2 Timothy 4:4 (YLT)

Passage

and indeed, from the truth the hearing they shall turn away, and to the fables they shall be turned aside.

Nearby Context

2 Timothy 4:2 preach the word; be earnest in season, out of season, convict, rebuke, exhort, in all long-suffering and teaching,

2 Timothy 4:3 for there shall be a season when the sound teaching they will not suffer, but according to their own desires to themselves they shall heap up teachers--itching in the hearing,

2 Timothy 4:4 and indeed, from the truth the hearing they shall turn away, and to the fables they shall be turned aside.

2 Timothy 4:5 And thou--watch in all things; suffer evil; do the work of one proclaiming good news; of thy ministration make full assurance,

2 Timothy 4:6 for I am already being poured out, and the time of my release hath arrived;

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "indeed", "truth", "hearing", "shall", "turn", "away", and "fables". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "indeed" and "truth", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 3's "for there shall be a season when..." into verse 5's "And thou--watch in all things suffer evil...", so "indeed" and "truth" 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 "indeed" and "truth" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.