Passage
Against whom be *thou* also on thy guard, for he has greatly withstood our words.
Against whom be *thou* also on thy guard, for he has greatly withstood our words.
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.
2 Timothy 4:14 Alexander the smith did many evil things against me. The Lord will render to him according to his works.
2 Timothy 4:15 Against whom be *thou* also on thy guard, for he has greatly withstood our words.
2 Timothy 4:16 At my first defence no man stood with me, but all deserted me. May it not be imputed to them.
2 Timothy 4:17 But the Lord stood with [me], and gave me power, that through me the proclamation might be fully made, and all [those of] the nations should hear; and I was delivered out of the lion's mouth.
The verse centers on "against", "thou", "guard", "greatly", "withstood", and "words". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "against" and "thou", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.
The nearby context moves from verse 14's "Alexander the smith did many evil things..." into verse 16's "At my first defence no man stood...", so "against" and "thou" 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 "against" and "thou" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.