2 Timothy 4:4 (GNV)

Passage

And shall turne their eares from the trueth, and shalbe giuen vnto fables.

Nearby Context

2 Timothy 4:2 Preach the worde: be instant, in season and out of season: improue, rebuke, exhort with all long suffering and doctrine.

2 Timothy 4:3 For the time will come, when they will not suffer wholesome doctrine: but hauing their eares itching, shall after their owne lustes get them an heape of teachers,

2 Timothy 4:4 And shall turne their eares from the trueth, and shalbe giuen vnto fables.

2 Timothy 4:5 But watch thou in all thinges: suffer aduersitie: doe the worke of an Euangelist: cause thy ministerie to be throughly liked of.

2 Timothy 4:6 For I am nowe readie to be offered, and the time of my departing is at hand.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "shall", "turne", "eares", "trueth", "shalbe", "giuen", "vnto", and "fables". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "shall" and "turne", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 3's "For the time will come when they..." into verse 5's "But watch thou in all thinges suffer...", so "shall" and "turne" 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 "turne" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.