1 Timothy 1:16 — meaning, Hebrew and Greek word study, commentary
1 Timothy 1:16
Howbeit for this cause I obtained mercy, that in me first Jesus Christ might shew forth all longsuffering, for a pattern to them which should hereafter believe on him to life everlasting.
to compassionate (by word or deed · verb — aorist passive indicative, 1st person singular
that
ἵναina
G2443
compare G3588 (ὁ)) · conjunction
in
ἐνen
G1722
"in · preposition
me
ἐμοίemoí
G1698
to me
first
πρώτῳprōtō
G4413
foremost (in time · adjective — dative singular masculine
Jesus
ἸησοῦςIēsous
G2424
Jesus (i.e. Jehoshua) · noun — nominative singular masculine, a proper name
Christ
ΧριστὸςChristos
G5547
anointed · noun — nominative singular masculine, a title
forth
ἐνδείξηταιendeixētai
G1731
to indicate (by word or act) · verb — aorist middle subjunctive, 3rd person singular
all
πᾶςpâs
G3956
all
longsuffering
μακροθυμίανmakrothumian
G3115
longanimity · noun — accusative singular feminine
for
πρὸςpros
G4314
a preposition of direction · preposition
pattern
ὑποτύπωσινhupotupōsin
G5296
typification under (after) · noun — accusative singular feminine
hereafter
μελλόντωνmellontōn
G3195
to intend · verb — present active participle, genitive plural masculine
believe
πιστεύεινpisteuein
G4100
to have faith (in · verb — present active infinitive
on
ἐπ᾽ep᾽
G1909
properly · preposition
him
αὐτῷautō
G846
the reflexive pronoun self · personal pronoun — dative singular masculine
to
εἰςeis
G1519
to or into (indicating the point reached or entered) · preposition
life
ζωὴνzōēn
G2222
life (literally or figuratively) · noun — accusative singular feminine
everlasting
αἰώνιον.¶aiōnion
G166
perpetual (also used of past time · adjective — accusative singular feminine
Strong's Exhaustive Concordance (James Strong, 1890/1894), public domain; digitized by Open Scriptures (CC BY-SA). KJV word tagging: eBible.org (public domain). Original-language text, parsing and brief lexicon: STEPBible.org data from Tyndale House, Cambridge (CC BY 4.0).
Cross-references
1 Timothy 1:13 Who was before a blasphemer, and a persecutor, and injurious: but I obtained mercy, because I did it ignorantly in unbelief.
Ephesians 2:7 That in the ages to come he might shew the exceeding riches of his grace in his kindness toward us through Christ Jesus.
Psalms 25:11 For thy name’s sake, O LORD, pardon mine iniquity; for it is great.
2 Peter 3:9 The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should peri…
Luke 7:47 Wherefore I say unto thee, Her sins, which are many, are forgiven; for she loved much: but to whom little is forgiven, the same loveth littl…
1 John 5:11-12 And this is the record, that God hath given to us eternal life, and this life is in his Son.
2 Peter 3:15 And account that the longsuffering of our Lord is salvation; even as our beloved brother Paul also according to the wisdom given unto him ha…
John 3:36 He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life: and he that believeth not the Son shall not see life; but the wrath of God abideth on hi…
Cross-references from OpenBible.info (CC BY), in the lineage of the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (public domain).
Commentary
Matthew Henry on 1 Timothy 1:12-17
Here the apostle, I. Returns thanks to Jesus Christ for putting him into the ministry. Observe, 1. It is Christ's work to put men into the ministry, Act 26:16, Act 26:17. God condemned the false prophets among the Jews in these words, I have not sent these prophets, yet they ran: I have not spoken to them, yet they prophesied, Jer 23:21. Ministers, properly speaking, cannot make themselves ministers; for it is Christ's work, as king and head, prophet and teacher, of his church. 2. Those whom he puts into the ministry he fits for it; whom he calls he qualifies. Those ministers who are no way fit for their work, nor have ability for it, are not of Christ's putting into the ministry, though the…
Howbeit--Greek, "But"; contrasting his own conscious sinfulness with God's gracious visitation of him in mercy.
for this cause--for this very purpose.
that in me--in my case.
first--"foremost." As I was "foremost" (Greek for chief, Ti1 1:15) in sin, so God has made me the "foremost" sample of mercy.
show--to His own glory (the middle Greek, voice), Eph 2:7.
all long-suffering--Greek, "the whole (of His) long-suffering," namely, in bearing so long with me while I was a persecutor.
a pattern--a sample (Co1 10:6, Co1 10:11) to assure the greatest sinners of the certainty that they shall not be rejected in coming to Christ, since even Saul found mercy. So David made his own case of p…
Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners - This is one of the most glorious truths in the book of God; the most important that ever reached the human ear, or can be entertained by the heart of man. All men are sinners; and as such condemned, justly condemned, to eternal death. Christ Jesus became incarnate, suffered, and died to redeem them; and, by his grace and Spirit, saves them from their sins. This saying or doctrine he calls, first, a faithful or true saying; πιστος ὁ λογος, it is a doctrine that may be credited, without the slightest doubt or hesitation; God himself has spoken it; and the death of Christ and the mission of the Holy Ghost, sealing pardon on the souls of all wh…
The Church Fathers
That repentance, O sinner, like myself (nay, rather, less than myself, for pre-eminence in sins I acknowledge to be mine ), do you so hasten to, so embrace, as a shipwrecked man the protection of some plank.
We bring to mind how the holy apostle Paul recounts his transgressions and puts his soul in the last and nethermost place, saying, "Jesus Christ came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am chief." … When and at what time did he say this? After great struggles, after mighty works, after the preaching of the gospel of Christ which he proclaimed throughout the whole world, after continual deaths and manifold tribulations which he suffered from the Jews and from the heathen. Even then he saw himself as only making a beginning. He was of the opinion not merely that he had not yet attained to purity of soul but that he would not even number himself among the disciples of Christ, as was fitting.
Therefore, he says, since I am saved, let no one doubt of salvation. And observe the humility of this blessed man; he says not, "that in me he might show forth" His "longsuffering," but "all longsuffering"; as if he had said, greater longsuffering He could not show in any case than in mine, nor find a sinner that so required all His pardon, all His long-suffering; not a part only, like those who are only partially sinners, but "all" His longsuffering. "For a pattern to those who should hereafter believe." This is said for comfort, for encouragement. But because he had spoken highly of the Son, and of the great love which He hath manifested, lest he should be thought to exclude the Father from this, he ascribes the glory to Him also.
The Church Fathers: public-domain translations (Ante-Nicene and Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers), verse-indexed by SermonIndex (CC BY 4.0).
Dictionary and topics
Eternal life — This expression occurs in the Old Testament only in Dan. 12:2 (R.V., “everlasting life”). It occurs frequently in the New Testament (Matt. 7:14; 18:8, 9; Luke 10:28; comp. 18:18). It comprises the…
Christ, Character Of · Long-suffering — Long-suffering
Example · PAUL, OUR — PAUL, OUR
Long-Suffering Of God, The · Exemplified: Paul — Exemplified: Paul
Longsuffering · General scriptures concerning — General scriptures concerning
Dictionary: Easton's (1897) and Smith's (1863), public domain. Topics: Nave's Topical Bible (1896) and Torrey's Topical Textbook (1897), public domain. Both as parsed by NEUU (CC BY 4.0).
Howbeit, for this cause I obtained mercy,.... Though so great a sinner, and even the chief of sinners:
that in me first Jesus Christ might show forth all longsuffering; not that the apostle was the first that was converted upon Christ's coming to save sinners; for there were many converted before him, and very great sinners too, and he speaks of himself as one born out of due time; unless it can be thought that he was the first of the persecutors of the church, upon the death of Stephen, that was converted: but the word "first" is not an "adverb" of time, but a "noun" expressing the character of the apostle, as before; and the sense is, that in him, the first or chief of sinners, Jesus Chri…
14. And the grace of our Lord was exceeding abundant with faith and love which is in Christ Jesus.
14. Exuberavit autem supra modum gratia Domini nostri, cum fide et dilectione, quae est in Christo Iesu.
15. This is a faithful saying, and worthy of all acceptation, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners; of whom I am chief.
15. Fidelus sermo, et dignus omnino qui accipiatur, quod Christus Iesus venit in mundum, ut peccatores salvos faceret, quorum primus sum ego.
16. Howbeit for this cause I obtained mercy, that in me first Jesus Christ might shew forth all longsuffering, for a pattern to them which should hereafter believe on him to life everlasting.
16. Verum ideo miser…
This is a trustworthy saying: This expression occurs only in the letters to Timothy and Titus (1 Tim 3:1; 4:8-9; 2 Tim 2:11-13; Titus 3:4-8). These sayings are probably quotations from tradition that Paul has adapted to the current situation; here, in addition to the way the saying underscores the mercy shown to Paul, it probably corrects the false teachers. The emphasis of this saying falls on Christ’s entrance into history for the salvation of sinners, which was probably being marginalized by the false teachers, who emphasized law (1 Tim 1:7), special knowledge (6:20; cp. Titus 1:16), and stipulations such as those in 1 Tim 4:3 (cp. Col 2:16-23).
