2 Timothy 3:9 (KJV)

Passage

But they shall proceed no further: for their folly shall be manifest unto all men, as theirs also was.

Nearby Context

2 Timothy 3:7 Ever learning, and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth.

2 Timothy 3:8 Now as Jannes and Jambres withstood Moses, so do these also resist the truth: men of corrupt minds, reprobate concerning the faith.

2 Timothy 3:9 But they shall proceed no further: for their folly shall be manifest unto all men, as theirs also was.

2 Timothy 3:10 But thou hast fully known my doctrine, manner of life, purpose, faith, longsuffering, charity, patience,

2 Timothy 3:11 Persecutions, afflictions, which came unto me at Antioch, at Iconium, at Lystra; what persecutions I endured: but out of them all the Lord delivered me.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "shall", "proceed", "further", "folly", "manifest", and "theirs". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "shall" and "proceed", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 8's "Now as Jannes and Jambres withstood Moses..." into verse 10's "But thou hast fully known my doctrine...", so "shall" and "proceed" belong inside that flow. In 2 Timothy context, the local focus is Christ, faith, and discipleship.

A plain takeaway is to answer the verse's own emphasis on "shall" and "proceed" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.