2 Timothy 2:24 (DBY)

Passage

And a bondman of [the] Lord ought not to contend, but be gentle towards all; apt to teach; forbearing;

Nearby Context

2 Timothy 2:22 But youthful lusts flee, and pursue righteousness, faith, love, peace, with those that call upon the Lord out of a pure heart.

2 Timothy 2:23 But foolish and senseless questionings avoid, knowing that they beget contentions.

2 Timothy 2:24 And a bondman of [the] Lord ought not to contend, but be gentle towards all; apt to teach; forbearing;

2 Timothy 2:25 in meekness setting right those who oppose, if God perhaps may sometime give them repentance to acknowledgment of [the] truth,

2 Timothy 2:26 and that they may awake up out of the snare of the devil, [who are] taken by him, for *his* will.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "bondman", "lord", "ought", "contend", "gentle", "towards", "teach", and "forbearing". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "bondman" and "lord", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 23's "But foolish and senseless questionings avoid knowing..." into verse 25's "in meekness setting right those who oppose...", so "bondman" and "lord" 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 "bondman" and "lord" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.