Text -- 2 Timothy 3:1-15 (NET)

Ministry in the Last Days

3:1 But understand this, that in the last days difficult times will come. 3:2 For people will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boastful, arrogant, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, ungrateful, unholy, 3:3 unloving, irreconcilable, slanderers, without self-control, savage, opposed to what is good, 3:4 treacherous, reckless, conceited, loving pleasure rather than loving God. 3:5 They will maintain the outward appearance of religion but will have repudiated its power. So avoid people like these. 3:6 For some of these insinuate themselves into households and captivate weak women who are overwhelmed with sins and led along by various passions. 3:7 Such women are always seeking instruction, yet never able to arrive at a knowledge of the truth. 3:8 And just as Jannes and Jambres opposed Moses, so these people– who have warped minds and are disqualified in the faith– also oppose the truth. 3:9 But they will not go much further, for their foolishness will be obvious to everyone, just like it was with Jannes and Jambres.

Continue in What You Have Learned

3:10 You, however, have followed my teaching, my way of life, my purpose, my faith, my patience, my love, my endurance, 3:11 as well as the persecutions and sufferings that happened to me in Antioch, in Iconium, and in Lystra. I endured these persecutions and the Lord delivered me from them all. 3:12 Now in fact all who want to live godly lives in Christ Jesus will be persecuted. 3:13 But evil people and charlatans will go from bad to worse, deceiving others and being deceived themselves. 3:14 You, however, must continue in the things you have learned and are confident about. You know who taught you 3:15 and how from infancy you have known the holy writings, which are able to give you wisdom for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus.

Commentary -- Verse Notes / Footnotes

NET Notes: 2Ti 3:1

¹ tn Or perhaps, “dangerous,” “fierce.”

NET Notes: 2Ti 3:2

¹ tn Grk “men”; but here ἄνθρωποι (anqrwpoi) is generic, referring to both men and women.

² tn Or “self-centered.” The first two traits in 2 Tim 3:2 and the last two in 3:4 are Greek words beginning with the root “lovers of,” and so bracket the list at beginning and end.

NET Notes: 2Ti 3:5

¹ tn Or “form.”

sn Outward appearance. Paul’s contrast with power in 3:5b shows that he regards this “form” to be outward, one of appearance rather than reality (cf. 1 Cor 4:19-20; 1 Thess 1:5).

² tn Grk “and avoid these,” with the word “people” implied.

NET Notes: 2Ti 3:6

¹ tn Grk “For from these are those who sneak.”

² tn Or “silly women.”

NET Notes: 2Ti 3:7

¹ tn Grk “always learning,” continuing the description of the women from v. 6. Because of the length and complexity of the Greek sentence, a new sentence was started here in the translation.

NET Notes: 2Ti 3:8

¹ sn Jannes and Jambres were the traditional names of two of Pharaoh’s magicians who opposed Moses at the time of the Exodus.

² tn Grk “disapproved concerning the faith.”

NET Notes: 2Ti 3:9

¹ tn Grk “for they will not progress any more.”

² tn Grk “as theirs came to be,” referring to the foolishness of Jannes and Jambres. The referent of “theirs” (Jannes and Jambres) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

NET Notes: 2Ti 3:10

¹ sn There is a strong emphasis on the pronoun you in contrast to the people described in vv. 2-9.

² tn The possessive “my” occurs only at the beginning of the list but is positioned in Greek to apply to each of the words in the series.

NET Notes: 2Ti 3:11

¹ tn Grk “persecutions, sufferings,” as a continuation of the series from v. 10.

² map For location see JP1 E2; JP2 E2; JP3 E2; JP4 E2.

³ sn In Antioch, in Iconium, and in Lystra. See Acts 13-14 for the account of these persecutions.

map For location see JP1 E2; JP2 E2; JP3 E2

NET Notes: 2Ti 3:13

¹ tn Grk “will advance to the worse.”

² tn Grk “deceiving and being deceived.”

NET Notes: 2Ti 3:14

¹ tn Grk “but you, continue,” a command.

² tn Grk “knowing,” giving the reasons for continuing as v. 14 calls for.

³ tn Grk “those from whom you learned.”