SIL Translator’s Notes on 2 Timothy 2003 – Page 9

SIL Translator's Notes on 2 Timothy 2:10

2:10a

For this reason I endure all things: The phrase For this reason indicates that 2:10a is the result of 2:9c. Because God’s word was not chained, Paul was willing to endure suffering so that other people could hear the good news about Jesus Christ and believe in him.

all things: The words all things refers to what Paul suffered. He was saying that he would endure whatever suffering he might have to. He would do this so that the people God had chosen could know Jesus.

2:10b

the elect: The elect refers to the people that God has chosen to believe in him and be his special people. It is a key term and a phrase that Paul often used. In translating it, use the same expression as in Matthew 24:24; Luke 18:7; Ephesians 1:4 and Titus 1:1. Some translation possibilities are:

God’s chosen people
-or-
the people God has chosen to be his own/special people
-or-
the people whom God has chosen to follow him

2:10c

so that they too may obtain the salvation that is in Christ Jesus: God has elected/chosen many people to belong to him. However, in order for them to belong to him (in other words, to become Christians), they must still hear the gospel and believe in Christ. Paul may have been tempted to stop preaching the gospel because of his suffering. But in this clause he told Timothy the reason he would not stop: he was committed to help people to believe in Christ.

they too: The word too refers back to the fact that Paul was saved. Paul said that he endured suffering so that the elect may “also” be saved, just as he was saved.

obtain the salvation: The clause obtain the salvation is another way of saying “be saved.” For example, the Contemporary English Version says, “Then God’s special people will be saved.” The Greek text does not indicate whether it is God or Christ Jesus who saves. If you must make this explicit, use Christ Jesus, as in the Display.

in Christ Jesus: In this verse, the phrase in Christ Jesus goes with the word salvation. Some ways of translating the entire phrase are:

salvation that they will receive by believing in Christ Jesus.
-or-
salvation that Christ Jesus gives to all people who believe.
-or-
Christ Jesus may save them.

2:10d

with eternal glory: The phrase with eternal glory refers to the honor and splendor of eternal life when we will be in the presence of God forever.

General Comment on 2:10c–d

English versions vary widely in how they connect eternal glory to the rest of the verse. The Berean Standard Bible is difficult to understand here. Therefore it is recommended that you follow one of these three translations:

they also may obtain salvation in Christ Jesus with its eternal glory (Revised Standard Version).
-or-
salvation that comes through Christ Jesus and brings eternal glory (Good News Translation).

Section 2:14–26

Timothy should be a workman who pleases God

Paragraph 2:14–19

Paul was writing only to Timothy here, so the verbs are singular.

2:14a

Remind: The form of the Greek verb that the Berean Standard Bible translates as Remind indicates that Paul was asking Timothy to never stop reminding the believers about these things.

the believers: The word believers refers to the entire group of believers in Ephesus and across the province of Asia.

these things: The phrase these things refers back to what Paul had already said, and not to the text that follows. However, Bible scholars are not certain how many of the previous verses Paul was referring to here. He was referring at least to the hymn in 2:11–13. He may also have been referring to all that he had written up to this point. It is best to translate in a general sense so that 2:14a is not limited to any specific thing that Paul mentioned earlier in this letter.

2:14b

charging them before God: This phrase is similar to the wording in 1 Timothy 5:21.

before God: This phrase means “in the presence of God.” It is a type of oath that Paul and other people normally used to emphasize that what they said was true. (See Galatians 1:20.) Here, however, Paul instructed Timothy to use this phrase when he talked to the believers in order to emphasize how important his warning was. See the Display for an example of translating this as direct speech.

Some other ways to translate this phrase are:

with God as your witness (Contemporary English Version)
-or-
in the name of God (New Jerusalem Bible)

God: There is a textual issue here.

(1) Some Greek manuscripts have God. These manuscripts are followed by the Berean Standard Bible, New International Version (2011 Revision), Good News Translation, New Revised Standard Version, New Jerusalem Bible, God’s Word, New Living Translation (2004 Revision), Contemporary English Version, Phillips’ New Testament in Modern English, New Century Version, NET Bible, New American Standard Bible, and Revised English Bible.

(2) Other Greek manuscripts have Lord. These manuscripts are followed by the Revised Standard Version and King James Version.

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

2:14c

quarreling over words: The verb phrase quarreling over words is a translation of a single Greek verb. It means, “to strongly disagree about the meaning of words and the proper way to use them.” Paul warned Timothy in a similar way in 1 Timothy 6:4.

Paul could have been referring to the small details of words that do not change the meaning of doctrines. Or he may have been referring to myths, genealogies, and other cultural ideas that he mentioned in 1 Timothy 1:4 and 4:7.

2:14d

(New American Standard Bible) which is useless: When people argued over unimportant differences in meaning, it would not help those who were listening to better understand the word of God. Such arguments were useless.

A literal translation of this phrase from Greek into English is “for nothing useful/beneficial.” The phrase “for nothing” occurs before the word “useful.” This gives “for nothing” extra emphasis. One way to show this emphasis in English would be to say “no good at all.”

2:14e

(New American Standard Bible) in leading the listeners to ruin: The people who argued about differences in meaning that were not important might confuse the people who listened to them. This confusion could ruin the listeners’ faith.

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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 2:9

2:9a

for: There are several ways to show the relationship between 2:8d and 2:9a. Good News Translation uses one of the most common ways by repeating some form of 2:8d “the gospel that I preach” at the beginning of 2:9a. This way is followed in the Display. (See also God’s Word, New Living Translation (2004 Revision), Contemporary English Version, Phillips’ New Testament in Modern English.)

which I suffer: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as suffer is related to the word translated “endure hardship” in 2:3a. It is a general word that can include all of the things Paul had endured because people tried to stop him from preaching the good news about Jesus Christ. In particular, at this time, Paul was suffering because he was in prison.

2:9b

to the extent of being chained like a criminal: In those days people punished criminals by 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 from the prison. Paul mentioned the chains earlier in 1:16c.

2:9c

But: The Greek conjunction alla, which the Berean Standard Bible translates here as But, signals a strong contrast between Paul’s situation and God’s word. If your language uses a word in addition to “but” to mark such a contrast, you may want to use it here. Some ways of showing this contrast in English are:

But God’s word, in contrast…
-or-
But as for God’s word….

the word of God cannot be chained!: This clause is a figure of speech. Paul meant that God’s word would continue to be preached. Even though Paul himself could not travel around to preach God’s word because chains held him, other Christians who were not in prison would continue to tell people the good news and teach the word of God. Neither chains nor any other thing could stop God’s word from being preached.

General Comment on 2:9b–c

Some ways to translate 2:9b and 2:9c are:

• Use the word “chain” in both. For example:

They chained me like a criminal, but they cannot chain God’s word.

• Use the word “prison” in both. For example:

I am in prison like a criminal, but God’s word is not in prison.

• Replace the figure of speech with the direct meaning. For example:

I am chained like a criminal and cannot preach God’s word, but others will preach God’s word

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SIL Translator's Notes on 2 Timothy 2:8

Paragraph 2:8–13

Paul continued his letter by reminding Timothy to endure suffering. He reminded Timothy that Jesus suffered and that Paul himself was suffering.

2:8a

Remember: The form of the Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as Remember contains the meaning of doing something continually. So, in this context, it means, “to continue to think about.” God’s Word expresses this clearly:

Always think about Jesus Christ.

Paul was not implying that Timothy might forget Jesus or facts about him. He wanted to remind Timothy to think about Jesus Christ continually.

Jesus Christ: This is one of the few places in Paul’s letters to Timothy that the order of the names is Jesus Christ instead of Christ Jesus. It is recommended that you keep the same order as in the Greek and the Berean Standard Bible. See the discussion on the order in 1:1a.

2:8b

raised from the dead: This is a passive clause. In some languages, it may be necessary to say, “whom God raised from the dead” or “whom God caused to live again.”

2:8c

descended from David: One of Jesus’ ancestors was King David. It was especially important to the Jews that Jesus was a descendant of David, because they knew that the Messiah would be a “descendant (son) of David.”

General Comment on 2:8b–c

In some languages, it may be necessary to reverse the order of 2:8b and 2:8c so that they are in chronological order. This would read as:

^8cHe was descended from David and ^8bhe was raised from the dead.

2:8d

as proclaimed by my gospel: The phrase my gospel refers to the message that Paul preached about Jesus. By using the phrase my gospel Paul did not mean that the gospel belonged to him or that it originated from him. In some languages, it may be necessary to say “this is the message that I preached.”

General Comment on 2:8

The second theme of this letter is that Timothy should faithfully preach the true message about Jesus Christ and not allow other teachings to contradict it or to take its place. In the congregation in Ephesus, some who said they were believers were trying to teach a different message. (See 2:14–18.)

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SIL Translator's Notes on 2 Timothy 2:7

2:7a

Consider what I am saying: Paul told Timothy to Consider or “think about” the meaning of the three comparisons in 2:4–6. In some languages it may be more natural to start this command with Timothy’s name. For example, “Timothy, think about what I am saying.”

2:7b

for the Lord will give you insight into all things: By thinking about the soldier, the athlete, and the farmer, the Lord would help Timothy understand Paul’s illustrations. Timothy would also understand how to apply to his own ministry the lessons he learned from these comparisons.

for: The conjunction for connects 2:7a and 2:7b. This is the first word of the clause that contains the reason why Timothy was to think about what Paul was saying.

the Lord: Here the Lord refers to the Lord God.

insight: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as insight also means “understanding.” This is the way most other English versions translate this word.

General Comment on 2:7a–b

Here are some other ways to translate 2:7a–b:

If you reflect on what I am saying, the Lord will help you understand all this.
-or-
Reflect on what I am saying, and the Lord will help you understand all this.

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SIL Translator's Notes on 2 Timothy 2:6

2:6a

The hardworking farmer: This verse has a third comparison. In this verse Paul compared a person who serves God to a farmer. A farmer must work hard if he wants to have good crops. In the same way, Timothy would have to work hard serving God if he wanted to receive a reward from God.

Paul was speaking in a general way about farmers. He was not talking about a specific farmer. In some languages, people do not use a definite article like the English word “the” unless they are referring to a specific person. If your language is like that, you could say “a farmer who works hard….”

2:6b

should be the first to partake of the crops: There are two ways to interpret the word first.

(1) It refers to the farmer. The hardworking farmer should be the first person to receive some of the harvest. For example, the New Century Version says:

The farmer who works hard should be the first person to get some of the food that was grown.

See also Berean Standard Bible, New International Version (2011 Revision), New Living Translation (2004 Revision), Contemporary English Version, New American Standard Bible, King James Version.

(2) It refers to the harvest/crop. The hardworking farmer should receive the first portion of the harvest. For example, Good News Translation says:

The farmer who has done the hard work should have the first share of the harvest.

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

It is recommended that you follow interpretation (1).

the crops: The phrase the crops refers to the food that the farmer gathers/harvests. It is a general word referring to the harvest of any fruit, vegetable, or grain that someone has planted.

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SIL Translator's Notes on 2 Timothy 2:5

2:5a

Likewise, a competitor: In this verse Paul compared Christians to athletes. Just as an athletic competitor has to follow rules when he plays a game, so Christ has given believers rules regarding their behavior. Paul made this comparison to remind Timothy that he should follow all these rules.

Likewise: The common combination of Greek conjunctions de kai (“and also”) connects 2:4 and 2:5. The Berean Standard Bible translates this phrase with the word Likewise to show that Paul was using another example to illustrate his point. Another way to show this connection is with the word “also,” as the NET Bible, New American Standard Bible, and New Century Version have done.

a competitor: This phrase is the translation of the Greek verb athleō. The English word “athlete” comes from this verb. It means “to compete in a contest.” This verb implies that the athlete is not merely playing a game for fun. He wants to win. Also, the verb implies that the contest was for young people or adults—Paul was not talking about a child’s game. Other ways to express this idea are:

if someone plays in a sport/game
-or-
if a runner runs a race
-or-
if anyone competes as an athlete (New International Version (2011 Revision))

2:5b–c

does not receive the crown: In the sports that Paul was thinking of, the person in charge of the contest, or some other important person, placed a crown made out of leaves on the head of the winner as a symbol of victory.

If you do not have a word for “crown,” you can use a more general term, such as “prize” or “reward.”

unless he competes according to the rules: The point of the comparison in 2:5a is that there are specific rules for each sport that people who compete in that sport must obey. The person who does not obey the rules cannot win.

Another way to state this is:

if he does not follow/obey the rules
-or-
if he does not compete/play according to the rules

General Comment on 2:5

In some languages, it may be more natural to reverse the order of 2:5b and 2:5c as follows:

If he does not compete according to the rules, he does not win the victor’s crown.

It is also possible to combine 2:5a–c as follows:

Also, an athlete cannot win a prize if he does not play by the rules.

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SIL Translator's Notes on 2 Timothy 2:4

2:4–6

In 2:4–6, Paul compared the Christian to three types of people. Then in 2:7 he advised Timothy to think deeply about the meaning of these three comparisons. This shows that the point of comparison in Paul’s illustrations would not be immediately clear even to Timothy. He needed to think about what Paul wrote to him. Because of this, you should avoid making the points of comparison explicit in your translation.

2:4a

A soldier: This refers to a soldier on active duty.

entangling himself: This phrase is the translation of one Greek verb. It occurs only here and in 2 Peter 2:20. It means “to get entangled in” or “to get mixed up with.”

in civilian affairs: This phrase is literally “matters/affairs of life.” It can refer to any matter in general, or more specifically, to a business or job that is not a military job. A soldier may have brief times when he is not actually working as a soldier, but even during those times he is not free to start working at some other kind of job.

Some other ways to translate this phrase are:

everyday matters (New Century Version)
-or-
non-military activities (God’s Word)

2:4b

in order to: In the Greek text, the conjunction hina (in order to) connects 2:4a and 2:4b. There are several ways to show this connection.

• Make the conjunction implicit. The New International Version (2011 Revision) uses a dash to indicate the connection between these two verse parts.

^4aNo one serving as a soldier gets involved in civilian affairs—^4bhe wants to please his commanding officer.

Other translations (God’s Word, Contemporary English Version) begin a new sentence at 2:4b.

^4aSoldiers on duty don’t work at outside jobs. ^4bThey try only to please their commanding officer. (Contemporary English Version)

• Make the conjunction explicit like the Berean Standard Bible and and New American Standard Bible do. For example, the New American Standard Bible says:

No soldier in active service entangles himself in the affairs of everyday life, so that he may please the one who enlisted him as a soldier.

• State 2:4b negatively like the NET Bible does.

No one in military service gets entangled in matters of everyday life; otherwise he will not please the one who recruited him.

See also New Living Translation (2004 Revision), and Phillips’ New Testament in Modern English.

• Reorder 2:4a and 2:4b.

^4bA soldier wants to please his commanding officer, ^4aso he does not get involved in civilian affairs.

You should use the option that is most natural in your language.

the one who enlisted him: In Greek, this is literally “the one having enlisted (him).” The Berean Standard Bible, Revised Standard Version, New American Standard Bible, and NET Bible translate this literally. However, a literal translation like “the enlistment officer” may give the wrong impression. In Paul’s time, each officer gathered together (or enlisted) the men he later commanded. This was different than many of today’s armies where the enlistment officer is a completely different person than the commanding officer. Therefore, a term like “commanding officer” or “commander” may be more appropriate.

General Comment on 2:4

The Christian’s commanding officer is Christ. The point of the comparison between a soldier and a person who serves Christ is that the soldier and the Christian must each completely commit himself to his commander, doing whatever the commander tells him to do.

However, the point of comparison should not be made explicit in the translation because in 2:7, Paul asked Timothy to think about what he was saying and said that the Lord would help Timothy to understand it. Therefore, Paul was not trying to be completely explicit.

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Source: SIL Translator's Notes on 2 Timothy 2003

SIL Translator's Notes on 2 Timothy 2:10

SIL Translator's Notes on 2 Timothy 2:9

SIL Translator's Notes on 2 Timothy 2:8

SIL Translator's Notes on 2 Timothy 2:7

SIL Translator's Notes on 2 Timothy 2:6

SIL Translator's Notes on 2 Timothy 2:5

SIL Translator's Notes on 2 Timothy 2:4

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