Bible Strands
2 Timothy 3:2
For men will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boastful, arrogant, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy,
Berean Standard Bible
Follow its threads on the canvas →
Study note
Setting — Paul, writing to Timothy from prison, names the character of the "last days" as a warning for the young pastor who will face it.
The words — φιλᾰυτοι (philautoi, "lovers of self") and φιλᾰργυροι (philargyroi, "lovers of money") open the list; both are compounds on φιλ- (phil-, "to love"), pairing self-love and greed as the root from which the remaining vices flow.
The thread — Romans 1:29 lists the same cluster (wickedness, greed, depravity); Philippians 2:21 calls out those who "look after their own interests"; Psalms 10:3 pairs boasting with greed.
Why it lands — The list is a diagnostic, not a distant prediction: it asks the reader to check which items are already present in their own life.
Drafted by a language model from the text, its original words and its cross-references, then checked against them. It can still be wrong: open the verse in the app to report it.
The Greek words
King James Version
For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy,
Cross-references
- Romans 1:29 They have become filled with every kind of wickedness, evil, greed, and depravity. They are full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, and malice. They are gossips,
- Philippians 2:21 For all the others look after their own interests, not those of Jesus Christ.
- Psalms 10:3 For the wicked man boasts in the cravings of his heart; he blesses the greedy and reviles the LORD.
- Jude 1:16 These men are discontented grumblers, following after their own lusts; their mouths spew arrogance; they flatter others for their own advantage.
- 2 Timothy 3:4 traitorous, reckless, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God,
- 2 Peter 2:14 Their eyes are full of adultery; their desire for sin is never satisfied; they seduce the unstable. They are accursed children with hearts trained in greed.
- 1 Timothy 6:10 For the love of money is the root of all kinds of evil. By craving it, some have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many sorrows.
- Colossians 3:5 Put to death, therefore, the components of your earthly nature: sexual immorality, impurity, lust, evil desires, and greed, which is idolatry.
- James 4:6 But He gives us more grace. This is why it says: “God opposes the proud, but gives grace to the humble.”
- 2 Peter 2:18 With lofty but empty words, they appeal to the sensual passions of the flesh and entice those who are just escaping from others who live in error.