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his work he must know and appreciate these distinctions, otherwise (by occupying
himself with service that belongs to other callings and dispensations, and so not being
engaged in "God's building"), his work, being revealed by fire, will be found worthless.
While Timothy might be expected to perceive the necessity of right division, Paul is
anxious that he should not be left to his own inferences. How then shall the apostle best
put the principle that is vaguely seen at work right through chapter 1:? Shall he once
more go back in mind to the child Timothy at his mother's knee? Shall he visualize the
teaching of those holy Scriptures that had made Timothy wise unto salvation? Does he
remember that a Jewish mother would most certainly teach her boy some of the
Proverbs? and that Timothy's father, being a Greek, and living in Galatia, would most
certainly have read the Greek version of the O.T., known as the Septuagint? We cannot
tell, but this we do know, that Timothy needed no explanation of the term "right
division". We can dismiss all attempts made by commentators to discredit this fact and
feel perfectly safe in doing so, because we shall be "comparing spiritual things with
spiritual". In the Bible used by Timothy occurs the following verse:--
Pasais hodois sou gnorize auten, hina orthotome tas hodous sou (Paroimai 3: 6).
"In all thy ways acquaint thyself with it (fem. ref. to sophia, wisdom, in verse 5) in
order that it may rightly divide thy paths" (Prov. 3: 6).
We find the same word in Prov. 11: 5, where it is again used of a "way". These are
the only occurrences in the 70: We are not now concerned with the differences here
observable between the A.V. and the LXX but are desirous that all shall see that the
words used by Paul in II Tim. 2: 15 and known by Timothy are identical.
Orthotomeo, "To rightly divide".
Temno, "to cut", does not occur in the N.T but several combinations of the word are found.
"Sharper", Tomoteros. "Sharper than a two-edged sword" (Heb. 4: 12).
"Sharply", Apotomos. "Rebuke them sharply" (Titus 1: 13).
Peritemno and peritome refer to circumcision, and there is no need to stress the literal
meaning of either the Greek or the English.
The words finds its place in our own language, and in such surgical expressions as
Anatomy, Tracheotomy, and Phlebotomy, the primary meaning of cutting is retained
unaltered. With this evidence before him, the reader will need no refutation of the many
suggestions put forward as translations, such as "handling aright the Word of Truth".
Again, there is no possibility of mistaking what was to be rightly "divided". It was not
the believer's conduct or service or anything to do with himself, but the "word of truth".
Just as Timothy was subsequently exhorted to "preach the Word", so is he here
commanded to divide that Word aright. What this principle involves when put into
operation cannot be detailed here. Besides a number of volumes and smaller booklets,
thirty-three volumes of this magazine have been published and they all have been subject
to this one great principle. Right division distinguishes dispensations. It does not
confound Kingdom with Church, Gentile with Jew, Mystery with Gospel, Earth with
Heaven. It is beyond us, however, to attempt even a summary of its bearings, for there is
no item of scriptural teaching to which the principle does not apply.