That this epistle was written to Timothy, while he was at Ephesus, where the apostle in his former epistle had desired him to stay, is evident from his making mention of some persons in it, who were Ephesians; as Onesiphorus, whom he commends, and Alexander the coppersmith, of whom he complains:…

Paul an apostle of Jesus Christ Not of men, nor by men, but by Jesus Christ, from whom he was sent; by whom he was qualified; in whose name he came, and ministered; and whom he preached. Of his name Paul, and of his office, as an apostle, (See Gill on Rom.

To Timothy, my dearly beloved son Not in a natural, but in a spiritual sense; and not on account of his being an instrument of his conversion, but by reason of that instruction in the doctrines of the Gospel which he gave him, it being usual to call disciples children; and he calls him so, because…

I thank God After the inscription and salutation follows the preface to the epistle; which contains a thanksgiving to God upon Timothy’s account, and has a tendency to engage his attention to what he was about to write to him in the body of the epistle.

Greatly desiring to see thee In his former epistle he had desired him to stay at Ephesus, there being some work for him to do, which made it necessary he should continue; but now having answered the apostle’s purpose, and he standing in need of him at Rome, being without any assistant there, some…

When I call to remembrance the unfeigned faith that is in thee This caused him to give thanks to God for it, whose gift it is and made him the more desirous of seeing one, who was a true believer, and an Israelite indeed.

Wherefore I put thee in remembrance Because of the great affection the apostle had for Timothy, and because of that confidence he had of him, that unfeigned faith dwelt in him, as well as because this had had a place in his relations before him; he therefore acts the part of a kind monitor to him,…

For God hath not given us the spirit of fear A pusillanimous, cowardly spirit, so as to be afraid of men or devils, of what they will say or do; and so as to be discouraged in, sink under, or be deterred from the work of the Lord, the preaching of the Gospel, opposing the errors of false teachers,…

Be not then therefore ashamed of the testimony of our Lord, &c.] Either that testimony which Christ bore personally by his doctrine and miracles, and by his sufferings and death; or rather the Gospel so called, because it comes from Christ, and because it is a testimony concerning him; concerning…

Who hath saved us, and called us And therefore should not be ashamed of his Gospel, but should readily partake of the afflictions of it, depending on his power to support under them.

But is now made manifest by the appearing of our Saviour Jesus Christ The grace according to which the elect of God are saved and called; though it was given to them in Christ, before the world was, yet lay hid in the heart of God; in his thoughts, council and covenant; and in Jesus Christ; and in…

Whereunto I am appointed a preacher Both from eternity, in the counsel and purpose of God, and in time, by the church at Antioch, and the prophets in it, according to the express order of the Holy Ghost, .

For the which cause I also suffer these things The present imprisonment and bonds in which he now was; these, with all the indignities, reproaches, distresses, and persecutions, came upon him, for the sake of his being a preacher of the Gospel; and particularly for his being a teacher of the…

Hold fast the form of sound words By “words” are meant, not mere words, but doctrines; for the servants of the Lord should not strive about words, to no profit, or be too tenacious of them.

That good thing which was committed to thee By which he means either his ministerial work and office, which is a good work, the dispensation of which was committed to him, and which it became him so to observe, as that the ministry might not be blamed; or else the good and excellent gifts of the…

This thou knowest, that all they which are in Asia Either those that followed the apostle from Asia to Rome; or who came from thence thither, upon business, and were upon the spot when the apostle was in his greatest troubles, and yet all forsook him and no man stood by him; or else the churches…

The Lord give mercy to the house of Onesiphorus Who seems to have been one of Asia, and of Ephesus, and is an exception from the general apostasy, or from those that turned away from the apostle; and therefore he prays that the Lord would show mercy to his family; that he would give regenerating…

But when he was in Rome Upon some business or another, where the apostle was a prisoner: he sought me out very diligently, and found me; as there might be many prisons in Rome, he went from one to another, till he found him; and was one of those to whom Christ will say hereafter, “I was in prison…

The Lord grant unto him that he may find mercy of the Lord in that day; &c.] In return for his diligent seeking till he found the apostle. By “mercy”, he means the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ unto eternal life; or that crown of righteousness and everlasting glory and happiness, which will be a…