independentparticipialrelativepurposecausecomparativecontentconditionalphrase modifierdashed = verbless / suspended
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The sending of Timothy 3:1–5
vv. 1–2 — unable to bear it: left alone, Timothy sent
1
Διὸ μηκέτι στέγοντεςparticipial — fronted causal participle — leans on the resolve below; Διό gathers up 2:17–20
εὐδοκήσαμεν καταλειφθῆναι ἐν Ἀθήναις μόνοι,independent — the decision — solitude accepted as the price
2
καὶ ἐπέμψαμεν Τιμόθεον,independent — the sending — coordinate with the resolve
τὸν ἀδελφὸν ἡμῶν καὶ διάκονον τοῦ θεοῦ ἐν τῷ εὐαγγελίῳ τοῦ Χριστοῦ,phrase modifier — apposition — the envoy's credentials (NA28 reads διάκονον τοῦ θεοῦ)
εἰς τὸ στηρίξαι ὑμᾶς καὶ παρακαλέσαι ὑπὲρ τῆς πίστεως ὑμῶνpurpose — εἰς τό + double infinitive — the mission: establish and encourage
vv. 3–4 — appointed for affliction: forewarned, and it happened
3
τὸ μηδένα σαίνεσθαι ἐν ταῖς θλίψεσιν ταύταις.content — epexegetic articular infinitive — the aim of the strengthening spelled out
αὐτοὶ γὰρ οἴδατεcause — the ground — why none should be shaken: they already know
ὅτι εἰς τοῦτο κείμεθα·content — affliction the believer's appointed position (κείμεθα)
4
καὶ γὰρ ὅτε πρὸς ὑμᾶς ἦμεν,conditional — temporal frame (ὅτε) — leans on προελέγομεν below
προελέγομεν ὑμῖνcause — the second ground (καὶ γάρ) — iterative imperfect: repeated forewarning
ὅτι μέλλομεν θλίβεσθαι,content — the forewarning — μέλλομεν retained from the direct speech
καθὼς καὶ ἐγένετοcomparative — prediction confirmed by event
καὶ οἴδατε.comparative — the second appeal to their own knowledge (cf. v. 3)
v. 5 — the resumption: I sent to know your faith
5
διὰ τοῦτο κἀγὼ μηκέτι στέγωνparticipial — the resumption of v. 1, now singular — leans on ἔπεμψα below
ἔπεμψαindependent — the sending restated — the object (Timothy) understood from v. 2
εἰς τὸ γνῶναι τὴν πίστιν ὑμῶν,purpose — εἰς τό + infinitive — the point of the mission: to know
μή πως ἐπείρασεν ὑμᾶς ὁ πειράζωνcontent — clause of apprehension — indicative ἐπείρασεν: the testing feared as fact
καὶ εἰς κενὸν γένηται ὁ κόπος ἡμῶν.content — the feared outcome — subjunctive γένηται: still undecided
Timothy's good news 3:6–10
vv. 6–8 — the report and the relief: now we live
6
Ἄρτι δὲ ἐλθόντος Τιμοθέου πρὸς ἡμᾶς ἀφ' ὑμῶνparticipial — genitive absolute — leans on παρεκλήθημεν below (v. 7)
καὶ εὐαγγελισαμένου ἡμῖν τὴν πίστιν καὶ τὴν ἀγάπην ὑμῶν,participial — the second genitive absolute — the report itself a 'gospel' (εὐαγγελισαμένου)
καὶ ὅτι ἔχετε μνείαν ἡμῶν ἀγαθὴν πάντοτε,content — the report's third item — a ὅτι clause coordinate with the accusatives
ἐπιποθοῦντες ἡμᾶς ἰδεῖνparticipial — nominative participle with the implied 'you' — the yearning behind the memory
καθάπερ καὶ ἡμεῖς ὑμᾶς,comparative — the longing reciprocated — the verb supplied from ἐπιποθοῦντες
7
διὰ τοῦτο παρεκλήθημεν, ἀδελφοί, ἐφ' ὑμῖνindependent — the main clause at last — Timothy's task (v. 2) become Paul's experience
ἐπὶ πάσῃ τῇ ἀνάγκῃ καὶ θλίψει ἡμῶνphrase modifier — the circumstance — comfort in the midst of Paul's own affliction
διὰ τῆς ὑμῶν πίστεως,phrase modifier — the instrument — their faith the consolation
8
ὅτι νῦν ζῶμενcause — the ground of the comfort — their steadfastness is life to Paul
ἐὰν ὑμεῖς στήκετε ἐν κυρίῳ.conditional — trailing protasis — ἐάν with indicative στήκετε: the standing assumed real
vv. 9–10 — thanksgiving beyond repayment, prayer night and day
9
τίνα γὰρ εὐχαριστίαν δυνάμεθα τῷ θεῷ ἀνταποδοῦναι περὶ ὑμῶνindependent — rhetorical question — no thanks could repay (ἀνταποδοῦναι)
ἐπὶ πάσῃ τῇ χαρᾷphrase modifier — the debt named — the joy to be repaid
ᾗ χαίρομεν δι' ὑμᾶς ἔμπροσθεν τοῦ θεοῦ ἡμῶν,relative — cognate relative — joy rejoiced before God, i.e. in prayer
10
νυκτὸς καὶ ἡμέρας ὑπερεκπερισσοῦ δεόμενοιparticipial — the posture of the question — begging beyond all measure (ὑπερεκπερισσοῦ)
εἰς τὸ ἰδεῖν ὑμῶν τὸ πρόσωπονpurpose — the prayer's first aim — reunion face to face
καὶ καταρτίσαι τὰ ὑστερήματα τῆς πίστεως ὑμῶν;purpose — the second aim — the faith's gaps made complete (καταρτίσαι)
The wish-prayer 3:11–13
11
Αὐτὸς δὲ ὁ θεὸς καὶ πατὴρ ἡμῶν καὶ ὁ κύριος ἡμῶν Ἰησοῦς κατευθύναι τὴν ὁδὸν ἡμῶν πρὸς ὑμᾶς·independent — first optative — singular κατευθύναι with the double subject: Father and Son act as one
12
ὑμᾶς δὲ ὁ κύριος πλεονάσαι καὶ περισσεύσαι τῇ ἀγάπῃindependent — second optative — fronted ὑμᾶς: whatever becomes of Paul's road, may you abound
εἰς ἀλλήλους καὶ εἰς πάντας,phrase modifier — love's double reach — inside the church and beyond it
καθάπερ καὶ ἡμεῖς εἰς ὑμᾶς,comparative — the apostolic measure — Paul's own love the pattern
13
εἰς τὸ στηρίξαι ὑμῶν τὰς καρδίας ἀμέμπτους ἐν ἁγιωσύνῃpurpose — εἰς τό + infinitive (NA28, not the optative στηρίξαι) — love the means; στηρίξαι answers v. 2
ἔμπροσθεν τοῦ θεοῦ καὶ πατρὸς ἡμῶνphrase modifier — the tribunal — blamelessness measured in God's own presence
ἐν τῇ παρουσίᾳ τοῦ κυρίου ἡμῶν Ἰησοῦ μετὰ πάντων τῶν ἁγίων αὐτοῦ. ἀμήν.phrase modifier — the horizon — the parousia, μετὰ πάντων τῶν ἁγίων (Zech 14:5)
Analysis. The chapter's shape is anxiety resolved into prayer, and the layout shows it in three postures. In vv. 1–5 the main verbs are verbs of sending — εὐδοκήσαμεν … ἐπέμψαμεν, then ἔπεμψα — each with a fronted frame leaning forward on it (μηκέτι στέγοντες in v. 1, μηκέτι στέγων in v. 5: the inclusio of unbearable separation), while the purpose chain steps down from the mission (στηρίξαι, παρακαλέσαι) to the ground that affliction is the appointed lot (vv. 3–4 reach depth 5). Verse 6 is the hinge: a double genitive absolute — Timothy came, Timothy 'gospeled' — hangs suspended over the long-delayed main verb παρεκλήθημεν of v. 7, and the relief cascades into the ground ὅτι νῦν ζῶμεν, the rhetorical question of v. 9, and the night-and-day prayer of v. 10. Verses 11–13 are two flush-left optatives — κατευθύναι, then πλεονάσαι καὶ περισσεύσαι — with the whole chapter's goal beneath them: hearts established blameless at the parousia. Choices the layout takes a side on: the fronted participles and the genitive absolute are set as forward-leaning frames with no anchor, like protases; τὸ μηδένα σαίνεσθαι (v. 3) is read as epexegetic of the purpose of v. 2, not a fresh purpose of ἐπέμψαμεν; the μή πως clause (v. 5) hangs on γνῶναι, its indicative ἐπείρασεν treating the testing as feared fact while subjunctive γένηται leaves the outcome open; ἐὰν ὑμεῖς στήκετε (v. 8) is a trailing protasis with the indicative — the standing assumed real; in v. 11 the singular optative κατευθύναι takes God-and-Father and the Lord Jesus as one double subject; and v. 13's εἰς τὸ στηρίξαι is the articular infinitive of NA28 (not the optative στηρίξαι), hung on περισσεύσαι so that abounding love is the means of established hearts, with ἐν τῇ παρουσίᾳ read with στηρίξαι.