properly · verb — present active indicative, 3rd person plural
nor
μήτεmēte
G3383
not too · conjunction — negative
whereof
περὶperi
G4012
properly · preposition
affirm
διαβεβαιοῦνται.¶diabebaiountai
G1226
to confirm thoroughly (by words) · verb — present middle or passive deponent indicative, 3rd person plural
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
Romans 1:22 Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools,
2 Peter 2:12 But these, as natural brute beasts, made to be taken and destroyed, speak evil of the things that they understand not; and shall utterly per…
1 Timothy 6:4 He is proud, knowing nothing, but doting about questions and strifes of words, whereof cometh envy, strife, railings, evil surmisings,
Galatians 3:5 He therefore that ministereth to you the Spirit, and worketh miracles among you, doeth he it by the works of the law, or by the hearing of f…
Galatians 5:3-4 For I testify again to every man that is circumcised, that he is a debtor to do the whole law.
Romans 2:19-21 And art confident that thou thyself art a guide of the blind, a light of them which are in darkness,
Galatians 3:2 This only would I learn of you, Received ye the Spirit by the works of the law, or by the hearing of faith?
2 Timothy 3:7 Ever learning, and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth.
Cross-references from OpenBible.info (CC BY), in the lineage of the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (public domain).
Commentary
Matthew Henry on 1 Timothy 1:5-11
Here the apostle instructs Timothy how to guard against the judaizing teachers, or others who mingled fables and endless genealogies with the gospel. He shows the use of the law, and the glory of the gospel.
I. He shows the end and uses of the law: it is intended to promote love, for love is the fulfilling of the law, Rom 13:10.
1. The end of the commandment is charity, or love, Rom 13:8. The main scope and drift of the divine law are to engage us to the love of God and one another; and whatever tends to weaken either our love to God or love to the brethren tends to defeat the end of the commandment: and surely the gospel, which obliges us to love our enemies, to do good to those who hate us…
Sample of their "vain talk" (Ti1 1:6).
Desiring--They are would-be teachers, not really so.
the law--the Jewish law (Tit 1:14; Tit 3:9). The Judaizers here meant seem to be distinct from those impugned in the Epistles to the Galatians and Romans, who made the works of the law necessary to justification in opposition to Gospel grace. The Judaizers here meant corrupted the law with "fables," which they pretended to found on it, subversive of morals as well as of truth. Their error was not in maintaining the obligation of the law, but in abusing it by fabulous and immoral interpretations of, and additions to, it.
neither what they say, nor whereof--neither understanding their own assertio…
Teachers of the law - To be esteemed or celebrated as rabbins; to be reputed cunning in solving knotty questions and enigmas, which answered no end to true religion. Of such the rabbinical teaching was full.
Understanding neither what they say - This is evident from almost all the Jewish comments which yet remain. Things are asserted which are either false or dubious; words, the import of which they did not understand, were brought to illustrate them: so that it may be said, They understand not what they say, nor whereof they affirm. I will give one instance from the Jerusalem Targum, on Gen 1:15 : And God made two great lights, and they were equal in splendor twenty-one years, the six hundr…
The Church Fathers
Two walls must adhere to the cornerstone in order to preserve "the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace"—one from the Jews and the other from the Gentiles. We mustn't let our minds be put off by the great number of reprobate Jews, among whom were the builders; those, that is, who "wished to be teachers of the law," but as the apostle says about them, "do not understand either what they are saying or the things about which they are making their assertions." It was as a result of this mental blindness, after all, that they rejected the stone which was put at the head of the corner. But it wouldn't be put at the head of the corner unless it offered to the two peoples coming from different points a peaceful joining, a coupling of grace.
desiring to be teachers of the law, not understanding either what they say or the matters about which they make confident claims. desiring to be teachers of the law. Another excuse for failure. For not only, he says, does hostility lead to this, but also ambition for honor, which itself arises from hatred and envy. not understanding either what they say. He wants to show that they truly came from love of power to wanting to be teachers. For neither do they know the law, nor about the things about which they make confident claims. For if they had known the law, they would have believed in Christ, which is also said elsewhere. "Tell me, you who want to be under the law, do you not hear the law?" (Gal. 4:21) For if they had known the law, they would certainly have believed that it leads to Christ.
For both the law and the Gospel are the energy of one Lord, who is "the power and wisdom of God;" and the terror which the law begets is merciful and in order to salvation. "Let not alms, and faith, and truth fail thee, but hang them around thy neck." In the same way as Paul, prophecy upbraids the people with not understanding the law. "Destruction and misery are in their ways, and the way of peace have they not known." "There is no fear of God before their eyes." "Professing themselves wise, they became fools." "And we know that the law is good, if a man use it lawfully." "Desiring to be teachers of the law, they understand," says the apostle, "neither what they say, nor whereof they affirm." "Now the end of the commandment is charity out of a pure heart, and a good conscience, and faith unfeigned."
Dictionary and topics
Doctor · A teacher, or master — A teacher, or master
Doctrines · FALSE — FALSE
Strife · General scriptures concerning — General scriptures concerning
Vanity · Foolish questions are — Foolish questions are
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).
Desiring to be teachers of the law,.... They were very fond of being called Rabbi, Rabbi, and styled doctors of the law, and of being thought to have skill in interpreting the law, and good talents in expounding it, and preaching upon it; which was now most in vogue, and gained the greatest applause, when the preaching of the Gospel was treated with contempt, not only by the unbelieving Jews, but by judaizing Christians, and carnal professors,
Understanding neither what they say, nor whereof they affirm: they did not understand the law, the nature and end, the purity and spirituality, and perfection of it, which they were so fond of teaching, and went into many foolish and unlearned questio…
5. Now the end of the commandment is charity out of a pure heart, and of a good conscience, and of faith unfeigned:
5. Porro finis praecepti est charitas, ex puro corde, et conscientia bona, et fide non simulata.
6. From which some having swerved have turned aside unto vain jangling;
6. A quibus postquam nonnulli aberrarunt, deflexerunt ad vaniloquium,
7. Desiring to be teachers of the law; understanding neither what they say, nor whereof they affirm.
7. Volentes esse legis doctores, non intelligentes quae loquuntur, neque de quibus affirmant.
8. But we know that the law is good, if a man use it lawfully;
8. Scimus autem quod lex bona sit, si quis ea legitime utatur:
9. Knowing this,…
Their aspirations to be teachers of the law of Moses were ironic; their handling of the law was deficient in the light of the Good News, and they neither understood nor fulfilled the law (see 1:8-11).
