1 Timothy 3:14-16

Matthew Henry's Complete Commentary - 1 Timothy 3:14-16

He concludes the chapter with a particular direction to Timothy. He hoped shortly to come to him, to give him further directions and assistance in his work, and to see that Christianity was well planted, and took root well, at Ephesus; he therefore wrote the more briefly to him. But he wrote lest he should tarry long, that Timothy might know how to behave himself in the house of God, how to conduct himself as became an evangelist, and the apostle's substitute. Observe, I. Those who are... read more

William Barclay

William Barclay's Daily Study Bible - 1 Timothy 3:14-15

3:14-15 I am writing these things to you, hoping, as I write, to come to you soon. But I am writing, so that, if I am delayed, you may know how to behave yourselves in the household of God, which is the assembly of the living God, and the pillar and buttress of the truth. Here in one phrase is the reason why the Pastoral Epistles were written; they were written to tell men how to behave within the Church. The word for to behave is anastrephesthai ( Greek #390 ); it describes what we... read more

William Barclay

William Barclay's Daily Study Bible - 1 Timothy 3:16

3:16 As everyone must confess, great is the secret which God has revealed to us in our religion: He who was manifested in the flesh: He who was vindicated by the Spirit: He who was seen by angels: He who has been preached among the nations: He in whom men have believed all over the world: He who was taken up into glory. The great interest of this passage is that here we have a fragment of one of the hymns of the early Church. It is a setting of belief in Christ to poetry and to... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - 1 Timothy 3:14

These things write I unto thee ,.... Concerning the offices of bishops and deacons, their several qualifications, and the rules of judging of persons fit for such service: hoping to come unto thee shortly ; at Ephesus. He could not tell whether he could come or not, and therefore makes no promise, but hoped he should; and since it was uncertain, he thought fit to write the above things for his instruction and use. read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - 1 Timothy 3:15

But if I tarry long ,.... Or should long delay coming, defer it longer than may be expected; let it be observed that these things are written, that thou mayest know how thou oughtest to behave thyself in the house of God ; that is, the church of God, as it is afterwards explained; called a house, in allusion either to an edifice, it being a spiritual house built of lively stories, or true believers, upon the foundation Jesus Christ, and who also is the door into it; the pillars of it are... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - 1 Timothy 3:16

And without controversy great is the mystery of godliness ,.... What follows is so, the incarnation of Christ, his birth of a virgin, the union of the two natures, divine and human, in his person; this is a mystery, which though revealed, and so to be believed, is not to be discerned nor accounted for, nor the modus of it to be comprehended by reason: and it is a great one, next, if not equal, to the doctrine of a trinity of persons in the divine essence; and is a mystery of godliness, which... read more

Adam Clarke

Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible - 1 Timothy 3:14

These things write I - That is: I write only these things; because I hope to come unto thee shortly. read more

Adam Clarke

Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible - 1 Timothy 3:15

But if I tarry long - That is: Not withstanding I hope to come to thee shortly, and therefore do not feel the necessity of writing at large; yet, lest I should be delayed, I write what I judge necessary to direct thy conduct in the Church of God. The house of God - This is spoken in allusion to the ancient tabernacle; which was God's house, and in which the symbol of the Divine Majesty dwelt. So the Christian Church is God's house, and every believer is a habitation of God through the... read more

Adam Clarke

Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible - 1 Timothy 3:16

And, without controversy - Και ὁμολογουμενες· And confessedly, by general consent, it is a thing which no man can or ought to dispute; any phrase of this kind expresses the meaning of the original. God was manifest in the flesh - If we take in the whole of the 14th, 15th, and 16th verses, we may make a consistent translation in the following manner, and the whole paragraph will stand thus: Hoping to see thee shortly; but should I tarry long, these things I now write unto thee, that... read more

John Calvin

John Calvin's Commentary on the Bible - 1 Timothy 3:14

Verse 14 14These things I write to thee He holds out to Timothy the hope of his coming, partly in order to encourage him, and partly in order to repress the insolence of those who grew more haughty on account of his absence. And yet he does not make any feigned promise to Timothy, or terrify others through false presence; for he fully expected that he would come, as it is probable that he came, if he wrote this epistle at the time when he passed through Phrygia, as is related by Luke. (Acts... read more

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