2 Timothy 2:4

2 Timothy 2:4

No man that warreth entangleth himself with the affairs of this life; that he may please him who hath chosen him to be a soldier.

a. NLT: Soldiers don’t get tied up in the affairs of civilian life, for then they cannot please the officer who enlisted them. [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. ASV: No soldier on service entangleth himself in the affairs of this life; that he may please him who enrolled him as a soldier. [Thomas Nelson & Sons first published the American Standard Version in 1901. This translation of the Bible is in the public domain.]

c. YLT: No one serving as a soldier did entangle himself with the affairs of life, that him who did enlist him he may please;  [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. Classic Amplified: No soldier when in service gets entangled in the enterprises of [civilian] life; his aim is to satisfy and please the one who enlisted him. [Amplified Bible, Classic Edition (AMPC) Copyright © 1954, 1958, 1962, 1964, 1965, 1987 by The Lockman Foundation]

1. “No man that warreth entangleth himself with the affairs of this life…”

a. No [man] [Strong: 3762. oudeis oo-dice', including feminine oudemia oo-dem-ee'-ah, and neuter ouden oo-den' from 3761 and 1520; not even one (man, woman or thing), i.e. none, nobody, nothing:--any (man), aught, man, neither any (thing), never (man), no (man), none (+ of these things), not (any, at all, -thing), nought.]

b. [that] warreth [Strong: 4754. strateuomai strat-yoo'-om-ahee middle voice from the base of 4756; to serve in a military campaign; figuratively, to execute the apostolate (with its arduous duties and functions), to contend with carnal inclinations:--soldier, (go to) war(-fare).]

c. entangleth [himself] [Strong: 1707. empleko em-plek'-o from 1722 and 4120; to entwine, i.e. (figuratively) involve with:--entangle (in, self with).]

d. [with] the [Strong: 3588. [tais] 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: [tais] 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.]

e. affairs [Strong: 4230. pragmateia prag-mat-i'-ah from 4231; a transaction, i.e. negotiation:--affair.]

f. [Strong: 3588. [tou] 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: [tou] 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.]

g. [of this] life [Strong: 979. bios bee'-os a primary word; life, i.e. (literally) the present state of existence; by implication, the means of livelihood:--good, life, living.]

2. “...that he may please him who hath chosen him to be a soldier.”

a. that [Strong: 2443. hina hin'-ah probably from the same as the former part of 1438 (through the demonstrative idea; compare 3588); in order that (denoting the purpose or the result):--albeit, because, to the intent (that), lest, so as, (so) that, (for) to.]

b. [Strong: 3588. [to] 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: [to] 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.]

c. [he may] please [Strong: 700. aresko ar-es'-ko probably from 142 (through the idea of exciting emotion); to be agreeable (or by implication, to seek to be so):--please.]

d. [him who hath] chosen him to be a soldier [Strong: 4758. stratologeo strat-ol-og-eh'-o from a compound of the base of 4756 and 3004 (in its original sense); to gather (or select) as a warrior, i.e. enlist in the army:--choose to be a soldier.]

1). Institute Of Creation Research Daily Devotional 9/15/13 This “parable of the pounds” [Luke 19:13] indicated to His disciples that they should not wait idly for the second coming of Christ, thinking “that the kingdom of God should immediately appear” (Luke 19:11), but that they should stay busy, using whatever abilities and opportunities they had in the Lord’s service until His return. The word “occupy” is an unusual word, the Greek pragmatenomai, from which we derive our modern word “pragmatic,” meaning “practical,” and it only occurs this one time in the New Testament. There is another related word, however, also occurring only one time, in 2 Timothy 2:4: “No man that warreth entangleth himself with the affairs of this life; that he may please him who hath chosen him to be a soldier.” Here the word “affairs” is the Greek pragmateia, and Paul is cautioning those who would be “good soldiers of Jesus Christ” against becoming involved in the pragmatic affairs of civilian or business life, if they would really be pleasing to their commanding officer. At first, there seems to be a contradiction. Jesus says to stay busy with the practical affairs of life until He returns. Paul says not to get involved with pragmatic things. There is no real contradiction, of course, if motivation is considered. Whatever may be our vocation in life, as led by the Lord, we are to perform that job and all the other daily responsibilities of life diligently and faithfully, for His sake. If we allow these things to become an end in themselves, however, or use them for other purposes than for His glory, then we have, indeed, become tangled up in the affairs of this life, and this displeases Him. He desires that we be diligent in whatever He has called us to do until He comes, but to be sure it is for Him, not for ourselves. HMM