What does 2 Timothy 4:13 mean?

In verse 12, Paul has noted that another believer, Tychicus, has been sent to Ephesus. This is where Timothy is currently stationed. Paul assumes Timothy will come to him immediately, probably leaving Tychicus there as a temporary substitute.

Paul's request for a cloak was not only personal, but practical. The weather would soon be cold (2 Timothy 4:21).

Carpus was likely a believer in Troas. Paul had been there in the past on two mentioned occasions (Acts 16 and 20) and apparently a third time prior to his second Roman imprisonment.

In addition to a cloak, Paul had left two other items in the possession of Carpus: scrolls and parchments. The scrolls may have been Old Testament scrolls or the Torah or other books, though this is uncertain. The parchments were flat, book-like materials, used for writing. These were either parchments already written upon or perhaps referred to blank parchment Paul wanted for writing new materials. Even during imprisonment, and facing the end of his own life, Paul is still emphasizing the importance of reading and studying the Word of God.