2 Timothy 2:18

18 who have deviated concerning the truth [by] saying the resurrection has already taken place, and they are upsetting the faith of some.

2 Timothy 2:18 Meaning and Commentary

2 Timothy 2:18

Who concerning the truth have erred
That is, the two persons just mentioned; they fell from the truth, wandered and departed from it; they did not keep to the Scriptures of truth, but deviated from them; they missed that mark, and went astray into gross errors and mistakes; rejected the Gospel, the word of truth, in general, and particularly in

saying, that the resurrection is past already;
and no other is to be expected; or that there was no future resurrection of the dead: their error was, as some think, that there is no other resurrection than that of parents in their children, who, though they die, live in their posterity; or than the resurrection of Christ, and of the saints, that rose at the same time; or rather, that there is no other resurrection than the spiritual one, or regeneration, which is a quickening of dead sinners, or the resurrection of them from the death of sin, to a life of grace; which seems to be the truest account of their principle, seeing this is what has been received and propagated by others since; though some have thought that they gave into the Palingenesia of the Pythagoreans, who supposed that when men die, their souls go into other bodies; and that these men imagined, that this is all the resurrection that will be: and others have been of opinion, that their notion was, that whereas the deliverance of the Jews out of the Babylonish captivity is signified by a resurrection of them, in ( Ezekiel 37:1-28 ) that this is the resurrection they meant was past, and no other to be looked for; but that which has been fixed upon seems to be the truest account:

and overthrow the faith of some;
the Ethiopic version reads, "of many"; that is, of nominal professors of religion; not of true believers, for true faith cannot be overthrown. Hence it follows,

2 Timothy 2:18 In-Context

16 But avoid pointless chatter, for it will progress to greater ungodliness,
17 and their message {will spread} like gangrene, among whom are Hymenaeus and Philetus,
18 who have deviated concerning the truth [by] saying the resurrection has already taken place, and they are upsetting the faith of some.
19 However, the solid foundation of God stands firm, having this seal: "The Lord knows those who are his," and "Everyone who names the name of the Lord must abstain from unrighteousness."
20 Now in a great house [there] are not only gold and silver vessels, but also wooden and earthenware [ones], some of which [are] for honorable use, and some of which [are] for ordinary use.

Footnotes 1

  • [a]. *Here "[by]" is supplied as a component of the participle ("saying") which is understood as means
Scripture quotations marked (LEB) are from the Lexham English Bible. Copyright 2012 Logos Bible Software. Lexham is a registered trademark of Logos Bible Software.