1 Timothy 1:4

fables and endless genealogies Ellicott following Chrysostom and the early Greek commentators regards the false teaching as arising from Jewish, perhaps Cabbalistic sources, and only an affluent afterwards of the later and more definite Gnosticism Rabbinical fables and fabrications in history and doctrine, and vague rambling genealogies in the proper sense, but very possibly combined with wild speculative allegories. See Introduction, pp. 45 sqq.; Appendix, B.

which minister questions Rather with R.V. the which minister questionings -the which" implying the force of the pronoun -which are of such a kind as to"; and -questionings" suggesting better the process and state of questioning which the form of the noun conveys. The compound noun which is the right reading implies painful, elaborate questionings, so the verb 1 Peter 1:10 -searched diligently."

godly edifying Read with the best mss. (and the Received Text which the A.V. has not followed here) a dispensation of God the divine economyor scheme of salvation to be apprehended by faith. They whom Timothy was thus to correct had or might have learnt exactly what St Paul meant by this dispensing of grace on God's part from the eloquent passage in his own letter to them, Ephesians 3; -the dispensation of that grace of God," 1 Timothy 1:2; -to make all men see what is the dispensation of the mystery," 1 Timothy 1:9.

in faith That is, as Theod. Mops. puts it, we lay hold of the plan of salvation by -a historic faith" -getting our proof of its truth from the facts themselves of the life of God incarnate."