2 Timothy 2:16 (DRB)

Passage

But shun profane and vain babblings: for they grow much towards ungodliness.

Nearby Context

2 Timothy 2:14 Of these things put them in mind, charging them before the Lord. Contend not in words: for it is to no profit, but to the subverting of the hearers.

2 Timothy 2:15 Carefully study to present thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly handling the word of truth.

2 Timothy 2:16 But shun profane and vain babblings: for they grow much towards ungodliness.

2 Timothy 2:17 And their speech spreadeth like a canker: of whom are Hymeneus and Philetus:

2 Timothy 2:18 Who have erred from the truth, saying that the resurrection is past already, and have subverted the faith of some.

Study Lenses

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

The nearby context moves from verse 15's "Carefully study to present thyself approved unto..." into verse 17's "And their speech spreadeth like a canker...", so "shun" and "profane" 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 "shun" and "profane" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.