Text -- 2 Timothy 4:16-22 (NET)

4:16 At my first defense no one appeared in my support; instead they all deserted me– may they not be held accountable for it. 4:17 But the Lord stood by me and strengthened me, so that through me the message would be fully proclaimed for all the Gentiles to hear. And so I was delivered from the lion’s mouth! 4:18 The Lord will deliver me from every evil deed and will bring me safely into his heavenly kingdom. To him be glory for ever and ever! Amen. 4:19 Greetings to Prisca and Aquila and the family of Onesiphorus. 4:20 Erastus stayed in Corinth. Trophimus I left ill in Miletus. 4:21 Make every effort to come before winter. Greetings to you from Eubulus, Pudens, Linus, Claudia, and all the brothers and sisters. 4:22 The Lord be with your spirit. Grace be with you.

Commentary -- Verse Notes / Footnotes

NET Notes: 2Ti 4:17

¹ tn Or “the preaching.”

² tn Grk “might be completely fulfilled.”

NET Notes: 2Ti 4:18

¹ tn Grk “save me.”

² tn Grk “to whom.” Because of the length and complexity of the Greek sentence, a new sentence was started here in the translation.

³ tn Grk “unto the ages of the ages,” an emphatic way of speaking about eternity in Greek.

NET Notes: 2Ti 4:19

¹ tn Grk “greet.”

² sn On Prisca and Aquila see also Acts 18:2, 18, 26; Rom 16:3-4; 1 Cor 16:19. In the NT “Priscilla” and “Prisca” are the same person. The author of Acts uses the full name Priscilla, while Paul uses the diminutive form Prisca.

NET Notes: 2Ti 4:20

¹ map For location see JP1 C2; JP2 C2; JP3 C2; JP4 C2.

NET Notes: 2Ti 4:21

¹ tn Grk “brothers,” but the Greek word may be used for “brothers and sisters” or “fellow Christians” as here (cf. BDAG 18 s.v. ἀδελφός 1, where considerable nonbiblical evidence for the plural ἀδελφοί [adelfoi] meaning “brothers and sisters” is cited).

NET Notes: 2Ti 4:22

¹ tc The reading ὁ κύριος (Jo kurio", “the Lord”) is well supported by א* F G 33 1739 1881 sa, but predictable expansions on the text have occurred at this point: A 104 614 pc read ὁ κύριος ᾿Ιησοῦς (Jo kurio" Ihsou", “the Lord Jesus”), while א² C D Ψ Ï sy bo have ὁ κύριος ᾿Ιησοῦς Χριστός (Jo kurio" Ihsou" Cristo", “the Lord Jesus Christ”). As B. M. Metzger notes, although in a late book such as 2 Timothy, one might expect the fuller title for the Lord, accidental omission of nomina sacra is rare (TCGNT 582). The shorter reading is thus preferred on both external and internal grounds.

² tc Most witnesses (א² D Ψ Ï lat sy) conclude this letter with ἀμήν (amhn, “amen”). Such a conclusion is routinely added by scribes to NT books because a few of these books originally had such an ending (cf. Rom 16:27; Gal 6:18; Jude 25). A majority of Greek witnesses have the concluding ἀμήν in every NT book except Acts, James, and 3 John (and even in these books, ἀμήν is found in some witnesses). It is thus a predictable variant. Further, there are several excellent witnesses of the Alexandrian and Western texts (א* A C F G 6 33 81 1739* 1881 sa) that lack the particle, rendering the omission the preferred reading.