SIL Translator’s Notes on 2 Timothy 2003 – Page 6

SIL Translator's Notes on 2 Timothy 1:16

1:16–18

These verses (1:16–18) are one long sentence in the original text. It will probably be necessary for you to divide it into several sentences, as the Display does.

1:16a

the Lord: Here the Lord refers to “the Lord Jesus Christ.”

mercy: The word mercy means “to be kind,” “to help,” or “to have pity on.”

the household of Onesiphorus: The word household here refers to all the people who lived in Onesiphorus’s house as part of his family.

Onesiphorus: Onesiphorus was the name of another man. He was a faithful friend to Paul. Paul was contrasting his conduct with the conduct of the people whom he had mentioned in 1:15. The second Meaning Line of the Display for 1:16a includes a sentence that explicitly shows this contrast.

1:16b

because he has often refreshed me: The word refreshed probably refers to ways Onesiphorus encouraged Paul while Paul was in prison. It may have included visiting him, bringing him food and being kind to him in other ways. You may have a figure of speech in your language for the word “refresh” that will convey what Paul meant here.

1:16c

and was unashamed of my chains: The Berean Standard Bible literally translates the Greek word for chains. In those days people punished criminals by putting them in prison and fastening metal chains to or between their hands and feet. They did this to prevent the criminals from moving around and finding a way to escape. So chains is a figure of speech meaning that Paul was in prison.

In many languages, it will be necessary not to use this figure of speech but rather follow the Good News Translation, which says:

He was not ashamed that I am in prison

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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.

SIL Translator's Notes on 2 Timothy 1:15

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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SIL Translator's Notes on 2 Timothy 1:14

1:14a

Guard: The word Guard here means to “defend against attack.”

the treasure entrusted to you: The words treasure entrusted to you are a translation of one Greek word. This is the same Greek word that Paul used in 1:12d. This word usually refers to money or land that a person entrusted to another person to keep safe. Here Paul used the word treasure to refer to the good news about Jesus Christ. Paul combined these two ideas to tell Timothy to “defend the gospel against attack from enemies.”

1:14b

with the help of the Holy Spirit who dwells in us: Paul told Timothy how he was to protect the true message. Timothy was going to be able to protect the message because he had the Holy Spirit living in him just as Paul did. The Holy Spirit would help him.

with the help of the Holy Spirit: This phrase explains how Paul wanted Timothy to guard the treasure that was entrusted to him. It means, “guard with the help of the Holy Spirit.” This is why the New International Version (2011 Revision) adds the word “guard” in 1:14b. You should do what is more natural in your language—one longer sentence (see Berean Standard Bible, Revised Standard Version, Good News Translation), or two shorter clauses or sentences with the verb repeated.

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SIL Translator's Notes on 2 Timothy 1:13

Paragraph 1:13–14

1:13 and 1:14 express similar ideas. Paul instructed Timothy in both verses to protect, guard, and preserve the true doctrine of the gospel.

1:13a

Hold on to the pattern of sound teaching you have heard from me: Paul had taught Timothy the correct and complete gospel message. Here, he was telling Timothy to remember what he had taught him and to preserve it as the model of true doctrine.

Hold on to: Here, the phrase Hold on to means to “keep” or “preserve.” It is parallel to the word “guard” in 1:14. Hold on to implies holding on to something so that it will not be changed or lost.

pattern: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as pattern only occurs in the New Testament here and in 1 Timothy 1:16. Other meanings for pattern are “model” or “example.”

In the Greek sentence, pattern occurs before the verb keep. This emphasizes this noun.

In this context, the word pattern refers to an abstract idea. It may be necessary for you to use a phrase or a clause to express this idea. Here is one way you might translate this:

The things that you have heard from me are worthy to be followed / imitated. Keep/Preserve/Hold on to this sound teaching.

sound teaching: This phrase in Greek is literally “healthy words.” Paul was talking about true and correct doctrine, or a true and correct set of beliefs. This true and correct doctrine is the message that Paul preached to tell people that God saves them by means of Jesus Christ.

you have heard from me: The phrase you have heard from me is the direct object of the verb hold. Good News Translation expresses this clearly: “Hold firmly to the true words that I taught you.”

General Comment on 1:13a

Some English translations imply that Paul was instructing Timothy to follow his example by teaching the same things that he taught. While this may be implied, you should not make this explicit in your translation. The emphasis here is on preserving correct doctrine, not on teaching it.

1:13b

with the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus: Scholars do not agree about whether this phrase modifies the previous clause or whether it is a separate instruction. So this phrase can be understood in the following two ways:

(1) It tells how Timothy was to “hold on to [what he heard from Paul] as the pattern of sound teaching.” For example, God’s Word says:

With faith and love for Christ Jesus, consider what you heard me say to be the pattern of accurate teachings.

See also Berean Standard Bible, New International Version (2011 Revision), Revised Standard Version, NET Bible, Revised English Bible.

(2) It is a separate instruction. For example, Good News Translation says:

and remain in the faith and love that are ours in union with Christ Jesus.

See also New Living Translation (2004 Revision), Contemporary English Version.

It is recommended that you follow interpretation (1) as the majority of English versions do.

the faith and love: If you want to translate these two nouns as verbs, you can say, “to believe in Jesus and to love others.”

in Christ Jesus: The phrase in Christ Jesus means “to be united with Christ Jesus.” Paul told Timothy to continue to believe in Jesus and to love others because Timothy was united with Jesus.

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SIL Translator's Notes on 2 Timothy 1:12

1:12a

I suffer as I do: The clause that the Berean Standard Bible translates as I suffer as I do is literally “I am suffering these things.” The phrase “these things” refers to the difficulties that Paul experienced when he was in prison.

1:12b

I am not ashamed: Paul leaves implicit what he is ashamed of. You may need to make this explicit and say, “Yet I am not ashamed of being in prison for Christ’s sake.” The word that Paul used here for I am not ashamed is the same Greek word that he used in Romans 1:16.

1:12c

for I know whom I have believed: Verse parts 1:12c and 1:12d contain two reasons why Paul was not ashamed of being in prison. The first reason (1:12c) that he was not ashamed was because he believed/trusted in Jesus Christ and he knew that Jesus was God.

1:12d

and I am convinced that He is able to guard…for that day: This is the second reason Paul was not ashamed. Paul was not free to travel about and preach. But he was convinced that Christ would ensure that the good news would continue to be proclaimed until the day Christ returns.

for that day: This refers to the day when Christ will return and judge all people.

Some ways to translate this phrase are “until the judgment day” or “until Christ returns.”

what I have entrusted to Him: There are two translation issues you must address before you can translate this verse.

Issue 1: The Greek phrase that the Berean Standard Bible translates as what I have entrusted to Him is literally “my deposit.” In Greek, it is not clear in what sense the deposit was Paul’s. There are two possibilities:

(1) It was Paul’s deposit because Christ entrusted the deposit to Paul. For example, Good News Translation says:

what he has entrusted to me.

See also Revised Standard Version, NET Bible, Revised English Bible, God’s Word, Contemporary English Version, Phillips’ New Testament in Modern English, New Century Version.

(2) It was Paul’s deposit because Paul entrusted the deposit to Christ. For example, the New Living Translation (2004 Revision) says:

what I have entrusted to him.

See also Berean Standard Bible, New International Version (2011 Revision), New Revised Standard Version, New American Standard Bible, King James Version, New Jerusalem Bible.

It is recommended that you follow interpretation (1) for the following reason. The same word for “deposit” that appears here also appears in 1:14 and in 1 Timothy 6:20. In these other two contexts, the word clearly means something that God had entrusted to Timothy. For this reason, the versions listed under interpretation (1) above interpret “my deposit” here as something that the Lord had entrusted to Paul.

However, interpretation (2) also has strong support among the major English translations. If the major language version in your area follows interpretation (2), then you may prefer to choose it. If so, you could say,

I am convinced that Christ is able to keep safe what I have entrusted to him until the day he returns.

Whichever interpretation you choose to follow, it is recommended that you write a footnote to explain the alternative interpretation.

Issue 2: The second issue is what the deposit refers to. If you do not need to make this explicit, you can follow the Good News Translation and say:

I am sure that he is able to keep safe until that Day what he has entrusted to me.

If you need to make explicit what the deposit is, read below.

(1) If you follow interpretation (1) above, then the deposit was probably the gospel itself, which was what Paul preached and taught. (Perhaps the deposit also included the people who had believed as a result of Paul’s preaching the gospel. Paul believed that God had told him to care for these people. He was sure that even after he died, true believers would continue to preach the gospel message to others and God would protect the people who had believed.) If you follow this interpretation, you could say:

I am convinced that Christ is able to keep safe the gospel message until the day he returns.

(2) If you follow interpretation (2), then the deposit was probably Paul’s life or his service to Christ. If you follow this interpretation you could say:

I am convinced that Christ is able to protect my service/life that I have given to him until the day he returns.

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SIL Translator's Notes on 2 Timothy 2:3

Paragraph 2:3–7

In this paragraph Paul compared Christians to three types of people in order to give Timothy three different instructions.

(a) As a soldier endures hardship, endure hardship for the Lord.

(b) As an athlete is self-disciplined, be self-disciplined.

In 2:3 Paul explicitly stated one of the two main themes of the letter. That theme is that a Christian who wants to serve the Lord must be like a loyal soldier. He must be willing to endure suffering.

2:3a

Join me in suffering: This clause is translated from one Greek verb that means, “to endure hardship with” or “to join/share in suffering.” In Greek, the verb has no explicit object, that is, it does not say with whom Timothy should suffer. Because of this, English versions differ in how they translate this verb:

(1) Many English versions also leave the object implicit and use a clause that does not require an object. For example, the Contemporary English Version says:

Endure your share of suffering….

See also Revised Standard Version, Good News Translation, Phillips’ New Testament in Modern English, NET Bible, Revised English Bible, New Jerusalem Bible.

(2) Some versions supply the object “us.” That is, Paul was telling Timothy to share in the suffering he and other believers were enduring. So the New International Version (2011 Revision) says:

Endure hardship with us

SIL Translator's Notes on 2 Timothy 1:10

1:10a

And now He has revealed this grace: Scholars have different opinions about the way the clause now He has revealed relates to “before time began” in 1:9e. The Greek is ambiguous. There are two points of view about how these two periods of time relate to each other.

(1) Some scholars say that the two clauses should be connected with an and. They believe that 1:10a expresses the next step in God’s plan of grace. For example, the New Living Translation (2004 Revision) says:

And now he has made all of this plain to us….

See also Berean Standard Bible, Revised Standard Version, Revised English Bible, LSA.

(2) Other scholars say that the two clauses should be connected with a but. They believe that 1:10a expresses a contrast in time with 1:9e. For example, the New Century Version says:

but it is now shown to us…

See also New International Version (2011 Revision), Good News Translation, NET Bible, New American Standard Bible, King James Version, New Jerusalem Bible.

It is recommended that you follow interpretation (1). However, interpretation (2) also has much support. If the major language version in your area follows interpretation (2), you may want to follow interpretation (2) instead.

this grace: Grace continues to be the subject in 1:10a. God has revealed/shown to us his grace through the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ.

1:10b

through the appearing of our Savior, Christ Jesus: The phrase the appearing of our Savior refers to all that Jesus did while he lived on the earth. It includes Jesus’ death and rising again.

our Savior, Christ Jesus: This is the only time in the New Testament Greek text that these three names occur in this order. In other places in the New Testament text, the order of this phrase is always “(our) Savior Jesus Christ.” It is recommended that you retain the same order for Christ Jesus here as you used in 1:1a.

Savior: Savior here means “one who saves/rescues someone from spiritual and eternal danger.”

1:10c

who has abolished death: Paul spoke of death as something that Christ abolished/destroyed/defeated. Not all languages speak about death this way. You need to translate this to show that the effects of death are ended. Physically, the bodies of Christians will be raised to life when Christ returns. Spiritually, Christians do not die. They go to be with Christ (Philippians 1:23).

Another way to say this is:

He has ended the power of death (Good News Translation).

1:10d

and illuminated the way to life and immortality through the gospel: “Our Savior, Christ Jesus” (1:10b) continues to be the subject here. (Because of the presence of the Greek word men in v.10c, consultants should check that v.10d has received at least as much prominence as 10c, preferably more.)

illuminated the way: The phrase that the Berean Standard Bible translates as illuminated the way is a metaphor that means “to show” or “to reveal.” Christ has allowed us to “see/know/experience” life and immortality.

life and immortality: In this phrase the word immortality describes life. Together these two terms mean “a (spiritual) life that lasts forever.” Two possible ways to translate this are:

immortal life (Good News Translation)
-or-
everlasting life (New Living Translation (2004 Revision))

through the gospel: The gospel message (or good news) was the means that Christ (and his followers) used to tell human beings that he had given them everlasting life.

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SIL Translator's Notes on 2 Timothy 1:9

1:9–11

In 1:9–11 Paul reviewed the chief points of the gospel. He talked about several distinct thoughts here. It will probably be necessary for you to put these thoughts in separate sentences. Good News Translation begins a new sentence at 1:9, with God as the subject of the verb.

1:9a

He has saved us: God has saved us from eternal death.

1:9b

and called us to a holy calling: A literal translation of this clause is: “and having called us with/to a holy calling.” Because the Greek preposition in this clause may be translated as either “with” or “to,” there are two ways to interpret this part of the verse:

(1) God called us “to a holy calling.” According to this interpretation, the term “holy calling” refers to what God called us to. For example, God’s Word says:

God saved us and called us to be holy….

See also Berean Standard Bible, New International Version (2011 Revision), Good News Translation, Revised English Bible, New Jerusalem Bible, New Living Translation (2004 Revision), Phillips’ New Testament in Modern English, New Living Translation (2004 Revision), Contemporary English Version, Phillips’ New Testament in Modern English, New Century Version.

(2) God called us “with/by-means-of a holy calling.” According to this interpretation, the term “holy calling” is a description of the way that God called us. For example the NET Bible says:

He is the one who saved us and called us with a holy calling….

See also Revised Standard Version, New American Standard Bible, King James Version.

It is recommended that you follow interpretation (1). There are several translation possibilities for this interpretation. These are discussed below.

called: The word called is used in a special sense here. It means “summoned” or “chosen” (New Living Translation (2004 Revision), Contemporary English Version), or “invited.” Do not use a word that only refers to someone “calling loudly.”

a holy calling: Following interpretation (1) above, you can translate holy calling as:

God called us to live a holy life.
-or-
God called us to be his holy people.
-or-
God called us to be holy.

1:9c

not because of our works: This clause refers back to the two verbs in 1:9a–b. That is, “He (God) saved us and called/chose us^(incl) .” He did all of this for us even though we had not done anything to deserve it.

our works: This refers to the acts or deeds that we have done, and the way we have behaved.

1:9d

but by His own purpose and by the grace: This phrase explains the reason for which God saved us and chose us to be his holy people. As in 1:9c, the phrase that follows by depends on the verbs that are in 1:9a–b. Therefore, in 1:9a–d Paul was saying that God saved us and called us because he planned to do these things.

purpose and by the grace: The words purpose and grace are abstract nouns. It may be necessary in your language to use verbs rather than nouns to express these concepts. In this context, purpose refers to what God planned to do and grace means that God favors people or is kind to people even though they do not deserve it.

General Comment on 1:9a–d

In some languages it may be more natural to break 1:9a–d into several sentences and/or to reverse the order of 1:9c and 1:9d as follows:

God saved us and called us to live a holy life. He did this because of his own purpose and grace. He did not do this because we have done anything to deserve it.

1:9e

the grace He granted us: The clause the grace He granted us means “God was kind to us even though we did not deserve it.”

in Christ Jesus: This phrase tells how God was kind to us. He planned to save us from eternal death by means of Jesus Christ dying for us on the cross.

before time began: God planned this long ago. He planned it even before he made the world or created any human being.

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Source: SIL Translator's Notes on 2 Timothy 2003

SIL Translator's Notes on 2 Timothy 1:16

SIL Translator's Notes on 2 Timothy 1:15

SIL Translator's Notes on 2 Timothy 1:14

SIL Translator's Notes on 2 Timothy 1:13

SIL Translator's Notes on 2 Timothy 1:12

SIL Translator's Notes on 2 Timothy 2:3

SIL Translator's Notes on 2 Timothy 1:10

SIL Translator's Notes on 2 Timothy 1:9

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