2 Timothy 3:7 (ASV)

Passage

ever learning, and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth.

Nearby Context

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,

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

2 Timothy 3:8 And even as Jannes and Jambres withstood Moses, so do these also withstand the truth. Men corrupted in mind, reprobate concerning the faith.

2 Timothy 3:9 But they shall proceed no further. For their folly shall be evident unto all men, as theirs also came to be.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "ever", "learning", "never", "able", "come", "knowledge", and "truth". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "ever" and "learning", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 6's "For of these are they that creep..." into verse 8's "And even as Jannes and Jambres withstood...", so "ever" and "learning" 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 "ever" and "learning" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.