2 Timothy 2:9
“Wherein I suffer trouble, as an evil doer, even unto bonds; but the word of God is not bound.”
King James Version (KJV)
Read this verse in context with translation switching:
Read Full Chapter →Paul is imprisoned like a criminal for the gospel, yet rejoices that the word of God cannot be chained.
What Does 2 Timothy 2:9 Mean?
Paul names his own suffering plainly: he is in chains, treated like a criminal, all because of this gospel. Then comes the great contrast: though Paul is bound, the word of God is not.
Chains can hold a man but never the message. Paul's imprisonment cannot stop the word of God from running free and bearing fruit across the world. This is a triumphant note sounded from a cell, the confidence that God's purposes cannot be locked away. For the reader facing opposition or limitation, this is bracing hope. Our circumstances may be confined, but the gospel is not. God's word continues its work through prisons and persecutions, unhindered by anything done to its messengers. The chains on Paul only proved how free the word remained.
In the Original Language
deo (δέω), 'bound' -- to tie or imprison; Paul is in chains, but the same word cannot be applied to God's message.