Bible Dictionary
DEPOSIT
A deposit is something entrusted to another for safekeeping. The New Testament applies the idea both to the Christian faith committed to believers and to a person’s entrusting of life and future to God.
Definition
A deposit is something placed with another for safekeeping, such as money, property, or a charge entrusted to someone’s hands. The term can describe either what God entrusts to people or what people commit to God’s keeping.
Biblical Usage
In 1 Timothy 6:20 and 2 Timothy 1:14, the deposit is the Christian faith and the pattern of sound words entrusted to believers, for which they must give account. In 2 Timothy 1:12, Paul speaks of entrusting himself and his interests to God’s safekeeping.
Historical Background
The practice was common when there were no banks. The Greek term was used for property or money placed with another for protection, comparable to Old Testament laws concerning entrusted goods.
Historical Bible Dictionaries
International Standard Bible Encyclopedia (ISBE)
<p>de-poz'-it (paratheke, 1Ti 6:20; 2Ti 1:12,14 the Revised Version, margin, paraphrased in both the King James Version and the Revised Version (British and American) into "that which is committed" (see COMMEND)): The noun was used in the classical Greek, just as its English equivalents, for "that which is placed with another for safe keeping," a charge committed to another's hands, consisting often of money or property; compare Ex 22:7; Le 6:2. This practice was common in days when there were no banks.</p><p>(1) In 1Ti 6:20; also 2Ti 1:14, the reference is to a deposit which God makes with man, and for which man is to give a reckoning. The context shows that this deposit is the Christian faith, "the pattern of sound words" (2Ti 1:13), that which is contrasted with the "oppositions of the knowledge which is falsely so called" (1Ti 6:20). "Keep the talent of the Christian faith safe and undiminished" (Vincentius Lirenensis).</p><p>(2) In 2Ti 1:12, the deposit is one which man makes with God. The key to the meaning of this expression is found probably in Ps 31:5: "Into thy hand I commend my spirit: Thou hast redeemed me," i.e. "All that I am, with all my interests, have been entrusted to Thy safe keeping, and, therefore, I have no anxieties with respect to the future. The day of reckoning, `that day,' will show how faithful are the hands that hold this trust."</p><p>H. E. Jacobs</p>