complete verse (2 Timothy 3:9)

Following are a number of back-translations of 2 Timothy 3:9:

  • Uma: “Yanes and Yambres, they were Firaun’s workers who opposed the prophet Musa with their magic. But they were not able/enough to oppose the power of the Lord God that was with the prophet Musa. Thus also is what will happen to the lying teachers at this time. They will not be able/enough to oppose the true teaching, for their stupidity will become known/obvious to all people.” (Source: Uma Back Translation)
  • Yakan: “But there will be no future-in/outcome-of the teaching of those people. Not long and their foolishness will be known by all people as happened to/experienced by Jannes and Jambes of old.” (Source: Yakan Back Translation)
  • Western Bukidnon Manobo: “The activities of people like this will not prosper, for all will see that they are stupid just like Jannes and Jambres.” (Source: Western Bukidnon Manobo Back Translation)
  • Kankanaey: “But their convincing of people will not last-long, because the people will come-to-know that they are foolish just like what happened to Jannais and Jambres.” (Source: Kankanaey Back Translation)
  • Tagbanwa: “But those two didn’t accomplish-their-goals. Well these people also, what they’re doing really won’t succeed, but rather their error will become evident to everyone.” (Source: Tagbanwa Back Translation)
  • Tenango Otomi: “But they will not be able to deceive many people. Because their senseless hearts will soon be known by all the people. It will happen to them as it happened to the two men who opposed the word spoken by Moses.” (Source: Tenango Otomi Back Translation)

Translation commentary on 2 Timothy 3:9

Paul predicts that these people will not triumph, because their folly will be exposed, and the members of the Christian community will see them for what they really are.

They will not get very far is literally “they will not advance much,” with “advance” being used in a figurative sense to mean “to make progress” (compare New Revised Standard Version “they will not make much progress,” Revised English Bible “their successes will be short-lived”). For further comments on this kind of “progress,” see discussion about “more and more ungodliness” in 2 Tim 2.16. Other ways of expressing this are “Their success will only last for a short time,” or even “Their foolishness (or, stupidity) will only help them for a short time.” The reason for their short-lived success is because, like Jannes and Jambres, their folly will be plain to all. Folly denotes lack of understanding; hence “senselessness,” “stupidity” (compare Good News Translation “every one will see how stupid they are”). Plain translates a word that means “easily known,” “clearly evident,” “quite obvious.” This word occurs only here in the whole New Testament.

Quoted with permission from Arichea, Daniel C. and Hatton, Howard A. A Handbook on Paul’s Second Letter to Timothy. (UBS Handbook Series). New York: UBS, 1995. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .

SIL Translator's Notes on 2 Timothy 3:9

3:9a

But they will not advance much further: The Berean Standard Bible phrase not advance much further is a figure of speech in English. Other versions have translated this as:

they will not make much progress (New Revised Standard Version)

Their successes will be short-lived (Revised English Bible)

they will not be successful (New Century Version)

Here, Paul meant that the false teachers would not be able to deceive people indefinitely. Although they might deceive them for a short period of time, eventually people would realize that the “religion” they taught and practiced did not come from God. After a while, many people would stop following them.

3:9b

For just like Jannes and Jambres, their folly will be plain to everyone: This part of the verse gives a reason why the false teachers “will not advance much further.” The Berean Standard Bible reordered the phrases in this verse. In Greek, the phrase just like Jannes and Jambres is at the end of the sentence. In some languages it may be helpful to follow the word order of the Greek, as Revised Standard Version and Good News Translation have done. See also the second Meaning Line of 3:9b in the Display.

folly: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as folly means “stupidity.”

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