Paragraph 1:15–18

In this paragraph Paul temporarily stopped giving instructions to Timothy and wrote about several people whom he had previously considered to be his friends. It is probable that these people lived in the province of Asia and that Timothy knew them. Paul contrasted a faithful friend named Onesiphorus with the people who had abandoned him.

1:15a

You know: Paul changed his theme here. He used the clause that the Berean Standard Bible translates as You know instead of a conjunction to indicate this change of theme. In some languages there is a word or part of a word that indicates a change in theme. In other languages this may be a phrase, or a clause or even a whole sentence. Make sure your translation indicates Paul’s change in theme here in the way that your language signals a change in the theme.

that: In the Greek text, a word that means “this” immediately follows the verb You know. It emphasizes what Paul was sure that Timothy already knew.

everyone: In this context, the word everyone is an exaggeration. It does not literally mean that all the people who lived in the province of Asia abandoned Paul. It refers here to a number of Christians whom Paul had considered to be his friends, or possibly to be followers of what he taught. He had depended on these people to help him.

This type of exaggeration is common in many languages. However, if people understand this word literally, then you may have to say something like “many believers.”

the Province of Asia: Asia was the name of a province of the Roman Empire. It was not the present day continent of Asia. The Province of Asia was a part of the country that people now call Turkey. Ephesus was the capital city of the Province of Asia, and it was the city where Timothy lived and served as a church leader.

1:15b

has deserted me: Commentators believe that the Greek verb that the Berean Standard Bible translates as has deserted refers to one of two things:

(1) A general situation. Paul may have been thinking that people had left or abandoned him in the sense that they no longer accepted him as their leader. Or perhaps Paul was referring to those who had accepted his message at first but later turned away.

(2) A specific occasion. Paul may have been thinking of a specific time when the people of the province of Asia deserted him. Perhaps they did not visit him when he was in prison or support him when he was on trial. (See 4:16.)

We cannot be sure which of these Paul was referring to, so you should not try to make either one explicit in your translation. Use a general verb such as “abandon” or one whose meaning could include or refer to as many of these situations as possible.

1:15c

including Phygelus and Hermogenes: Phygelus and Hermogenes were the names of two men. Paul probably thought that these two men would continue to be his friends and to help him, but they did not. He mentioned them by name because Timothy knew who they were.

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All Scripture quotations in this publication, unless otherwise indicated, are from The Holy Bible, Berean Standard Bible. BSB is produced in cooperation with Bible Hub, Discovery Bible, OpenBible.com, and the Berean Bible Translation Committee.