Paragraph 2:22–26

In this paragraph, Paul instructed Timothy regarding how he could be a “container” that God can use.

2:22a

This verse begins with the Greek conjunction de, which can be translated But (NET Bible, New Century Version) or “so” (Revised Standard Version). It indicates that Paul was changing his topic from the figure of speech about the different containers and their uses to another topic. Many English versions, including Berean Standard Bible, New International Version (2011 Revision) and Good News Translation, do not translate this conjunction, but indicate the change of topic by beginning a new paragraph.

Flee from: Other ways to translate the verb phrase Flee from are “run from,” “stay away from,” or “avoid.”

In the figure of speech about the containers in a large house, Paul had indirectly encouraged Timothy. Here with the verb Flee he directly commanded him. If the change seems too abrupt, perhaps your language has a way to mark this change. One way to do this is to begin the command with “Timothy” as you will see in the first Meaning Line of the Display.

youthful passions: The phrase youthful passions means “the evil things that young people want to do.” The New Living Translation (2004 Revision) translates this phrase “youthful lusts” and the New International Version (2011 Revision) translates it as “evil desires of youth.”

passions: Other ways of translating the word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as passions are “desires” and “impulses.” Paul was probably referring to sexual desires. He may also have been referring to selfish ambition, impatience, and doing unwise, impulsive things.

2:22b

pursue: The verb pursue is the opposite of “flee” in 2:22a. Flee means “to run away from,” and pursue means “to run towards.” Paul used these two verbs figuratively. He used “flee” to mean, “do not…” and pursue to mean, “make an effort to….” The New Living Translation (2004 Revision) says: “Follow anything that makes you want to do right.”

The four abstract nouns that follow the word pursue describe character traits that Paul urged Timothy to develop. It may be necessary for you to use verb phrases or complete clauses to express what these abstract nouns mean.

righteousness: Because Paul was talking about character traits here, righteousness in this context probably refers to the way that we behave. It means “to live in a way that God considers right, and to do what is right and just to other people.” Paul was probably not talking here about the righteousness that God attributes to us because we trust in Jesus Christ. That kind of righteousness does not depend on our good character or on anything that we have done or could do.

2:22c

faith: It is not clear in which sense Paul used this word here. There are two interpretations:

(1) It means “faithfulness,” that is, being honest, truthful, and dependable either toward God or other people.

(2) It means “belief or trust in God.”

If possible, translate in a general way so that people could understand both interpretations. If that is not possible and you must make a choice, choose interpretation (1).

love: In this context, love refers to love for other people, not love for God.

peace: The word peace refers to living in harmony with other people.

2:22d

together with those who call on the Lord out of a pure heart: Scholars disagree about what this phrase goes with. There are two interpretations:

(1) It applies to all four nouns that follow the verb “pursue.” So both Timothy and those who call on the Lord are to pursue righteousness, faith, love, and peace.

(2) It applies only to the word peace. So Timothy is to live in peace with those who call on the Lord.

It is recommended that you follow interpretation (1).

those who call on the Lord: This phrase means “people who pray to the Lord.” It refers to those who follow the Lord and worship him. It is similar to the phrase “everyone who confesses the name of the Lord” in 2:19d.

the Lord: Here the Lord probably refers to God.

a pure heart: The term pure heart means “sincerely” or “without deceit.” In many languages there is an idiom to express this aspect of a person’s character. Consider whether your language also uses an idiom. Use it if it is appropriate.

General Comment on 2:22

One possible way to translate 2:22 is to put 2:22d earlier in the verse as follows:

Timothy, run away from the evil things that other young men do. You and those who worship the Lord with clean hearts should search for ways to do what is right, faithful, loving, and peaceful.

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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.