For I am now ready to be offered, and the time of my departure is at hand.
Parallel translations
- WEB For I am already being offered, and the time of my departure has come.
- BSB For I am already being poured out like a drink offering, and the time of my departure is at hand.
- NKJV For I am already being poured out as a drink offering, and the time of my departure is at hand.
- NASB For I am already being poured out as a drink offering, and the time of my departure has come.
- NLT As for me, my life has already been poured out as an offering to God. The time of my death is near.
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 says he is already being poured out as a drink offering, for the time of his departure has come. He faces death with calm acceptance as an offering to God.
Overview
Using sacrificial imagery, Paul describes his impending death as a libation poured out to God. 'Departure' is a gentle term for dying, likely by execution in Rome. This poignant verse shows a faithful servant facing the end of life with peace and surrender to God's will.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 8
- Phil 1:23For I am in a strait betwixt two, having a desire to depart, and to be with Christ; which is far better:
- Phil 2:17Yea, and if I be offered upon the sacrifice and service of your faith, I joy, and rejoice with you all.
- Josh 23:14And, behold, this day I am going the way of all the earth: and ye know in all your hearts and in all your souls, that not one thing hath failed of all the good things which the LORD your God spake concerning you; all are come to pass unto you, and not one thing hath failed thereof.
- 2 Pet 1:14–15Knowing that shortly I must put off this my tabernacle, even as our Lord Jesus Christ hath shewed me.
- Num 27:12–17And the LORD said unto Moses, Get thee up into this mount Abarim, and see the land which I have given unto the children of Israel.
- Gen 48:21And Israel said unto Joseph, Behold, I die: but God shall be with you, and bring you again unto the land of your fathers.
- Gen 50:24And Joseph said unto his brethren, I die: and God will surely visit you, and bring you out of this land unto the land which he sware to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob.
- Deut 31:14And the LORD said unto Moses, Behold, thy days approach that thou must die: call Joshua, and present yourselves in the tabernacle of the congregation, that I may give him a charge. And Moses and Joshua went, and presented themselves in the tabernacle of the congregation.
Themes, concepts, people & topics
Resources, by level
Commentaries & study tools
Free animated overview and word-study videos for this book.
Sermons and teaching on this passage from across YouTube.
Clear, readable, conservative exposition — the best free place to start on any passage.
Matthew Henry, Barnes, Gill, the Pulpit Commentary, Ellicott, Cambridge, and more — stacked on one page for this exact verse.
The beloved Puritan exposition of this whole book — warm, devotional, and verse by verse (free, CCEL).
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 4:6 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.