2 Timothy 2:16 (ASV)

Passage

But shun profane babblings: for they will proceed further in ungodliness,

Nearby Context

2 Timothy 2:14 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.

2 Timothy 2:15 Give diligence to present thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, handling aright the word of truth.

2 Timothy 2:16 But shun profane babblings: for they will proceed further in ungodliness,

2 Timothy 2:17 and their word will eat as doth a gangrene: or whom is Hymenaeus an Philetus;

2 Timothy 2:18 men who concerning the truth have erred, saying that the resurrection is past already, and overthrow the faith of some.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "shun", "profane", "babblings", "proceed", "further", and "ungodliness". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "shun" and "profane", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 15's "Give diligence to present thyself approved unto..." into verse 17's "and their word will eat as doth...", so "shun" and "profane" 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 "shun" and "profane" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.