SIL Translator’s Notes on 2 Timothy 2003

SIL Translator's Notes on 2 Timothy 2:6

2:6a

The hardworking farmer: This verse has a third comparison. In this verse Paul compared a person who serves God to a farmer. A farmer must work hard if he wants to have good crops. In the same way, Timothy would have to work hard serving God if he wanted to receive a reward from God.

Paul was speaking in a general way about farmers. He was not talking about a specific farmer. In some languages, people do not use a definite article like the English word “the” unless they are referring to a specific person. If your language is like that, you could say “a farmer who works hard….”

2:6b

should be the first to partake of the crops: There are two ways to interpret the word first.

(1) It refers to the farmer. The hardworking farmer should be the first person to receive some of the harvest. For example, the New Century Version says:

The farmer who works hard should be the first person to get some of the food that was grown.

See also Berean Standard Bible, New International Version (2011 Revision), New Living Translation (2004 Revision), Contemporary English Version, New American Standard Bible, King James Version.

(2) It refers to the harvest/crop. The hardworking farmer should receive the first portion of the harvest. For example, Good News Translation says:

The farmer who has done the hard work should have the first share of the harvest.

See also Revised Standard Version, God’s Word, Phillips’ New Testament in Modern English, NET Bible.

It is recommended that you follow interpretation (1).

the crops: The phrase the crops refers to the food that the farmer gathers/harvests. It is a general word referring to the harvest of any fruit, vegetable, or grain that someone has planted.

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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.

SIL Translator's Notes on 2 Timothy 3:17

3:17a

so that: The Greek conjunction hina, which the Berean Standard Bible translates as so that, connects 3:17 with 3:16. It indicates the purpose for which Scripture is useful (3:16), that is, so that the man of God may be able to do good works (3:17).

the man of God: This is a general expression, as is the phrase “a servant of the Lord” in 2:24a. It is not referring to a specific man, but to any person who serves God or belongs to him.

Some ways you could translate this phrase are “a person who serves God” or “each of God’s people.”

man: The Greek noun that the Berean Standard Bible translates as man actually refers to a human being, male or female. Avoid using a word that would make people think that this refers only to men.

3:17b

may be complete, fully equipped: The two Greek words that the Berean Standard Bible translates as complete, fully equipped have the same root and almost the same meaning. They mean, “ready,” “prepared,” or “capable.” The fact that there are two such Greek words in this sentence makes the statement emphatic. There are two ways of translating this:

• Translate them as two separate words with similar meanings as in the Berean Standard Bible. As another example, the NET Bible says:

that the person dedicated to God may be capable and equipped for every good work.

• Translate them as a single concept that includes an intensifier. For example, the New International Version (2011 Revision) says:

so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped….

If possible, you should follow the first option. If you do not have two related words, you can follow the example of the New International Version (2011 Revision) and translate one adjective modified by an intensifier to show emphasize this idea.

General Comment on 3:16–17

In Greek, 3:16 and 3:17 are one long sentence. In some languages it may be necessary to begin a new sentence at 3:17, as some modern English translations do. One way to do this is to repeat the subject of the sentence (Scripture) as follows: “Scripture is useful to you for all of this so that….” See the second Meaning Line of 3:17a in the Display.

Paragraph 4:6–8

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SIL Translator's Notes on 2 Timothy 1:2

1:2a

To Timothy: Timothy was the name of the person to whom Paul wrote this letter. In some languages it is necessary to say: “I am writing to you, Timothy….”

1:2b

my beloved child: Timothy was not Paul’s child in the physical sense of that word. But Paul referred to Timothy several times as his “child.” This is perhaps because Paul had been responsible for Timothy’s spiritual conversion. If the people reading your translation only understand this phrase literally, you may want to say something like:

you are like a beloved child to me
-or-
it is as if you are my dear son

1:2c

Grace, mercy, and peace from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Lord: This phrase was a common way for Christians to greet each other during the time when Paul lived. It is a sort of prayer or blessing. Paul was asking God to bless Timothy. You may need to begin this blessing with a verb clause such as “I pray that God will give you…” or “I ask God to give you….”

Grace: The authors of the New Testament letters often used the word Grace in their greetings at the beginning of their letters. It is used to express their desire that God would bless the people who received the letter or to wish them well. Grace means that God favors people or that he is kind to people even though they do not deserve it.

mercy: The Greek word that English versions translate as mercy means that God treats us kindly or with compassion, or that he pities us.

peace: The Greek word that is translated peace here refers to the satisfaction we have in our innermost beings because we are in a harmonious relationship with God. This peaceful relationship is possible because he has forgiven our sins, and he causes us to live without having anxiety and fear. In this verse, peace is not referring to a person being at peace with other people.

God the Father: You may need to translate this phrase as “God our^(incl) Father” if that is the natural way to say this phrase in your language.

General Comment on 1:2c

Your language may usually require that you translate each of these nouns with a clause, rather than a single word. However, when translating greetings, you may want to use something shorter. In 1:2c, Paul was giving Timothy greetings, not teaching him about grace, mercy, and peace. Therefore it may not be necessary to include all the elements that are normally associated with these key terms.

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SIL Translator's Notes on 2 Timothy 2:21

2:21a

So: At the beginning of 2:21a, Paul used a Greek conjunction oun, which means “therefore” or “so.” This conjunction connects 2:20 and 2:21 and indicates that Paul was going to interpret the image in 2:20. Many English versions omit this word, but it is recommended that you translate this conjunction so that readers understand the purpose of 2:21. You can follow the example of the Berean Standard Bible (So) or the New American Standard Bible (“Therefore”). If you need a more explicit way to show that Paul was explaining his image, you can say something like “The lesson is that…” or “In the same way….”

if anyone cleanses himself: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as cleanses means “to thoroughly clean.” It is a rare word that occurs only here and in 1 Corinthians 5:7. Paul used the word cleanses in a spiritual sense. It means that someone has cleansed (or removed) sin from his life or that he has repented from sin. In this context, the sin was accepting the false teachers and their doctrines.

of what is unfit: In the Greek text, this phrase is literally “from these.” There are two views about the meaning of the word “these.”

(1) It refers specifically to the common purposes that Paul mentioned at the end of 2:20. In this view, the phrase means that believers should stay away from the false teachers and their doctrines. For example, the Revised Standard Version says,

If any one purifies himself from what is ignoble…

See also New International Version (2011 Revision), NET Bible.

(2) It refers to evil or wickedness in general that Paul mentioned in 2:16–19d. For example, the Revised English Bible says,

Anyone who cleanses himself from all this wickedness…

See also Good News Translation, Contemporary English Version, New Century Version, Phillips’ New Testament in Modern English.

It is recommended that you follow interpretation (1).

2:21b

he will be a vessel for honor: Paul continued to use the same figure of speech. The word he refers to Christians who reject false teachers and their doctrines. Paul compared these Christians to containers/vessels that are for honor.

vessel: This is the same word as in 2:20a and refers to the containers that are made of gold and silver.

honor: This is the same term in Greek as in 2:20d–e. It refers to containers that people used for special food.

2:21c

sanctified: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as sanctified means “set apart,” or “reserved” “made holy” for God’s use.

This verb is passive. The text does not say who sanctified the person, so if possible, you should use a passive verb. If, however, you need to supply a subject, you can say something like “The Master has made him holy….” If you need to make it active instead of passive you can say, “His life will be pure.”

useful: The Master can “use” a person who is holy.

the Master: Here Paul continued the figure of speech about a house. The Master represents God. Paul compared God, who is the Christians’ master, to the master/owner of the house.

2:21d

and prepared for every good work: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as prepared is literally “having been prepared.” It is a passive verb. As with the term “sanctified” in 2:21c, the text does not say who “prepared” the person. If necessary, you can say:

The Master has prepared him for any good deed.

However, a better way to translate prepared is to use a verb that means “to be ready.” For example, the New Living Translation (2004 Revision) says:

you will be ready for the Master to use you for every good work.

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SIL Translator's Notes on 2 Timothy 4:16

4:16a

At my first defense: The phrase my first defense refers to a session of a Roman court in which a judge asked Paul some preliminary questions. Paul tried to prove that he was innocent of the things people had accused him of doing. During the first session, the judge did not decide definitely whether Paul was guilty or innocent, and so he ordered Paul to appear in court a second time.

If the people in your area do not completely understand expressions that refer to courts and trials, it may be necessary for you to translate the phrase At my first defense something like this: “the first time I had to stand in front of the judge and answer his questions….”

4:16b

no one stood with me: No one went with Paul to testify in his favor when the judge questioned him that first time.

The order of words in Greek indicates that Paul was emphasizing no one.

4:16c

but everyone deserted me: Paul used the strong Greek word of contrast, alla, to emphasize everyone in contrast to the “no one” in 4:16b. He had hoped that at least one of his friends would be at the court to defend him when the judge asked him questions, but they all had abandoned him.

4:16d

May it not be charged against them: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as charged against is a term used to describe a person calculating costs and debts. Here Paul used the term figuratively, in the sense that God keeps a record of people’s sins. Paul’s friends had abandoned him, but he prayed that God would not count or record this act against them as a sin.

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SIL Translator's Notes on 2 Timothy 1:13

Paragraph 1:13–14

1:13 and 1:14 express similar ideas. Paul instructed Timothy in both verses to protect, guard, and preserve the true doctrine of the gospel.

1:13a

Hold on to the pattern of sound teaching you have heard from me: Paul had taught Timothy the correct and complete gospel message. Here, he was telling Timothy to remember what he had taught him and to preserve it as the model of true doctrine.

Hold on to: Here, the phrase Hold on to means to “keep” or “preserve.” It is parallel to the word “guard” in 1:14. Hold on to implies holding on to something so that it will not be changed or lost.

pattern: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as pattern only occurs in the New Testament here and in 1 Timothy 1:16. Other meanings for pattern are “model” or “example.”

In the Greek sentence, pattern occurs before the verb keep. This emphasizes this noun.

In this context, the word pattern refers to an abstract idea. It may be necessary for you to use a phrase or a clause to express this idea. Here is one way you might translate this:

The things that you have heard from me are worthy to be followed / imitated. Keep/Preserve/Hold on to this sound teaching.

sound teaching: This phrase in Greek is literally “healthy words.” Paul was talking about true and correct doctrine, or a true and correct set of beliefs. This true and correct doctrine is the message that Paul preached to tell people that God saves them by means of Jesus Christ.

you have heard from me: The phrase you have heard from me is the direct object of the verb hold. Good News Translation expresses this clearly: “Hold firmly to the true words that I taught you.”

General Comment on 1:13a

Some English translations imply that Paul was instructing Timothy to follow his example by teaching the same things that he taught. While this may be implied, you should not make this explicit in your translation. The emphasis here is on preserving correct doctrine, not on teaching it.

1:13b

with the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus: Scholars do not agree about whether this phrase modifies the previous clause or whether it is a separate instruction. So this phrase can be understood in the following two ways:

(1) It tells how Timothy was to “hold on to [what he heard from Paul] as the pattern of sound teaching.” For example, God’s Word says:

With faith and love for Christ Jesus, consider what you heard me say to be the pattern of accurate teachings.

See also Berean Standard Bible, New International Version (2011 Revision), Revised Standard Version, NET Bible, Revised English Bible.

(2) It is a separate instruction. For example, Good News Translation says:

and remain in the faith and love that are ours in union with Christ Jesus.

See also New Living Translation (2004 Revision), Contemporary English Version.

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

the faith and love: If you want to translate these two nouns as verbs, you can say, “to believe in Jesus and to love others.”

in Christ Jesus: The phrase in Christ Jesus means “to be united with Christ Jesus.” Paul told Timothy to continue to believe in Jesus and to love others because Timothy was united with Jesus.

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SIL Translator's Notes on 2 Timothy 3:7

3:7a

who are always learning: The phrase always learning indicates that these women often listened to people who taught about religion. Because they often sinned, they kept looking for something new and different. So they continued to listen to the false teachers to learn their new doctrines. Good News Translation says: “always trying to learn.” This statement does not mean that these women were slow to learn in the sense that they were mentally dull or unintelligent.

3:7b

but: Here the Berean Standard Bible has translated the Greek conjunction kai as but. Usually kai is translated as “and.” However, in this context it signals an unexpected result, so it may also be translated “but.” It is recommended that you follow the majority of modern English versions and translate the conjunction as “but.”

never able to come to a knowledge of the truth: These women were not able to recognize the true teaching of the gospel. They had heard some of the truth, but it had been mixed with false ideas, and they were not able to recognize what was true from what was false.

to come to a knowledge of: The Greek verb that the Berean Standard Bible translates as to come to a knowledge of also means “to recognize” or “to distinguish.”

the truth: In this context the phrase the truth refers to the gospel.

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SIL Translator's Notes on 2 Timothy 2:7

2:7a

Consider what I am saying: Paul told Timothy to Consider or “think about” the meaning of the three comparisons in 2:4–6. In some languages it may be more natural to start this command with Timothy’s name. For example, “Timothy, think about what I am saying.”

2:7b

for the Lord will give you insight into all things: By thinking about the soldier, the athlete, and the farmer, the Lord would help Timothy understand Paul’s illustrations. Timothy would also understand how to apply to his own ministry the lessons he learned from these comparisons.

for: The conjunction for connects 2:7a and 2:7b. This is the first word of the clause that contains the reason why Timothy was to think about what Paul was saying.

the Lord: Here the Lord refers to the Lord God.

insight: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as insight also means “understanding.” This is the way most other English versions translate this word.

General Comment on 2:7a–b

Here are some other ways to translate 2:7a–b:

If you reflect on what I am saying, the Lord will help you understand all this.
-or-
Reflect on what I am saying, and the Lord will help you understand all this.

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Source: SIL Translator's Notes on 2 Timothy 2003

SIL Translator's Notes on 2 Timothy 2:6

SIL Translator's Notes on 2 Timothy 3:17

SIL Translator's Notes on 2 Timothy 1:2

SIL Translator's Notes on 2 Timothy 2:21

SIL Translator's Notes on 2 Timothy 4:16

SIL Translator's Notes on 2 Timothy 1:13

SIL Translator's Notes on 2 Timothy 3:7

SIL Translator's Notes on 2 Timothy 2:7

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