3:14a

But as for you: The two Greek words that occur at the beginning of this verse also occurred at the beginning of 3:10a. The literal translation of these words is “but you (sing).” In this context, they clearly contrast Timothy with the evil men and impostors mentioned in 3:13. If your language has a term to indicate a strong contrast, you should use it here.

continue in the things you have learned: This phrase means “continue to believe what you have learned.”

If it is necessary to specify from whom Timothy learned the gospel, you can say “things you have learned from us.” The pronoun should be plural because in Greek, the phrase “from whom” in 3:14c is plural. Timothy learned the gospel from his mother, grandmother, and Paul.

3:14b

and firmly believed: The Greek verb that the Berean Standard Bible translates as firmly believed also means “have believed to be true.”

3:14c

since you know: Implied in the clause you know is “and you can trust” those people who taught the truth about God to you.

from whom you have learned them: The phrase from whom refers to Timothy’s mother, grandmother, and Paul.

them: There is no pronoun here in the Greek text, but it is implied. If in 3:14a you have chosen the word “things,” “truths,” or “teachings” to represent the word “the things” (Berean Standard Bible), you should follow English versions, such as the New American Standard Bible and Revised English Bible, and use the plural pronoun “them” here. Or you can repeat the word “things,” “truths,” or “teachings” if it is more natural in your language.

General Comment on 3:14

In some languages, it may be more natural to reorder the parts of this verse as follows:

^14cYou know and can trust those from whom you learned the gospel. ^14aSo continue to believe what you have learned ^14band have been convinced is true.
-or-
^14cYou know those who have taught you the gospel. ^14aSo continue to follow what they taught you. ^14bContinue to believe it.

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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.