A.T. Robertson, Word Pictures in the New Testament
2 Timothy
4:8
Henceforth
(λοιπον [loipon]).
Accusative case, “for the rest.” There
is laid up for me (ἀποκειται μοι [apokeitai
moi]). Present passive of ἀποκειμαι [apokeimai],
old verb, to be laid away. See Col. 1:5 for the hope laid away. Paul’s “crown
of righteousness” (ὁ της δικαιοσυνης
στεφανος [ho tēs dikaiosunēs
stephanos], genitive of apposition, the crown that consists in
righteousness and is also the reward for righteousness, the victor’s crown as
in 1 Cor. 9:25 which see) “is laid away” for him. At that day (ἐν ἐκεινῃ τῃ ἡμερᾳ [en ekeinēi tēi
hēmerāi]). That great and blessed day (1:12, 18). The righteous judge (ὁ δικαιος κριτης [ho dikaios kritēs]). “The just judge,”
the umpire who makes no mistakes who judges us all (2 Cor. 5:10). Shall give me (ἀποδωσει
μοι [apodōsei moi]).
Future active of ἀποδιδωμι [apodidōmi].
“Will give back” as in Rom. 2:6 and in full. But also to all them that have loved his appearing (ἀλλα πασιν
τοις ἠγαπηκοσιν την
ἐπιφανειαν αὐτου [alla pāsin tois
ēgapēkosin tēn epiphaneian autou]). Dative case of the perfect active
participle of ἀγαπαω [agapaō], to
love, who have loved and still love his second coming. Ἐπιφανεια [Epiphaneia] here can as in 1:10 be
interpreted of Christ’s Incarnation.[1]
Marvin Richardson Vincent, Word Studies in the New Testament
8. Henceforth (λοιπὸν). Lit. as to what
remains. Λοιπὸν or τὸ λοιπὸν either finally,
as 2 Cor. 13:11; or henceforth as
here, Mk. 14:41; 1 Cor. 7:29, Heb. 10:13: or for the rest, besides, as 1 Th. 4:1 (note); 2 Th. 3:1.
There is laid up (ἀπόκειται). Or laid away.
In Pastorals only here. In Paul, see Col. 1:5 (note). L. 19:20 of the pound laid up in a napkin.
A crown of righteousness (ὸ τῆς δικαιοσύνης
στέφανος). The phrase N. T.o.
See on στεφανοῦται is crowned, ch. 2:5. Rend. the
crown.
Judge
(κριτής). Comp. ver. 1. Mostly in Luke and Acts. oP.
Only here in Pastorals. Applied to Christ, Acts 10:42; Jas. 5:9; to God, Heb.
12:23; Jas. 4:12.
Shall give (ἀποδώσει). Most frequent in Synoptic Gospels. It may mean to give over or away, as Matt. 27:58; Acts 5:8; Heb. 12:16: or to give back, recompense, as here, Matt. 6:4, 6, 18; Rom. 2:6.
At that day (ἐν ἐκείνῃ τῇ ἡμέρᾳ). See on ch. 1:12.
That love his appearing (τοῖς ἠγαπηκόσι τὴν ἐπιφάνειαν αὐτοῦ). For love rend. have loved. Appearing, Christ’s second
coming: see on 1 Tim. 6:14; 2 Th. 2:8. The phrase N. T.o. Some
have interpreted appearing as
Christ’s first coming into the world,
as ch. 1:10; but the other sense is according to the analogy of 1 Cor. 2:9;
Philip. 3:20; Heb. 9:28[2]
Kenneth S. Wuest, Wuest’s Word Studies from the Greek New Testament: For the English
Reader
(4:8) But his use of illustrations from Greek athletics is
not finished. He likens himself to the Greek athlete, who, having won his race,
is looking up at the judge’s stand, and awaiting his laurel wreath of victory.
He says, “Henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness.”
“Henceforth” is from a word (loipon (λοιπον)) that means literally “what remains.” “Crown” is from the
Greek word stephanos (στεφανος),
referring to the victor’s crown, a garland of oak leaves or ivy, given to the
winner in the Greek games. The victor’s crown of righteousness is the crown which
belongs to or is the due reward of righteousness. The righteous Judge is the
just Judge, the Umpire who makes no mistakes and who always is fair. The word
“judge” is kritēs (κριτης),
and refers here in this context, not to a judge on a judicial bench but to the
umpire or referee at the athletic games. The words “righteousness” and “just”
are the two translations of the Greek word used here (dikaios (δικαιος)). The word “love” is perfect in tense, and is the Greek
word for a love that is called out of one’s heart because of the preciousness
of the object loved (agapaō (ἀγαπαω)).
The Greek word translated “appearing” (epiphaneia (ἐπιφανεια)), means literally, “to become visible,” and was used of
the glorious manifestation of the gods, here of the glorious coming of the Lord
Jesus into the air to catch out the Church. To those who have considered
precious His appearing and therefore have loved it, and as a result at the
present time are still holding that attitude in their hearts, to those the Lord
Jesus will also give the victor’s garland of righteousness. The definite
article is used in the Greek text. It is a particular crown reserved for these.
The word “give” (apodidōmi (ἀποδιδωμι))
can be here translated “award.” Thus Paul, the spiritual athlete, his victory
won, is resting at the goal posts, awaiting the award which the judge’s stand
will give him.
Translation.
Henceforth, there is reserved for me the victor’s laurel wreath of
righteousness, which the Lord will award me on that day, the just Umpire, and not
only to me but also to all those who have loved His appearing and as a result
have their love fixed on it.[3]
Donald Guthrie, Pastoral Epistles: An Introduction and Commentary (TNTC)
8. The apostle continues his thought into the future as is
shown by the words Now there is in store
for me. The first word in the Greek is loipon,
which draws attention to what still remains to be realized as contrasted with
those things already accomplished (verse 7). The crown of righteousness is reminiscent not only of the wreaths
of honour awarded to Olympic winners, but also of the awards made to loyal
subjects by oriental sovereigns for services rendered (Dibelius cites an
example from an inscription of Antiochus 1, where similar phraseology is used).
There are two ways of understanding the phrase crown of righteousness. If the genitive is in apposition with the
other noun as in the parallel phrase ‘crown of life’ (Jas 1:12; Rev. 2:10),
then righteousness must be the crown.
But if the genitive is possessive, the phrase would mean ‘the crown which is
the reward of the righteous man’. Most commentators prefer the second
interpretation, which is the only one in harmony with Paul’s doctrine of
righteousness.
There may be an implied contrast between the Lord, the righteous Judge and the
wrong judgments of the emperor Nero under whose perverted sense of justice the
apostle is at the moment suffering. The idea, may, on the other hand, contrast
with the not always impartial decisions of the Olympic umpires. If the Olympic
Games (or Isthmian Games) supply the metaphor here there is a marked variation
between the completion of the race and the receiving of the crown, which for
the Christian is not immediate as in the Games, but must await that day. Already in 1:12 (see note
there) the apostle has intimated his forward look to that glorious day of
Christ’s appearing and it is evident that this apocalyptic vision dominated his
present reactions and his future hopes.
The apostle hastens to add that this crown is not a special reservation for himself alone. He seems
sensitive about appearing self-centred and points out, no doubt for the
immediate encouragement of Timothy, that a similar crown awaits all who fulfill
the conditions. Those who have longed for
his appearing probably describes all those who loved the Lord, for all the
early Christians had an intense longing for Christ’s complete triumph. The niv does not bring out the true force of the
verb here. rsv and av translate as ‘loved’ and this is to be
preferred. As the perfect tense suggests, they have loved his appearing in the
past and will continue to do so to the moment of receiving the reward.[4]
Warren W. Wiersbe, The Bible Exposition Commentary
Paul looked
ahead (v. 8). A Greek or Roman athlete who was a
winner was rewarded by the crowds and usually got a laurel wreath or a garland
of oak leaves. The word for “crown” is stephanos—the
victor’s crown; we get our name Stephen from this word. (The kingly crown is diadema, from which we get “diadem.”)
However, Paul would not be given a fading crown of leaves; his would be a crown
of righteousness that would never fade.
Jesus Christ is the “righteous Judge”
who always judges correctly. Paul’s judges in Rome were not righteous. If they
were, they would have released him. How many times Paul had been tried in one
court after another, yet now he faced his last Judge—his Lord and Saviour Jesus
Christ. When you are ready to face the Lord, you need not fear the judgment of
men.
The crown of righteousness is God’s
reward for a faithful and righteous life; and our incentive for faithfulness
and holiness is the promise of the Lord’s appearing. Because Paul loved His
appearing and looked for it, he lived righteously and served faithfully. This
is why Paul used the return of Jesus Christ as a basis for his admonitions in
this chapter (see 2 Tim. 4:1).
We are not called to be apostles; yet
we can win the same crown that Paul won. If we love Christ’s appearing, live in
obedience to His will, and do the work He has called us to do, we will be
crowned.[5]
4:8Because he had
been faithful, Paul did not dread dying but looked forward to seeing His Lord.
On the day of rewards for Christians (the judgment seat of Christ; 1:12, 18; 2 Cor. 5:10) Paul
was confident that the Lord would give him a reward that was proper.
The
“crown of righteousness” may be either the fullness of righteousness as a
reward or some unspecified reward for righteous conduct on earth (cf. James 1:12; Rev. 2:10). This
seems to be a metaphorical crown (i.e., a reward) rather than a literal
material crown since righteousness is non-material. This reward (victor’s
crown, Gr. stephanos) will go to all Christians like Paul who, by the
way they lived, demonstrated a longing for the Lord’s return. Not all
Christians are anxious for the Lord to return since some know they need to change
their way of living.
|
Believers’
Crowns
|
||
|
Title
|
Reason
|
Reference
|
|
An
Imperishable Crown
|
For
leading a disciplined life
|
|
|
A
Crown of Rejoicing
|
For
evangelism and discipleship
|
|
|
A
Crown of Righteousness
|
For
loving the Lord’s appearing
|
|
|
A
Crown of Life
|
For
enduring trials
|
|
|
A
Crown of Glory
|
For
shepherding God’s flock faithfully
|
|
Clearly
Paul was thinking of the judgment seat of Christ in verses 1-8. He referred
to his Judge in verses 1
and 8. Note
that it will be the righteous Judge who will bestow the crown of righteousness.
"The
thought here is not that of a generous giver, but of a righteous judge." 123
“An expectation of reward is also a
recognition of God’s grace. Those who anticipate reward will not be able to
boast, ‘Look at my accomplishments.’ They should be able to offer praise to God
by saying, ‘Thank you, Lord, for what you have produced in me.’ The very
expectation of reward is an acknowledgment of God’s grace.” 124
123
Lock, Walter. The Pastoral Epistles. International
Critical Commentaries Series. Edinburgh: T. & T. Clark, 1924. , p. 115.
124
Lea, p. 249. See also Joe L. Wall, Going for the Gold, pp. 125-28,
131-39.
[1] A.T.
Robertson, Word Pictures in the New
Testament (Nashville, TN: Broadman Press, 1933), 2 Ti 4:8.
[2]
Marvin Richardson Vincent, Word Studies
in the New Testament, vol. 4 (New York: Charles Scribner’s Sons, 1887),
323–324.
[3]
Kenneth S. Wuest, Wuest’s Word Studies
from the Greek New Testament: For the English Reader (Grand Rapids:
Eerdmans, 1997), 2 Ti 4:7–8.
niv New International
Version, 1973, 1978, 1984.
rsv Revised Standard
Version: Old Testament, 1952; New Testament,21971.
av Authorized (King
James) Version, 1611.
[4]
Donald Guthrie, Pastoral Epistles: An
Introduction and Commentary, vol. 14, Tyndale New Testament Commentaries
(Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 1990), 188–189.
[5]
Warren W. Wiersbe, The Bible Exposition
Commentary, vol. 2 (Wheaton, IL: Victor Books, 1996), 255–256.
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