2 Timothy 2:14
“Of these things put them in remembrance, charging them before the Lord that they strive not about words to no profit, but to the subverting of the hearers.”
King James Version (KJV)
Read this verse in context with translation switching:
Read Full Chapter →Paul tells Timothy to remind people of these truths and warn them, before God, against profitless quarrels over words that only ruin hearers.
What Does 2 Timothy 2:14 Mean?
Paul charges Timothy to keep these gospel truths before the people and to warn them solemnly, as in God's presence, against quarreling over words. Such disputes profit nothing and only damage those who listen.
Word-battles can feel important while accomplishing nothing good, draining energy and unsettling the faith of hearers. Paul wants Timothy to steer the church away from this and back toward what matters, the great truths of Christ. There is wisdom here for every community of faith. Endless arguments over fine points can do real harm, subverting rather than building up. For the reader, the lesson is to keep the main things central and to resist the pull of empty controversy. Faith is nourished by the gospel remembered, not by quarrels that leave hearers worse off than before.
In the Original Language
logomacheo (λογομαχέω), 'strive about words' -- to wage war over words, to battle endlessly over mere terms.