Discovery Box2 Timothy 3:1--4:8
Context3:1 But understand this, that in the last days difficult 1 times will come. 3:2 For people 2 will be lovers of themselves, 3 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 4 of religion but will have repudiated its power. So avoid people like these. 5 3:6 For some of these insinuate themselves 6 into households and captivate weak women 7 who are overwhelmed with sins and led along by various passions. 3:7 Such women are always seeking instruction, 8 yet never able to arrive at a knowledge of the truth. 3:8 And just as Jannes and Jambres 9 opposed Moses, so these people – who have warped minds and are disqualified in the faith 10 – also oppose the truth. 3:9 But they will not go much further, 11 for their foolishness will be obvious to everyone, just like it was with Jannes and Jambres. 12
3:10 You, however, 13 have followed my teaching, my 14 way of life, my purpose, my faith, my patience, my love, my endurance, 3:11 as well as the persecutions and sufferings 15 that happened to me in Antioch, 16 in Iconium, and in Lystra. 17 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, 18 deceiving others and being deceived themselves. 19 3:14 You, however, must continue 20 in the things you have learned and are confident about. You know 21 who taught you 22 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. 3:16 Every scripture 23 is inspired by God 24 and useful for teaching, for reproof, 25 for correction, and for training in righteousness, 3:17 that the person dedicated to God 26 may be capable 27 and equipped for every good work.
4:1 I solemnly charge you before God and Christ Jesus, who is going to judge the living and the dead, and by his appearing and his kingdom: 4:2 Preach the message, 28 be ready 29 whether it is convenient or not, 30 reprove, rebuke, exhort 31 with complete patience and instruction. 4:3 For there will be a time when people 32 will not tolerate sound teaching. Instead, following their own desires, 33 they will accumulate teachers for themselves, because they have an insatiable curiosity to hear new things. 34 4:4 And they will turn away from hearing the truth, but on the other hand they will turn aside to myths. 35 4:5 You, however, be self-controlled 36 in all things, endure hardship, do an evangelist’s work, fulfill your ministry. 4:6 For I am already being poured out as an offering, and the time for me to depart 37 is at hand. 4:7 I have competed well; 38 I have finished the race; I have kept the faith! 4:8 Finally the crown of righteousness is reserved for me. The Lord, the righteous Judge, will award it to me in that day – and not to me only, but also to all who have set their affection on 39 his appearing.
[3:1] 1 tn Or perhaps, “dangerous,” “fierce.”
[3:2] 2 tn Grk “men”; but here ἄνθρωποι (anqrwpoi) is generic, referring to both men and women.
[3:2] 3 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.
[3:5] 5 tn Grk “and avoid these,” with the word “people” implied.
[3:6] 6 tn Grk “For from these are those who sneak.”
[3:7] 8 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.
[3:8] 9 sn Jannes and Jambres were the traditional names of two of Pharaoh’s magicians who opposed Moses at the time of the Exodus.
[3:8] 10 tn Grk “disapproved concerning the faith.”
[3:9] 11 tn Grk “for they will not progress any more.”
[3:9] 12 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.
[3:10] 13 sn There is a strong emphasis on the pronoun you in contrast to the people described in vv. 2-9.
[3:10] 14 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.
[3:11] 15 tn Grk “persecutions, sufferings,” as a continuation of the series from v. 10.
[3:11] 16 map For location see JP1 E2; JP2 E2; JP3 E2; JP4 E2.
[3:11] 17 sn In Antioch, in Iconium, and in Lystra. See Acts 13-14 for the account of these persecutions.
[3:13] 18 tn Grk “will advance to the worse.”
[3:13] 19 tn Grk “deceiving and being deceived.”
[3:14] 20 tn Grk “but you, continue,” a command.
[3:14] 21 tn Grk “knowing,” giving the reasons for continuing as v. 14 calls for.
[3:14] 22 tn Grk “those from whom you learned.”
[3:16] 23 tn Or “All scripture.”
[3:16] 24 sn Inspired by God. Some have connected this adjective in a different way and translated it as “every inspired scripture is also useful.” But this violates the parallelism of the two adjectives in the sentence, and the arrangement of words makes clear that both should be taken as predicate adjectives: “every scripture is inspired…and useful.”
[3:16] 25 tn Or “rebuke,” “censure.” The Greek word implies exposing someone’s sin in order to bring correction.
[3:17] 26 tn Grk “the man of God,” but ἄνθρωπος (anqrwpos) is most likely used here in a generic sense, referring to both men and women.
[3:17] 27 tn This word is positioned for special emphasis; it carries the sense of “complete, competent, able to meet all demands.”
[4:2] 29 tn Or “be persistent.”
[4:2] 30 tn Grk “in season, out of season.”
[4:3] 32 tn Grk “they”; the referent (the people in that future time) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[4:3] 33 tn Grk “in accord with.”
[4:3] 34 tn Grk “having an itching in regard to hearing,” “having itching ears.”
[4:4] 35 sn These myths were legendary tales characteristic of the false teachers in Ephesus and Crete. See parallels in 1 Tim 1:4; 4:7; and Titus 1:14.
[4:5] 36 tn Or “sober,” “temperate.”
[4:6] 37 tn Grk “of my departure.”
[4:7] 38 sn The expression I have competed well (Grk “I have competed the good competition”) uses words that may refer to a race or to a boxing or wrestling match: “run the good race” or “fight the good fight.” The similar phrase in 1 Tim 1:18 uses a military picture and is more literally “war the good warfare.”
