• 2 Timothy 3:9
    The Kingdom Interlinear Translation of the Greek Scriptures

    • 9 ἀλλ’ But οὐ not προκόψουσιν will they strike forward ἐπὶ upon πλεῖον, more, ἡ the γὰρ for ἄνοια mindlessness αὐτῶν of them ἔκδηλος outwardly evident ἔσται will be πᾶσιν, to all (ones), ὡς as καὶ also ἡ the ἐκείνων of those ἐγένετο. became.

  • 2 Timothy Study Notes—Chapter 3
    New World Translation of the Holy Scriptures (Study Edition)

    • 3:9

      they will make no further progress: Paul had warned the overseers in Ephesus of the arrival of false teachers. (Ac 20:29, 30) Those wicked men may seemingly have made progress in their efforts to corrupt and divide the congregation. Faithful Christians surely found any success of these men disturbing. But Paul reassures Timothy that such “progress” would be limited. He does so by comparing the false teachers to Jannes and Jambres, who opposed Moses and who may have taken the lead among the magic-practicing priests in Egypt. (See study note on 2Ti 3:8.) The Exodus account shows that even though those priests duplicated some of the miracles performed by Moses, their success did not last. Starting with the third plague, they proved unable to duplicate Jehovah’s miraculous acts or even to protect themselves from them.​—Ex 8:16-19; 9:10, 11.

      their folly will be very plain to all: Paul assures Timothy that the false teachers in the congregation would be exposed for their folly, or foolishness. They would end up as did Jannes and Jambres, the two men whom Paul had just mentioned. In their case, everyone involved could clearly see that they were fools for opposing Jehovah.