2 Timothy 4:20
“Erastus abode at Corinth: but Trophimus have I left at Miletum sick.”
King James Version (KJV)
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Read Full Chapter →Paul notes that Erastus stayed in Corinth and that he left Trophimus, who was ill, at Miletus.
What Does 2 Timothy 4:20 Mean?
Paul shares news of two more companions. Erastus remained at Corinth, and Trophimus was left behind at Miletus because he was sick. These brief notes give a window into the everyday realities of the early mission.
The detail that Trophimus was left sick is quietly significant. Even among Paul's closest companions, illness was a real part of life, not always removed by a word. Paul, who had been used in remarkable healings, here simply leaves a sick friend behind, accepting that this was the situation. For the reader, this is a touch of honest realism. Faithful people get sick; not every illness is healed in this life. This does not diminish faith but grounds it in reality. The Christian life unfolds amid genuine human frailty, and God's purposes move forward even through sickness, weakness, and the ordinary limits of our mortal bodies.