Passage

2 Timothy 1.5

Book: 2 Timothy · NASB95

Immediate context (±2 verses)

ASV

3. I thank God, whom I serve from my forefathers in a pure conscience, how unceasing is my remembrance of thee in my supplications, night and day 4. longing to see thee, remembering thy tears, that I may be filled with joy;

5. having been reminded of the unfeigned faith that is in thee; which dwelt first in thy grandmother Lois, and thy mother Eunice; and, I am persuaded, in thee also.

For which cause I put thee in remembrance that thou stir up the gift of God, which is in thee through the laying on of my hands. 7. For God gave us not a spirit of fearfulness; but of power and love and discipline. (2 Timothy 1:3-7, ASV)

WEB

3. I thank God, whom I serve as my forefathers did, with a pure conscience. How unceasing is my memory of you in my petitions, night and day 4. longing to see you, remembering your tears, that I may be filled with joy;

5. having been reminded of the sincere faith that is in you; which lived first in your grandmother Lois, and your mother Eunice, and, I am persuaded, in you also.

For this cause, I remind you that you should stir up the gift of God which is in you through the laying on of my hands. 7. For God didn’t give us a spirit of fear, but of power, love, and self-control. (2 Timothy 1:3-7, WEB)

KJV

3. I thank God, whom I serve from my forefathers with pure conscience, that without ceasing I have remembrance of thee in my prayers night and day; 4. Greatly desiring to see thee, being mindful of thy tears, that I may be filled with joy; ^{Greatly: or, remembering thy tears, I greatly desire to see thee that}

5. When I call to remembrance the unfeigned faith that is in thee, which dwelt first in thy grandmother Lois, and thy mother Eunice; and I am persuaded that in thee also.

Wherefore I put thee in remembrance that thou stir up the gift of God, which is in thee by the putting on of my hands. 7. For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind. (2 Timothy 1:3-7, KJV)

YLT

3. I am thankful to God, whom I serve from progenitors in a pure conscience, that unceasingly I have remembrance concerning thee in my supplications night and day, 4. desiring greatly to see thee, being mindful of thy tears, that with joy I may be filled,

5. taking remembrance of the unfeigned faith that is in thee, that dwelt first in thy grandmother Lois, and thy mother Eunice, and I am persuaded that also in thee.

For which cause I remind thee to stir up the gift of God that is in thee through the putting on of my hands, 7. for God did not give us a spirit of fear, but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind; (2 Timothy 1:3-7, YLT)

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Setting

Speaker: Paul, who names himself in the opening line (1:1) and writes as a prisoner (1:8; 2:9). Authorship of the three Pastoral Epistles (1 and 2 Timothy, Titus) is disputed. Many critical scholars hold that a later follower wrote them in Paul's name, pointing to differences of vocabulary and style from the undisputed letters and to a more settled church order. Others defend Paul's authorship, among them Luke Timothy Johnson (Anchor Bible, 2001), William Mounce (Word Biblical Commentary, 2000) and Philip Towner (NICNT, 2006), citing the letter's many personal details.
Audience: Timothy, "my beloved child" (1:2), whose "unfeigned faith" dwelt first in his grandmother Lois and his mother Eunice (1:5). He is probably still at Ephesus: Paul reminds him of Onesiphorus's service there, which Timothy "knowest very well" (1:18), and greets Prisca and Aquila (4:19). Paul urges him to come to Rome quickly (4:9, 21).
Location: Rome, where Paul is in chains; Onesiphorus "sought me diligently, and found me" there (1:16-17).
Time period: on Pauline authorship, Paul's final imprisonment, usually dated c. AD 64-67, shortly before his death; he writes, "the time of my departure is come" (4:6). Scholars who regard the letter as pseudonymous usually place it late in the first century or early in the second. The reading below does not depend on the choice.
Literary context: part of Paul's opening thanksgiving (1:3-5). He remembers Timothy in prayer, recalls his tears at their parting, and is "reminded of the unfeigned faith" in him, which leads into the call to "stir up the gift of God" (1:6).

Theological reading

"having been reminded of the unfeigned faith that is in thee; which dwelt first in thy grandmother Lois, and thy mother Eunice; and, I am persuaded, in thee also." (2 Timothy 1:5, ASV)

Unfeigned faith. "Unfeigned" (anypokritos) means without pretense, literally "not play-acted". Paul uses the same phrase of the goal of his charge in the earlier letter, "faith unfeigned" (1 Timothy 1:5). Against the false teachers of both letters, whose religion is outward show, Timothy's faith is genuine.

Three generations. The only New Testament mention of Lois and Eunice is here. Acts adds that Timothy was "the son of a Jewess that believed; but his father was a Greek" (Acts 16:1). The faith "dwelt first" in his grandmother and mother, and Paul is persuaded it dwells in him too. The verb "dwelt" (enoikeō) is the same one used of the Holy Spirit "which dwelleth in us" in 1:14. The household was the first place of Timothy's instruction, a point Paul returns to: "from a babe thou hast known the sacred writings" (3:15). See 2 Timothy 3.15.

Encouragement, not flattery. Paul's "I am persuaded" is a pastor's confidence offered to a man he is about to ask to suffer. The faith he names is the ground of the appeal that follows, "For which cause I put thee in remembrance that thou stir up the gift of God" (1:6). See 2 Timothy 1.6.

Key words

Theologically-loaded Greek or Hebrew words in this verse may have entries in the lexicon. Curated to roughly 100 contested terms across the corpus, not every word.

None of the words in this verse has its own lexicon entry yet.

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Notes

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Why these four translations

ris3n chose ASV, WEB, KJV, and YLT for two reasons together. They are the most literal English translations available (formal-equivalence: word-for-word renderings that preserve the Hebrew and Greek grammar rather than smoothing it into modern dynamic-equivalence idiom). And they are in the public domain in the United States, which means fair-use quotation at any length requires no publisher license. Modern licensed translations (NASB95, ESV, NIV) restrict volume of quotation under their copyright terms, so they are not used at stub-level coverage here. NASB95 appears only on hand-curated rich passage hubs under Lockman Foundation's fair-use allowance.

The four:

ASV (American Standard Version, 1901). The basis of the modern critical-text English tradition.
WEB (World English Bible, contemporary). Public-domain revision in the ASV line, in current English.
KJV (King James Version, 1611). Reformation-era, Textus Receptus base.
YLT (Young's Literal Translation, Robert Young, 1862). Hyper-literal preservation of Hebrew and Greek grammar; useful for word-study work even where English reads stiff.

See Bibles for the full per-translation history, translators, textual basis, strengths, and weaknesses.