Eunice
“Good victory, or conquering well”
Summary
The mother of Timothy and wife of a Greek, commended by Paul for her unfeigned faith and her faithful instruction of her son in the Holy Scriptures from childhood.
☩Identity and Family
Eunice was a Jewish woman who lived in Lystra, a city of Lycaonia in Asia Minor. Her name is Greek, meaning 'good victory' or 'conquering well,' though she was Jewish by birth rather than a proselyte. She was married to a Greek—that is, a pagan Gentile—and this mixed marriage explains why her son Timothy had not been circumcised in childhood, probably out of respect for her husband's wishes. Lois, spoken of by Paul as Timothy's grandmother, was in all probability Eunice's mother, and both women are mentioned together with high commendation for their unfeigned faith. Some early manuscripts suggest Eunice may have been a widow by the time Paul encountered her family, which would give added significance to Paul's later instructions about widows being cared for by their children.
☩Training of Timothy
Though married to a Gentile, Eunice did all that lay in her power to train Timothy in the fear of God and in knowledge of the Old Testament Scriptures. Paul reminded Timothy that 'from a child' he had known the holy Scriptures, a tribute to his mother's and grandmother's faithful instruction. The very name Timothy—meaning 'one who fears God'—was evidently chosen by Eunice rather than her husband, signifying her desire that her son walk in the fear of the Lord. This careful home training prepared Timothy to welcome both Paul and the gospel when the apostle arrived in Lystra, and it equipped him for his later ministry as Paul's trusted companion and delegate.
☩Conversion and Legacy
Eunice and Timothy were already believers when Paul returned to Lystra on his second missionary journey, indicating they had been converted during his first visit. Paul had endured severe persecution at Lystra, being stoned and left for dead, yet the faith of Eunice and her son proved genuine and stood the test of the 'much tribulation' that characterized that period. It is an undesigned mark of truth that both Acts and Paul's epistles mention only the mother's faith, taking no notice of the father. Eunice had the great joy of seeing Paul choose her son to be his companion in missionary work. Though she is not mentioned again after Paul's letters to Timothy, her legacy lives on in the faithful minister she raised for Christ's service.
References
- 1.John McClintock and James Strong, "Eunice," in Cyclopedia of Biblical, Theological and Ecclesiastical Literature, vol. III (Harper & Brothers, 1867–1887).
- 2.James Orr (ed.), "Eunice," in International Standard Bible Encyclopedia, vol. II (Howard-Severance Company, 1915).
- 3.James Hastings (ed.), "Eunice," in Dictionary of the Apostolic Church, vol. I (T. & T. Clark, 1915–1918).
- 4.Andrew Robert Fausset, "Eunice," in The Englishman's Critical and Expository Bible Cyclopædia (Hodder & Stoughton, 1878).