1st Timothy Chapter 6 verse 19 Holy Bible

1st Timothy 6 : 19 Bible Verse Songs

• Firm Foundation by Nashville Life Music
• Jesus Firm Foundation by The Worship Initiative
• Firm Foundation (He Won't) by Cody Carnes + Maverick City Music + Chandler Moore

Pulpit Commentary

Pulpit CommentaryVerse 19. - The life which is life indeed for eternal life, A.V. and T.R. Laying up in store (ἀποθησαυρίζοντες); only here in the New Testament, but once in Wisd. 3:3, and occasionally in classical Greek. A good foundation (θεμέλιον καλόν). The idea of a foundation is always maintained in the use of θεμέλιος, whether it is used literally or figuratively (Luke 11:48; Ephesians 2:20; Revelation 21:14, etc.). There is, at first sight, a manifest confusion of metaphors in the phrase, "laying up in store a foundation." Bishop Ellicott, following Wiesinger, understands "a wealth of good works as a foundation." Alford sees no difficulty in considering the "foundation" us a treasure. Others have conjectured κειμήλιον, "a stored treasure," for θεμέλιον. Others understand θεμέλιον in the sense of θέμα, a deposit. Others take ἀποθησαυρίζειν in the sense of "acquiring," without reference to its etymology. But this is unlikely, the context being about the use of money, though in part favored by the use of θησαυρίζειν in 2 Peter 3:7. The reader must choose for himself either to adopt one of the above explanations, or to credit St. Paul with an unimportant confusion of metaphors. Anyhow, the doctrine is clear that wealth spent for God and his Church is repaid with interest, and becomes an abiding treasure. Life indeed (τῆς ὄντως ζωῆς); so 1 Timothy 5:3, 5, τὰς ὅντως χήρας ἡ ὄντως χήρα, "widows indeed;" and (John 8:36) ὄντως ἐλεύθεροι, "free indeed," in opposition to the freedom which the Jews claimed as the seed of Abraham.

Ellicott's Commentary

Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers(19) Laying up in store for themselves a good foundation against the time to come.--This is a concise expression, which might have been more fully worded thus--Laying up in store for themselves a wealth of good works as a foundation, &c. (Comp. our Lord's words in Luke 16:9, where the same truth is taught, and a similar promise made.)Here a simple command, in complete accordance with the teaching: of Christ, is given, and a definite consequence is attached to the obeying the command. If the "rich"--the word "rich," we must remember, is a broad term, and in St. Paul's mind would comprehend many a one who would hesitate to apply the term in its strict sense to himself--if the "rich," or the comparatively rich, are really generous and kind with their wealth--and of this God alone can be judge--then with these perishable, fleeting riches they are laying the foundation of an everlasting habitation on the other side the veil. Bengel quaintly expresses the truth, slightly changing the metaphor--"Mercator, naufragio salvus, thesauros domum praemissos invenit."That they may lay hold on eternal life.--The older authorities here, instead of "eternal," read truly. The sentence will then read thus, that they may lay hold on that which is truly life--that is, may lay hold on that which in truth deserves the name "life," because the fear of death will no longer cast its gloomy shadow over it. This "laying hold on eternal life" is the end the wise rich Christian proposes to himself, when he orders his earthly life and administers his earthly goods, and St. Paul has just showed Timothy how this "end" is to be reached by such a man.Such plain statements in the Book of Life as the foregoing by no means weaken the divine truth so often repeated, that men are saved only by the blood of Christ, with which they must sprinkle their sin scarred souls. Poor men and rich men alike may try; they will find, with all their brave struggles, that of themselves they will never win salvation, they cannot redeem their souls.But such plain statements as we have here, and in Luke 16:9, tell us, if we really are "of Christ's," sprinkled with His precious blood, then we must try with heart and soul, with hand and brain, to follow out such charges as we have just been discussing.