2 Timothy 4:17
“Notwithstanding the Lord stood with me, and strengthened me; that by me the preaching might be fully known, and that all the Gentiles might hear: and I was delivered out of the mouth of the lion.”
King James Version (KJV)
Read this verse in context with translation switching:
Read Full Chapter →Though people abandoned Paul, the Lord stood with him and strengthened him to proclaim the gospel, and delivered him.
What Does 2 Timothy 4:17 Mean?
Though everyone deserted him, Paul testifies that the Lord stood with him and gave him strength. The purpose was that through Paul the message might be fully proclaimed and all the Gentiles might hear it. And he was rescued, delivered out of the lion's mouth.
This is the great turning point of the passage. People forsook Paul, but the Lord did not. Where human support failed, divine presence proved sufficient, strengthening him even to preach in his trial. The contrast could not be sharper: all men forsook me, but the Lord stood with me. For the reader, this is profound comfort. When we are most alone, the Lord is most present, supplying strength for the very task before us. Human companionship may vanish, but the faithful presence of Christ remains, standing beside His servants and carrying them through what they could never face alone.