Chapter
1 2 3 4
Verse
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26

2 Timothy 2:7
ESV Think over what I say, for the Lord will give you understanding in everything.
NIV Reflect on what I am saying, for the Lord will give you insight into all this.
NASB Consider what I say, for the Lord will give you understanding in everything.
CSB Consider what I say, for the Lord will give you understanding in everything.
NLT Think about what I am saying. The Lord will help you understand all these things.
KJV Consider what I say; and the Lord give thee understanding in all things.
NKJV Consider what I say, and may the Lord give you understanding in all things.

What does 2 Timothy 2:7 mean?

Verses 1–6 were directly addressed to Timothy. Rather than develop each idea in great detail, Timothy is meant to reflect on Paul's words and their application in his own life. Interestingly, "what I say" may also be another indication that Paul dictated this letter, and another person wrote his words down. If so, the most likely candidate is Luke, the person Paul will later say is the only one with him (2 Timothy 4:11), and who had already written the books of Luke and Acts by this time. Luke was considered Paul's fellow worker (Philemon 1:24) and was known as a "beloved physician" (Colossians 4:14). Luke was likely the only Gentile author of a New Testament book.

The final phrase, "the Lord will give you understanding in everything," may allude to Proverbs 3:5–6: "Trust in the LORD with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths." Understanding was a key theme of the Proverbs and something to be sought by those who loved God.
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