Charles Ellicott Commentary 2 Timothy 4:8

"henceforth there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, shall give to me at that day; and not to me only, but also to all them that have loved his appearing." — 2 Timothy 4:8 (ASV)

A crown of righteousness.—More accurately rendered, the crown of righteousness. St. Paul, after speaking calmly of death, the bitterness of which he was already tasting, looks beyond death and speaks of the crown that awaited him. The crown was the victory prize that the good fight of 2 Timothy 4:7 had won. It is called the crown of righteousness, as it is the crown to which righteousness can lay claim—that is, the crown awarded to righteousness.

Which the Lord, the righteous judge, shall give me.—As a righteous judge, the Lord will award him the crown, recognizing him as one who had the prize of victory. Not improbably, the expression the righteous judge was written in strong contrast to that unrighteous judge who had condemned Paul, and in accordance with whose unjust sentence he would soon suffer a painful death.

At that day.—This is the third time the words that day are used in this Epistle (see 2 Timothy 1:12–18). The day of judgment is, of course, signified, the day when the Lord will come again with glory.

And not to me only, but unto all them also that love his appearing.—Then St. Paul, instead of concluding this section of his letter with the glorious words telling of his serene courage and of his confidence in a crowned and immortal life, adds a gentle reminder to Timothy: he, too, with any others who really look for the Second Coming of the Lord, might win the same glorious crown—the sure reward of righteousness.

The Apostle specifies here exactly the persons for whom the crown was reserved—those who in this life have indeed longed for the appearance of the Lord in judgment. None here could truly desire His appearing, except His own, who love Him and struggle to live His life. Calvin well remarks: “(St. Paul) excludes from the number of the faithful those to whom Christ’s coming is a source of terror.”