2 Timothy 2:5 (DBY)

Passage

And if also any one contend [in the games], he is not crowned unless he contend lawfully.

Nearby Context

2 Timothy 2:3 Take thy share in suffering as a good soldier of Jesus Christ.

2 Timothy 2:4 No one going as a soldier entangles himself with the affairs of life, that he may please him who has enlisted him as a soldier.

2 Timothy 2:5 And if also any one contend [in the games], he is not crowned unless he contend lawfully.

2 Timothy 2:6 The husbandman must labour before partaking of the fruits.

2 Timothy 2:7 Think of what I say, for the Lord will give thee understanding in all things.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "contend", "games", "crowned", "unless", and "lawfully". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "contend" and "games", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 4's "No one going as a soldier entangles..." into verse 6's "The husbandman must labour before partaking of...", so "contend" and "games" 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 "contend" and "games" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.