1 Timothy 5:21 — meaning, Hebrew and Greek word study, commentary
1 Timothy 5:21
I charge thee before God, and the Lord Jesus Christ, and the elect angels, that thou observe these things without preferring one before another, doing nothing by partiality.
to watch · verb — aorist active subjunctive, 2nd person singular
things
ταῦταtaûta
G5023
these things
without
χωρὶςchōris
G5565
at a space · preposition
another
προκρίματοςprokrimatos
G4299
a prejudgment (prejudice) · noun — genitive singular neuter
doing
ποιῶνpoiōn
G4160
to make or do (in a very wide application · verb — present active participle, nominative singular masculine
nothing
μηδὲνmēden
G3367
not even one (man · adjective — accusative singular neuter, negative
by
κατὰkata
G2596
(prepositionally) down (in place or time) · preposition
partiality
πρόσκλισιν.prosklisin
G4346
a leaning towards · noun — 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 6:13 I give thee charge in the sight of God, who quickeneth all things, and before Christ Jesus, who before Pontius Pilate witnessed a good confe…
2 Timothy 4:1 I charge thee therefore before God, and the Lord Jesus Christ, who shall judge the quick and the dead at his appearing and his kingdom;
2 Peter 2:4 For if God spared not the angels that sinned, but cast them down to hell, and delivered them into chains of darkness, to be reserved unto ju…
2 Corinthians 5:16 Wherefore henceforth know we no man after the flesh: yea, though we have known Christ after the flesh, yet now henceforth know we him no mor…
1 Thessalonians 5:27 I charge you by the Lord that this epistle be read unto all the holy brethren.
2 Timothy 2:14 Of these things put them in remembrance, charging them before the Lord that they strive not about words to no profit, but to the subverting…
Jude 1:6 And the angels which kept not their first estate, but left their own habitation, he hath reserved in everlasting chains under darkness unto…
Matthew 25:41 Then shall he say also unto them on the left hand, Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels:
Cross-references from OpenBible.info (CC BY), in the lineage of the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (public domain).
Commentary
Matthew Henry on 1 Timothy 5:17–end
Here are directions,
I. Concerning the supporting of ministers. Care must be taken that they be honourably maintained (Ti1 5:17): Let the elders that rule well be counted worthy of double honour (that is, of double maintenance, double to what they have had, or to what others have), especially those who labour in the word and doctrine, those who are more laborious than others. Observe, The presbytery ruled, and the same that ruled were those who laboured in the word and doctrine: they had not one to preach to them and another to rule them, but the work was done by one and the same person. Some have imagined that by the elders that rule well the apostle means lay-elders, who were employed in r…
I charge thee--rather as Greek, "I adjure thee"; so it ought to be translated (Ti2 4:1).
before--"in the presence of God."
Lord--omitted in the oldest manuscripts God the Father, and Christ the Son, will testify against thee, if thou disregardest my injunction. He vividly sets before Timothy the last judgment, in which God shall be revealed, and Christ seen face to face with His angels
elect angels--an epithet of reverence. The objects of divine electing love (Pe1 2:6). Not only "elect" (according to the everlasting purpose of God) in contradistinction to the reprobate angels (Pe2 2:4), but also to mark the excellence of the angels in general (as God's chosen ministers, "holy angels,"…
I charge thee before God - The apostle would have Timothy to consider that all he did should be done as in the sight of God, the Father of the spirits of all flesh; in the sight of Christ, the Savior of sinners, who purchased the Church with his own blood; and in the sight of the most holy, approved, and eminent angels, whose office it was to minister to the heirs of salvation. The word εκλεκτοι, elect, applied to the angels here, is supposed to distinguish those who stood, when others fell from their first estate. The former were elect, or approved; the latter reprobate, or disapproved. This is not an unfrequent sense of the word εκλεκτος, elect. Perhaps there is nothing else meant than the…
The Church Fathers
Just as they carefully prepared their will and testament, and committed it to a trust, and adjured (the trustees to be faithful to their charge), even so do I hold it.
Let us reverence the Lord Jesus Christ, whose blood was given for us; let us esteem those who have the rule over us; let us honour the aged among us; let us train up the young men in the fear of God; let us direct our wives to that which is good. Let them exhibit the lovely habit of purity [in all their conduct]; let them show forth the sincere disposition of meekness; let them make manifest the command which they have of their tongue, by their manner of speaking; let them display their love, not by preferring one to another, but by showing equal affection to all that piously fear God.
I seriously charge you before God and the Lord Jesus Christ and the elect angels to keep these instructions without bias, and to do nothing out of favoritism. I seriously charge you before God. Paul warns of severity. For Timothy did not simply resign, but protested, securing himself in case anything improper should happen. But why did Paul call the Father and the Son as witnesses, and also angels together? Because they, along with their Lord who is to come in judgment, are present and will bear witness to the discourse. It is also our custom to call both superiors and inferiors as witnesses. And Jacob also took God and the mountain as witnesses. (Gen. 31:46) and the elect angels. He said "elect angels," because angels and demons alike are cast away. — [OECUMENIUS] Either he spoke what was truly the case, or he brought them to the brink of ruin. [end of the excerpt by Oecumenius A f. 173v; B f. 209τ; G f. 297r] — to keep these instructions without bias. This, for example, is what he said: Without haste in judgment, that is, so that you do nothing rashly or recklessly from what has been said, and not without preceding judgment or counsel. and to do nothing out of favoritism. Indeed, presumptions are often devoid of truth. For favoritism [πρόσκλησις] is an affectation that incites someone to do something without judgment. without bias. That is, without falling into the judgment and punishment of disobedience for someone who has erred in something. Thus Clement in the seventh book of Hypotyposes. And Basil, in his interpretation of the Proverbs, says, According to inclination, that is, not leaning towards what is wrong, but bringing forth straight judgment. For he says thus: Doing nothing according to inclination, but bringing forth judgments straight and unaltered.
Dictionary and topics
Angel — A word signifying, both in the Hebrew and Greek, a “messenger,” and hence employed to denote any agent God sends forth to execute his purposes. It is used of an ordinary messenger (Job 1:14: 1 Sam.…
Angel (A Spirit) · .Have knowledge of, and interest in, earthly affairs — .Have knowledge of, and interest in, earthly affairs
Angels · Are elect — Are elect
Commandments · PRECEPTS OF PAUL. EXPLICITLY STATED OR IMPLIED IN DIDACTIC EPISTLES — PRECEPTS OF PAUL. EXPLICITLY STATED OR IMPLIED IN DIDACTIC EPISTLES
Election · .Of good angels — .Of good angels
Ministers · Should be: Impartial — Should be: Impartial
Partiality · Forbid — Forbid
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).
I charge thee before God,.... Who sees and knows all things, and is a righteous and most impartial Judge; with whom there is no respect of persons, and in whose place and stead, the judges of the earth, both civil and ecclesiastical, stand; and to whom they are accountable for the judgment they pass on men and things; and in whose house or church Timothy was, whose business he was doing, and which ought to be done, with a view to his glory; wherefore the apostle gives him this solemn charge as in his sight:
and the Lord Jesus Christ: who also is God omniscient; and is Jesus Christ the righteous, the Head of the church, and the Judge of quick and dead; before whose judgment seat all must app…
17. Let the elders that rule well be counted worthy of double honour, especially they who labour in the word and doctrine.
17. Presbyteri, qui bene praesunt, duplici honore digni habeantur; maxime qui laborant in verbo et doctrina.
18. For the scripture saith, Thou shalt not muzzle the ox that treadeth out the corn. And, The labourer is worthy of his reward.
18. Dicit enim scriptura: Non obligabis os bovi trituranti, (Deuteronomy 25:4) et, Dignus est operarius mercede sua, (Matthew 10:10).
19. Against an elder receive not an accusation, but before two or three witnesses.
19. Adversus presbyterum accusationem ne admittas, nisi sub duobus aut tribus testibus.
20. Them that sin rebuke bef…
God and Christ Jesus and the highest angels constitute three witnesses (5:19). These witnesses confirm the accusation against leaders who sin (5:20). • Angels are associated with God’s judgment (Dan 7:9-10; Matt 13:49; 25:31, 41; Luke 9:26; 2 Thes 1:7).
