2 Timothy 2:15

Contextual Overview

¹⁴ Keep reminding people of this, and charge them solemnly before the Lord not to engage in word-battles. They accomplish nothing useful and are a catastrophe for the hearers! ¹⁴ Of these things put in remembrance, testifying earnestly before the Lord not to have disputes of words, profitable for nothing, to the subversion of the hearers. ¹⁴ Remind them of these things, charging them in the sight of the Lord, that they don't argue about words, to no profit, to the subverting of those who hear. ¹⁴ Remind others about these things, and warn them in the sight of Godof the Lord">[fn] not to argue over words. ArguingIt">[fn] does not do any good but only destroys those who are listening.1 Timothy 1:4; 5:21; 2 Timothy 4:1; Titus 3:9,11;">[xr] ¹⁴ Of these (truths) remind them, and testify before our Lord, that they contend not with unprofitable words, to the overturning of those who hear them. ¹⁴ 14 Of these things admonish thou them . and charge [fn] before our Lord, that they dispute not, with unprofitable words, to the subversion of those who hear them. ¹⁴ Of these things put them in remembrance, charging them in the sight of the Lord, that they strive not about words, to no profit, to the subverting of them that hear. ¹⁴ Put these things before them, giving them orders in the name of the Lord to keep themselves from fighting about words, which is of no profit, only causing error in their hearers. ¹⁴ Remind them of these things, and charge them before God not to quarrel about words, which does no good, but only ruins the hearers. ¹⁴ Of these things put them in remembrance, and protest before the Lord, that they striue not about wordes, which is to no profit, but to the peruerting of the hearers.

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

Study: Hebrews 4:11, 2 Peter 1:10, 2 Peter 1:15, 2 Peter 3:14,*Gr.

approved: Acts 2:22, Romans 14:18, Romans 16:10, 2 Corinthians 5:9, 2 Corinthians 10:18, Galatians 1:10, 1 Thessalonians 2:4

a workman: Matthew 13:52, 2 Corinthians 3:6, 2 Corinthians 6:3, 2 Corinthians 6:4, 1 Timothy 4:6, 1 Timothy 4:12-16

rightly: Matthew 13:52, Mark 4:33, Luke 12:42, John 21:15-17, Acts 20:27, 1 Corinthians 2:6, 1 Corinthians 3:1, 1 Corinthians 3:2, 2 Corinthians 4:2, 1 Thessalonians 5:14, Hebrews 5:11-14

Reciprocal: Genesis 15:10 - divided them Exodus 35:35 - the cunning Exodus 39:42 - according Psalms 78:72 - guided Malachi 2:6 - law 1 Corinthians 3:10 - as a 2 Corinthians 6:7 - the word 2 Corinthians 7:11 - approved 2 Corinthians 13:7 - approved Ephesians 1:13 - the word Philippians 2:16 - the word 2 Thessalonians 2:13 - belief 1 Timothy 4:13 - to reading Titus 1:2 - God

Cross-References

Genesis 2:2
And God had finished on the seventh day his work which he had made; and he rested on the seventh day from all his work which he had made.

Genesis 2:2
God finished the work he was doing, so on the seventh day he rested from his work.

Genesis 2:2
On the seventh day God finished his work which he had made; and he rested on the seventh day from all his work which he had made.

Genesis 2:2
And on the seventh day God finished His work which He had made; and He rested on the seventh day from all His work which He had made.

Genesis 2:2
And on the seventh day God came to the end of all his work; and on the seventh day he took his rest from all the work which he had done.

Genesis 2:2
And in the seuenth day God ended his worke whiche he had made. And the seueth day he rested from all his worke which he had made.

Genesis 2:2
For in the seuenth day GOD ended his worke which he had made, and the seuenth day he rested from al his worke, which he had made.

Genesis 2:2
And on the sixth day God, finished his works which he had made; and he rested on the seventh day from all his works which he had made.

Genesis 2:2
By the seventh day God finished what he had been doing and stopped working.

Genesis 2:2
And God finished on the sixth day his works which he made, and he ceased on the seventh day from all his works which he made.

Gill's Notes on the Bible

Study to show thyself approved unto God,.... The Alexandrian copy reads, "to Christ"; see Romans 16:10. Not unto men, as pleasing them; for such who study to please men, are not the servants of Christ; and sometimes those that are approved to and by men, are disapproved of by God and Christ: but unto God, showing all fidelity and uprightness; speaking out the Gospel openly, and freely, with all sincerity, as in the sight of God; commending themselves to him, and to every man's conscience, by manifestation of the truth; and such will hear, "Well done, good and faithful servant" another day.

A workman that needeth not to be ashamed; the ministry of the word is a work, and it is a good work; and those that perform it aright are worthy of honour and esteem; and it requires industry, diligence, and application, and for which no man is sufficient without the grace of God; and those who are employed in it are workmen, workers together with God, and labourers in his vineyard: and such who are faithful and diligent ones, "need not to be ashamed"; such do not cause shame, neither in themselves nor in others, as false teachers do, who foam out their own shame, and as negligent ministers of the word, and such whose lives are not agreeable to the doctrines they preach; nor have they any reason to be ashamed, neither of the Gospel, which they preach, nor of their sufferings, which they endure for the sake of it, nor of their upright ministrations of the word; and as they are not afraid to suffer shame for the sake of Christ now, they will not be ashamed before him at his coming.

rightly dividing, or "cutting"

the word of truth; that is, the Scriptures of truth, Daniel 10:21 which come from the God of truth, are concerning Christ, who is the truth, and are dictated and led into by the spirit of truth, and contain in them nothing but truth: to divide the word, is not merely to divide the text into its proper parts, though care should be taken that this be done aright; and some think that the allusion is to the verses of the Hebrew Bible, which are called פסוקים, "divisions", sections, or cuttings, from the word פסק, "to cut" or "divide", being cut or divided one from another; hence those that were employed in the law, and were conversant with the sacred writings, and exercised therein, were called פוסקים בתורת, "cutters", or "dividers of the law" e; and so בעל פסוק is one that is well versed in the Bible, and knows every part of it, and readily uses it, in speaking or writing; and such an one was Timothy, 2 Timothy 3:15 though I rather think the apostle refers to a wrong way of dividing the Scriptures by the Jews, to which he opposes the right dividing of them. They had used not only to take away a letter out of one word, and add it to another, and so expound the text, but to remove words in it, and make that which went before to go behind, and that which was behind to go before; and this they call a sharp knife, which חותך ומפסיק הכתוב, "cuts and divides the Scriptures" f: but this way, which his countrymen used, the apostle would not have Timothy, and other Gospel ministers, make use of; for this is not rightly to divide, but to mangle and tear in pieces the word of truth. Moreover, to divide the word of truth, or to cut it, is to cut it open, and dissect its several parts, and search and look into the inside and bottom of it, for to find out every truth contained in it, and lay them open to others; and may be, as some have thought, an allusion to the cutting open the sacrifices, and laying the parts of them aright, and in a decent manner: to which may be added, that since ministers of the Gospel are stewards, and who, when wise and faithful, give to everyone of the household their portion of meat in due season; the metaphor may be taken from such, and from masters and governors of families, who cut up the food, and distribute it to each, according to their age and appetite; and so the ministers of the Gospel are to distribute the spiritual food of the word to babes in Christ, and to grown Christians, according to their capacities, and suitable to their cases and circumstances, dividing to everyone what is proper for him: in short, one that divides the word of truth rightly, is, as the Vulgate Latin version renders it, one that "rightly handles"; or, as the Syriac version, that "rightly preaches the word of truth"; who gives the true sense of Scripture, does not pervert and wrest it, and take from it, or add to it; who points out the truth in it, and shows unto men the way of salvation, and plainly and faithfully preaches the Gospel contained in it, without keeping back anything that is profitable, but declares the whole counsel of God. This same Greek word is used by the Septuagint in Proverbs 3:6 where it answers to the Hebrew word ישר, which signifies to direct the way, and make it plain; and may here design a plain and open interpretation of the word of God: and to answer these several characters in the text should be the studious concern of every Gospel minister; and study is necessary thereunto; it requires great care that a man take heed to himself, and to his doctrine; and great industry, diligence, and application, and much reading, meditation, and prayer.

e Vid. Fuller Miscell. Saora, l. 3. c. 16. f Halichot Olim, port. 4. c. 3. p. 192.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

Study to show thyself approved unto God - Give diligence 2 Peter 2:10, or make an effort so to discharge the duties of the ministerial office as to meet the divine approbation. The object of the ministry is not to please men. Such doctrines should be preached, and such plans formed, and such a manner of life pursued, as God will approve. To do this demands study or care - for there are many temptations to the opposite course; there are many things the tendency of which is to lead a minister to seek popular favor rather than the divine approval. If any man please God, it will be as the result of deliberate intention and a careful life.

A workman that needeth not to be ashamed - A man faithfully performing his duty, so that when he looks over what he has done, he may not blush.

Rightly dividing the word of truth - The word here rendered “rightly dividing,” occurs nowhere else in the New Testament. It means, properly, “to cut straight, to divide right;” and the allusion here may be to a steward who makes a proper distribution to each one under his care of such things as his office and their necessities require; compare the notes at Matthew 13:52. Some have supposed that there is an allusion here to the Jewish priest, cutting or dividing the sacrifice into proper parts; others, that the allusion is to the scribes dividing the law into sections; others, to a carver distributing food to the guests at a feast. Robinson (Lexicon) renders it, “rightly proceeding as to the word of truth;” that is, rightfully and skillfully teaching the word of truth. The idea seems to be, that the minister of the gospel is to make a proper distribution of that word, adapting his instructions to the circumstances and wants of his hearers, and giving to each that which will be fitted to nourish the soul for heaven.

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse 15. Study to show thyself approved unto God — Endeavour so to cultivate and improve thy heart and mind, that thou mayest not be a reproach to him from whom thou professest to receive thy commission.

Rightly dividing the word of truth. — It is generally supposed that the apostle alludes here to the care taken to divide the sacrifices under the law; the priests studied, in dividing the victim down the spine, to do it so scrupulously that one half of the spinal marrow should be found on each side the backbone. Probably nothing was much farther from the apostle's thoughts than this view, which is now commonly taken of the subject. Indeed this scrupulously dividing does not appear to have been any original ordinance among the Jews; much stress was laid upon it in later times, but from the beginning it was not so. The word ορθοτομειν signifies,

1. Simply to cut straight, or to rectify.

2. To walk in the right way; it is thus used by Gregory Nazianzen, who, in Orat. Apol. fugae, opposes ορθοτομειν to κακωςοδευειν, walking in a right way to walking in a bad way. Thus, καινοτομειν signifies to walk in a new way, and κατευθυνειν to walk in a straight way. See Kypke.

Therefore, by rightly dividing the word of truth, we are to understand his continuing in the true doctrine, and teaching that to every person; and, according to our Lord's simile, giving each his portion of meat in due season-milk to babes, strong meat to the full grown, comfort to the disconsolate, reproof to the irregular and careless; in a word, finding out the necessities of his hearers, and preaching so as to meet those necessities.