Paul wrote 2 Timothy. He was from the city of Tarsus. He had been known as Saul in his early life. Before becoming a Christian, Paul was a Pharisee. He persecuted Christians. After he became a Christian, he traveled several times throughout the Roman Empire telling people about Jesus.
This book is the second letter Paul wrote Timothy. Timothy was his disciple and close friend. Paul wrote this letter while in prison in Rome. Paul would die soon after writing this letter.
Paul had left Timothy in the city of Ephesus to help the believers there. Paul wrote this letter to instruct Timothy about various matter. The topics he addressed include warnings about false teachers and enduring difficult situations. This letter also shows how Paul was training Timothy to be a leader among the churches.
Translators may choose to call this book by its traditional title, "2 Timothy" or "Second Timothy." They may instead prefer to choose a clearer title, such as "Paul's Second Letter to Timothy" or "The Second Letter to Timothy." (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/translate-names]])
## Part 2: Important Religious and Cultural Concepts ##
#### What is the soldier imagery in 2 Timothy? ####
As Paul waited in prison, knowing he would die soon, he often spoke of himself as a soldier of Jesus Christ. Soldiers answer to their leaders. In the same way, Christians answer to Jesus. As "soldiers" of Christ, believers are to obey his commands, even if they should die as a result.
God is the true author of Scripture. He inspired the human authors who wrote the books. That means he in some way caused the people to write what they did. This is why it is also referred to as God's word. This implies several things about the Bible. First, the Bible is free from error and can be trusted. Second, we can rely on God to protect the scripture from those who want to distort it or destroy it. Third, God's word should be translated into all the world's languages.
In this book, the word "I" refers to Paul. Here the word "you" is almost always singular and refers to Timothy. The exception to this is 4:22. (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-exclusive]] and [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-you]])
Paul meant to express the idea of a very close union with Christ and the believers. Please see the introduction to the Book of Romans for more details about this kind of expression.
* "Because of this, I was appointed a preacher, an apostle, and a teacher" (1:11). The ULB, UDB, and most modern versions have this reading. There are some older versions, however, that read, "Because of this, I was appointed a preacher, an apostle, and a teacher to the Gentiles."
* "Warn them before God" (2:14). The ULB, UDB, and many modern versions have this reading. There are some versions that read, "Warn them before the Lord." Translators should consider using the same reading as in the other versions in their region.
See in Reader
