2 Timothy 3:4 (ASV)

Passage

traitors, headstrong, puffed up, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God;

Nearby Context

2 Timothy 3:2 For men shall be lovers of self, lovers of money, boastful, haughty, railers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy,

2 Timothy 3:3 without natural affection, implacable, slanderers, without self-control, fierce, no lovers of good,

2 Timothy 3:4 traitors, headstrong, puffed up, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God;

2 Timothy 3:5 holding a form of godliness, but having denied the power therefore. From these also turn away.

2 Timothy 3:6 For of these are they that creep into houses, and take captive silly women laden with sins, led away by divers lusts,

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "traitors", "headstrong", "puffed", "lovers", "pleasure", "rather", and "than". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "traitors" and "headstrong", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 3's "without natural affection implacable slanderers without self-control..." into verse 5's "holding a form of godliness but having...", so "traitors" and "headstrong" 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 "traitors" and "headstrong" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.