Beware: the word primarily means to watch or to be on guard, either in a literal or figurative sense (compare Good News Translation “be on your guard,” or Contemporary English Version “watch out for”; see “keep” in 1 Tim 5.21, and “guard” in 1 Tim 6.20). Another way to express this is “Be very wary of him yourself.”

For opposed see 2 Tim 3.8. Strongly can be rendered as “exceedingly,” “very much,” and can be taken either in a negative or in a positive sense. Since the accent here is negative, a possible rendering is “vehemently” or “violently” (Good News Translation). Our message is literally “our words” (see “sound words” in 1 Tim 6.3 and 2 Tim 1.13); the interpretation of this expression will depend on the conclusion drawn as to the setting of Alexander’s opposition. If, for example, Alexander’s opposition is set in the context of Paul’s trial in Rome, then Alexander may have been the most effective witness for the prosecution. In this case “our words” refers to Paul’s arguments before the court, which were severely damaged by Alexander’s testimony. If, on the other hand, Alexander’s opposition is set in the context of Paul’s ministry in general, then “our words” refers to Paul’s words about the gospel that he has uttered on various occasions in his preaching and teaching ministry. The latter seems to be more likely. In some languages one may change the order of the two sentences and say, for example, “He [Alexander] violently opposed what I was preaching. So you should be on your guard against him yourself.”

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 .