2 Timothy 4:3 (DRB)

Passage

For there shall be a time when they will not endure sound doctrine but, according to their own desires, they will heap to themselves teachers having itching ears:

Nearby Context

2 Timothy 4:1 I charge thee, before God and Jesus Christ, who shall judge the living and the dead, by his coming and his kingdom:

2 Timothy 4:2 Preach the word: be instant in season, out of season: reprove, entreat, rebuke in all patience and doctrine.

2 Timothy 4:3 For there shall be a time when they will not endure sound doctrine but, according to their own desires, they will heap to themselves teachers having itching ears:

2 Timothy 4:4 And will indeed turn away their hearing from the truth, but will be turned unto fables.

2 Timothy 4:5 But be thou vigilant, labour in all things, do the work of an evangelist, fulfil thy ministry. Be sober.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "shall", "time", "endure", "sound", "doctrine", "desires", "heap", and "themselves". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "shall" and "time", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 2's "Preach the word be instant in season..." into verse 4's "And will indeed turn away their hearing...", so "shall" and "time" 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 "shall" and "time" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.