It has been suggested that this
reference to “that day” and to Onesiphorus separately from his family (v. 16;
4:19) means that he was dead (e.g., Bernard, Fee). This is, of course, a
possibility, but the separate references may only mean that Onesiphorus and his
family were apart from one another when Paul wrote, or that Paul wanted to
express his appreciation not only for Onesiphorus’s ministry but also for the
support and understanding of his family. Paul speaks in 1 Cor. 1:16 about a
man’s household while that person is still alive and in 2 Timothy about “that
day” in reference to those who are still alive, including himself alone (1:12)
and with all believers (4:8). Furthermore, he can wish eschatological blessings
for those who are living (e.g., 1 Thes. 5:23b). Therefore, that Onesiphorus was
alive and separated from his family is as possible as that he was dead.
Some exegetes (Freundorfer,
Spicq, Barclay, Bernard, and Kelly) take the view that this passage indicates
that Onesiphorus was dead a step further and regard Paul’s words as an example
of prayer for the dead. But even if it is assumed that he was dead, Paul’s wish
is not addressed directly to God, as prayer is, but is rather a statement of
what Paul hopes will be the case for Onesiphorus. (George W. Knight,
The Pastoral Epistles: A Commentary on the Greek Text [New International
Greek Testament Commentary; Grand Rapids, Mich.: Eerdmans, 1992], 386)