2 Timothy 4:16 (DRB)

Passage

At my first answer, no man stood with me: but all forsook me. May it not be laid to their charge!

Nearby Context

2 Timothy 4:14 Alexander the coppersmith hath done me much evil: the Lord will reward him according to his works:

2 Timothy 4:15 Whom do thou also avoid: for he hath greatly withstood our words.

2 Timothy 4:16 At my first answer, no man stood with me: but all forsook me. May it not be laid to their charge!

2 Timothy 4:17 But the Lord stood by me and strengthened me, that by me the preaching may be accomplished and that all the Gentiles may hear. And I was delivered out of the mouth of the lion.

2 Timothy 4:18 The Lord hath delivered me from every evil work and will preserve me unto his heavenly kingdom. To whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "first", "answer", "stood", "forsook", "laid", and "charge". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "first" and "answer", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 15's "Whom do thou also avoid for he..." into verse 17's "But the Lord stood by me and...", so "first" and "answer" 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 "first" and "answer" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.