2 Timothy 2:17 (YLT)

Passage

and their word as a gangrene will have pasture, of whom is Hymenaeus and Philetus,

Nearby Context

2 Timothy 2:15 be diligent to present thyself approved to God--a workman irreproachable, rightly dividing the word of the truth;

2 Timothy 2:16 and the profane vain talkings stand aloof from, for to more impiety they will advance,

2 Timothy 2:17 and their word as a gangrene will have pasture, of whom is Hymenaeus and Philetus,

2 Timothy 2:18 who concerning the truth did swerve, saying the rising again to have already been, and do overthrow the faith of some;

2 Timothy 2:19 sure, nevertheless, hath the foundation of God stood, having this seal, `The Lord hath known those who are His,' and `Let him depart from unrighteousness--every one who is naming the name of Christ.'

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "word", "gangrene", "pasture", "hymenaeus", and "philetus". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "word" and "gangrene", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 16's "and the profane vain talkings stand aloof..." into verse 18's "who concerning the truth did swerve saying...", so "word" and "gangrene" 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 "word" and "gangrene" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.