2 Timothy 2:16 (DBY)

Passage

But profane, vain babblings shun, for they will advance to greater impiety,

Nearby Context

2 Timothy 2:14 Of these things put in remembrance, testifying earnestly before the Lord not to have disputes of words, profitable for nothing, to the subversion of the hearers.

2 Timothy 2:15 Strive diligently to present thyself approved to God, a workman that has not to be ashamed, cutting in a straight line the word of truth.

2 Timothy 2:16 But profane, vain babblings shun, for they will advance to greater impiety,

2 Timothy 2:17 and their word will spread as a gangrene; of whom is Hymenaeus and Philetus;

2 Timothy 2:18 [men] who as to the truth have gone astray, saying that the resurrection has taken place already; and overthrow the faith of some.

Study Lenses

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

The nearby context moves from verse 15's "Strive diligently to present thyself approved to..." into verse 17's "and their word will spread as a...", so "profane" and "vain" 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 "profane" and "vain" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.