This section (that began at verse 1) ends with an invitation to Timothy to consider seriously the things that have been brought to his attention. Think over translates a verb that means “to consider,” “to understand,” “to think,” “to reflect on” (New American Bible, Revised).
What I say (the verb is present tense, hence “what I am saying”) most likely refers to the six previous verses of this chapter, particularly the three illustrations that have been given (so Phillips “Consider these three illustrations of mine…”).
As in similar cases, Lord here is ambiguous, referring either to God or to Christ. An argument in favor of Christ is that in 1 John 5.20 it is the Son of God who gives understanding, and it is possible that this is also true in the present case. However, the mention of Jesus Christ in the next verse, without the appellation “Lord,” may also suggest that Lord in the present context refers to God. While most translations retain the ambiguity, making a choice is crucial especially in languages where one word is used to translate both “Lord” and “God,” and where “Christ” or “Jesus Christ” is added to the word when it refers to Christ rather than to God. In such cases the second option seems to be a better choice.
The word for understanding occurs only here in the Pastoral Letters. It is often translated “knowledge” or “intelligence”; in the present context it refers to a correct, thorough, and intelligent awareness and perception of things.
Everything: it is possible to understand the expression to mean “in all things,” or “in every way,” “in every respect.” However, if Paul is speaking about the three illustrations in verses 4-7, the more natural translation will be something like Good News Translation‘s “understand it all,” or “understand it completely.” An alternative translation model for this final sentence will be “because the Lord (or, God) will cause you to fully understand these illustrations” or “… will help you understand this completely.”
Quoted with permission from Arichea, Daniel C. and Hatton, Howard A. A Handbook on Paul’s Second Letter to Timothy. (UBS Handbook Series). New York: UBS, 1995. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .