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Verse

2 Timothy 2:17

ESV and their talk will spread like gangrene. Among them are Hymenaeus and Philetus,
NIV Their teaching will spread like gangrene. Among them are Hymenaeus and Philetus,
NASB and their talk will spread like gangrene. Among them are Hymenaeus and Philetus,
CSB and their teaching will spread like gangrene. Hymenaeus and Philetus are among them.
NLT This kind of talk spreads like cancer, as in the case of Hymenaeus and Philetus.
KJV And their word will eat as doth a canker: of whom is Hymenaeus and Philetus;

What does 2 Timothy 2:17 mean?

Giving undue attention to distracting arguments is like introducing a disease into the body of Christ. The disease mentioned here is literally gangrene, a term used by secular writers in the first century regarding a sore that eats at the flesh. Left untreated, it continues to infect more and more parts of the body, spreading further and further. In a similar way, the talk of false teachers spreads throughout a congregation or body of believers, causing much pain. If Luke was involved in writing this letter (2 Timothy 4:11), his use of this precise term would have been intentional.

Paul specifically mentions "Hymenaeus and Philetus" as false teachers. Hymenaeus was certainly the same person mentioned by Paul in 1 Timothy 1:20: "among whom are Hymenaeus and Alexander, whom I have handed over to Satan that they may learn not to blaspheme." Philetus is mentioned only here in the New Testament and may have joined Hymenaeus later as a partner or disciple in his false teachings. Their false teachings are mention in the next verse.
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