2 Timothy 3:15

2 Timothy 3:15

And that from a child thou hast known the holy Scriptures, which are able to make thee wise unto salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus.

a. NLT: You have been taught the holy Scriptures from childhood, and they have given you the wisdom to receive the salvation that comes by trusting in Christ Jesus. [Scripture quotations marked (NLT) are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2007. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.]

b. NIV: and how from infancy you have known the Holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. [THE HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®, NIV® Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by Permission of Biblica, Inc.® All rights reserved worldwide.]

c. Young’s Literal Translation: and because from a babe the Holy Writings thou hast known, which are able to make thee wise -- to salvation, through faith that is in Christ Jesus; [The Young's Literal Translation was translated by Robert Young, who believed in a strictly literal translation of God's word. This version of the Bible is in the public domain.]

d. Amplified Bible: And how from your childhood you have had a knowledge of and been acquainted with the sacred Writings, which are able to instruct you and give you the understanding for salvation which comes through faith in Christ Jesus [through the leaning of the entire human personality on God in Christ Jesus in absolute trust and confidence in His power, wisdom, and goodness]. 

1.”And that from a child thou hast known the holy Scriptures…”

a. And [Strong: kaí, kahee; apparently, a primary particle, having a copulative and sometimes also a cumulative force; and, also, even, so then, too, etc.; often used in connection (or composition) with other particles or small words:—and, also, both, but, even, for, if, or, so, that, then, therefore, when, yet.]

b. that [Strong: 3754 hóti, hot'-ee; neuter of G3748 as conjunction; demonstrative, that (sometimes redundant); causative, because:—as concerning that, as though, because (that), for (that), how (that), (in) that, though, why.]

c. from [Strong: 575 apó, apo'; a primary particle; "off," i.e. away (from something near), in various senses (of place, time, or relation; literal or figurative):—(X here-)after, ago, at, because of, before, by (the space of), for(-th), from, in, (out) of, off, (up-)on(-ce), since, with.]

d. [a] child [Strong: 1025 bréphos, bref'-os; of uncertain affinity; an infant (properly, unborn) literally or figuratively:—babe, (young) child, infant.] [Zodhiates: Babe, an unborn child, or an older infant. In 2 Timothy 3:15 meaning from infancy from the cradle.

b. known [Strong: 1492 * eídō, i'-do; a primary verb; used only in certain past tenses, the others being borrowed from the equivalent G3700 and G3708; properly, to see (literally or figuratively); by implication, (in the perfect tense only) to know:—be aware, behold, × can (+ not tell), consider, (have) know(-ledge), look (on), perceive, see, be sure, tell, understand, wish, wot.] [Thayer: to know, find, to perceive by any of the senses, notice, discover.]

c. the [Strong: 3588. [ta] ὁ ho ho, including the feminine he hay, and the neuter to to in all their inflections; the definite article; the (sometimes to be supplied, at others omitted, in English idiom):--the, this, that, one, he, she, it, etc.] [Thayer: [ta] ὁ, ἡ, τό, originally τος, τῇ, τό (as is evident from the forms τοι, ται for οἱ, αἱ in Homer and the Ionic writings), corresponds to our definite article the (German der, die, das), which is properly a demonstrative pronoun, which we see in its full force in Homer, and of which we find certain indubitable traces also in all kinds of Greek prose, and hence also in the N. T.] [Additional variants: tē, hoi, oi, tēn, ta, tēs, tois, tais, tō, tōn, tou, hé, Hē, hē, hai, tas.]

d. holy [Strong: 2413 * hierós, hee-er-os'; of uncertain affinity; sacred:—holy.] 

d. Scriptures [Strong: 1121 * grámma, gram'-mah; from G1125; a writing, i.e. a letter, note, epistle, book, etc.; plural learning:—bill, learning, letter, scripture, writing, written.]

1). The only Scriptures available when Timothy was an infant were the Old Testament Scriptures, the New Testament had not been written yet. From infancy Timothy’s mother and grandmother taught him the Scriptures raising him as a Jew. Because Timothy’s mother Eunice was married to a Greek, a Gentile, there was probably some opposition from an unbelieving husband. Perhaps this was the reason he was not circumcised. Timothy was not circumcised until after he was a Christian. But none the less, he knew the Scriptures.

2). Life and Times of Jesus the Messiah, Alfred Edershiem, p.230 “…from their earliest consciousness they learned the laws, so as to have them as it were engraven on the soul…Directly the child learned to speak, his religious instruction was to begin, no doubt, with such verses of Holy Scripture as composed that part of the Jewish liturgy, which answers to our Creed.

a). The Shema: Deuteronomy 6:4-9; Included in the Mezuzah, Deuteronomy 11:13-21; Numbers 15:37-41.

3). The Biblical and historical background of Jewish customs and ceremonies, By Abraham P. Bloch, p.265. “In addition, there was a custom of smearing honey on the letters of the alphabet which the child was taught and to have him lick the honey so that he could savor the sweetness of the Torah.”

4). I have heard of another tradition that Jewish mothers after the children would recite verses of Scripture, the mothers would dip their fingers in honey and have the children to lick the honey to always have the children associate sweetness with the Scriptures.

a). Psalm 119:103 How sweet are thy words unto my taste! yea, sweeter than honey to my mouth!

b). Proverbs 24:13, 14 My son, eat thou honey, because it is good; and the honeycomb, which is sweet to thy taste:

24:14 So shall the knowledge of wisdom be unto thy soul: when thou hast found it, then there shall be a reward, and thy expectation shall not be cut off.

5). Messianic Jewish Scholar David Bivin: “The New Testament says almost nothing about Jesus' life from after his birth until he appeared in the temple at age twelve, and from then until he began his public ministry at about the age of thirty. Yet a good indication of what a young Jewish man in Jesus' day would have been doing may be found in Avot 5:21, a tractate from a collection of rabbinic sayings called the Mishnah, which states: “At five years of age, one is ready for the study of the Written Torah, at ten years of age for the study of the Oral Torah, at thirteen for bar mitzvah [the religious coming-of-age ceremony], at fifteen for the study of halachot [rabbinic legal decisions], at eighteen for marriage, at twenty for pursuing a vocation, at thirty for entering one's full vigor...Although this statement cannot be dated with certainty, and may come some 100 years after the time of Jesus, there are many other passages in rabbinic works that indicate the importance placed upon the education of children and provide some insight into how the young Jesus was probably spending his time.”

6). Flavius Josephus, wrote that “from the earliest infancy” they were taught the Laws of God.  

7). This letter that Paul was writing to Timothy is part of the Scriptures that make up the New Testament, so from our perspective we include them in Scriptures we should know from infancy, but from Timothy’s infancy it would have been the Old Testament only.   

2. “…which are able to make thee wise unto salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus.”

a. which [Strong: 3588. [ta] ὁ ho ho, including the feminine he hay, and the neuter to to in all their inflections; the definite article; the (sometimes to be supplied, at others omitted, in English idiom):--the, this, that, one, he, she, it, etc.] [Thayer: [ta] ὁ, ἡ, τό, originally τος, τῇ, τό (as is evident from the forms τοι, ται for οἱ, αἱ in Homer and the Ionic writings), corresponds to our definite article the (German der, die, das), which is properly a demonstrative pronoun, which we see in its full force in Homer, and of which we find certain indubitable traces also in all kinds of Greek prose, and hence also in the N. T.] [Additional variants: tē, hoi, oi, tēn, ta, tēs, tois, tais, tō, tōn, tou, hé, Hē, hē, hai, tas.]

b. [are] able [Strong: 1410 * dýnamai, doo'-nam-ahee; of uncertain affinity; to be able or possible:—be able, can (do, + -not), could, may, might, be possible, be of power.] [Thayer: to be able, have power whether by virtue of one's own ability and resources, or of a state of mind, or through favourable circumstances, or by permission of law or custom.]

c. [to] make thee [Strong: 4571 sé, seh; accusative case singular of G4771; thee:—thee, thou, × thy house.]

d. wise [Strong: 4679 * sophízō, sof-id'-zo; from G4680; to render wise; in a sinister acceptation, to form "sophisms", i.e. continue plausible error:—cunningly devised, make wise.] [Thayer: to make wise, to teach, to become wise, to have understanding.]

e. unto [Strong: 1519 eis, ice; a primary preposition; to or into (indicating the point reached or entered), of place, time, or (figuratively) purpose (result, etc.); also in adverbial phrases:—(abundant-)ly, against, among, as, at, (back-)ward, before, by, concerning, + continual, + far more exceeding, for (intent, purpose), fore, + forth, in (among, at, unto, -so much that, -to), to the intent that, + of one mind, + never, of, (up-)on, + perish, + set at one again, (so) that, therefore(-unto), throughout, til, to (be, the end, -ward), (here-)until(-to), …ward, (where-)fore, with.]

f. salvation [Strong: 4991 * sōtēría, so-tay-ree'-ah; feminine of a derivative of G4990 as (properly, abstract) noun; rescue or safety (physically or morally):—deliver, health, salvation, save, saving.] [[Scofield Reference Bible: “The Hebrew and Greek words for salvation imply the ideas of deliverance, safety, preservation, healing and soundness. Salvation is the great inclusive word of the Gospel, gathering into itself all the redemptive acts and processes…”]

1). Word Studies In the New Testament, Marvin R. Vincent. P. 316 “To give thee understanding of that which lies behind the letter; to enable thee to detect in the O.T. books various hidden allusions to Christ; to draw from the O.T. the mystery of messianic salvation, and to interpret the O.T. with Christ as the key.”  

a). John 5:39 Search the Scriptures; for in them ye think ye have eternal life: and they are they which testify of me.

b). Luke 24:25-27 Then he said unto them, O fools, and slow of heart to believe all that the prophet have spoken:

24:26 Ought not Christ to have suffered these things, and to enter into his glory?

24:27 And beginning at Moses and all the prophets, he expounded unto them in all the Scriptures the things concerning himself.

c). Acts 28:23 And when they had appointed him a day, there came many to him into his lodging; to whom he expounded and testified the kingdom of God, persuading them concerning Jesus, both out of the law of Moses, and out of the prophets, from morning till evening.  

d). D.C. Note: In both the Old and New Testaments Jesus is the central focus. In type, or Theophany, or in prophetic mention, He is there, throughout. The Scriptures are able to make us wise unto salvation. The Greek and Hebrew concepts of salvation incorporate everything included in our inheritance, safety, deliverance, preservation, healing and soundness.

g. through [Strong: 1223 diá, dee-ah'; a primary preposition denoting the channel of an act; through (in very wide applications, local, causal, or occasional):—after, always, among, at, to avoid, because of (that), briefly, by, for (cause) … fore, from, in, by occasion of, of, by reason of, for sake, that, thereby, therefore, × though, through(-out), to, wherefore, with (-in).]

h. faith [Strong: 4102 * pístis, pis'-tis; from G3982; persuasion, i.e. credence; moral conviction (of religious truth, or the truthfulness of God or a religious teacher), especially reliance upon Christ for salvation; abstractly, constancy in such profession; by extension, the system of religious (Gospel) truth itself:—assurance, belief, believe, faith, fidelity.]

i. which [Strong: 3588. [tēs] ὁ ho ho, including the feminine he hay, and the neuter to to in all their inflections; the definite article; the (sometimes to be supplied, at others omitted, in English idiom):--the, this, that, one, he, she, it, etc.] [Thayer: [tēs] ὁ, ἡ, τό, originally τος, τῇ, τό (as is evident from the forms τοι, ται for οἱ, αἱ in Homer and the Ionic writings), corresponds to our definite article the (German der, die, das), which is properly a demonstrative pronoun, which we see in its full force in Homer, and of which we find certain indubitable traces also in all kinds of Greek prose, and hence also in the N. T.] [Additional variants: tē, hoi, oi, tēn, ta, tēs, tois, tais, tō, tōn, tou, hé, Hē, hē, hai, tas.]

j. [is] in [Strong: 1722 en, en; a primary preposition denoting (fixed) position (in place, time or state), and (by implication) instrumentality (medially or constructively), i.e. a relation of rest (intermediate between G1519 and G1537); "in," at, (up-)on, by, etc.:—about, after, against, + almost, × altogether, among, × as, at, before, between, (here-)by (+ all means), for (… sake of), + give self wholly to, (here-)in(-to, -wardly), × mightily, (because) of, (up-)on, (open-)ly, × outwardly, one, × quickly, × shortly, (speedi-)ly, × that, × there(-in, -on), through(-out), (un-)to(-ward), under, when, where(-with), while, with(-in). Often used in compounds, with substantially the same import; rarely with verbs of motion, and then not to indicate direction, except (elliptically) by a separate (and different) preposition.]

k. Christ [Strong: 5547 Christós, khris-tos'; from G5548; anointed, i.e. the Messiah, an epithet of Jesus:—Christ.]

l. Jesus [Strong: 2424 Iēsoûs, ee-ay-sooce'; of Hebrew origin (H3091); Jesus (i.e. Jehoshua), the name of our Lord and two (three) other Israelites:—Jesus.]