2 Timothy 3
In the last days hard times come — a list of eighteen without conjunctions: lovers of self, money and pleasure, disobedient to parents, ungrateful, irreconcilable, holding a form of piety while denying its power. From among them come those who creep into houses and take captive little women; as Jannes and Jambres withstood Moses, they withstand the truth — but their folly will be exposed. Timothy has followed Paul’s teaching, way of life and sufferings; from the persecutions at Antioch, Iconium and Lystra the Lord rescued him — and all who want to live piously will be persecuted. Evil men will grow worse, deceiving and being led astray; but Timothy is to remain in what he learned and was assured of. The holy writings he has known from a baby make wise unto salvation. All scripture is God-breathed and profitable for teaching, exposing, setting straight and discipline — that the man of God may be fully fitted for every good work.
Why this rendering
2Tim.3.5 Observation
Syntactic observation
Τοῦτο δὲ γίνωσκε ὅτι ἐν ἐσχάταις ἡμέραις ἐνστήσονται καιροὶ χαλεποί· ἔσονται γὰρ οἱ ἄνθρωποι φίλαυτοι, φιλάργυροι, ἀλαζόνες, ὑπερήφανοι, βλάσφημοι, γονεῦσιν ἀπειθεῖς, ἀχάριστοι, ἀνόσιοι, ἄστοργοι, ἄσπονδοι, διάβολοι, ἀκρατεῖς, ἀνήμεροι, ἀφιλάγαθοι, προδόται, προπετεῖς, τετυφωμένοι, φιλήδονοι μᾶλλον ἢ φιλόθεοι, ἔχοντες μόρφωσιν εὐσεβείας τὴν δὲ δύναμιν αὐτῆς ἠρνημένοι· καὶ τούτους ἀποτρέπου — But know this, that in the last days hard times will be at hand; for men will be lovers of self, lovers of money, braggarts, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, ungrateful, unholy, without affection, irreconcilable, slanderers, without self-control, untamed, not lovers of good, betrayers, rash, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, having a form of piety but having denied its power; and from these turn away. Τοῦτο δὲ γίνωσκε ‘But know this’ · ἐν ἐσχάταις ἡμέραις ‘in the last days’ — the phrase of Acts 2:17 · ἐνστήσονται ‘will be at hand’ — the verb of Gal 1:4 ‘present’ (perfect), here future · καιροὶ χαλεποί ‘hard times’ — the adjective of Matt 8:28 ‘fierce’ (of men) (two places in the New Testament) · of times, ‘hard’. A list of eighteen without conjunctions (vv.2-4) — only the last pair is bound by μᾶλλον ἤ ‘rather than’ · φίλαυτοι ‘lovers of self’ (once in the New Testament) · φιλάργυροι ‘lovers of money’ (Luke 16:14) · ἀλαζόνες ‘braggarts’ · ὑπερήφανοι ‘proud’ · βλάσφημοι ‘blasphemers’ (1 Tim 1:13) · γονεῦσιν ἀπειθεῖς ‘disobedient to parents’ · ἀχάριστοι ‘ungrateful’ (Luke 6:35) · ἀνόσιοι ‘unholy’ (1 Tim 1:9) · ἄστοργοι ‘without affection’ · ἄσπονδοι ‘irreconcilable’ (once) · διάβολοι ‘slanderers’ (this version’s ‘slanderer’ — of women too at 1 Tim 3:11) · ἀκρατεῖς ‘without self-control’ (once — the negation of Acts 24:25 ἐγκράτεια ‘self-control’) · ἀνήμεροι ‘untamed’ (once) · ἀφιλάγαθοι ‘not lovers of good’ (once) · προδόται ‘betrayers’ (Luke 6:16) · προπετεῖς ‘rash’ (Acts 19:36) · τετυφωμένοι ‘conceited’ (the perfect of the verb of 1 Tim 3:6 · 6:4) · φιλήδονοι μᾶλλον ἢ φιλόθεοι ‘lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God’ (both once — Luke 8:14 ‘pleasures’) · four items are shared with the list of Rom 1:29-31 (braggarts · proud · disobedient to parents · without affection) · the ‘lover’ piece (φίλος) opens and closes the list (self, money → pleasure, God) · seven alpha-privatives in a row (ungrateful … not lovers of good). ἔχοντες μόρφωσιν εὐσεβείας ‘having a form of piety’ — the word of Rom 2:20 ‘the form of knowledge and of truth’ (two places) · τὴν δὲ δύναμιν αὐτῆς ἠρνημένοι ‘but having denied its power’ — perfect participle · 2:12-13 ‘deny’ · καὶ τούτους ἀποτρέπου ‘and from these turn away’ — ἀποτρέπομαι once · a different word from 1:15 ἀποστρέφω ‘turned away’ and 1 Tim 6:20 ἐκτρέπομαι ‘swerve’; the English shares ‘turn away’ with 1:15 (recorded).
Rendering options · 4
Basis The base text’s comma-list kept — no ‘and’ supplied · only φιλήδονοι μᾶλλον ἢ φιλόθεοι is bound by the text itself.
Basis A different word from 1:15 ‘turned away from me’ (ἀποστρέφω) and 1 Tim 6:20 ‘swerving’ (ἐκτρέπομαι) — the Korean keeps three apart; the English shares ‘turn away’ with 1:15 (recorded).
Basis Site-rule against Matt 8:28 ‘fierce’ (the demon-possessed) — times are not ‘fierce’.
Basis The familiar rendering.
Rejected ‘Perilous’ borrows the word of κίνδυνος ‘danger’.
Lost in translation
φίλαυτοι · φιλάργυροι … φιλήδονοι · φιλόθεοι (vv.2 · 4) — the ‘lover’ piece opens and closes the list. ‘Lovers of’ four times carries it.
ἀχάριστοι … ἀφιλάγαθοι (vv.2-3) — seven alpha-privatives in a row. ‘un- · without · not’ vary; the one shape is lost.
ἀποτρέπου (v.5) / 1:15 ἀπεστράφησαν / 1 Tim 6:20 ἐκτρεπόμενος — three words. ‘Turn away / turned away / swerving’ merge the first two.
ἀκρατεῖς (v.3) / Acts 24:25 ἐγκράτεια — ‘without self-control / self-control’ keep the root.
χαλεποί (v.1) / Matt 8:28 — one word. ‘Hard / fierce’ split it.
μόρφωσιν (v.5) / Rom 2:20 — ‘form’ twice shows the same word · of knowledge and truth · of piety.
Why this rendering
2Tim.3.9 Observation
Syntactic observation
ἐκ τούτων γάρ εἰσιν οἱ ἐνδύνοντες εἰς τὰς οἰκίας καὶ αἰχμαλωτίζοντες γυναικάρια σεσωρευμένα ἁμαρτίαις, ἀγόμενα ἐπιθυμίαις ποικίλαις, πάντοτε μανθάνοντα καὶ μηδέποτε εἰς ἐπίγνωσιν ἀληθείας ἐλθεῖν δυνάμενα. ὃν τρόπον δὲ Ἰάννης καὶ Ἰαμβρῆς ἀντέστησαν Μωϋσεῖ, οὕτως καὶ οὗτοι ἀνθίστανται τῇ ἀληθείᾳ, ἄνθρωποι κατεφθαρμένοι τὸν νοῦν, ἀδόκιμοι περὶ τὴν πίστιν. ἀλλ’ οὐ προκόψουσιν ἐπὶ πλεῖον, ἡ γὰρ ἄνοια αὐτῶν ἔκδηλος ἔσται πᾶσιν, ὡς καὶ ἡ ἐκείνων ἐγένετο — For from these are those who creep into the houses and take captive little women heaped with sins, led by various desires, always learning and never able to come to knowledge of the truth. Now in the way Jannes and Jambres withstood Moses, so also these withstand the truth, men corrupted in mind, unapproved concerning the faith. But they will not advance further, for their folly will be fully evident to all, as that of those two also became. ἐκ τούτων ‘from these’ — taking up v.5 ‘these’ · οἱ ἐνδύνοντες εἰς τὰς οἰκίας ‘those who creep into the houses’ — ἐνδύνω once in the New Testament (not the word for putting on, but for slipping in) · ⸀αἰχμαλωτίζοντες ‘take captive’ — Rom 7:23 · 2 Cor 10:5 ‘take captive’ (the Received Text another form) · γυναικάρια ‘little women’ — once in the New Testament · the diminutive of γυνή ‘woman’ · the belittling diminutive kept as ‘little’ · neuter plural, so the three participles that follow are neuter too · σεσωρευμένα ἁμαρτίαις ‘heaped with sins’ — the verb of Rom 12:20 ‘heap coals’ (two places) · perfect passive · ἀγόμενα ἐπιθυμίαις ποικίλαις ‘led by various desires’ — Matt 4:24 ‘various’ · πάντοτε μανθάνοντα καὶ μηδέποτε … δυνάμενα ‘always learning and never able’ — the pair always/never · εἰς ἐπίγνωσιν ἀληθείας ἐλθεῖν ‘to come to knowledge of the truth’ — the phrase of 1 Tim 2:4 · also at 2:25. ὃν τρόπον ‘in the way’ — Phil 1:18 ‘way’ · Ἰάννης καὶ Ἰαμβρῆς ‘Jannes and Jambres’ — two names found only here in the New Testament · the text does not say where they come from · ἀντέστησαν Μωϋσεῖ … ἀνθίστανται τῇ ἀληθείᾳ ‘withstood Moses … withstand the truth’ — Gal 2:11 ‘withstand’ · aorist → present · ἄνθρωποι κατεφθαρμένοι τὸν νοῦν ‘men corrupted in mind’ — καταφθείρω once · 2 Cor 11:3 φθείρω ‘be corrupted’ with κατα- · a different prefix from 1 Tim 6:5 ‘destroyed in mind’ (διαφθείρω) — kept apart as ‘destroyed / corrupted’ · ἀδόκιμοι περὶ τὴν πίστιν ‘unapproved concerning the faith’ — 2 Cor 13:5 ‘unapproved’ · the negation of 2:15 δόκιμος ‘approved’ · ἀλλ’ οὐ προκόψουσιν ἐπὶ πλεῖον ‘But they will not advance further’ — 2:16 ‘will advance to more’ taken up and reversed · ἡ ἄνοια αὐτῶν ‘their folly’ — the word of Luke 6:11 ‘senseless rage’ (two places) · ἔκδηλος ‘fully evident’ — once in the New Testament · 1 Cor 15:27 δῆλος ‘clear’ with ἐκ- · ὡς καὶ ἡ ἐκείνων ἐγένετο ‘as that of those two also became’ — ‘that of those’ without a noun · how the folly of Jannes and Jambres became evident the text does not say.
Rendering options · 4
Basis γυνή ‘woman’ with a diminutive ending — the belittling lies in the diminutive · ‘silly women’ would supply a judgement the text does not · ‘little’ marks the diminutive.
Basis The familiar rendering.
Rejected ‘Silly’ imports a judgement word and the diminutive disappears.
Basis The same phrase (τὸν νοῦν) with a different prefix — 2 Cor 11:3 φθείρω ‘be corrupted’ with κατα- as ‘corrupted’ against 1 Tim 6:5 ‘destroyed’.
Basis ἡ ἐκείνων — article and genitive only · ‘their folly’ is not written in.
Lost in translation
γυναικάρια (v.6) — diminutive. ‘Little women’ carries it.
ἀντέστησαν / ἀνθίστανται (v.8) — aorist and present. ‘Withstood / withstand’ carry the tenses.
κατεφθαρμένοι (v.8) / 1 Tim 6:5 διεφθαρμένων — different prefixes. ‘Corrupted / destroyed’ keep them apart.
ἀδόκιμοι (v.8) / 2:15 δόκιμον — ‘unapproved / approved’ keep the root.
ἔκδηλος (v.9) / 1 Cor 15:27 δῆλον — ‘fully evident / clear’ are cut.
ἡ ἐκείνων (v.9) — no noun. ‘That of those’ carries it.
Why this rendering
2Tim.3.13 Observation
Syntactic observation
Σὺ δὲ παρηκολούθησάς μου τῇ διδασκαλίᾳ, τῇ ἀγωγῇ, τῇ προθέσει, τῇ πίστει, τῇ μακροθυμίᾳ, τῇ ἀγάπῃ, τῇ ὑπομονῇ, τοῖς διωγμοῖς, τοῖς παθήμασιν, οἷά μοι ἐγένετο ἐν Ἀντιοχείᾳ, ἐν Ἰκονίῳ, ἐν Λύστροις, οἵους διωγμοὺς ὑπήνεγκα· καὶ ἐκ πάντων με ἐρρύσατο ὁ κύριος. καὶ πάντες δὲ οἱ θέλοντες ζῆν εὐσεβῶς ἐν Χριστῷ Ἰησοῦ διωχθήσονται· πονηροὶ δὲ ἄνθρωποι καὶ γόητες προκόψουσιν ἐπὶ τὸ χεῖρον, πλανῶντες καὶ πλανώμενοι — But you have followed closely my teaching, my way of life, purpose, faith, patience, love, endurance, persecutions, sufferings — such as happened to me in Antioch, in Iconium, in Lystra, what persecutions I sustained; and out of them all the Lord rescued me. And indeed all who want to live piously in Christ Jesus will be persecuted; but evil men and impostors will advance to the worse, deceiving and being led astray. Σὺ δέ ‘But you’ — σύ expressed · again at v.14 · ⸀παρηκολούθησας ‘have followed closely’ — Luke 1:3 · 1 Tim 4:6 ‘follow closely’ (the Received Text a perfect) · nine datives without conjunctions — teaching · ἀγωγή ‘way of life’ (once in the New Testament — the noun of ἄγω ‘lead’ · a different word from Gal 1:13 ἀναστροφή ‘conduct’) · purpose (Eph 1:11) · faith · patience · love · endurance · persecutions (Mark 4:17) · sufferings (Phil 3:10) — sharing three with the six of 1 Tim 6:11 (righteousness · piety · faith · love · endurance · gentleness) · οἷά μοι ἐγένετο ἐν Ἀντιοχείᾳ, ἐν Ἰκονίῳ, ἐν Λύστροις ‘such as happened to me in Antioch, in Iconium, in Lystra’ — the three cities in the order of Acts 13:14–14:20 · Lystra, Timothy’s home (Acts 16:1) · οἵους διωγμοὺς ὑπήνεγκα ‘what persecutions I sustained’ — 1 Cor 10:13 ‘sustain’ · ἐκ πάντων με ἐρρύσατο ὁ κύριος ‘out of them all the Lord rescued me’ — 1 Thess 1:10 ‘rescue’ · again at 4:17-18. καὶ πάντες δὲ οἱ θέλοντες ⸂ζῆν εὐσεβῶς⸃ ‘And indeed all who want to live piously’ — εὐσεβῶς (here and Titus 2 — two places) · the Received Text has the other order · διωχθήσονται ‘will be persecuted’ — Matt 5:10 ‘persecuted’ (passive) · one verb with 2:22 ‘pursue’ (active, righteousness) · πονηροὶ δὲ ἄνθρωποι καὶ γόητες ‘evil men and impostors’ — γόης once (the word for one who bewitches) · προκόψουσιν ἐπὶ τὸ χεῖρον ‘will advance to the worse’ — set against v.9 ‘will not advance further’ · 1 Tim 5:8 ‘worse’ · πλανῶντες καὶ πλανώμενοι ‘deceiving and being led astray’ — one verb, active and passive · Matt 24:4 ‘deceive’ · Matt 22:29 ‘be led astray’ by site-rule.
Rendering options · 4
Basis The noun of ἄγω ‘lead’ — ‘conduct’ is the site of Gal 1:13 ἀναστροφή · ‘way of life’ keeps the sense and loses the root (recorded).
Basis The familiar rendering.
Rejected Collides with ἀναστροφή ‘conduct’ as fixed.
Basis Matt 24:4 ‘deceive’ (active) · Matt 22:29 ‘be led astray’ (passive) by site-rule — that it is one verb is recorded here.
Basis The word for one who bewitches — ‘deceivers’ would collide with πλανῶντες in the same verse · the word of Acts 8:9 μαγεύω ‘practise magic’ is not borrowed either.
Lost in translation
πλανῶντες καὶ πλανώμενοι (v.13) — one verb, active and passive. ‘Deceiving / led astray’ split it.
διωχθήσονται (v.12) / 2:22 δίωκε — persecuted · pursue. One verb split.
ἀγωγῇ (v.10) — the root of ἄγω. ‘Way of life’ loses it.
οὐ προκόψουσιν (v.9) / προκόψουσιν (v.13) — ‘will not advance / will advance’ keep the contrast.
Nine datives (vv.10-11) — no conjunction. Commas keep it.
Σὺ δέ (vv.10 · 14) — σύ expressed twice. ‘But you’ carries it.
Why this rendering
2Tim.3.17 Observation
Syntactic observation
σὺ δὲ μένε ἐν οἷς ἔμαθες καὶ ἐπιστώθης, εἰδὼς παρὰ τίνων ἔμαθες, καὶ ὅτι ἀπὸ βρέφους ἱερὰ γράμματα οἶδας, τὰ δυνάμενά σε σοφίσαι εἰς σωτηρίαν διὰ πίστεως τῆς ἐν Χριστῷ Ἰησοῦ· πᾶσα γραφὴ θεόπνευστος καὶ ὠφέλιμος πρὸς διδασκαλίαν, πρὸς ἐλεγμόν, πρὸς ἐπανόρθωσιν, πρὸς παιδείαν τὴν ἐν δικαιοσύνῃ, ἵνα ἄρτιος ᾖ ὁ τοῦ θεοῦ ἄνθρωπος, πρὸς πᾶν ἔργον ἀγαθὸν ἐξηρτισμένος — But you, remain in the things you learned and were assured of, knowing from what persons you learned, and that from a baby you have known holy writings, which are able to make you wise unto salvation through faith that is in Christ Jesus. All scripture is God-breathed and profitable for teaching, for exposing, for setting straight, for the discipline that is in righteousness, so that the man of God may be fitted, fully fitted for every good work. σὺ δὲ μένε ‘But you, remain’ — taking up v.10 · ἐν οἷς ἔμαθες καὶ ἐπιστώθης ‘in the things you learned and were assured of’ — πιστόομαι once in the New Testament (the verb of ‘faith’) · εἰδὼς παρὰ ⸀τίνων ἔμαθες ‘knowing from what persons you learned’ — plural ‘what persons’ (the Received Text singular) · Lois and Eunice of 1:5 come to mind, but the text does not say · ἀπὸ βρέφους ‘from a baby’ — Luke 1:41 ‘the baby’ · ⸀ἱερὰ γράμματα ‘holy writings’ — the word of 1 Cor 9:13 ‘holy things’ (ἱερός · two places) · John 5:47 ‘writings’ · the Received Text adds the article · not ‘scripture’ (γραφή) but ‘writings’ — a different word from the next verse · τὰ δυνάμενά σε σοφίσαι εἰς σωτηρίαν ‘which are able to make you wise unto salvation’ — σοφίζω (here and 2 Peter 1) · διὰ πίστεως τῆς ἐν Χριστῷ Ἰησοῦ ‘through faith that is in Christ Jesus’ — the phrase of 1:13. πᾶσα γραφὴ θεόπνευστος καὶ ὠφέλιμος ‘All scripture is God-breathed and profitable’ — no verb · θεόπνευστος ‘God-breathed’ (once — θεός + πνέω ‘blow’ · not ‘inspired’) · whether ‘all scripture is God-breathed and profitable’ or ‘all God-breathed scripture is also profitable’ the text does not settle · 1 Tim 4:8 ‘profitable’ · πᾶσα is ‘all scripture’ or ‘every scripture’, left open · four πρός — teaching · ἐλεγμόν ‘exposing’ (once — the noun of 1 Tim 5:20 ἐλέγχω ‘expose’ · the Received Text another form) · ἐπανόρθωσιν ‘setting straight’ (once — sharing ‘straight’ with 2:15 ‘cutting straight’) · παιδείαν τὴν ἐν δικαιοσύνῃ ‘the discipline that is in righteousness’ (Eph 6:4 ‘discipline’ · 2:25 ‘instructing’) · ἵνα ἄρτιος ᾖ ὁ τοῦ θεοῦ ἄνθρωπος ‘so that the man of God may be fitted’ — ἄρτιος once · 1 Tim 6:11 ‘O man of God’ · πρὸς πᾶν ἔργον ἀγαθὸν ἐξηρτισμένος ‘fully fitted for every good work’ — the verb of Acts 21:5 ‘completed the days’ (two places) · ἄρτιος/ἐξαρτίζω one root, ‘fitted … fully fitted’ · taking up 2:21 ‘made ready for every good work’.
Rendering options · 4
Basis No verb in the text — whether θεόπνευστος is predicate or attributive is unsettled · rendered as predicate, the other reading recorded here · ‘inspired’ would erase the ‘breath’ of πνέω.
Basis The attributive reading.
Rejected Needs καί as ‘also’ and closes one way — recorded here.
Basis v.15 γράμματα (writings) ≠ v.16 γραφή (scripture) — ἱερός as at 1 Cor 9:13 ‘holy things’ · John 5:47 ‘writings’ as fixed.
Basis Two words on one root — Acts 21:5 ‘completed’ is the site of days (site-rule) · ‘complete … equipped’ would hide the shared root.
Lost in translation
θεόπνευστος (v.16) — predicate or attributive. Closed as predicate.
θεόπνευστος (v.16) — πνέω ‘blow, breathe’ inside. ‘God-breathed’ carries it.
ἄρτιος / ἐξηρτισμένος (v.17) — one root. ‘Fitted / fully fitted’ carry it.
ἐπανόρθωσιν (v.16) / 2:15 ὀρθοτομοῦντα — ‘setting straight / cutting straight’ keep ‘straight’.
παρὰ τίνων (v.14) — plural. ‘What persons’ carries the number.
γράμματα (v.15) / γραφή (v.16) — two words. ‘Writings / scripture’ keep them apart.