1 Timothy 6:19

ὄντως. So אAD2*E*GH; but rec. text has αἰωνίου with D2cKLP. See 1 Timothy 6:12.

19. ἀποθησαυρίζοντας ἑαυτοῖς θεμέλιον καλὸν εἰς τὸ μέλλον, laying up as treasure for themselves [that which shall prove] a good foundation against the time to come. The thought is quite easy to understand, though expressed with somewhat inexact brevity. The idea of ‘treasure in heaven’ had already been expounded by our Lord, e.g. Matthew 6:20; Luke 18:22; and the Parable of the Unjust Steward, in particular, enforced the right use of money in view of heavenly rewards (Luke 16:9). Cp. Matthew 25:34 ff.

ἀποθησαυρίζειν occurs again in the Greek Bible in Sir 3:4 only.

θεμέλιον καλόν stands in obvious contrast to the ἀδηλότης of riches spoken of in 1 Timothy 6:17.

ἵνα ἐπιλάβωνται τῆς ὄντως ζωῆς, that they may lay hold on the life which is life indeed. The charge to Timothy himself in 1 Timothy 6:12 was ἐπιλαβοῦ τῆς αἰωνίου ζωῆς: here, with a slight but significant change of expression (see crit. note), a like prospect is held out to those who use riches aright. A man’s life (ζωή) consisteth not in the abundance of the things which he possesseth (Luke 12:15), and the parable of the Rich Fool shews that the man ὁ θησαυρίζων αὐτῷ καὶ μὴ εἰς θεὸν πλουτῶν (Luke 12:21) shall miss here and hereafter τῆς ὄντως ζωῆς, the life indeed. This is the life ἐν Χριστῷ Ἰησοῦ (2 Timothy 1:1).