to attest or protest earnestly · verb — present middle or passive deponent indicative, 1st person singular
therefore
οὖνoun
G3767
(adverbially) certainly · conjunction
before
ἐνώπιονenōpion
G1799
in the face of (literally or figuratively) · preposition
God
θεοῦtheou
G2316
figuratively · noun — genitive singular masculine, a title
and
καὶkai
G2532
and · conjunction
Lord
κυρίουkuriou
G2962
supreme in authority · noun — genitive singular masculine, a title
Jesus
ἸησοῦIēsou
G2424
Jesus (i.e. Jehoshua) · noun — genitive singular masculine, a proper name
Christ
ΧριστοῦChristou
G5547
anointed · noun — genitive singular masculine, a title
shall
μέλλοντοςmellontos
G3195
to intend · verb — present active participle, genitive singular masculine
judge
κρίνεινkrinein
G2919
by implication · verb — present active infinitive
quick
ζῶνταςzōntas
G2198
to live (literally or figuratively) · verb — present active participle, accusative plural masculine
and
καὶkai
G2532
and · conjunction
dead
νεκρούς,nekrous
G3498
dead (literally or figuratively · adjective — accusative plural masculine
at
κατάkatá
G2596
(prepositionally) down (in place or time)
his
αὐτοῦautou
G846
the reflexive pronoun self · personal pronoun — genitive singular masculine
appearing
ἐπιφάνειανepiphaneian
G2015
a manifestation · noun — accusative singular feminine
and
καὶkai
G2532
and · conjunction
his
αὐτοῦ,autou
G846
the reflexive pronoun self · personal pronoun — genitive singular masculine
kingdom
βασιλείανbasileian
G932
properly · 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
Acts 10:42 And he commanded us to preach unto the people, and to testify that it is he which was ordained of God to be the Judge of quick and dead.
2 Timothy 4:8 Henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, shall give me at that day: and not to me o…
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 anot…
Matthew 16:27 For the Son of man shall come in the glory of his Father with his angels; and then he shall reward every man according to his works.
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…
1 Peter 5:4 And when the chief Shepherd shall appear, ye shall receive a crown of glory that fadeth not away.
2 Thessalonians 1:7-10 And to you who are troubled rest with us, when the Lord Jesus shall be revealed from heaven with his mighty angels,
Titus 2:13 Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ;
Cross-references from OpenBible.info (CC BY), in the lineage of the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (public domain).
Commentary
Matthew Henry on 2 Timothy 4:1-8
Observe, I. How awfully this charge is introduced (Ti2 4:1): I charge thee before God, and the Lord Jesus Christ, who shall judge the quick and the dead at his appearing and his kingdom. Observe, The best of men have need to be awed into the discharge of their duty. The work of a minister is not an indifferent thing, but absolutely necessary. Woe be to him if he preach not the gospel, Co1 9:16. To induce him to faithfulness, he must consider, 1. That the eye of God and Jesus Christ was upon him: I charge thee before God and the Lord Jesus Christ; that is, "as thou tenderest the favour of God and Jesus Christ; as thou wilt approve thyself to God and Jesus Christ, by the obligations both of na…
I charge thee therefore before God - Whose herald thou art; and before the Lord Jesus Christ, whose salvation thou art to proclaim, and who is coming to judge the world - all that shall be found then alive, and all that have died from the foundation of the world.
John Gill on 2 Timothy 4:1
I charge thee therefore before God,.... Whose word the Scriptures are, and by whom they are inspired; who had made Timothy an able minister of the New Testament, and to whom he was accountable for his ministry:
and the Lord Jesus Christ; who is equal with God, and bestows ministerial gifts on men, and from whom Timothy had his; whose Gospel he preached; in whose cause he was embarked; and before whom he must appear, to give an account of his ministry, talents, and souls under his care:
who shall judge the quick and the dead at his appearing and his kingdom; it is certain there will be a general judgment; the day is appointed, and Christ is ordained the Judge of all men; all judgment is com…
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;
1. Obtestor igitur ego coram Deo et Domino Iesu Christo, qui judicaturus est vivos et mortuos in apparitione sua et in regno suo;
2. Preach the word; be instant in season, out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort, with all longsuffering and doctrine.
2. Praedica sermonem, insta tempestiv?, intempestiv?; argue, increpa, hortare cum omni lenitate et doctrina.
3. For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears;
3. Nam erit tempus, quum sanam doctrinam no…
The Church Fathers
After giving comfort and encouragement for everyone, he brings up great things at the close of his writing. Now reasonably he brings up such great things, because he was destressed about what he was going to say to the disciple about his own death. So the Scriptures say, from which he said, that "From childhood you have known the Scriptures. (2 Tim 3:15)"
"I charge thee therefore before God, and the Lord Jesus Christ, Who shall judge the quick and the dead." He either means the wicked and the just, or the departed and those that are still living; for many will be left alive. In the former Epistle he raised his fears, saying, "I give thee charge in the sight of God, Who quickeneth all things" (1 Tim. vi. 13): but here he sets before him what is more dreadful, "Who shall judge the quick and the dead," that is, Who shall call them to account "at His appearing and His kingdom." When shall He judge? at His appearing with glory, and in His kingdom. Either he says this to show that He will not come in the way that He now has come, or, "I call to witness His coming, and His kingdom." He calls Him to witness, showing that he had reminded Him of that appearing.
Concerning the coming judgment of human beings, living and dead, the blessed Paul says this, "I bear witness in the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who will judge the living and the dead, and by his appearing and his kingly power." At his coming, from the body of the first man which God fashioned from the earth, up until the bodies of all human beings which began to live when they were infused with a soul, all will be raised by him by whose action they were created. In the resurrection, individual bodies will be restored to their individual souls, which they began to have in the wombs of their mothers, in order that they might begin to live—in order that, in the examination of the just judge, souls might receive in their very same individual bodies their reward, of the kingdom or of punishment, in those bodies in which they had led a good or evil life in this world.
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
Coming of Christ — (1) with reference to his first advent “in the fulness of the time” (1 John 5:20; 2 John 1:7), or (2) with reference to his coming again the second time at the last day (Acts 1:11; 3:20, 21; 1 Thess.…
Revelation of Christ — The second advent of Christ. Three different Greek words are used by the apostles to express this, (1) apokalupsis (1 Cor. 1;7; 2 Thess. 1:7; 1 Pet. 1:7, 13); (2) parousia (Matt. 24:3, 27; 1 Thess.…
Christ Is God · As God, the judge — As God, the judge
Devil, The · The Apostasy is of — The Apostasy is of
Judgment · THE GENERAL — THE GENERAL
Judgment, The · Shall take place at the coming of Christ — Shall take place at the coming of Christ
Second Coming Of Christ, The · The purposes of, are to: Judge — The purposes of, are to: Judge
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).
Timothy stood in the presence of God and was to work in view of Jesus’ coming to judge and set up his Kingdom (see 1 Tim 5:21; 6:13-14). Christ’s appearing will bring cleansing (2 Tim 2:19), accountability (3:8-9), salvation, vindication, and reward (4:8, 18). See also 1 Cor 3:10-15; 4:4-5; 2 Cor 5:10.
4:1 judge the living and the dead: See Matt 25:31-46; Acts 10:42; Rom 14:7-12; Rev 20:11-15. • when he comes (literally his epiphany): See study note on 1 Tim 6:14; see also 2 Tim 1:10; 4:8; Titus 2:11-13; 3:4.
