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.

© 2003 by SIL International®

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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.