2 Timothy 4:1

Chapter IV

Ver. 1. I solemnly charge thee before God, and Christ Jesus, who is going to judge living and dead, and by His appearing and His kingdom. (On the διαμαρτύρομαι, see at 1 Timothy 5:21. Here, as there, the correct reading is undoubtedly, “before God and Christ Jesus” the received text inserting on very slender authority (only K, L, Syr.), τοῦ Κυρίου before Χριστοῦ. It also inserts, on equally poor authority, οὖν ε ̓ γώ after διαμαρτ.; but the best MSS. omit them, א, A, C, D, F, L, also the Latin and Syriac versions.) This is, so to speak, the apostle's last charge to Timothy the last in this epistle, and not improbably the last absolutely; and he therefore puts it in the most solemn form, not only delivering it as in the presence of God and of Jesus Christ, but also the appearing of Christ (τὴν ἐπιφάνειαν, the usual accusative after verbs of religiously charging or adjuring, Deuteronomy 4:26; Mark 5:7; Acts 19:13; 1 Thessalonians 5:27, and requiring by to be prefixed in our idiom; as also the Lat. Vulg., per adventum ejus) and His kingdom. These are obviously added for the purpose of bringing before Timothy the great realities of the future world, which should infinitely outweigh all the present: Christ's appearing, when everything in the past shall be brought into judgment, and His kingdom, when His faithful servants shall reign with Him in glory. Our translators have been quite misled here by the κατὰ, which in the received text stands before τὴν ἐπιφάνειαν, but which is omitted by א, A, C, D, F, also by the Vulg. (according to the better copies) and Copt, versions, and is rejected by all the leading critical authorities.