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InterlinearVerse GEN EXO LEV NUM DEU JOB JOS JDG RUTH 1 SAM 2 SAM PSA AMOS HOS 1 KI 2 KI 1 CHR 2 CHR PROV ECC SNG JOEL MIC ISA ZEP HAB JER LAM YNA (JNA) NAH OBA DAN EZE EZRA EST NEH HAG ZEC MAL LAO GES LES ESG DNG 2 PS TOB JDT WIS SIR BAR LJE PAZ SUS BEL MAN 1 MAC 2 MAC 3 MAC 4 MAC YHN (JHN) MARK MAT LUKE ACTs YAC (JAM) GAL 1 TH 2 TH 1 COR 2 COR ROM COL PHM EPH PHP 1 TIM TIT 1 PET 2 PET 2 TIM HEB YUD (JUD) 1 YHN (1 JHN) 2 YHN (2 JHN) 3 YHN (3 JHN) REV
2 Tim 2 V1 V2 V3 V4 V5 V6 V7 V8 V9 V10 V11 V12 V13 V14 V15 V16 V17 V18 V19 V20 V21 V22 V23 V25 V26
OET (OET-LV) And it_is_ not _fitting the_slave of_the_master to_be_quarrelling, but to_be gentle toward all, teaching, bearing_evil,
OET (OET-RV) It’s not fitting for one of Yahweh’s slaves to be argumentative, but rather to be polite to everyone and to be teaching the truth, yet be tolerant of other people’s bad behaviour.
In this paragraph, Paul instructed Timothy regarding how he could be a “container” that God can use.
And a servant of the Lord must not be quarrelsome,
Someone who works for the Lord must not quarrel.
And you know that we(incl) who serve the/our(incl) Lord should not quarrel.
a servant of the Lord: The phrase a servant of the Lord is a general statement referring to all pastors and all teachers of Christian doctrine. Timothy was also a servant of the Lord, so Paul obviously intended it to apply to him also.
Paul made this general statement using the word servant in the singular. In some languages, it will be necessary to follow the example of the NLT and make servant plural.
The Lord’s servants must not quarrel
In many languages the form for general statements has a particular person and number marker or pronoun to indicate the subject of the verb. Some examples are:
We (incl) who are the Lord’s servants…
You (sing) who are the Lord’s servant… (See GNT, for example.)
Someone who is the Lord’s servant…
People who are the Lord’s servants…
You should use the pattern that is natural in your language and use consistent pronouns. In this context, the statements in 2:24–25 apply to Paul himself, to Timothy, and to anyone else who serves as a pastor or a leader for other Christians.
the Lord: Here the Lord refers to God.
but must be kind to everyone,
Instead, he must treat everyone well.
Instead, we(incl) should be gentle with all kinds of people.
but: The word but is a translation of the Greek conjunction de. Here Paul contrasts 2:24a with 2:24b. Some English versions translate this word as “instead.”
must be kind to everyone: In 2:24a, Paul told Timothy how the servant of the Lord must not act toward other people. In 2:24b, he told Timothy how the servant of the Lord should act toward everyone, including non-Christians, including those who want to argue with him. He did not say that Timothy should completely avoid people who did not believe the good news. He knew that if Timothy talked with them in a kind manner, he might be able to explain to them the truths that they needed to hear.
able to teach,
He must be able to communicate God’s truth,
We should know how to explain clearly what the word of God says,
able to teach: A servant of the Lord must be able to teach. The teaching referred to here implies teaching the truth to both believers and non-believers. It also refers to teaching against false doctrine.
and forbearing.
and he must be patient with people.
and we should be patient towards those who oppose us.
and forbearing: The Greek word that the BSB translates as forbearing means “to be patient” with those who oppose you. Many English versions translate this word as “patient.” For example, the NLT says: “They must be…patient with difficult people.” It is recommended that you also translate this word as “patient.”
Note 1 topic: grammar-connect-logic-contrast
δὲ
(Some words not found in SR-GNT: δοῦλον Δέ Κυρίου οὒ δεῖ μάχεσθαι ἀλλά ἤπιον εἶναι πρός πάντας διδακτικόν ἀνεξίκακον)
Here the word But introduces how a slave of the Lord acts in contrast to how the “controversies” that Paul mentioned in the previous verse cause people to act. If it would be helpful in your language, you could use a word or phrase that introduces this kind of contrast, or you could leave But untranslated. Alternate translation: [In contrast,]
Note 2 topic: figures-of-speech / genericnoun
δοῦλον & Κυρίου
˓the˒_slave & ˱of˲_˓the˒_Lord
The word slave represents any person who is a slave of the Lord, not one particular person. If it would be helpful in your language, you could express the idea in another way. Alternate translation: [each slave of the Lord]
Note 3 topic: figures-of-speech / metaphor
δοῦλον & Κυρίου
˓the˒_slave & ˱of˲_˓the˒_Lord
Here Paul speaks of people who worship and obey the Lord, and especially leaders in the church, as if they were each a slave of the Lord. If it would be helpful in your language, you could state the meaning plainly. Alternate translation: [those who worship and obey the Lord] or [people who do what the Lord commands]
Note 4 topic: figures-of-speech / metaphor
οὐ & μάχεσθαι
(Some words not found in SR-GNT: δοῦλον Δέ Κυρίου οὒ δεῖ μάχεσθαι ἀλλά ἤπιον εἶναι πρός πάντας διδακτικόν ἀνεξίκακον)
Here Paul speaks of arguing and quarreling in a community as if it were battling. If it would be helpful in your language, you could express the idea in simile form or state the meaning plainly. See how you expressed the similar figure of speech in [2:23](../02/23.md). Alternate translation: [not to quarrel, which is like fighting in a battle] or [not to cause strife]
Note 5 topic: figures-of-speech / nominaladj
πάντας
all
Paul is using the adjective all as a noun to mean all people. Your language may use adjectives in the same way. If not, you could translate this word with an equivalent phrase. Alternate translation: [everyone]
2:24 A servant of the Lord: See Titus 1:1; cp. Isa 42:1-2; 50:6; 53:7; Matt 12:14-21.
• be able to teach, and be patient: See 1 Tim 3:2-3; Titus 3:2.
OET (OET-LV) And it_is_ not _fitting the_slave of_the_master to_be_quarrelling, but to_be gentle toward all, teaching, bearing_evil,
OET (OET-RV) It’s not fitting for one of Yahweh’s slaves to be argumentative, but rather to be polite to everyone and to be teaching the truth, yet be tolerant of other people’s bad behaviour.
Note: The OET-RV is still only a first draft, and so far only a few words have been (mostly automatically) matched to the Hebrew or Greek words that they’re translated from.
Acknowledgements: The SR Greek text, lemmas, morphology, and VLT gloss are all thanks to the CNTR.