Those who have believing masters, let them not despise them, because they are brothers, but rather let them serve them, because those who partake of the benefit are believing and beloved. Teach and exhort these things.
Partakers of the benefit. — της ευεπγεσιας αντιλαμβανομενοι. Joint partakers of the benefit. This is generally understood as referring to the master's participation in the services of his slaves. Because those who are partakers of the benefit of your services are faithful and beloved; or it may apply to the servants who are partakers of many benefits from their Christian masters. Others think that benefit here refers to the grace of the Gospel, the common salvation of believing masters and slaves; but Dr. Macknight well observes that ευεργεσια is nowhere used to denote the Gospel. One of Uffenbach's MSS. has εργασιασ, of the service; this reading is plainly a gloss; it is not acknowledged by any other MS., nor by any version. FG, and the Codex Augustanus 6, have ευσεβειας, of godliness; a term by which the whole Gospel doctrine is expressed, 1 Timothy 4:7-8, as also in the 6th verse of this chapter. 1 Timothy 6:6