2 Timothy 4:11 (ASV)

Passage

Only Luke is with me. Take Mark, and bring him with thee; for he is useful to me for ministering.

Nearby Context

2 Timothy 4:9 Give diligence to come shortly unto me:

2 Timothy 4:10 for Demas forsook me, having loved this present world, and went to Thessalonica; Crescens to Galatia, Titus to Dalmatia.

2 Timothy 4:11 Only Luke is with me. Take Mark, and bring him with thee; for he is useful to me for ministering.

2 Timothy 4:12 But Tychicus I sent to Ephesus.

2 Timothy 4:13 The cloak that I left at Troas with Carpus, bring when thou comest, and the books, especially the parchments.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "only", "luke", "take", "mark", "bring", "thee", "useful", and "ministering". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "only" and "luke", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 10's "for Demas forsook me having loved this..." into verse 12's "But Tychicus I sent to Ephesus...", so "only" and "luke" 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 "only" and "luke" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.