2 Timothy 1:3

whom I serve … with pure conscience The verb -serve" with its noun -service" was specially used to render the worship of Jehovah by the covenant people; it is the same as in St Paul's profession before Felix, Acts 24:14, -after the way which they call a sect so serve I the God of our fathers," and again before Agrippa, Acts 26:7. The service of the old covenant was true and real service so long as it was with a pure conscience and until the conscience was enlightened. Hence the force of the verb with its qualifying clauses in the very similar passage, Romans 1:9, -God is my witness whom I serve in my spirit in the Gospel of His Son." The old service of sacrifice and ceremonial (-the giving of the law and the service," Romans 9:4) has given place to the -living sacrifice, the reasonable or spiritual service," Romans 12:1. Cf. Philippians 3:3.

that without ceasing I have remembrance A.V. follows the Vulg. which has -quod habeam tui memoriam." R.V. better, -how unceasing is my remembrance," the construction being similar to Romans 1:9, -God is my witness how unceasing." It is objected to this that -the importunity of Paul's prayers for Timothy could not have been the occasion of his solemn thanksgiving to God." But though the formal constructionmay seem to limit the object of the thanks, yet it is really more in accord with St Paul's manner of thought andspeech to take all the clauses to the end of 2 Timothy 1:5 as making up his thanksgiving. The structure of the chapter is evidently, -I am thy dear father in life and work; I am very thankful to have a dear son in my desolateness to remember thee at all hours, and most and best in my prayers, to count the days and nights till I shall see thee to think of thy tears when I left thee and so to hope for refreshing news of thy true and trusty faith, learnt like my own, at a mother's knee. By all this that is between us and yet more, by that gift of gifts to thee, the Grace of Orders, when these hands of mine were laid upon thy head, and my work was thine, O Timothy my son, play the man, the minister; the man of God, God's minister; with me and after me."

in my prayers More precisely, in my supplications. See note on 1 Timothy 2:1, from which we see that this word indicates a felt -want" and a petition for its supply. St Paul sorely wantedstrength and support for the last struggle, and Timothy could help him; so he prayed, not in Timothys behalfso much as for Timothy to come in his behalf.

night and day Variously taken, with -my prayers," as A.V., or with -longing to see thee" (as R.V.). The phrase in the accusative, Luke 2:37, closes the sentence; in the genitive, as here, and 1 Thessalonians 2:9; 1 Thessalonians 3:10, introduces it; in these latter passages the participles equally with -longing" require emphasis and do not lose it by -night and day" preceding; so that Dean Alford's objection to following these here as precedent seems needless. -Greatly desiring" seems a fair rendering of the verb alone, the preposition indicating in this case not -greatly," but -towards," -yearning towards." Render the clause night and day longing to see thee.