2 Timothy 4:17 — meaning, Hebrew and Greek word study, commentary
2 Timothy 4:17
Notwithstanding the Lord stood with me, and strengthened me; that by me the preaching might be fully known, and that all the Gentiles might hear: and I was delivered out of the mouth of the lion.
the mouth (as if a gash in the face) · noun — genitive singular neuter
lion
λέοντος.leontos
G3023
a "lion" · noun — genitive singular masculine
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 Peter 5:8 Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour:
Philippians 1:12-14 But I would ye should understand, brethren, that the things which happened unto me have fallen out rather unto the furtherance of the gospel…
Psalms 22:21 Save me from the lion’s mouth: for thou hast heard me from the horns of the unicorns.
1 Samuel 17:37 David said moreover, The LORD that delivered me out of the paw of the lion, and out of the paw of the bear, he will deliver me out of the ha…
Daniel 6:22 My God hath sent his angel, and hath shut the lions’ mouths, that they have not hurt me: forasmuch as before him innocency was found in me;…
Acts 9:15 But the Lord said unto him, Go thy way: for he is a chosen vessel unto me, to bear my name before the Gentiles, and kings, and the children…
Acts 18:9-10 Then spake the Lord to Paul in the night by a vision, Be not afraid, but speak, and hold not thy peace:
Acts 23:11 And the night following the Lord stood by him, and said, Be of good cheer, Paul: for as thou hast testified of me in Jerusalem, so must thou…
Cross-references from OpenBible.info (CC BY), in the lineage of the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (public domain).
Commentary
Matthew Henry on 2 Timothy 4:16–end
Here, I. He gives Timothy an account of his own present circumstances.
1. He had lately been called to appear before the emperor, upon his appeal to Caesar; and then no man stood with him (Ti2 4:16), to plead his cause, to bear testimony for him, or so much as to keep him in countenance, but all men forsook him. This was strange, that so good a man as Paul should have nobody to own him, even at Rome, where there were many Christians, whose faith was spoken of throughout the world, Rom 1:8. But men are but men. The Christians at Rome were forward to go and meet him (Acts 28); but when it came to the pinch, and they would be in danger of suffering with him, then they all forsook him. He prays…
the Lord--the more because men deserted me.
stood with me--stronger than "came forward with me" (Greek, Ti2 4:16).
strengthened--Greek, "put strength in me."
by me--"through me"; through my means. One single occasion is often of the greatest moment.
the preaching--"the Gospel proclamation."
might be fully known--might be fully made (see on Ti2 4:5).
that all the Gentiles--present at my trial, "might hear" the Gospel proclaimed then. Rome was the capital of the Gentile world, so that a proclamation of the truth to the Romans was likely to go forth to the rest of the Gentile world.
I was delivered out of the mouth of the lion--namely, Satan, the roaring, devouring lion (Luk 22:31…
The Lord stood with me - When all human help failed, God, in a more remarkable manner, interposed; and thus the excellency plainly appeared to be of God, and not of man.
That by me the preaching might be fully known - When called on to make his defense he took occasion to preach the Gospel, and to show that the great God of heaven and earth had designed to illuminate the Gentile world with the rays of his light and glory. This must have endeared him to some, while others might consider him an opposer of their gods, and be the more incensed against him.
I was delivered out of the mouth of the lion - I escaped the imminent danger at that time. Probably he was seized in a tumultuous manner, and…
The Church Fathers
So that everything may be revealed through preaching. Not by force, but as he said, through preaching, as if he was bearing a purple garment and a crown (see John 19:2), and because of them he was dilivered up. By "lion" he means Nero.
Story has it that the apostle, after defending himself, was again sent upon the ministry of preaching and coming a second time to the same city met death by martyrdom under Nero. While he was being held in prison, he composed the second epistle to Timothy, at the same time indicating that his first defense had taken place and that martyrdom was at hand.
"Notwithstanding the Lord stood with me, and strengthened me." Though deserted by man, God doth not permit him to suffer any harm. He strengthened me, he says, that is, He gave me boldness in speaking. He suffered me not to sink. "That by me the preaching might be fully known." That is, might be fulfilled. Observe his great humility. He does not say He strengthened me as deserving of His gift, but that "the preaching," with which I was intrusted, "might be fully known." As if any one should wear a purple robe and a diadem, and to that circumstance should owe his safety. "And that all the Gentiles might hear." What is this? That the luster of the Gospel, and the care of His Providence for me, might be known to all. "And I was delivered out of the mouth of the lion." "And the Lord shall deliver me from every evil work." See how near he had been to death. He had fallen into the very jaws of the lion. For he calls Nero a lion from his ferocity, and the violent and daring character of his government. "The Lord delivered me," he says, "and will deliver." But if he says, "He will deliver me," why does he say, "I am ready to be offered"? Attend to the expression, "He delivered me," he says, "from the lion's mouth"; and again, "He will deliver me," not from the lion's mouth, but "from every evil work." For then He delivered me from the danger; but now that enough has been done for the Gospel, He will yet again deliver me from every sin, that is, He will not suffer me to depart with condemnation. For that he should be able to "resist unto blood striving against sin" (Heb. xii. 4), and not yield, is a deliverance from another lion, even the devil, so that this preservation is greater than the former when he seems to be given up. "And will preserve me unto His heavenly kingdom; to Whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen." This then is salvation, when we shine forth there. But what means, "He will preserve me unto His kingdom"? He will deliver me from all blame, and preserve me there. For this is to be preserved unto His kingdom, to die here on account of it. For "He that hateth his life in this world shall keep it unto life eternal." (John xii. 25.)
Dictionary and topics
Lion — “The most powerful, daring and impressive of all carnivorous animals, the most magnificent in aspect and awful in voice.” At present lions do not exist in Palestine; but they must in ancient times…
Afflictions Made Beneficial · In furthering the gospel — In furthering the gospel
B · Illustrative of: Persecutors — Illustrative of: Persecutors
Lion · Used for the torture of criminals — Used for the torture of criminals
Lion, The · Illustrative: Of persecutors — Illustrative: Of persecutors
Power · .Strengthened by — .Strengthened by
Power Of Christ, The · Saints: Strengthened by — Saints: Strengthened by
Protection · Is vouchsafed to saints in: Strengthening them — Is vouchsafed to saints in: Strengthening them
Warfare Of Saints · Saints: Strengthened by Christ in — Saints: Strengthened by Christ in
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).
Notwithstanding the Lord stood with me,.... Either personally appearing to him, as in Acts 23:11 or by the ministry of an angel, Acts 27:23 or else by granting him his gracious presence, which was what Christ had not when he was forsaken by his disciples: the presence of God or Christ is more than all friends whatever, and is often enjoyed by the believer, when they drop him; and is a bulwark against all enemies and fears of them; if God is with him, and on his side, though friends fail, and enemies rage, he has nothing to fear:
and strengthened me; inwardly with strength in his soul, with might in his inward man, unto all longsuffering with joyfulness: he was weak in himself, and could do…
14. Alexander the coppersmith did me much evil: the Lord reward him according to his works:
14. Alexander faber aerarius multis me malis affecit: reddat illi Dominus juxta facta ipsius.
15. Of whom be thou ware also; for he hath greatly withstood our words.
15. Quem et tu cave; vehementer enim restitit verbis nostris.
16. At my first answer no man stood with me, but all men forsook me: I pray God that it may not be laid to their charge.
16. In prima defensione nemo mihi affuit, sed omnes me deseruerunt: ne illis imputetur.
17. Notwithstanding the Lord stood with me, and strengthened me; that by me the preaching might be fully known, and that all the Gentiles might hear: and I was deliv…
so that I might preach the Good News: Paul had turned his defense in court into proclamation of the Good News—just as in his earlier experiences (Acts 22:1–24:27; 26:1-29; see also 2 Tim 2:9-10; Phil 1:12-14). • for all the Gentiles to hear: Paul sensed that he had completed his task (2 Tim 4:7-8). The Old Testament specifically anticipates the conversion of the nations (e.g., Ps 22:27-29). • from certain death (literally from the mouth of a lion): The lion is often a metaphor for enemies (see Pss 7:2; 35:17; cp. Dan 6; Heb 11:33). Here, it might refer to literal lions in the amphitheater, to the emperor, to the false teachers, or to Satan (1 Pet 5:8; cp. Ps 22:21).
