# 2 Timothy 3.6

<!-- type: passage | created: 2026-11-06 | updated: 2026-11-06 -->

**Book:** [2 Timothy](/codex/2-timothy/) · NASB95

## Immediate context (±2 verses)

**ASV** ([ASV](/codex/asv/))
> 4. traitors, headstrong, puffed up, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God; 5. holding a form of godliness, but having denied the power thereof: from these also turn away.
>
> **6. For of these are they that creep into houses, and take captive silly women laden with sins, led away by divers lusts,**
>
> 7. ever learning, and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth. 8. And even as Jannes and Jambres withstood Moses, so do these also withstand the truth; men corrupted in mind, reprobate concerning the faith. (2 Timothy 3:4-8, ASV)

**WEB** ([WEB](/codex/web/))
> 4. traitors, headstrong, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God; 5. holding a form of godliness, but having denied its power. Turn away from these, also.
>
> **6. For some of these are people who creep into houses, and take captive gullible women loaded down with sins, led away by various lusts,**
>
> 7. always learning, and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth. 8. Even as Jannes and Jambres opposed Moses, so do these also oppose the truth; men corrupted in mind, who concerning the faith, are rejected. (2 Timothy 3:4-8, WEB)

**KJV** ([KJV](/codex/kjv/))
> 4. Traitors, heady, highminded, lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God; 5. Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof: from such turn away.
>
> **6. For of this sort are they which creep into houses, and lead captive silly women laden with sins, led away with divers lusts,**
>
> 7. Ever learning, and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth. 8. Now as Jannes and Jambres withstood Moses, so do these also resist the truth: men of corrupt minds, reprobate concerning the faith. <sup>reprobate: or, of no judgment</sup> <sup>reprobate: or, of no judgment</sup> (2 Timothy 3:4-8, KJV)

**YLT** ([YLT](/codex/ylt/))
> 4. traitors, heady, lofty, lovers of pleasure more than lovers of God, 5. having a form of piety, and its power having denied; and from these be turning away,
>
> **6. for of these there are those coming into the houses and leading captive the silly women, laden with sins, led away with desires manifold,**
>
> 7. always learning, and never to a knowledge of truth able to come, 8. and, even as Jannes and Jambres stood against Moses, so also these do stand against the truth, men corrupted in mind, disapproved concerning the faith; (2 Timothy 3:4-8, YLT)

## Setting

- **Speaker:** [Paul](/codex/paul-the-apostle/), 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:** the description of the false teachers' methods (3:6-9), which follows the list of vices of the last days (3:1-5). Paul compares them to Jannes and Jambres, who "withstood Moses" (3:8).

## Theological reading

"For of these are they that creep into houses, and take captive silly women laden with sins, led away by divers lusts," (2 Timothy 3:6, ASV)

**Creeping into houses.** The verb means to slip in, to worm one's way in. The false teachers work not openly in the assembly but privately in households, where the churches of the time met. The first letter warns of a similar pattern, people "going about from house to house" (1 Timothy 5:13).

**Who is being described.** "Silly women" translates a diminutive, *gynaikaria*, "little women", used with contempt. The point is not a claim about women in general. Paul has just named the faith of Lois and Eunice with honor (1:5) and greets Prisca first among his friends (4:19). He describes a particular group being exploited: people "laden with sins, led away by divers lusts", who are "ever learning, and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth" (3:7). Their burden of guilt and restless desire makes them easy prey for teaching that promises knowledge without repentance.

**Captives again.** "Take captive" (*aichmalōtizō*) is a military word for taking prisoners of war. It echoes the end of chapter 2, where opponents are "taken captive" in the devil's snare (2:26). The false teachers do the devil's work of capture, while the Lord's servant works for release through repentance (2:25). See [2 Timothy 2.23-26](/codex/2-timothy-2-23-26/).

## 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.

## Notes

_Your annotations._

## 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](/codex/asv/)** (American Standard Version, 1901). The basis of the modern critical-text English tradition.
- **[WEB](/codex/web/)** (World English Bible, contemporary). Public-domain revision in the ASV line, in current English.
- **[KJV](/codex/kjv/)** (King James Version, 1611). Reformation-era, Textus Receptus base.
- **[YLT](/codex/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](/codex/bibles/) for the full per-translation history, translators, textual basis, strengths, and weaknesses.