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"Forsaken" egkataleipo, a word for ever sacred by the Saviour's cry on the cross
(Matt. 27: 46, its first occurrence), exceedingly precious by reason of the promise:
"I will never leave thee nor forsake thee" (Heb. 13: 5),
and solemn in its suggestiveness in its last occurrence "All men forsook me"
(II Tim. 4: 16), where Paul shared one aspect of his Saviour's rejection, the forsaking of
man, but was for ever spared the bitterness of being forsaken by his God. "Persecuted,
but not forsaken" (II Cor. 4: 9), is a summary of his life (II Tim. 3: 12; 4: 17).
There is an intensity about this word that should not be missed. Leipo means simply
"to leave", a meaning found in profane Greek but not in the N.T. where it has the sense of
"lacking", "wanting" or "destitution".
Kataleipo, a more intensive form, has the meaning "to leave" in the N.T. (Matt. 4: 13;
Titus 1: 5).
Egkataleipo however, "To leave in" means to desert.
"This word is particularly emphatical. Kataleipo is to leave, forsake; but this is more:
it is to forsake a person in distress, to leave him plunged in the deep mire" (Leigh).
And so Paul, encouraged as he was by the presence of the Lord and of His deliverance
(II Tim. 4: 17, 18), nevertheless longed to see the face of his son Timothy, if only for the
briefest moment. This is evident by the connective "for".
"Do thy diligence to come shortly unto me (no reference yet to cloke, books or
parchment, no reference yet to the advent of winter) FOR, Demas hath forsaken me,
. . . . . only Luke is with me."
No.42.
MISSING