The New Testament with Commentary 2 Timothy 4

Proclaim the Word!

1 Now then, in the presence of God and the Lord* Jesus Christ, who is about to judge both living and dead, with a view to His appearing and His Kingdom, I give you this charge:† 2 Proclaim the Word; be ready in season and out of season; correct, rebuke and exhort, with lots of patience and teaching.‡ 3 Because the time will come when they will not tolerate the sound doctrine; rather, they will accumulate for themselves a great many teachers who will tickle their ears according to their lusts 4 —yes, they will turn their ears away from the Truth and be turned aside to fables.§ 5 But you, be sober in all things, endure hardship, do the work of an evangelist, fulfill your ministry.*

Timothy will no longer have Paul to help him

6 For I am already being poured out like a drink offering, and the time of my departure has come.† 7 I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. 8 Now the crown of the righteousness is reserved for me, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that Day; and not only to me, but also to all those who have longed for His appearing.‡

Concluding remarks

“Please come quickly”

9 Do your best to come to me quickly; 10 for Demas, loving this present world, has deserted me and gone to Thessalonica—Crescens to Galatia, Titus to Dalmatia.§ 11 Only Luke is with me. Take Mark and bring him with you, for he is useful to me for ministry.* 12 Tychicus I sent to Ephesus. 13 Bring the cloak that I left with Carpus at Troas, when you come—and the books, especially the parchments.† 14 Alexander the coppersmith did me a lot of harm; may the Lord repay him according to his deeds.‡ 15 You also guard against him, because he strongly opposed our words.

People will disappoint you

16 At my first defense no one came to help me, but all deserted me. May it not be held against them.§ 17 But the Lord stood by me and strengthened me, so that through me the message might be fully proclaimed and all the nations might hear.* Also, I was delivered out of a lion's mouth;† 18 and the Lord will deliver me from every evil work and save me into His heavenly Kingdom;‡ to whom be the glory for ever and ever. Amen.

Farewell

19 Greet Prisca§ and Aquila, and the household of Onesiphorus. 20 Erastus stayed in Corinth, while I left Trophimus sick in Miletus.* 21 Do your best to come before winter. Eubulus greets you, as do Pudens, Linus, Claudia and all the brothers.

22 The Lord Jesus Christ† be with your spirit. The Grace‡ be with you.§ Amen.

* 4:1 Perhaps 5% of the Greek manuscripts omit “the Lord” (as in NIV, NASB, LB, TEV, etc.). † 4:1 The charge that Paul gives Timothy is “with a view to His appearing and His Kingdom”. ‡ 4:2 If Timothy obeys this charge, he will at least slow down the process described in verses 3-4. And if we also obey this charge we should produce at least some improvement in our own context. § 4:4 Notice the progression: first they choose to turn away from the Truth, but after that someone else takes over and leads them into ever greater stupidities. * 4:5 In view of his own impending death Paul urges Timothy to get, and stay, serious. † 4:6 Evidently God told Paul he was about to die. ‡ 4:8 If we are afraid of what might happen, we will not “long” for that “appearing”. The implication is that they also are fighting the good fight and keeping the faith. § 4:10 I take it that what is said of Demas does not apply to Crescens or Titus, just that they traveled. * 4:11 Comparing this statement with Acts 15:37-39, it appears that Barnabas was right in investing in Mark, and Paul here recognizes his success. It is possible that Paul wanted Mark to wait on him personally. † 4:13 The parchments may have been a subset among the books, possibly being OT Scriptures; in that event the other books might have been NT Scriptures, but we can only speculate. ‡ 4:14 He is not asking God to forgive the man. § 4:16 Note the difference in attitude toward these people and toward the coppersmith in verse 14. * 4:17 I suppose that Paul wrote some of his letters after this first trial, and thus “the nations” are still ‘hearing’. † 4:17 I suppose this is literal; someone tried to have him condemned to face a lion in the arena, but the plan was foiled. ‡ 4:18 To get into the “heavenly Kingdom” is the goal. § 4:19 It is generally considered that ‘Prisca’ is an alternate spelling, or shortened form, for ‘Priscilla’. * 4:20 Evidently Paul was not able to heal him. † 4:22 Perhaps 3% of the Greek manuscripts omit “Jesus Christ” (as in NIV, NASB, LB, TEV, etc.). ‡ 4:22 ‘Grace’ occurs with the definite article = ‘the grace’; so I capitalized it. § 4:22 “Your spirit” is singular, referring to Timothy, but the “you” here is plural—I take it that Paul knew the letter would be read by others.