2 Timothy 3:4Meaning & Commentary from the Church Fathers

"Traitors," to friendship. "Reckless," that is, having nothing firm in themselves. "Puffed up," that is, filled with arrogance. "Lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God" (see v. 5).

"Traitors." Traitors to friendship. "Reckless," that is, unstable and inconstant. "Puffed up." Filled with arrogance. "Lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God." Nor can it be otherwise, for where there is love for worldly pleasures, there is no place for desire for divine things.

They will not be such as receive persecutors under their roof and conceal them, but betrayers of those undergoing persecution. They will not desire the path of life, but will be lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God.

I think the Apostle foretold the present time, for our life is full of these evils. While clothing ourselves in the outward appearance of piety, by our deeds we prepare ourselves as an idol of wickedness. Instead of lovers of God we have become lovers of money, and we love slavery to the passions. In a word, one can find in us the rest of what the divine Apostle foretold. The Apostle commanded those entrusted to Timothy's care to avoid fellowship with such people in the following words. For he says: "And from such turn away." Continuing, he adds this also to the accusation.

"Without meekness," inhuman. "Not lovers of good," lovers of evil. "Traitors," betrayers of what is just and good, or of their own kin in general. "Reckless," heedless and incautious. "Puffed up," boasting in certain good struggles they have happened to perform, such as long-suffering, chastity, or something else of this kind. "Lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God."

"But know this, that in the last days perilous times will come. For men will be lovers of themselves ... boasters ... reckless ... traitors ... having a form of piety" (2 Tim 3:1-5), and so forth.

Who are these people whom the holy Apostle describes in such dark colors? Although the Apostle’s prophetic words, in their full scope, refer to the last times of the Christian Church, cf. 2 Thess 2:3 and following, he speaks most immediately of those opponents of the truth.

These are the sowers of corrupting false teaching of whom he has just spoken before this in 2 Tim 2. He urges Timothy to instruct them with meekness, in case God may grant them release from the snare of the devil, who has taken them captive to his will.

This is especially clear from his following words.

The lesser vices of apostates from the faith draw the attention of commentators to varying degrees. Yet all speak, more or less, about the pretense of the impious, who strive in Pharisaic fashion to have the appearance of piety.

Thus St. John Chrysostom says: "By the word form of piety the Apostle here indicates something soulless and dead, an exterior, an appearance, hypocrisy. Faith without works is only an outward appearance without power.

As a beautiful and blooming body that has no strength is like a painted image, so also is right faith without works."

Concerning slanderers, he says: "These are people who, seeing nothing good in themselves, find consolation in speaking evil of others, in order to undermine the good opinion held of them.

To give still greater weight to his exhortations, the Apostle now points to the coming of grievous times in the future, before the second coming of Christ.

By describing what the sins of men will reach, though they now exist only in seed in Timothy’s time, he enables Timothy rightly to assess what is taking place before his eyes.

Without relation to the future, this might have seemed to Timothy unworthy of special attention. The Apostle does not mean that all people without exception will be vicious at that time.

He sketches only the general character of the conduct of the mass of mankind. The people of that time will be marked by every kind of vice.

"Traitors," προδοται, means betrayers of friendship, as Chrysostom says, or of fellowship, as Oecumenius says. They act not for the common good, but for their personal interests, to the harm of others.

"Reckless," προπετεις, means those who have nothing stable in themselves, as Chrysostom says. They are unstable and inconstant, as Blessed Theophylact says, and senseless, as Oecumenius says.

They rush here and there, or force their way, self-confidently swift and decisive in their actions.

"Puffed up," τετυφωμενοι, means full of conceit, arrogance, and pride of heart, as Blessed Theophylact and Oecumenius say. They are swollen, thinking much of themselves, though they have nothing worthy of greater attention.