2 Timothy 1:6

Wherefore I put thee in remembrance More decidedly For which cause. It will break the whole delicacy and tenderness of the exhortation, unless the cause be taken as the thankful recognition of Timothy's living faith and likeness to his spiritual father.

put thee in remembrance See note on the last verse. Timothy had been sent himself to -put the Corinthians in remembrance of St Paul's ways that were in Christ," ten years before, and was then his -child beloved and faithful in the Lord." See the same word 1 Corinthians 4:17, the only other use in N.T. in the active.

thatthou stir up the gift of God The verb may be rendered fully, dwelling on the metaphor, -kindle the glowing embers of the gift of God," or as margin of R.V. -stir into flame." The -live coal from the altar" had -touched his lips" at his ordination; the -lightening with celestial fire" from -the anointing Spirit" in His -sevenfold gifts" had taken place, as it has ever been invoked and bestowed at -The Ordering of Priests," cf. 5:14. According to the view taken of Timothy's greater or less despondency and slackness, the stress may be either on the verb or on the preposition with which it is compounded; either - rekindle" or -kindle into flame." Perhaps we may best adopt Dr Reynolds's interpretation of the position. -We ought not to infer more than that Timothy's work had suffered through his despondency arising from the peril and imprisonment of his master. He may have been ready to despair of the Church. The special charismaneeded therefore in his case was parrhesiaor a clear bold utterance of the faith that was in him."

by the putting on of my hands Rather, through the laying on. See note on 1 Timothy 4:14, where the character of this -laying on of hands" is shewn. -My hands" here is not inconsistent with -the hands of the presbytery" there. St Paul of course was chief among the presbyters. But therethe largeness of the attendant testimony, the fulness of the circle of ordaining elders, is put forward as a reason for every nerve being strained to run the race: since he is compassed with so great a cloud of witnesses, let him give all heed that his -progress may be manifest unto all." Hereone chief figure, the closest and the dearest, fills all the view: -for mysake, my son."