2 Timothy 4:4

4 and they will turn away their ear from the truth, and will have turned aside to fables.

2 Timothy 4:4 Meaning and Commentary

2 Timothy 4:4

And they shall turn away their ears from the truth
The solid truths of the Gospel, not being able to bear the hearing of them:

and shall be turned unto fables;
things idle, trifling, useless, and, unprofitable; and which are no better than old wives' fables; some respect may be had either to Jewish fables, or to the miraculous mythologies of the Gentiles, or of the Gnostics, and others: but in general, it includes everything that is vain, empty, and senseless; and this is to be considered as a just judgment upon them; that since they like not to retain the knowledge of the truth, but turn away their ears from it, God gives them up to a reprobate mind, a mind void of sense and judgment, to attend to things idle and fabulous.

2 Timothy 4:4 In-Context

2 proclaim the word; be urgent in season [and] out of season, convict, rebuke, encourage, with all longsuffering and doctrine.

3 For the time shall be when they will not bear sound teaching; but according to their own lusts will heap up to themselves teachers, having an itching ear;

4 and they will turn away their ear from the truth, and will have turned aside to fables.

5 But *thou*, be sober in all things, bear evils, do [the] work of an evangelist, fill up the full measure of thy ministry.

6 For *I* am already being poured out, and the time of my release is come.

Footnotes

• [a] Or 'will be turned aside,' or 'have turned themselves aside.' Compare 1Tim. 1.6; 5.15. Here their being already turned aside leads them to turn away their ear from the truth.