SEV Biblia, Chapter 4:10
porque Demas me ha desamparado, amando este siglo, y se ha ido a Tesalnica; Crescente a Galacia, Tito a Dalmacia.
Clarke's Bible Commentary - 2 Timothy 4:10
Verse 10. Demas hath forsaken me] This is another proof of the posteriority of this epistle: for Demas was with the apostle in his first imprisonment, and joins in the salutations, see Colossians iv. 14, which were written when Paul was a prisoner at Rome for the first time. Having loved this present world] agaphsav ton nun aiwna Having preferred Judaism to Christianity; or having loved the Jews, and having sought their welfare in preference to that of the Gentiles.
The hzh lw[ words olam hazzeh, which answer to the Greek ton nun aiwna, are generally to be understood as signifying, either the Jewish people, or the system of Judaism. It was now become doubly dangerous to be a Christian; and those who had not religion enough to enable them to burn, or in any other way to expose life for it, took refuge in that religion which was exposed to no persecution. This is a light in which the conduct of Demas may be viewed. It could not have been the love of secular gain which had induced Demas to abandon St. Paul; he must have counted this cost before he became a Christian. See below.
Crescens to Galatia] Whether the departure of Crescens was similar to that of Demas, as intimated above, or whether he went on an evangelical embassy, we know not. Charity would hope the latter; for we can hardly suppose that Titus, who is here said to have departed to Dalmatia, had abandoned his Cretan Churches, his apostolical office, and especially his aged father and friend, now about to seal the truth with his blood! It is probable that both these persons had gone on sacred missions, and perhaps had been gone some time before the apostle was brought into such imminent danger. Even for Demas, as standing in this connection, something might be said. It is not intimated that he had denied the faith, but simply that he had left the apostle and gone into Thessalonica; for which this reason is given, that he loved the present world. Now, if agaphsav, having loved, can be applied to a desire to save the souls of the Jews, and that he went into Thessalonica, where they abounded, for this very purpose, then we shall find all three-Demas, Crescens, and Titus, one at Thessalonica, another at Galatia, and the third at Dalmatia, doing the work of evangelists, visiting the Churches, and converting both Jews and Gentiles. This interpretation I leave to the charitable reader, and must own that, with all the presumptive evidences against it, it has some fair show of probability. Demas has received little justice from interpreters and preachers in general. It is even fashionable to hunt him down.
John Gill's Bible Commentary
Ver. 10. For Demas hath forsaken me , etc.] Of this person, (see Gill on Colossians 4:14). It does not appear by what is said in this clause, and in the following, that he entirely apostatized; he might forsake the apostle, and yet not forsake Christ and his interest, or make shipwreck of faith and a good conscience: his faith might be right, though low, and his love sincere, though not fervent; and through a fear of persecution, and loss of life, he might be tempted to leave the apostle, and withdraw from Rome, for his own safety; which though it was far from being commendable in him, yet may be accounted for in this state of frailty and imperfection, consistent with the grace of God; and it should seem that he afterwards was delivered from this temptation, and returned to the apostle, ( Colossians 4:14 Philemon 1:24) for when those epistles were written, both Timothy and Mark, who are here wrote for, ( 2 Timothy 4:9,11) were with the apostle, ( Colossians 1:1) and ( Philemon 1:1) and especially he ought to be thought very well of after all this, if Demas is only a contraction of Demetrius, and he is the same who is so much commended many years after this, in ( 3 John 1:12), having loved this present world , not the sins and corruptions of the world, the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life; such a love is inconsistent with the love of the Father and the grace of God; nor an immoderate love of worldly substance, or of money, which is the root of all evil; but a love of life, or of a longer life in this present world; he was desirous of living longer in this world, and chose not to hazard his life by staying with the apostle, a prisoner at Rome; and therefore left him, and provided for his own safety and security: and is departed unto Thessalonica: which perhaps was his native country; and however he was at a sufficient distance from Rome, where he might judge himself safe; and if he was a worldly and earthly minded man, this was a fit place for him, being a place of trade and business: and this doubtless gave rise to a tradition, that he afterwards became a priest of the idol gods among the Thessalonians. Epiphanius places him among the heretics Ebion and Cerinthus, as if he was one of them. Crescens to Galatia ; he might not depart on the same account as Demas, but might be sent by the apostle to Galatia, to visit the churches there, to set things in order, and establish them in the faith, and bring an account of their state. Epiphanius f26 , instead of Galatia, reads Gallia, or France; and so does Eusebius and the Ethiopic version; and Jerom asserts, f28 , that Crescens preached in France, and was there buried; though others say he was bishop of Chalcedon in Galatia, and put him among the seventy disciples; (see Gill on Luke 10:1). The Syriac version calls him Crispus, and the Arabic version Priscus. Titus to Dalmatia ; who Titus was is well known; the place he went to, Dalmatia, is a country in Europe, a part of Illyricum, where the apostle had preached, (see Gill on Romans 15:19). Pliny says f29 , that part of Pannonia, which lies to the Adriatic sea, was called Dalmatia; it had its name from Dalmius, a city in it. The Alexandrian copy reads Dermatia.
Here the apostle had doubtless been useful for the conversion of souls, and planting of churches, and therefore sent Titus thither, to assist them in their state and condition, and bring him an account of them. For in the second and third centuries we read of churches in Dalmatia; and likewise in the fourth century; for there were bishops from Dalmatia in the synod at Sardica; and in the fifth century, Glycerius was bishop of Salo, a city in this country; and in the sixth century, one Malchus was bishop of the Dalmatian church f30 .
Matthew Henry Commentary
Verses 9-13 - The love of this world, is often the cause of turning back from the truths and ways of Jesus Christ. Paul was guided by Divine inspiration yet he would have his books. As long as we live, we must still learn The apostles did not neglect human means, in seeking the necessaries of life, or their own instruction. Let us thank the Divine goodness in having given us so many writings of wise and pious men in all ages; an let us seek that by reading them our profiting may appear to all.
Greek Textus Receptus
δημας 1214 γαρ 1063 με 3165 εγκατελιπεν 1459 5627 αγαπησας 25 5660 τον 3588 νυν 3568 αιωνα 165 και 2532 επορευθη 4198 5675 εις 1519 θεσσαλονικην 2332 κρησκης 2913 εις 1519 γαλατιαν 1053 τιτος 5103 εις 1519 δαλματιαν 1149
Vincent's NT Word Studies
10. Demas. A contraction of Demetrius or Demarchus. He is mentioned Col. iv. 13 and Philemon 24. It is supposed that he was a Thessalonian. On leaving Paul he went to Thessalonica; and in Philemon his name is mentioned next to that of Aristarchus the Thessalonian. That no epithet is attached to his name in Col. iv. 14 (comp. "Luke the beloved physician") may be a shadow of Demas's behavior mentioned here, in case Colossians was written later than 2nd Timothy.
Hath forsaken (egkateleipen). In Pastorals here and verse 16. See on 2 Corinthians iv. 9. The compounded preposition ejn indicates a condition or circumstances in which one has been left, as the common phrase left in the lurch. Comp. Germ. im Stiche.
Having loved (agaphsav). The participle is explanatory, because he loved.
This present world (ton nun aiwna). See on 1 Tim. vi. 17. Contrast love his appearing, verse 8.
Crescens (Krhskhv). N.T.o . Unknown.
Galatia (Galatian). Most probably Galatia. See Introd. to Galatians. Eusebius (H. E. iii. 4) says: "Paul testifies that Crescens was sent to Gaul (Gallian)." Tischendorf adopts this reading.
Dalmatia (Dalmatian). Part of the country known generally as Illyricum, along the eastern coast of the Adriatic. See Rom. xv. 19.
Robertson's NT Word Studies
4:10 {Forsook me} (me egkateleipen). Imperfect (MSS. also have aorist, egkatelipen) active of the old double compound verb egkataleipw, for which see #Ro 9:29. Clearly in contrast to verse #9 and in the sense of #1Ti 6:17, wilful desertion. Only mentioned elsewhere in #Col 4:14. {Crescens} (kreskes). No other mention of him. {Titus to Dalmatia} (titos eis dalmatian). Titus had been asked to rejoin Paul in Nicopolis where he was to winter, probably the winter previous to this one (#Tit 3:12). He came and has been with Paul.
