2 Timothy 2:24
New International Version
And the Lord’s servant must not be quarrelsome but must be kind to everyone, able to teach, not resentful.

New Living Translation
A servant of the Lord must not quarrel but must be kind to everyone, be able to teach, and be patient with difficult people.

English Standard Version
And the Lord’s servant must not be quarrelsome but kind to everyone, able to teach, patiently enduring evil,

Berean Standard Bible
And a servant of the Lord must not be quarrelsome, but must be kind to everyone, able to teach, and forbearing.

Berean Literal Bible
And it behooves the bond-servant of the Lord not to quarrel, but to be gentle toward all, able to teach, forbearing,

King James Bible
And the servant of the Lord must not strive; but be gentle unto all men, apt to teach, patient,

New King James Version
And a servant of the Lord must not quarrel but be gentle to all, able to teach, patient,

New American Standard Bible
The Lord’s bond-servant must not be quarrelsome, but be kind to all, skillful in teaching, patient when wronged,

NASB 1995
The Lord’s bond-servant must not be quarrelsome, but be kind to all, able to teach, patient when wronged,

NASB 1977
And the Lord’s bond-servant must not be quarrelsome, but be kind to all, able to teach, patient when wronged,

Legacy Standard Bible
And the Lord’s slave must not be quarrelsome, but be kind to all, able to teach, patient when wronged,

Amplified Bible
The servant of the Lord must not participate in quarrels, but must be kind to everyone [even-tempered, preserving peace, and he must be], skilled in teaching, patient and tolerant when wronged.

Christian Standard Bible
The Lord’s servant must not quarrel, but must be gentle to everyone, able to teach, and patient,

Holman Christian Standard Bible
The Lord’s slave must not quarrel, but must be gentle to everyone, able to teach, and patient,

American Standard Version
And the Lord's servant must not strive, but be gentle towards all, apt to teach, forbearing,

Aramaic Bible in Plain English
But a Servant of our Lord ought not to fight, but to be humble toward every person, instructive and long-suffering,

Contemporary English Version
and God's servants must not be troublemakers. They must be kind to everyone, and they must be good teachers and very patient.

Douay-Rheims Bible
But the servant of the Lord must not wrangle: but be mild towards all men, apt to teach, patient,

English Revised Version
And the Lord's servant must not strive, but be gentle towards all, apt to teach, forbearing,

GOD'S WORD® Translation
A servant of the Lord must not quarrel. Instead, he must be kind to everyone. He must be a good teacher. He must be willing to suffer wrong.

Good News Translation
As the Lord's servant, you must not quarrel. You must be kind toward all, a good and patient teacher,

International Standard Version
A servant of the Lord must not argue. Instead, he must be kind to everyone, teachable, willing to suffer wrong,

Literal Standard Version
and a servant of the LORD must not quarrel, but to be gentle to all, apt to teach, patient under evil,

Majority Standard Bible
And a servant of the Lord must not be quarrelsome, but must be kind to everyone, able to teach, and forbearing.

New American Bible
A slave of the Lord should not quarrel, but should be gentle with everyone, able to teach, tolerant,

NET Bible
And the Lord's slave must not engage in heated disputes but be kind toward all, an apt teacher, patient,

New Revised Standard Version
And the Lord’s servant must not be quarrelsome but kindly to everyone, an apt teacher, patient,

New Heart English Bible
The Lord's servant must not quarrel, but be gentle towards all, able to teach, patient,

Webster's Bible Translation
And the servant of the Lord must not contend; but be gentle to all men, apt to teach, patient,

Weymouth New Testament
and a bondservant of the Lord must not quarrel, but must be inoffensive towards all men, a skilful teacher, and patient under wrongs.

World English Bible
The Lord’s servant must not quarrel, but be gentle toward all, able to teach, patient,

Young's Literal Translation
and a servant of the Lord it behoveth not to strive, but to be gentle unto all, apt to teach, patient under evil,

Additional Translations ...
Audio Bible



Context
The Lord's Approved Workman
23But reject foolish and ignorant speculation, for you know that it breeds quarreling. 24And a servant of the Lord must not be quarrelsome, but must be kind to everyone, able to teach, and forbearing. 25He must gently reprove those who oppose him, in the hope that God may grant them repentance leading to a knowledge of the truth.…

Cross References
2 Corinthians 6:4
Rather, as servants of God we commend ourselves in every way: in great endurance; in troubles, hardships, and calamities;

1 Thessalonians 2:7
On the contrary, we were gentle among you, like a nursing mother caring for her children.

1 Timothy 3:2
An overseer, then, must be above reproach, the husband of but one wife, temperate, self-controlled, respectable, hospitable, able to teach,

1 Timothy 3:3
not dependent on wine, not violent but gentle, peaceable, and free of the love of money.

Titus 1:7
As God's steward, an overseer must be above reproach--not self-absorbed, not quick-tempered, not given to drunkenness, not violent, not greedy for money.


Treasury of Scripture

And the servant of the Lord must not strive; but be gentle to all men, apt to teach, patient,

the servant.

Deuteronomy 34:5
So Moses the servant of the LORD died there in the land of Moab, according to the word of the LORD.

Joshua 1:1
Now after the death of Moses the servant of the LORD it came to pass, that the LORD spake unto Joshua the son of Nun, Moses' minister, saying,

2 Chronicles 24:6
And the king called for Jehoiada the chief, and said unto him, Why hast thou not required of the Levites to bring in out of Judah and out of Jerusalem the collection, according to the commandment of Moses the servant of the LORD, and of the congregation of Israel, for the tabernacle of witness?

must.

Matthew 12:19
He shall not strive, nor cry; neither shall any man hear his voice in the streets.

Acts 15:2
When therefore Paul and Barnabas had no small dissension and disputation with them, they determined that Paul and Barnabas, and certain other of them, should go up to Jerusalem unto the apostles and elders about this question.

2 Corinthians 10:4
(For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds;)

strive.

John 6:52
The Jews therefore strove among themselves, saying, How can this man give us his flesh to eat?

Acts 7:26
And the next day he shewed himself unto them as they strove, and would have set them at one again, saying, Sirs, ye are brethren; why do ye wrong one to another?

Acts 23:9
And there arose a great cry: and the scribes that were of the Pharisees' part arose, and strove, saying, We find no evil in this man: but if a spirit or an angel hath spoken to him, let us not fight against God.

but.

Isaiah 40:11
He shall feed his flock like a shepherd: he shall gather the lambs with his arm, and carry them in his bosom, and shall gently lead those that are with young.

2 Corinthians 10:1
Now I Paul myself beseech you by the meekness and gentleness of Christ, who in presence am base among you, but being absent am bold toward you:

Galatians 5:22
But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith,

apt.

1 Timothy 3:2,3
A bishop then must be blameless, the husband of one wife, vigilant, sober, of good behaviour, given to hospitality, apt to teach; …

Titus 1:9
Holding fast the faithful word as he hath been taught, that he may be able by sound doctrine both to exhort and to convince the gainsayers.

patient.

Jump to Previous
Able Apt Behoveth Bondman Bondservant Bond-Servant Contend Forbearing Gentle Instead Kind Kindly Lord's Patient Putting Quarrel Quarrelsome Ready Resentful Right Servant Skilful Strive Teach Teacher Teaching Towards Trouble Wrong Wrongs
Jump to Next
Able Apt Behoveth Bondman Bondservant Bond-Servant Contend Forbearing Gentle Instead Kind Kindly Lord's Patient Putting Quarrel Quarrelsome Ready Resentful Right Servant Skilful Strive Teach Teacher Teaching Towards Trouble Wrong Wrongs
2 Timothy 2
1. Timothy is exhorted again to constancy and perseverance.
17. Of Hymenaeus and Philetus.
19. The foundation of the Lord is sure.
22. He is taught whereof to beware, and what to follow after.














(24) And the servant of the Lord must not strive.--Although these directions and commandments in all cases belong to God's servants of every degree and calling, yet some of them, as we should expect from the nature of the Epistle, peculiarly apply to Timothy and those like Timothy specially devoted to the ministry of the Word. And so here everything which is likely to be the cause of strife, heart-burning, or hot words, is, St. Paul urges, singularly out of place in the life of a servant of that Lord who fulfilled to the letter that Isaiah prophecy of Messiah, "He shall not strive, nor cry; neither shall any man hear His voice in the streets." (See Matthew 12:19-20.)

But be gentle unto all men.--Quiet and kind, not only to those belonging to the brotherhood of Christ, but, as is expressly mentioned, to all. It is noteworthy how, in these Pastoral Epistles--which contain, so to speak, the last general directions to believers in Jesus as to life as well as doctrine of perhaps the greatest of the inspired teachers--so many careful suggestions are given for the guidance of Christians in all their relations with the great heathen world. Conciliation may be termed the key-note of these directions. St. Paul would press upon Timothy and his successors the great truth that it was the Master's will that the unnumbered peoples who sit in darkness and in the shadow of death should learn, by slow though sure degrees, how lovely and desirable a thing it was to be a Christian; should come at length to see clearly that Christ was, after all, the only lover and real friend of man.

Apt to teach, patient.--The Greek word is better rendered by the forbearing of the margin than by "patient." Patient of wrong, however, best gives the full force of the original. This is what the servant of God should really aim at being: the teacher rather than the controversialist--rather the patient endurer of wrong than the fomenter of dissensions and wordy strifes.

Verse 24. - The Lord's servant for the servant of the Lord, A.V.; towards all for unto all men, A.V.; forbearing for patient, A.V. The Lord's servant (δοῦλον Κυρίου). So St. Paul repeatedly describes himself (Romans 1:1; Galatians 1:10; Philippians 1:1; Titus 1:1), as do also the apostles James, Peter, Jude, and John (James 1:1; 2 Peter 1:1; Jude 1:1; Revelation 1:1). The term seems, therefore, especially (though not exclusively, Ephesians 6:6; 1 Peter 2:16; Revelation 19:2, 5; Revelation 22:3) to describe those whose office it is to preach the gospel, either as apostles or as ministers (Colossians 4:12). Must not strive (μάχεσθαι); a conclusive reason against engaging in those foolish and ignorant questionings which necessarily engender strife. Gentle (ἤπιον); only here and in 1 Thessalonians 2:7, where we see how St. Paul carried this precept into practice. A nurse does not meet the child's waywardness by blows or threats, but by gentleness and love. It is a classical word. Apt to teach (see 1 Timothy 3:2, note). Forbearing (ἀνεξίκακον); only here in the New Testament, not found in the LXX., and only in late Greek. It means literally "bearing up against ill treatment," patiently enduring it.

Parallel Commentaries ...


Greek
And
δὲ (de)
Conjunction
Strong's 1161: A primary particle; but, and, etc.

a servant
δοῦλον (doulon)
Noun - Accusative Masculine Singular
Strong's 1401: (a) (as adj.) enslaved, (b) (as noun) a (male) slave. From deo; a slave.

of [the] Lord
Κυρίου (Kyriou)
Noun - Genitive Masculine Singular
Strong's 2962: Lord, master, sir; the Lord. From kuros; supreme in authority, i.e. controller; by implication, Master.

must
δεῖ (dei)
Verb - Present Indicative Active - 3rd Person Singular
Strong's 1163: Third person singular active present of deo; also deon deh-on'; neuter active participle of the same; both used impersonally; it is Necessary.

not
οὐ (ou)
Adverb
Strong's 3756: No, not. Also ouk, and ouch a primary word; the absolute negative adverb; no or not.

be quarrelsome,
μάχεσθαι (machesthai)
Verb - Present Infinitive Middle or Passive
Strong's 3164: To engage in battle, fight; hence: To strive, contend, dispute.

but
ἀλλὰ (alla)
Conjunction
Strong's 235: But, except, however. Neuter plural of allos; properly, other things, i.e. contrariwise.

he must be
εἶναι (einai)
Verb - Present Infinitive Active
Strong's 1510: I am, exist. The first person singular present indicative; a prolonged form of a primary and defective verb; I exist.

kind
ἤπιον (ēpion)
Adjective - Accusative Masculine Singular
Strong's 2261: Placid, gentle, mild. Probably from epos; properly, affable, i.e. Mild or kind.

to
πρὸς (pros)
Preposition
Strong's 4314: To, towards, with. A strengthened form of pro; a preposition of direction; forward to, i.e. Toward.

everyone,
πάντας (pantas)
Adjective - Accusative Masculine Plural
Strong's 3956: All, the whole, every kind of. Including all the forms of declension; apparently a primary word; all, any, every, the whole.

able to teach,
διδακτικόν (didaktikon)
Adjective - Accusative Masculine Singular
Strong's 1317: Able to teach, apt to teach. From didaktos; instructive.

[and] forbearing.
ἀνεξίκακον (anexikakon)
Adjective - Accusative Masculine Singular
Strong's 420: Enduring evil, patient of evil, patiently forbearing. From anechomai and kakos; enduring of ill, i.e. Forbearing.


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NT Letters: 2 Timothy 2:24 The Lord's servant must not quarrel (2 Tim. 2Ti iiTi ii Tim)
2 Timothy 2:23
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