2 Timotius 2:5

2:5 Also, if anyone competes as an athlete, he will not be crowned as the winner ¹  unless he competes according to the rules. ² 

2 Timotius 2:13

2:13 If we are unfaithful, he remains faithful, since he cannot deny himself. ³ 

2 Timotius 2:24

2:24 And the Lord’s slave ⁴  must not engage in heated disputes ⁵  but be kind toward all, an apt teacher, patient,

2 Timotius 1:7

1:7 For God did not give us a Spirit ⁶  of fear but of power and love and self-control.

2 Timotius 2:9

2:9 for which I suffer hardship to the point of imprisonment ⁷  as a criminal, but God’s message ⁸  is not imprisoned! ⁹ 

2 Timotius 3:9

3:9 But they will not go much further, ¹⁰  for their foolishness will be obvious to everyone, just like it was with Jannes and Jambres. ¹¹ 

2 Timotius 1:9

1:9 He is the one who saved us ¹²  and called us with a holy calling, not based on ¹³  our works but on his own purpose and grace, granted to us in Christ Jesus before time began, ¹⁴ 

2 Timotius 4:8

4:8 Finally the crown of righteousness is reserved for me. The Lord, the righteous Judge, will award it to me in that day – and not to me only, but also to all who have set their affection on ¹⁵  his appearing.

¹ tn Grk “will not be crowned,” speaking of the wreath awarded to the victor.

² sn According to the rules (Grk “lawfully, by law”) referring to the rules of competition. In the ancient world these included requirements for training as well as rules for the competition itself.

³ sn If we are unfaithful…he cannot deny himself. This could be (1) a word of warning (The Lord will exact punishment; he cannot deny his holiness) or (2) a word of hope (Because of who he is, he remains faithful to us despite our lapses). The latter is more likely, since Paul consistently cites God’s faithfulness as a reassurance, not as a warning (cf. especially Rom 3:3; also 1 Cor 1:9; 10:13; 2 Cor 1:18; 1 Thess 5:24; 2 Thess 3:3).

⁴ tn Traditionally, “servant” or “bondservant.” Though δοῦλος (doulos) is normally translated “servant,” the word does not bear the connotation of a free individual serving another. BDAG notes that “‘servant’ for ‘slave’ is largely confined to Biblical transl. and early American times…in normal usage at the present time the two words are carefully distinguished” (BDAG 260 s.v.). The most accurate translation is “bondservant” (sometimes found in the ASV for δοῦλος), in that it often indicates one who sells himself into slavery to another. But as this is archaic, few today understand its force.

sn Undoubtedly the background for the concept of being the Lord’s slave or servant is to be found in the Old Testament scriptures. For a Jew this concept did not connote drudgery, but honor and privilege. It was used of national Israel at times (Isa 43:10), but was especially associated with famous OT personalities, including such great men as Moses (Josh 14:7), David (Ps 89:3; cf. 2 Sam 7:5, 8) and Elijah (2 Kgs 10:10); all these men were “servants (or slaves) of the Lord.”

⁵ tn Grk “must not fight” or “must not quarrel.” The Greek verb is related to the noun translated “infighting” in v. 23.

⁶ tn Or “a spirit,” denoting the human personality under the Spirit’s influence as in 1 Cor 4:21; Gal 6:1; 1 Pet 3:4. But the reference to the Holy Spirit at the end of this section (1:14) makes it likely that it begins this way also, so that the Holy Spirit is the referent.

⁷ tn Or “chains,” “bonds.”

⁸ tn Or “word.”

⁹ tn Or “chained,” “bound.”

¹⁰ tn Grk “for they will not progress any more.”

¹¹ tn Grk “as theirs came to be,” referring to the foolishness of Jannes and Jambres. The referent of “theirs” (Jannes and Jambres) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

¹² tn More literally, “who saved us,” as a description of God in v. 8. Because of the length and complexity of the Greek sentence, a new sentence was started here in the translation.

¹³ tn Or “according to,” or “by.”

¹⁴ tn Grk “before eternal times.”

¹⁵ tn Grk “all who have loved.”