2 Timothy 1:7 (DBY)

Passage

For God has not given us a spirit of cowardice, but of power, and of love, and of wise discretion.

Nearby Context

2 Timothy 1:5 calling to mind the unfeigned faith which [has been] in thee, which dwelt first in thy grandmother Lois, and in thy mother Eunice, and I am persuaded that in thee also.

2 Timothy 1:6 For which cause I put thee in mind to rekindle the gift of God which is in thee by the putting on of my hands.

2 Timothy 1:7 For God has not given us a spirit of cowardice, but of power, and of love, and of wise discretion.

2 Timothy 1:8 Be not therefore ashamed of the testimony of our Lord, nor of me his prisoner; but suffer evil along with the glad tidings, according to the power of God;

2 Timothy 1:9 who has saved us, and has called us with a holy calling, not according to our works, but according to [his] own purpose and grace, which [was] given to us in Christ Jesus before [the] ages of time,

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "Spirit", "given", "cowardice", "power", "love", "wise", and "discretion". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "Spirit" and "given", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 6's "For which cause I put thee in..." into verse 8's "Be not therefore ashamed of the testimony...", so "Spirit" and "given" 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 "Spirit" and "given" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.