2 Timothy 2:14 - Exposition

In the sight of for before, A.V.; to for but to, A.V.; them that hear for the hearers, A.V. Put them in remembrance ( ὑπομίμνησκε ; John 14:26 ; Titus 3:1 ; 2 Peter 1:12 ). St. Paul skilfully strengthens his preceding exhortations to Timothy by now charging him to impress upon others—referring, perhaps, especially to "the faithful men" spoken of in 2 Timothy 2:2 , but generally to the whole flock committed to him—the truths which he had just been urging upon Timothy. Charging ( διαμαρτύρομενος ) ; as 1 Timothy 5:21 and 2 Timothy 4:1 . Strive … about words ( λογομαχεῖν ); only here in the New Testament or elsewhere. But λογομαχία occurs in 1 Timothy 6:4 and in late Greek. Another reading is λογομάχει , as if addressed to Timothy himself, but λογομαχεῖν is supported by the best authorities, and agrees best with the context. To no profit; literally, useful for nothing; serving no good purpose. ξρήσιμον , which occurs nowhere else in the New Testament, is found repeatedly in the LXX ., and is very common in classical Greek, where it is followed by εἰς ἐπί , and πρός . The construction is "not to strive about words, a thing useful for nothing, but, on the contrary, tending to subvert those who hear such strife." To the subverting ( ἐπὶ καταστροφῇ ) ; elsewhere only in 2 Peter 2:6 , where it is used of a material overthrow, as it is in the LXX . of Genesis 19:29 , to which St. Peter is referring. The history of its use here of a moral overthrow, which is not borne out by its classical use, seems to be that the apostle had in his mind the very common metaphor of οἰκοδομή , edification, as the proper result of speaking and teaching, and so uses the contrary to "building up," viz. an "overthrowing" or "destruction," to describe the effect of the teaching of those vain talkers and deceivers (comp. Genesis 19:18 ).