Clarke's Bible Commentary - 1 Timothy 1:6
Verse 6. From which some having swerved] From which some, though they have pretended to aim at the telov, scope, or mark, have missed that mark. This is the import of the original word astochsantev. Turned aside unto vain jangling] The original term, mataiologian, signifies empty or vain talking; discourses that turn to no profit; a great many words and little sense; and that sense not worth the pains of hearing.
Such, indeed, is all preaching where Jesus Christ is not held forth.
John Gill's Bible Commentary
Ver. 6. From which some having swerved , etc.] The apostle, in this verse and the next, describes the persons he suspected of teaching other doctrines, and of introducing fables and endless genealogies; they were such who departed from the above things; they erred from the commandment, or law, notwithstanding their great pretensions to a regard unto it; at least they missed the mark, the end and design of it; they went astray from that, and instead of promoting charity or love, created feuds, contentions, and divisions in the churches; and were far from having a pure heart, being filthy dreamers, and sensual persons, destitute of the Spirit of God, and were such who put away a good conscience, and made shipwreck of faith: such were Hymenaeus, Philetus, Alexander, and others, of whom he also says, they have turned aside to vain jangling ; which he elsewhere calls empty talk, and vain babblings, ( 1 Timothy 6:20 2 Timothy 2:16), from the solid doctrines of the Gospel, and a solid way of handling them, they turned to vain, idle, useless, and unprofitable subjects of discourse, and to treating upon subjects in a vain, jejune, and empty manner; entertaining their hearers with foolish and trifling questions and answers to them about the law, and with strifes about words, which were unserviceable and unedifying; they were unruly and vain talkers, ( Titus 1:10).
Matthew Henry Commentary
Verses 5-11 - Whatever tends to weaken love to God, or love to the brethren, tends to defeat the end of the commandment. The design of the gospel i answered, when sinners, through repentance towards God and faith i Jesus Christ, are brought to exercise Christian love. And as believer were righteous persons in God's appointed way, the law was not agains them. But unless we are made righteous by faith in Christ, reall repenting and forsaking sin, we are yet under the curse of the law even according to the gospel of the blessed God, and are unfit to shar the holy happiness of heaven.
Greek Textus Receptus
ων 3739 τινες 5100 αστοχησαντες 795 5660 εξετραπησαν 1624 5648 εις 1519 ματαιολογιαν 3150
Vincent's NT Word Studies
6. Having swerved (astochsantev). Past o . In LXX, Sir. vii. 19; vii. 9. It means to miss the mark.Have turned aside (exetraphsan). o P. Comp. 1 Tim. v. 15; vi. 20; 2 Timothy iv. 4; Heb. xii. 13.
Vain Jangling (mataiologian). N.T.o . o LXX. o Class. The word Illustrates the writer's fondness for unusual compounds. Jangling is an early English word from the old French jangler, comp. Jongleur a teller of tales. Hence jangling is empty chatter So Chaucer, "Them that jangle of love." Troil, and Cress ii. 800.
And Piers Ploughman, " And al day to drynken At diverse tavernes And there to jangle and jape." Vision, Pasc. ii. 1069.
Shakespeare, "This their jangling I esteem a sport." Mids. Night's D. iii. 2.
Wiclif, Exod. xvii. 7 (earlier version), uses jangling for wrangling. "And he clepide the name of the place Temptynge for the jangling of the sons of Israel."
Robertson's NT Word Studies
1:6 {Having swerved} (astocesantes). First aorist active participle of astocew, compound _Koin_ verb (Polybius, Plutarch) from astocos (a privative and stocos, a mark), "having missed the mark." In N.T. only here, #6:21; 2Ti 2:18. With the ablative case h"n (which). {Have turned aside} (exetrapesan). Second aorist passive indicative of ektrepw, old and common verb, to turn or twist out or aside. In medical sense in #Heb 12:13. As metaphor in #1Ti 1:6; 6:20; 2Ti 4:4. {Vain talking} (mataiologian). Late word from mataiologos, only here in N.T., in the literary _Koin_.
