2 Timothy 4:2

preach the word; be urgent in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, and exhort, with all patience and teaching.

World English Bible
Learn

Your notes

Private to you. Anything you write on this verse, here or while reading, shows up here and in My study.

Other translations

WEBBE

preach the word; be urgent in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, and exhort with all patience and teaching.

BSB

Preach the word; be prepared in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, and encourage with every form of patient instruction.

KJV

Preach the word; be instant in season, out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort with all longsuffering and doctrine.

ASV

preach the word; be urgent in season, out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort, with all longsuffering and teaching.

BBE

Be preaching the word at all times, in every place; make protests, say sharp words, give comfort, with long waiting and teaching;

Original Greek

Look up a word

Tap a word to see what it means and everywhere else it's used.

The early church

Let us then also learn hence to consider all things secondary to the hearing the word of God, and to deem no season unseasonable, and, though a man may even have to go into another person's house, and being a person unknown to make himself known to great men, though it be late in the day, or at any time whatever, never to neglect this traffic. Let food and baths and dinners and the other things of this life have their appointed time; but let the teaching of heavenly philosophy have no separate time, let every season belong to it. For Paul saith, "In season, out of season, reprove, rebuke, exhort"; and the Prophet too saith, "In His law will he meditate day and night"; and Moses commanded the Jews to do this always.
John Chrysostom · d. 407Homilies on John
"Preach the word: be instant in season, out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort with all longsuffering and doctrine." What means "in season, out of season"? That is, have not any limited season: let it always be thy season, not only in peace and security, and when sitting in the Church. Whether thou be in danger, in prison, in chains, or going to thy death, at that very time reprove. Withhold not rebuke, for reproof is then most seasonable, when thy rebuke will be most successful, when the reality is proved. "Exhort," he says. After the manner of physicians, having shown the wound, he gives the incision, he applies the plaster. For if you omit either of these, the other becomes useless. If you rebuke without convicting, you will seem to be rash, and no one will tolerate it, but after the matter is proved, he will submit to rebuke: before, he will be headstrong. And if you convict and rebuke, but vehemently, and do not apply exhortation, all your labor will be lost. For conviction is intolerable in itself if consolation be not mingled with it. As if incision, though salutary in itself, have not plenty of lenitives to assuage the pain, the patient cannot endure cutting and hacking, so it is in this matter. "With all longsuffering and doctrine." For he that reproves is required to be longsuffering, that he may not believe hastily, and rebuke needs consolation, that it may be received as it ought. And why to "longsuffering" does he add "doctrine"? "Not as in anger, not as in hatred, not as insulting over him, not as having caught an enemy. Far be these things from thee." But how? As loving as sympathizing with him, as more distressed than himself at his grief, as melted at his sufferings? "With all longsuffering and doctrine." No ordinary teaching is implied.
John Chrysostom · d. 407Homilies on 2 Timothy

Commentary

Matthew Henry · Verses 1–5

People will turn away from the truth, they will grow weary of the plain gospel of Christ, they will be greedy of fables, and take pleasure in them. People do so when they will not endure that preaching which is searching, plain, and to the purpose. Those who love souls must be ever watchful, must venture and bear all the painful effects of their faithfulness, and take all opportunities of making known the pure gospel.

Read Matthew Henry on 2 Timothy 4 →

Cross-references

34

Topics

Cross-references: Treasury of Scripture Knowledge. Hebrew and Greek data from STEPBible.org (Tyndale House, Cambridge), CC BY 4.0. Library: sources.