respect because they do not instill fear in us, we should work all the harder to make life good for those with whom we share the deepest bond, even if on different social levels. This is an idea foreign to worldly wisdom, but well-fitting in YHWH’s economy.
3. If anyone teaches a different doctrine and does not assent to [the] sound words of our Master, Yeshua the Messiah, and the teaching that is in agreement with respect for what is sacred,
4. he is inflated [with self-conceit], comprehending nothing but an unhealthy obsession [revolving] around controversies and [trifling] disputes about words, out of which envy, quarrels, abusive language, suspicions, [and] miseries emerge,
5. along with constant [useless] frictions [originating] from persons [who are] corrupt and deprived of the truth, who consider piety to be a way to gain a living. Withdraw from standing among such types--
A way to gain a living: i.e., just another money-making scheme with disregard for whom they hurt and how sacred it is, on such a different level from where their minds usually are.
6. though the piety [that is] accompanied by contentment is [indeed] a great [kind of] gain,
Gain: or profit, for it does bring us much more benefit even than earning a substantial living does, and outlasts the daily grind.
7. since we brought nothing into the world, nor can we carry anything out [with us].
8. But, having [nourishing] sustenance and [protective] covering, with these we will be satisfied.
These are what we need to make it through between “coming in” and “going out”; they are the only real necessities, other than the particular tools of our trade or our ministry, which YHWH will provide as we need them. (Mat. 6:24-34, and there Yeshua even says not to worry about the essentials, because YHWH knows what we need; if we prioritize His Kingdom, He will see to it that we incidentally have these as well.)
9. Those, however, who desire to be wealthy fall into temptation and a trap, and many foolish and harmful desires which plunge the people into ruin and loss,
Foolish: mindless, unreasoning, entered without thinking through the consequences, and in one commentator’s words, “just plain stupid”! (BibleHub)
10. for the love of money is a root of all kinds of evils, which some, having reached for, have been led astray from the faith and pierced themselves through with many griefs.
Reached for: hankered after or aspired to eagerly, but it brings back images of the fruit of the tree in the middle of the Garden of Eden. (Gen. 3)
11. But you, O person of Elohim, stay away from these things! Rather, pursue what is right: devotion, trust, loving commitment, steadfastness, and gentleness.
Stay away: shun, avoid, even run away. These things: especially in the right balance.
12. Agonize in the good struggle of faithfulness. Seize hold of the eternal life into which you were invited, and assent to the proper confession in the presence of many witnesses.
Eternal life: “Like the Age (to Come)” in quality and character. It “operates simultaneously outside of time, inside of time, and beyond time – i.e., what gives time its everlasting meaning… through faith, yet is also time-independent. It does not focus on the future per se, but rather on the quality of the ‘age’ it relates to. Thus believers live in ‘eternal life’ right now, experiencing this quality of YHWH's life now as a present possession.” (Thayer) Proper confession: the simple, agreed-upon Glad News, not being distended by any of these tangents he has mentioned.
13. I [solemnly] charge you before Elohim, the One Who gives life to all things, and [before] Messiah Yeshua, the one who bore witness to the proper confession in the presence of Pontius Pilatus,
14. that you preserve the [aim of the] commandment, unstained, above reproach, until the [visible] appearance of our Master, Yeshua the Messiah,
15. which he will bring to light in his own season, being the blessed and sole potentate, the King over those who are kings, and Master over those who are masters,
16. who alone possesses immortality, inhabiting inapproachable light which no human being has seen or is able to see—to whom be perpetual honor and dominion. Amen!
He is the second Adam, who, unlike the first, retained his immortality until he was ready to give his life away like a seed that multiplies itself. Adam passed on corrupted seed through the normal channels; Yeshua passed on his life through dying and being raised by Elohim. Human being: excluding, of course, the one being spoken of, who never was mortal in the sense that we are, and who has been promoted to a higher level of humanity in which we can share if we successfully “agonize in the good struggle” all the way to end of the course. (v. 12)
17. Solemnly charge those who are wealthy in the present world order to not have unwarranted pride or set their expectation on uncertain riches, but [rather] upon Elohim, the One who abundantly provides all things for [our] enjoyment,
Uncertain: since they can be taken away or lost at a moment’s notice and are thus unreliable. Provides: by virtue of being close to us, right at hand whenever we need something, in contrast to the need to keep all that unreliable wealth under guard so it is available when we want it.
18. [so that we can] do good, be rich in worthwhile ventures, to be generous in giving, ready to share,
19. storing up for themselves a well-constructed foundation toward what is about to come, so that they may maintain a firm hold on that which is truly life.
About to come: the greater, permanent wealth of the Kingdom, available to those who “do not lay up for themselves treasures on earth, but lay up treasures in heaven” (Mat. 6:19-20), from which YHWH will return manifold on their investment at a time when it cannot be lost or stolen. Truly life: the more-real, permanent existence in the Age to Come, as opposed to the present, fragile, easily-ruined life based in the present age.
20. O Timotheos, guard the trust that was committed to your charge, deflecting the profane, empty-sounding, and contradictory arguments that are wrongly called knowledge,
21. by which some who engage in them have deviated from the faith. May the favor be with you [all]. Amen!
The favor: shorthand for “the favor of our Master, Yeshua the Messiah”, as used in many of his other final greetings.
THE FIRST LETTER OF PAULUS
TO
Timotheos
INTRODUCTION: Timotheos was the overseer of the congregation at Efesos, but because of Paulus’ sufferings for the cause of Messiah, he seemed to be shrinking back from doing the bolder things that needed to be done. Paulus encourages him to live up to his name, being a “fearer [only] of Elohim”, not of men, who can, as Yeshua said, only destroy the flesh.
