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traitorous, reckless, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God,
2 Timothy 3:4 · Berean Standard Bible
Parallel translations
  • WEB traitors, headstrong, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God;
  • KJV Traitors, heady, highminded, lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God;
  • NKJV traitors, headstrong, haughty, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God,
  • NASB treacherous, reckless, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God,
  • NLT They will betray their friends, be reckless, be puffed up with pride, and love pleasure rather than God.

Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org

Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

Quick answer

They will be treacherous, reckless, conceited, and lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God. Misplaced love, choosing pleasure over God, lies at the root of this corruption.

Overview

The catalog climaxes with the contrast that defines it: love of pleasure displacing love of God. This inversion of right affection summarizes the spiritual disorder of the last days. It exposes the idolatry of self and pleasure that opposes wholehearted devotion to the Lord.

Cross-references & the web

Cross-references · 10

  • 1 Tim 3:6He must not be a recent convert, or he may become conceited and fall under the same condemnation as the devil.
  • Jude 1:4For certain men have crept in among you unnoticed—ungodly ones who were designated long ago for condemnation. They turn the grace of our God into a license for immorality, and they deny our only Master and Lord, Jesus Christ.
  • Phil 3:18–19For as I have often told you before, and now say again even with tears: Many live as enemies of the cross of Christ.
  • 2 Pet 2:10–22Such punishment is specially reserved for those who indulge the corrupt desires of the flesh and despise authority. Bold and self-willed, they are unafraid to slander glorious beings.
  • Jude 1:8–9Yet in the same way these dreamers defile their bodies, reject authority, and slander glorious beings.
  • Jude 1:19These are the ones who cause divisions, who are worldly and devoid of the Spirit.
  • Rom 16:18For such people are not serving our Lord Christ, but their own appetites. By smooth talk and flattery they deceive the hearts of the naive.
  • 1 Tim 5:6But she who lives for pleasure is dead even while she is still alive.
  • Rom 11:20That is correct: They were broken off because of unbelief, but you stand by faith. Do not be arrogant, but be afraid.
  • 1 Tim 6:17Instruct those who are rich in the present age not to be conceited and not to put their hope in the uncertainty of wealth, but in God, who richly provides all things for us to enjoy.

Themes, concepts, people & topics

Topics (11)

Resources, by level

Commentaries & study tools

  • VideoBibleProject — 2 Timothy videosBibleProject · Lay · Free · evangelical

    Free animated overview and word-study videos for this book.

  • VideoWatch teaching on 2 Timothy 3:4YouTube · Lay · Free

    Sermons and teaching on this passage from across YouTube.

  • CommentaryEnduring Word — verse-by-verseDavid Guzik · Lay · Free · evangelical

    Clear, readable, conservative exposition — the best free place to start on any passage.

  • CommentaryClassic commentaries for this verseBibleHub (20+ works) · Pastoral · Free

    Matthew Henry, Barnes, Gill, the Pulpit Commentary, Ellicott, Cambridge, and more — stacked on one page for this exact verse.

  • CommentaryMatthew Henry on 2 TimothyMatthew Henry · Pastoral · Free · evangelical

    The beloved Puritan exposition of this whole book — warm, devotional, and verse by verse (free, CCEL).

  • ReferenceInterlinear, lexicon & Strong'sBlue Letter Bible · Seminary · Free

    Hebrew/Greek interlinear, word definitions, and cross-references for this verse.

Christ at the center

Christ Jesus 'abolished death and brought life and immortality to light through the gospel' — the risen Lord whose word and kingdom endure to the end.

How 2 Timothy 3:4 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.

Original language

Each word below is tagged with its Strong’s number — tap one to see the underlying Greek word, its meaning, and every verse that uses it.