2 Timothy 4:11 (DBY)

Passage

Luke alone is with me. Take Mark, and bring [him] with thyself, for he is serviceable to me for ministry.

Nearby Context

2 Timothy 4:9 Use diligence to come to me quickly;

2 Timothy 4:10 for Demas has forsaken me, having loved the present age, and is gone to Thessalonica; Crescens to Galatia, Titus to Dalmatia.

2 Timothy 4:11 Luke alone is with me. Take Mark, and bring [him] with thyself, for he is serviceable to me for ministry.

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

2 Timothy 4:13 The cloak which I left behind [me] in Troas at Carpus's, bring when thou comest, and the books, especially the parchments.

Study Lenses

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

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