Only Luke is with me. Get Mark and bring him with you, because he is useful to me in the ministry.
Parallel translations
- WEB Only Luke is with me. Take Mark, and bring him with you, for he is useful to me for service.
- KJV Only Luke is with me. Take Mark, and bring him with thee: for he is profitable to me for the ministry.
- NKJV Only Luke is with me. Get Mark and bring him with you, for he is useful to me for ministry.
- NASB Only Luke is with me. Take along Mark and bring him with you, for he is useful to me for service.
- NLT Only Luke is with me. Bring Mark with you when you come, for he will be helpful to me in my ministry.
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
Paul notes that only Luke remains with him and asks Timothy to bring Mark, who is now useful for ministry. It shows both Paul's human need for companionship and the grace of restoration after past failure.
Overview
Luke, the beloved physician and author of the Gospel and Acts, stays faithfully at Paul's side. Strikingly, Paul asks for Mark, the same John Mark whose earlier desertion had caused a sharp split with Barnabas (Acts 15:37-39); now Mark is 'useful for service,' a testimony to reconciliation and growth in grace. This verse displays the gospel's power to mend broken relationships and restore those who once failed. It also reveals Paul's reliance on a body of fellow workers rather than solitary strength.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 13
- Acts 12:12And when he had realized this, he went to the house of Mary the mother of John, also called Mark, where many people had gathered together and were praying.
- Acts 12:25When Barnabas and Saul had fulfilled their mission to Jerusalem, they returned, bringing with them John, also called Mark.
- Phlm 1:24as do Mark, Aristarchus, Demas, and Luke, my fellow workers.
- Col 4:14Luke, the beloved physician, and Demas send you greetings.
- 2 Tim 1:15You know that everyone in the Province of Asia has deserted me, including Phygelus and Hermogenes.
- Col 4:10My fellow prisoner Aristarchus sends you greetings, as does Mark the cousin of Barnabas. You have already received instructions about him: If he comes to you, welcome him.
- Acts 15:39Their disagreement was so sharp that they parted company. Barnabas took Mark and sailed for Cyprus,
- 1 Pet 5:13The church in Babylon, chosen together with you, sends you greetings, as does my son Mark.
- Matt 19:30But many who are first will be last, and the last will be first.
- Hos 14:4I will heal their apostasy; I will freely love them, for My anger has turned away from them.
- Luke 13:30And indeed, some who are last will be first, and some who are first will be last.”
- Acts 16:10As soon as Paul had seen the vision, we got ready to leave for Macedonia, concluding that God had called us to preach the gospel to them.
- Matt 20:16So the last will be first, and the first will be last.”
Themes, concepts, people & topics
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Commentaries & study tools
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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 4:11 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.