2 TIMOTHY 4 [†] h I charge you in the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, i who is to judge the living and the dead, and by j his appearing and his kingdom: 2[†]preach the word; be ready in season and out of season; k reprove, rebuke, and l exhort, with complete patience and teaching. 3[†] m For the time is coming when people will not endure n sound teaching, but having itching ears they will accumulate for themselves teachers to suit their own passions, 4[†]and o will turn away from listening to the truth and p wander off into myths. 5[†]As for you, q always be sober-minded, r endure suffering, do the work of s an evangelist, t fulfill your ministry.
6[†]For u I am already being poured out as a drink offering, and the time of my v departure has come. 7[†] w I have fought the good fight, x I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. 8[†]Henceforth there is y laid up for me z the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, a the righteous judge, will award to me on b that Day, and not only to me but also to all c who have loved his appearing.
9[†] d Do your best to come to me soon. 10[†]For e Demas, f in love with g this present world, h has deserted me and gone to Thessalonica. Crescens has gone to Galatia, i Titus to Dalmatia. 11[†] h Luke alone is with me. Get j Mark and bring him with you, for he is very useful to me for ministry. 12 k Tychicus I have sent to Ephesus. 13[†]When you come, bring the cloak that I left with Carpus at Troas, also the books, and above all the parchments. 14[†] l Alexander the coppersmith did me great harm; m the Lord will repay him according to his deeds. 15Beware of him yourself, for he strongly opposed our message. 16[†]At my first defense no one came to stand by me, but all deserted me. n May it not be charged against them! 17[†]But o the Lord stood by me and p strengthened me, so that through me the message might be fully proclaimed and q all the Gentiles might hear it. So r I was rescued s from the lion’s mouth. 18[†]The Lord will rescue me from every evil deed and bring me safely into his heavenly kingdom. t To him be the glory forever and ever. Amen.
19[†]Greet u Prisca and Aquila, and v the household of Onesiphorus. 20[†]Erastus remained at Corinth, and I left w Trophimus, who was ill, at Miletus. 21[†] x Do your best to come before winter. Eubulus sends greetings to you, as do Pudens and Linus and Claudia and all the brothers.
22[†]The Lord be y with your spirit. z Grace be with you.
2 TIMOTHY—NOTE ON 4:8 crown of righteousness. One interpretation holds that this means “the crown that consists of righteousness,” referring to the final righteous state of believers. Another interpretation is “the crown that is the reward for righteousness,” that is, a victory crown (this is the meaning of Gk. stephanos, “crown,” and fits with v. 7). If this crown is understood as a reward for Paul’s perseverance, this would be in accord with a common theme in Paul’s epistles (e.g., 1 Cor. 3:14; Col. 3:24) and in the NT more generally (e.g., Matt. 5:12, 46; 6:1–6, 16–18; 10:41–42; Heb. 10:35; 11:26; 2 John 8). It is clear, though, that the rewarded behavior is possible only because of grace (Phil. 2:13). On either interpretation, Christ will give a crown not only to Paul but to all who have loved his appearing, meaning all true believers who set their heart on the return of Christ. Hoping for Christ’s return is an essential element of perseverance (contrast Demas, 2 Tim. 4:10; cf. Titus 2:13).
2 TIMOTHY—NOTE ON 4:17 But the Lord stood by me recalls the Lord’s promise that he will never “leave or forsake” his children (Deut. 31:6, 8; Josh. 1:5; 1 Chron. 28:20; Heb. 13:5). And strengthened me recalls Paul’s confidence in the sufficiency of God’s power and strength, which is “made perfect in weakness” (2 Cor. 12:8, 9). The result of God strengthening Paul is that the message of the gospel would be fully proclaimed through Paul, so that all the Gentiles might hear it, signifying that Paul has “finished the race” (2 Tim. 4:7) and completed the mission and calling that God had entrusted to him. Deliverance from the lion’s mouth was a common biblical metaphor for rescue from great danger (cf. Ps. 22:21; Dan. 6:22; Heb. 11:33), and here it probably means Paul was not put to death immediately after his trial (2 Tim. 4:16).
2 TIMOTHY—NOTE ON 4:11 Despite his earlier disapproval of Mark (Acts 15:36–40), Paul now desires Mark’s presence and considers him useful … for ministry. Clearly, Mark has by now demonstrated his effectiveness and commitment as a missionary pioneer.
2 TIMOTHY—NOTE ON 4:20 Trophimus, who was ill. Even Paul, with his apostolic gifts (cf. Acts 19:11–12; 2 Cor. 12:12), was not always empowered to heal. Christians today should pray earnestly for physical healing, but God is still sovereign in whether he grants healing in each specific case.
2 TIMOTHY—NOTE ON 4:1–8 The Ultimate Charge. Having just reminded Timothy of his early training in Scripture and of the power and divine origin of Scripture (3:15–17), Paul exhorts him to preach this word (4:2ff.). Chapter 3 ends with a reference to being competent and equipped, and 4:1–8 then describes the specific “good work” of leadership that Timothy is now to show himself competent to do: vv. 1–2 present the charge, followed by the reason why this is necessary (vv. 3–4); v. 5 returns to the charge in contrast to the evil of the current situation; and in vv. 6–8 Paul provides another example, heightening the seriousness of his charge with a reminder that his death is imminent.
2 TIMOTHY—NOTE ON 4:1 Paul places his charge to Timothy in solemn eschatological perspective by reminding him that he conducts himself under the gaze of God and Christ, that Christ (not those around him, whether opponents or faithful believers) is the one who will judge him, and that Christ will certainly return (his appearing). Christ’s kingdom is then the ultimate reality with which Timothy should be concerned.
2 TIMOTHY—NOTE ON 4:14 The Alexander mentioned here cannot be identified with certainty. He may or may not be the same Alexander that Paul mentions in 1 Tim. 1:20 as one who has been excommunicated. If he is the same person, he may still have been in Ephesus causing trouble. However, since he is identified as a coppersmith and there is evidence of a guild of coppersmiths in Troas, this may be a different man living in Troas. This would explain his mention here after Paul has asked Timothy to collect his cloak in Troas (2 Tim. 4:13).
2 TIMOTHY—NOTE ON 4:5 the work of an evangelist. The full scope of “evangelist” is not made explicit here or elsewhere in Scripture. Paul instructs Timothy in terms of the “gospel” (cf. 1 Tim. 1:11; 2 Tim. 1:8, 10; 2:8), which certainly includes proclamation to the unconverted, i.e., the continuation of Paul’s mission to the Gentiles. However, Paul does not typically distinguish between “evangelism” and “discipleship” (see note on 2 Tim. 4:2).
2 TIMOTHY—NOTE ON 4:4 Driven by their own desires, people will readily accept fanciful myths (see note on 1 Tim. 1:4) rather than the truth.
2 TIMOTHY—NOTE ON 4:16 first defense. Paul’s preliminary hearing before Caesar during his second imprisonment. May it not be charged against them! In his extension of forgiveness to those who abandoned him, Paul is following the teaching and model of Jesus (Luke 23:34); the practice of Stephen, whom Paul saw die (Acts 7:60); and his own teaching (1 Cor. 13:5).
2 TIMOTHY—NOTE ON 4:13 cloak. A heavy coat that would be especially important in the winter (see v. 21). Books refers to scrolls made of papyrus, while parchments would be vellum sheets made of animal skins. The papyrus scrolls may have included writing materials, official documents, or Paul’s personal correspondence. It seems most likely that the parchments would have been books of some kind. In any case, although Paul is expecting to die soon, he is still concerned about getting his “books [and] parchments,” so that he can continue to work for the sake of the gospel.
2 TIMOTHY—NOTE ON 4:2 The charge itself is spelled out in five imperative verbs (with four more in v. 5). Preach the word refers back to “Scripture” (see 3:16) and thus includes proclaiming the “good news” of the gospel in a broad, biblically anchored sense. “Gospel” for Paul is not only an evangelistic presentation; the gospel is the core message (found in the whole of Scripture; cf. 3:16) which can be applied to unbelievers (a call to faith) or to believers (a call to continue to believe in and live out the implications of this message). Thus, the way to preach the gospel is by expounding the Scriptures. be ready in season and out of season. When it is convenient and when it is inconvenient. Reprove, rebuke, and exhort means the communicating of all that Scripture includes—doctrine, instruction, correction, and encouragement. Patience in such teaching is again encouraged (see 2:24–26).
2 TIMOTHY—NOTE ON 4:10 In contrast to Paul, who is persevering in spite of suffering (1:11–12; 2:8–13) because he has an eternal perspective (4:6–8), Demas (cf. Col. 4:14; Philem. 24) abandoned Paul because he loved this present world.
2 TIMOTHY—NOTE ON 4:7 I have fought the good fight. Using athletic imagery (as is typical of Paul; cf. 1 Cor. 9:24–27; Phil. 3:14), he affirms at the close of his life that he has engaged himself in the one event truly worth one’s life (i.e., the gospel mission). Some have objected that Paul’s statement sounds prideful. But there is no claim of personal glory here. Paul is simply saying that he has finally completed the course God ordained for him (see Acts 20:24). He has done, clearly by God’s grace (1 Cor. 15:10), what he is exhorting Timothy to do (2 Tim. 4:5). See note on 1 Cor. 4:16.
2 TIMOTHY—NOTE ON 4:18 will rescue me. An assurance of ultimate well-being, not an assurance of release from his present danger. Paul entirely expects execution, but even through death God will bring him safely into his heavenly kingdom (cf. Luke 21:16–19).
2 TIMOTHY—NOTE ON 4:21 Travel in the Mediterranean was basically suspended during winter due to dangerous conditions by both land and sea. If his trip to Rome was not completed before then, Timothy would not be able to come “soon” (v. 9).
2 TIMOTHY—NOTE ON 4:3 the time is coming. Since Paul exhorts Timothy on how to respond when these things occur, it is apparent that he is not referring merely to some time in the distant future but to a situation he expects Timothy to face (or to be already facing; see 3:1; 1 Tim. 4:1–3). Itching ears indicates a yearning for novelty that results in a pursuit of teachers who will tell people what they want to hear (to suit their own passions) instead of orthodox teachers like Timothy.