2 Timothy 2:15

Give diligence (spoudason). First aorist active imperative of spoudazw, old word, as in 1 Thessalonians 2:17 ; Galatians 2:10 . To present (parasthsai). First aorist active infinitive of paristhmi as in Colossians 1:22 Colossians 1:28 . Approved unto God (dokimon twi qewi). Dative case qewi with dokimon, predicate accusative, old adjective (from decomai), for which see 1 Corinthians 11:19 ; 2 Corinthians 10:18 . A workman (ergathn). See 2 Corinthians 11:3 ; Philippians 3:2 . That needeth not to be ashamed (anepaiscunton). Late double compound verbal adjective (a privative, epaiscunw), in Josephus and here alone. Handling aright (orqotomounta). Present active participle of orqotomew, late and rare compound (orqotomo), cutting straight, orqo and temnw), here only in N.T. It occurs in Proverbs 3:6 ; Proverbs 11:5 for making straight paths (odou) with which compare Hebrews 12:13 and "the Way" in Acts 9:2 . Theodoret explains it to mean ploughing a straight furrow. Parry argues that the metaphor is the stone mason cutting the stones straight since temnw and orqo are so used. Since Paul was a tent-maker and knew how to cut straight the rough camel-hair cloth, why not let that be the metaphor? Certainly plenty of exegesis is crooked enough (crazy-quilt patterns) to call for careful cutting to set it straight.