2 Timothy 4:3

Contextual Overview

¹ I solemnly charge you before God and the Messiah Yeshua, who will judge the living and the dead when he appears and establishes his Kingdom: ¹ I testify before God and Christ Jesus, who is about to judge living and dead, and by his appearing and his kingdom, ¹ I charge you therefore before God and the Lord, Yeshua the Messiah, who will judge the living and the dead at His appearing and His kingdom: ¹ In the presence of God and Christ Jesus, who is going to judge those who are living and those who are dead, and in view of his appearing and his kingdom, I solemnly appeal to youActs 10:42; 1 Timothy 5:21; 6:13; 2 Timothy 2:14;">[xr] ¹ I attest thee before Aloha, and our Lord Jeshu Meshiha, who is to judge the living and the dead at the revelation of his kingdom: ¹ I charge thee, before God, and our Lord Jesus the Messiah, who is to judge the living and the dead, at the manifestation of his kingdom, ¹ I charge thee in the sight of God, and of Christ Jesus, who shall judge the living and the dead, and by his appearing and his kingdom: ¹ I give you orders, before God and Christ Jesus, who will be the judge of the living and the dead, and by his revelation and his kingdom; ¹ I charge you in the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who is to judge the living and the dead, and by his appearing and his kingdom: ¹ I charge thee therefore before God, and before the Lorde Iesus Christ, which shall iudge the quicke and dead at that his appearing, and in his kingdome,

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

the time: 2 Timothy 3:1-6, 1 Timothy 4:1-3

they will: 1 Kings 22:8, 1 Kings 22:18, 2 Chronicles 16:9, 2 Chronicles 16:10, 2 Chronicles 24:20-22, 2 Chronicles 25:15, 2 Chronicles 25:16, Isaiah 28:12, Isaiah 33:9-11, Jeremiah 6:16, Jeremiah 6:17, Jeremiah 18:18, Amos 7:10-17, Luke 20:19, John 8:45, Galatians 4:16

sound: 1 Timothy 1:10

but: 2 Timothy 3:6, 1 Kings 18:22, 2 Chronicles 18:4, 2 Chronicles 18:5, Jeremiah 5:31, Jeremiah 23:16, Jeremiah 23:17, Jeremiah 27:9, Jeremiah 29:8, Micah 2:11, Luke 6:26, John 3:19-21, 2 Peter 2:1-3

having: Exodus 32:33, Acts 17:21,*Gr: 1 Corinthians 2:1, 1 Corinthians 2:4

Reciprocal: 1 Kings 22:6 - the prophets together Job 21:14 - for we Psalms 50:17 - hatest Proverbs 15:12 - scorner Proverbs 17:4 - General Proverbs 28:9 - turneth Ecclesiastes 9:18 - sinner Isaiah 9:15 - the prophet Jeremiah 6:10 - the word Jeremiah 23:26 - prophets of Jeremiah 27:15 - that I Ezekiel 13:18 - that sew Daniel 11:34 - cleave Matthew 7:15 - which Matthew 13:25 - men Matthew 13:47 - and gathered Matthew 18:7 - for John 10:5 - General Acts 20:30 - of your 1 Corinthians 3:12 - wood 1 Corinthians 4:15 - ye have 1 Corinthians 14:38 - General 2 Corinthians 2:17 - which 2 Corinthians 11:3 - so 2 Corinthians 11:13 - false Galatians 1:7 - pervert Ephesians 4:14 - tossed Philippians 3:2 - evil 2 Thessalonians 2:3 - except 1 Timothy 4:6 - good doctrine 1 Timothy 6:3 - to wholesome 2 Timothy 3:7 - learning 2 Timothy 3:10 - my Titus 1:9 - sound 1 John 2:18 - ye have 1 John 4:5 - and

Cross-References

Genesis 4:1
And Man knew Eve his wife; and she conceived, and bore Cain, and said, I have acquired a man with Jehovah.

Genesis 4:1
Adam had sexual relations with his wife Eve. She became pregnant and gave birth to a son. She named him Cain. Eve said, "With the Lord 's help, I have made a man!"

Genesis 4:1
The man knew Havah his wife. She conceived, and gave birth to Kayin, and said, "I have gotten a man with the LORD's help."

Genesis 4:1
And the man knew Eve his wife; and she conceived and bore Cain, and said: 'I have gotten a man with the help of the LORD.'

Genesis 4:1
And the man had connection with Eve his wife, and she became with child and gave birth to Cain, and said, I have got a man from the Lord.

Genesis 4:1
And Adam knewe Heua his wyfe, who conceauing bare Cain, saying: I haue gotten a man of the Lorde.

Genesis 4:1
Afterwarde the man knewe Heuah his wife, which conceiued and bare Kain, and said, I haue obteined a man by the Lord.

Genesis 4:1
AND Adam knew Eve his wife; and she conceived, and bore Cain, and said, I have gotten a man for the LORD.

Genesis 4:1
Then Adam had intercourse with his wife, and she became pregnant. She bore a son and said, "By the Lord 's help I have gotten a son." So she named him Cain.

Genesis 4:1
And Adam knew Eve his wife, and she conceived and brought forth Cain and said, I have gained a man through God.

Gill's Notes on the Bible

For the time will come,.... This is a reason of the solemn charge above given: the time referred to was future, when the apostle wrote, but quickly came on; and the characters of it have appeared more or less in all ages since; and in none more than in ours:

when they will not endure sound doctrine; the Gospel which contains the wholesome words of Christ, and is sound itself, having no corruption in it, and salutary in its effects to the souls of men; and yet such is the depravity of some men, both in principles and practice, that they cannot receive it, nor bear to hear it, turn their backs on it, express their indignation at it, and treat it not only with neglect, but with ridicule and contempt:

but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers; not being content with the ministry of one man only, or of a few, though of their own sort; but must follow many, and have heaps of them; which seems to express not only the number of false teachers which they accumulate to themselves, but the confused and indiscreet choice they make of them; and that after their own lusts; choosing to hear such as either indulge them in their sinful lusts and pleasures; or are agreeable to their private corrupt sentiments, in opposition to the generally received doctrine of faith. It is a blessing to have pastors and teachers after God's heart, and who preach according to the word of God; these feed men with knowledge and understanding, Jeremiah 3:15 but it is a curse upon a people, when they are left to choose teachers after their hearts' lusts:

having itching ears; always desirous of new things, as the Athenians of old; or loving to have their ears scratched and tickled with smooth things; that are pleasing and agreeable to natural men, and carnal minds; as the purity of human nature, the power of man's free will, the excellency of his righteousness, and the merit of his works, and the like; see Isaiah 30:9. Now, this being the case, should not discourage, but rather animate the ministers of the Gospel to preach it; for should they desist, in all likelihood the Gospel would soon be gone.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

For the time will come ... - Probably referring to the time mentioned in 2 Timothy 3:1, following.

When they will not endure sound doctrine - Greek, “healthful doctrine;” i. e., doctrine contributing to the health of the soul, or to salvation. At that time they would seek a kind of instruction more conformable to their wishes and feelings.

But after their own lusts - They will seek such kind of preaching as will accord with their carnal desires; or such as will palliate their evil propensities, and deal gently with their vices; compare Isaiah 30:10. “Speak unto us smooth things; prophesy deceits.”

Shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears - The word rendered “heap” - ἐπισωρεύω episōreuō - does not occur elsewhere in the New Testament. It means “to heap up upon, to accumulate;” and here “to multiply.” The word rendered “itching” - κνήθω knēthō - also occurs only in this place in the New Testament. It means “to rub, to scratch;” and then “to tickle,” and here to feel an “itching” for something pleasing or gratifying. The image is derived from the desire which we have when there is an itching sensation, to have it rubbed or scratched. Such an uneasiness would these persons have to have some kind of instruction that would allay their restless and uneasy desires, or would gratify them. In explanation of this passage we may observe,

(1) That there will be always religious teachers of some kind, and that in proportion as error and sin abound, they will be multiplied. The apostle here says, that by turning away from Timothy, and from sound instruction, they would not abandon all religious teachers, but would rather increase and multiply them. People often declaim much against a regular ministry, and call it “priest-craft;” and yet, if they were to get rid of such a ministry, they would by no means escape from all kinds of religious teachers. The deeper the darkness, and the more gross the errors, and the more prevalent the wickedness of men, the more will a certain kind of religious teachers abound, and the more it will cost to support them. Italy and Spain swarm with priests, and in every pagan nation they constitute a very numerous class of the population. The cheapest ministry on the earth is a well-educated Protestant clergy, and if society wishes to free itself from swarms of preachers, and prophets, and exhorters, it should secure the regular services of an educated and pious ministry.

(2) In such classes of persons as the apostle here refers to, there is a restless, uneasy desire to have some kind of preachers. They have “itching ears.” They will be ready to run after all kinds of public instructors. They will be little pleased with any, and this will be one reason why they will have so many. They are fickle, and unsettled, and never satisfied. A desire to hear the truth, and to learn the way of salvation, is a good desire. But this can be better gratified by far under the patient and intelligent labor of a single religious teacher, than by running after many teachers, or than by frequent changes. How much would a child learn if he was constantly running from one school to another?

(3) Such persons would have teachers according to “their own lusts;” that is, their own tastes, or wishes. They would have those who would coincide with their whims; who would foster every vagary which might enter their imagination; who would countenance every wild project for doing good; who would be the advocates of the errors which they held; and who would be afraid to rebuke their faults. These are the principles on which many persons choose their religious teachers. The true principle should be, to select those who will faithfully declare the truth, and who will not shrink from exposing and denouncing sin, wherever it may be found.

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse 2 Timothy 4:3. For the time will come — There is a time coming to the Church when men will not hear the practical truths of the Gospel, when they will prefer speculative opinions, which either do no good to the soul, or corrupt and destroy it, to that wholesome doctrine of "deny thyself, take up thy cross and follow me," which Jesus Christ has left in his Church.

But after their own lusts — For these they will follow, and hate those preachers and that doctrine by which they are opposed.

Shall they heap to themselves teachers — They will add one teacher to another, run and gad about after all, to find out those who insist not on the necessity of bearing the cross, of being crucified to the world, and of having the mind that was in Jesus. In this disposition interested men often find their account; they set up for teachers, "and widen and strew with flowers the way, down to eternal ruin," taking care to soothe the passions and flatter the vices of a trifling, superficial people.

Having itching ears — Endless curiosity, an insatiable desire of variety; and they get their ears tickled with the language and accent of the person, abandoning the good and faithful preacher for the fine speaker.