TRV
Translation
King James Version
To Timothy, my dearly beloved son: Grace, mercy, and peace, from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Lord.
Complete Jewish Bible
To: Timothy, my dear son:
Grace, mercy and shalom from God the Father and the Messiah Yeshua, our Lord.
Grace, mercy and shalom from God the Father and the Messiah Yeshua, our Lord.
Berean Standard Bible
To Timothy, my beloved child: Grace, mercy, and peace from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Lord.
American Standard Version
to Timothy, my beloved child: Grace, mercy, peace, from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Lord.
World English Bible Messianic
to Timothy, my beloved child: Grace, mercy, and peace, from God the Father and Messiah Yeshua our Lord.
Geneva Bible (1599)
To Timotheus my beloued sonne: Grace, mercie and peace from God the Father, and from Iesus Christ our Lord.
Young's Literal Translation
to Timotheus, beloved child: Grace, kindness, peace, from God the Father, and Christ Jesus our Lord!
See on the biblical-era map
In the KJVVerse 29,812 of 31,102
Study This Verse
Commentary on 2 Timothy 1 verses 1–5
1 ¶ Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ by the will of God, according to the promise of life which is in Christ Jesus,
2 To Timothy, my dearly beloved son: Grace, mercy, and peace, from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Lord.
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;
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.
Here is, I. The inscription of the epistle Paul calls himself an apostle by the will of God, merely by the good pleasure of God, and by his grace, which he professes himself unworthy of. According to the promise of life which is in Christ Jesus, or according to the gospel. The gospel is the promise of life in Christ Jesus; life is the end, and Christ the way, Joh 14:6. The life is put into the promise, and both are sure in Christ Jesus the faithful witness; for all the promises of God in Christ Jesus are yea, and all amen, Co2 1:20. He calls Timothy his beloved son. Paul felt the warmest affection for him both because he had been an instrument of his conversion and because as a son with his father he had served with him in the gospel. Observe, 1. Paul was an apostle of Jesus Christ by the will of God; as he did not receive the gospel of man, nor was taught it, but had it by the revelation of Jesus Christ (Gal 1:12), so his commission to be an apostle was not by the will of man, but of God: in the former epistle he says it was by the commandment of God our Saviour, and here by the will of God. God called him to be an apostle. 2. We have the promise of life, blessed be God for it: In hope of eternal life, which God, who cannot lie, promised before the world began, Tit 1:2. It is a promise to discover the freeness and certainty of it. 3. This, as well as all other promises, is in and through Jesus Christ; they all take their rise from the mercy of God in Christ, and they are sure, so that we may safely depend on them. 4. The grace, mercy, and peace, which even Paul's dearly beloved son Timothy wanted, comes from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Lord; and therefore the one as well as the other is the giver of these blessings, and ought to be applied to for them. 5. The best want these blessings, and they are the best we can ask for our dearly-beloved friends, that they may have grace to help them in the time of need, and mercy to pardon what is amiss, and so may have peace with God the Father and Christ Jesus our Lord.
II. Paul's thanksgiving to God for Timothy's faith and holiness: he thanks God that he remembered Timothy in his prayers. Observe, Whatever good we do, and whatever good office we perform for our friends, God must have the glory of it, and we must give him thanks. It is he who puts it into our hearts to remember such and such in our prayers. Paul was much in prayer, he prayed night and day; in all his prayers he was mindful of his friends, he particularly prayed for good ministers, he prayed for Timothy, and had remembrance of him in his prayers night and day; he did this without ceasing; prayer was his constant business, and he never forgot his friends in his prayers, as we often do. Paul served God from his forefathers with a pure conscience. It was a comfort to him that he was born in God's house, and was of the seed of those that served God; as likewise that he had served him with a pure conscience, according to the best of his light; he had kept a conscience void of offence, and made it his daily exercise to do so, Act 24:16. He greatly desired to see Timothy, out of the affection he had for him, that he might have some conversation with him, being mindful of his tears at their last parting. Timothy was sorry to part with Paul, he wept at parting, and therefore Paul desired to see him again, because he had perceived by that what a true affection he had for him. He thanks God that Timothy kept up the religion of his ancestors, Ti2 1:5. Observe, The entail of religion descended upon Timothy by the mother's side; he had a good mother, and a good grandmother: they believed, though his father did not, Act 16:1. It is a comfortable thing when children imitate the faith and holiness of their godly parents, and tread in their steps, Jo3 1:4. - Dwelt in thy grandmother and thy mother, and I am persuaded that in thee also. Paul had a very charitable opinion of his friends, was very willing to hope the best concerning them; indeed he had a great deal of reason to believe well of Timothy, for he had no man like-minded, Phi 2:20. Observe, 1. We are, according to St. Paul, to serve God with a pure conscience, so did his and our pious forefathers; this is to draw near with a true heart, in full assurance of faith, having our heart sprinkled from an evil conscience, Heb 10:22. 2. In our prayers we are to remember without ceasing our friends, especially the faithful ministers of Christ. Paul had remembrance of his dearly beloved son Timothy in his prayers night and day. 3. The faith that dwells in real believers is unfeigned; it is without hypocrisy, it is a faith that will stand the trial, and it dwells in them as a living principle. It was the matter of Paul's thanksgiving that Timothy inherited the faith of his mother Eunice and his grandmother Lois, and ought to be ours whenever we see the like; we should rejoice wherever we see the grace of God; so did Barnabas, Act 11:23, Act 11:24. I rejoiced greatly that I found of thy children walking in the truth, Jo2 1:4.
Matthew Henry (1662–1714) — Commentary on the Whole Bible. This section covers verses 1–5. Public domain.
Copy as
John ChrysostomAD 407
Homily on 2 Timothy 1
What is the reason of his writing this second Epistle to Timothy? He had said, "I hope to come unto thee shortly" (1 Tim. iii. 14), and as this had not taken place, instead of coming to him, he consoles him by a letter, when he was grieving perhaps for his absence, and oppressed by the cares of the government, which he had now taken in hand. For even great men, when they are placed at the helm, and are charged with the direction of the Church, feel the strangeness of their position, and are overwhelmed, as it were, by the waves of business. This was particularly the case when the Gospel was first preached, when the ground was everywhere unturned, and all was opposition and hostility. There were, besides, heresies commencing from the Jewish teachers, as he has shown in his former Epistle. Nor does he only comfort him by letters, he invites him to come to him: "Do thy diligence," he says, "to come shortly unto me," and, "when thou comest, bring with thee the books, but especially the parchments." (2 Tim. iv. 9 and 2 Tim. iv. 13.) And he seems to have written this Epistle when his end was approaching. For he says, "I am now ready to be offered up"; and again, "At my first answer no man stood with me." (2 Tim. iv. 6 and 2 Tim. iv.16) To set all this right, he both offers consolation from his own trials, and also says, "Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ by the will of God, according to the promise of life which is in Christ Jesus." Thus at the very commencement he raises up his mind. Tell me not, he says, of the dangers here. These obtain for us eternal life, where there is no peril, where grief and mourning flee away. For He hath not made us Apostles only that we might encounter dangers, but that we might even suffer and die. And as it would not be a consolation to recount to him his own troubles, but rather an increase of his grief, he begins immediately with offering comfort, saying, "According to the promise of life which is in Jesus Christ." But if it is a "promise," seek it not here. For, "hope that is seen is not hope." (Rom. viii. 24.)
John ChrysostomAD 407
Homily on 2 Timothy 1
"To Timothy, my dearly beloved son." Not merely his "son," but, "dearly beloved"; since it is possible for sons not to be beloved. Not such, he means, art thou; I call thee not merely a son, but a "dearly beloved son." As he calls the Galatians his children, but at the same time complains of them; "My little children," he says, "of whom I travail in birth again." (Gal. iv. 19.) And he bears particular testimony to his virtue by calling him "beloved." For where love does not arise from nature, it must arise from the merit of the object. Those who are born of us, are loved not only on account of their virtue, but from the force of nature; but when those who are of the faith are beloved, it is on account of nothing but their merit, for what else can it be? And this especially in the case of Paul, who never acted from partiality. And further, he shows by calling him his "beloved son," that it was not because he was offended with him, or despised him, or condemned him; that he did not come to him. "Grace, mercy, and peace, from God the Father, and Christ Jesus our Lord." These things which he before prayed for, he again invokes upon him. And observe how, at the very beginning, he excuses himself for not having come to him, nor seen him. For his words, "Till I come," and, "Hoping to come to thee shortly," had led Timothy to expect his coming soon. For this he excuses himself, but he does not immediately mention the cause of his not coming, lest he should grieve him mightily. For he was detained in prison by the emperor. But when at the end of the Epistle he invited him to come to him, then he informed him of it. He does not at the outset plunge him into sorrow, but encourages the hope that he shall see him. "Greatly desiring to see thee," and "Do thy diligence to come unto me shortly." (2 Tim. i. 4, and iv. 9.) Immediately therefore he raises him up, and proceeds to praise him.
Theodoret of CyrusAD 458
INTERPRETATION OF THE SECOND LETTER TO TIMOTHY
Timothy’s sonship to Paul is that of the soul, not that generated by nature, and is based on the spiritual promise of life.
CassiodorusAD 585
EXPLANATION OF THE PSALMS 101.29
When writing to Timothy he put at the head of the letter, “To my dearly beloved son,” for he had begotten him, not in body but in faith.
OecumeniusAD 990
COMMENTARY ON 2 TIMOTHY
To Timothy, my beloved child: Grace, mercy, and peace from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Lord.
my beloved child. For Timothy is indeed a child, and certainly beloved. If he were not very virtuous, he would not be both a child, beloved, and especially of Paul.
Grace, mercy. Which even before, he prays these things for himself now as well.
The praise of Timothy's faith, and appeal to patience, according to what grace requires, in which he also says that he himself is led by enduring.
Source: Quotations drawn from early Church Fathers and historical Christian theologians (AD 100–1500). Some quotes address the surrounding passage context rather than this verse alone.
Copy as
Continue studying 2 Timothy 1:2 across the web’s major study libraries — every link below opens this exact verse, chapter, or book on the destination site.
Read & Compare
BibleGatewayThis verse in more than 200 translations and 70 languages.
Bible.comThe YouVersion reader — hundreds of translations, reading plans, and highlights.
ESV.orgCrossway's official English Standard Version reader.
NET BibleThe NET translation with 60,000+ translators' notes on every rendering decision.
STEP BibleTyndale House's free study tool — original text, vocabulary, and scholarly resources.
BibliaLogos Bible Software's free web reader.
USCCBThe New American Bible (Revised Edition) with the U.S. bishops' study notes.
Commentaries
BibleHub CommentariesDozens of classic commentaries on this verse, gathered on one page.
StudyLightMore than 100 commentary sets — the largest collection on the web.
BibleRefPlain-English commentary on what this verse means, verse by verse.
Enduring WordDavid Guzik's free commentary on this chapter, widely used by Bible teachers.
Bible Study ToolsVerse commentary alongside Greek and Hebrew study aids.
Original Language & Research
- BibleHub InterlinearThe verse word by word — original language, transliteration, and English.
- BibleHub LexiconEvery word's original-language definition and Strong's entry.
Blue Letter BibleDeep-study tools — Strong's numbers, concordance, and word studies.
CNTR CollationThe earliest Greek manuscripts of this verse, collated letter by letter.
Sermons, Hymns & Audio
TrulyRandomVerse is not affiliated with these sites and doesn’t control their content. They’re linked because they’re genuinely useful.
SUMMARY
Paul's deeply personal greeting to Timothy in 2 Timothy 1:2 sets a tender and urgent tone for his final epistle. Addressing Timothy as his "dearly beloved son," Paul extends a profound blessing of "grace, mercy, and peace" that originates from the unified divine source of God the Father and Christ Jesus our Lord. This salutation encapsulates the intimate spiritual father-son relationship, the essential divine provisions for ministry and life, and the ultimate authority from which these blessings flow, preparing Timothy for the weighty counsel and challenges ahead.
CONTEXT
EXPOSITION AND ANALYSIS
Key Word Analysis
Verse Breakdown
Literary Devices
The verse employs several significant literary devices. Apostrophe is evident in Paul's direct address to Timothy, making the communication personal and immediate. The use of Triadic Formula ("Grace, mercy, and peace") is a common Pauline rhetorical device, emphasizing a comprehensive and complete set of divine blessings. The specific inclusion of "mercy" in this personal letter, contrasting with the more frequent "grace and peace" in general epistles, serves as a subtle form of Emphasis, drawing attention to Timothy's particular needs as a young pastor facing significant challenges. Finally, the phrase "dearly beloved son" is a powerful example of Metaphor, conveying a spiritual kinship that transcends biological ties, highlighting the depth of Paul's affection and the nature of their mentorship.
THEOLOGICAL AND THEMATIC CONNECTIONS
This verse profoundly articulates the source and nature of divine blessings essential for Christian life and ministry. The triad of "grace, mercy, and peace" is not a mere formula but a theological statement about God's comprehensive provision. Grace is the unmerited favor that initiates and sustains salvation, mercy is God's active compassion in our weakness and suffering, and peace is the holistic well-being and reconciliation with God that flows from these. That these blessings originate "from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Lord" underscores the unified will and action of the Godhead in bestowing spiritual gifts upon believers. This foundational truth assures believers that their spiritual resources are inexhaustible, rooted in the very nature of God and the redemptive work of Christ. It highlights the Trinitarian nature of Christian blessing and the inseparable work of the Father and the Son in the believer's life.
REFLECTION AND APPLICATION
Paul's greeting to Timothy serves as a powerful reminder of the divine wellspring from which all true spiritual sustenance flows. In a world often characterized by turmoil, anxiety, and a sense of unworthiness, the consistent invocation of "grace, mercy, and peace" from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Lord offers profound comfort and assurance. It calls believers to rely not on their own strength or merits, but on God's unmerited favor (grace) to empower them for every good work, His compassionate intervention (mercy) in their times of weakness and trial, and His holistic well-being (peace) to guard their hearts and minds. This verse encourages us to cultivate deep, authentic spiritual relationships, much like Paul and Timothy's, where encouragement, wisdom, and prayer are freely exchanged. Moreover, it models for us how our own interactions and greetings can be transformed from mere formalities into declarations of divine truth and sincere blessings, reminding others of the constant, loving provision available through Christ.
Questions for Reflection
FAQ
Why does Paul include "mercy" in this greeting to Timothy, but often omits it in greetings to churches?
Answer: Paul's standard greeting to churches typically includes "grace and peace" (e.g., Romans 1:7 or 1 Corinthians 1:3). The inclusion of "mercy" in his personal letters to individuals like Timothy and Titus (Titus 1:4) is notable and suggests a specific pastoral nuance. It likely reflects the particular challenges, burdens, and perhaps even the personal weaknesses that these young leaders faced in their demanding ministries. "Mercy" speaks to God's active compassion and intervention in times of need, distress, or failure. Paul, writing from prison and facing death, understood the immense pressure on Timothy and invoked God's specific compassion to sustain him through the arduous tasks of ministry, persecution, and maintaining sound doctrine in a challenging environment.
CHRIST-CENTERED FULFILLMENT
This seemingly simple greeting is profoundly Christ-centered, establishing Jesus as co-equal with God the Father in bestowing essential spiritual blessings. The "grace, mercy, and peace" that flow to Timothy are not generic cosmic forces but specific emanations from the person and work of Christ Jesus our Lord. It is through His atoning sacrifice that "grace" (God's unmerited favor) is made available to humanity, reconciling us to God (Romans 5:8). His earthly ministry and ultimate sacrifice exemplify divine "mercy," as He took on human flesh to minister to the suffering and ultimately bore the sins of the world (Matthew 9:13). Furthermore, the "peace" Paul invokes is the peace with God achieved through Christ's redemptive work on the cross, breaking down the wall of hostility and bringing reconciliation (Ephesians 2:14-16). As "our Lord," Christ Jesus holds supreme authority, and it is in His name that these blessings are invoked and received, underscoring that all divine provision for the believer's life and ministry is mediated through Him, the ultimate source of all spiritual good (Colossians 1:19).