2 Timothy 2:26

καὶ�, and may return to soberness out of the snare of the devil. ἀνανήφειν is not found again in the Greek Bible, but we have ἐκνήφειν at 1 Corinthians 15:34. The παγὶς τοῦ διαβόλου here is certainly the snare laid by the devil for the feet of the unwary; the thought of man’s great spiritual adversary as a dangerous personal opponent is frequently before St Paul’s mind (see Ephesians 4:27; Ephesians 6:11). Compare the note on 1 Timothy 3:6.

ἐζωγρημένοι ὑπʼ αὐτοῦ εἰς τὸ ἐκείνου θέλημα. There is a difficulty here as to the reference of the pronouns αὐτοῦ and ἐκείνου. Do they refer to different subjects, and if so, how are they severally to be interpreted? Commentators have given very different answers. (i.) First it may be observed that the rendering of the A.V. which refers both words to ὁ διάβολος “taken captive by him at his will,” is not absolutely inconsistent with the change of pronoun from αὐτός to ἐκεῖνος. We have, e.g., in Wis 1:16 συνθήκην ἔθεντο πρὸς αὐτόν, ὅτι ἄξιοι εἰσιν τῆς ἐκείνου μερίδος εἷναι, where the two pronouns seem to refer to the same subject; and other similar examples have been cited. But, nevertheless, such a usage of pronouns is undoubtedly harsh; and further to render εἰς as if it were identical with κατά, calls for justification. We therefore decline to adopt the rendering of the A.V. unless no other will suit the context. (ii.) The Revisers refer αὐτοῦ to the δοῦλος κυρίου of 2 Timothy 2:24 and ἐκείνου to θεός of 2 Timothy 2:25, translating “having been taken captive by the Lord’s servant unto the will of God.” But it is surely unnatural and far-fetched to refer αὐτοῦ to an antecedent so far back as 2 Timothy 2:24, clause after clause having intervened, and the main thought having changed. (iii.) We prefer to adopt the interpretation suggested in the margin of the R.V. αὐτοῦ relates to the devil, as the position of the words indicates; ἐκείνου relates to God, and the whole sentence runs may return to soberness from the snare of the devil (having been caught by him) unto, i.e. to do, the will of God. Thus ἐζωγρημένοι ὑπʼ αὐτοῦ merely affords the explanation, logically necessary for the sense, as to how these unwary ones got into the devil’s snare, viz. they were taken captive by him; and εἰς τὸ ἐκείνου θέλημα expresses the purpose which they, when rescued, shall strive to fulfil. ἐκ τῆς τοῦ διαβόλου παγίδος is in strict correspondence with εἰς τὸ ἐκείνου θέλημα.

ζωγρεῖν only occurs elsewhere in N.T. at Luke 5:10 where it means ‘to catch alive,’ as it does here. In medical writers it is often used as equivalent to ‘to restore to life.’