1 Timothy 6:6 - Exposition

Godliness , etc. The apostle lakes up the sentiment which he had just condemned, and shows that in another sense it is most true. The godly man is rich indeed. For he wants nothing in this world but what God has given him, and has acquired riches which, unlike the riches of this world, he can take away with him (comp. Luke 12:33 ). The enumeration of his acquired treasures follows, after a parenthetical depreciation of those of the covetous man, in 1 Timothy 6:11 . The thought, as so often in St. Paul, is a little intricate, and its flow checked by parenthetical side-thoughts. But it seems to be as follows: " But godliness is, in one sense, a source of great gain, and moreover brings contentment with it—contentment, I say , for since we brought nothing into the world, and can carry nothing out, we have good reason to be content with the necessaries of life, food and raiment. Indeed, those who strive for more, and pant after wealth, bring nothing but trouble upon themselves. For the love of money is the root of all evil, etc. Thou, therefore, O man of God, instead of reaching after worldly riches, procure the true wealth, and become rich in righteousness, godliness, faith ," etc. ( 1 Timothy 6:11 ). The phrase, εστι δὲ πορισμὸς μέγας ἡ εὐσεβεία μετὰ αὐταρκείας , should be construed by making the μετα couple πορισμός with αὐταρκείας , so as to express that " godliness " is both "gain" and " contentment " —not as if αὐταρκεία qualified εὐσεβεία —that would have been expressed by the collocation, ἡ μετὰ αὐταρκείας εὐσεβεία . Contentment ( αὐταρκεία ). The word occurs elsewhere in the New Testament only in 2 Corinthians 9:8 , where it is rendered, both in the R.V. and the A.V., "sufficiency." The adjective αὐτάρκης , found in Philippians 4:11 (and common in classical Greek), is rendered "content." It means "sufficient in or of itself"—needing no external aid—and is applied to persons, countries, cities, moral qualities, etc. The substantive αὐταρκεία is the condition of the person, or thing, which is αὐτάρκης .