2:16a

But: In Greek, this verse begins with the conjunction de, which the Berean Standard Bible translates as But (see also NET Bible, Phillips’ New Testament in Modern English). For reasons of style, many English translations such as the New International Version (2011 Revision) omit the conjunction here. The de shows the contrast that Paul was making between the positive statements in 2:15 (“Make every effort” and “the word of truth”) and the negative statement in 2:16a (“Avoid godless chatter”).

avoid: The word avoid means that Paul was warning Timothy to stay away from, and not to join in, discussions with people who did not show any evidence that they trusted in God or revered him.

irreverent, empty chatter: The Berean Standard Bible translates two words in the Greek text here as irrevertent, empty chatter. These same two words are found in 1 Timothy 6:20. In both places, the words are plural. This is significant in interpreting 2:16b. See interpretation (2) below.

irreverent: The word irreverent refers to something that is “secular,” “profane,” or “unholy,” to something that does not honor God.

empty chatter: The noun the Berean Standard Bible translates as empty chatter means “foolish, empty, idle talk,” “talk about topics that are not important or have no value.”

2:16b

which will only lead to: Paul gave Timothy two reasons why he should avoid irreverent, empty chatter. The first reason is here in 2:16b. The second reason is in 2:17a.

which will only lead to more ungodliness,: In Greek, this clause is literally “because to more they-will-increase of ungodliness.” Scholars disagree about whom the subject “they” of the verb “will increase” refers to. There are two interpretations:

(1) “they” refers to the people who talk in godless ways. Those who follow this interpretation say that this verse means that the people who chatter in ungodly ways will become more ungodly. For example, the NET Bible says:

because those occupied with it will stray further and further into ungodliness….

See also New International Version (2011 Revision), God’s Word, Revised English Bible, and most commentaries.

(2) “they” refers to the irreverent, empty chatter or discussions. Those who follow this interpretation say that this verse means that godless chatter will increase and lead people into more ungodliness. For example, the New Century Version says:

because that will lead people further away from God.

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

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

more: Because this word occurs first in the clause, it has emphasis. Another way to show this emphasis in English is to translate the word as “more and more” or “even more.”

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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.