2 Timothy 4.9-Paul Urgently Requests Timothy Not Delay in Visiting Him in Rome
Wenstrom Bible Ministries
Pastor-Teacher Bill Wenstrom
Tuesday October 6, 2015
Second Timothy: Second Timothy 4:9-Paul Urgently Requests Timothy Not Delay in Visiting Him in Rome
Lesson # 97
2 Timothy 4:9 Make every effort to come to me soon. (NASB95)
This verse is composed of the following: (1) second person singular aorist active imperative form of the verb spoudazō (σπουδάζω), “make every effort” (2) aorist active infinitive form of the verb erchomai (ἒρχομαι), “to come” (3) preposition pros (πρός), “to” (4) accusative first person singular form of the personal pronoun egō (ἐγώ), “me” (5) adverb of manner tacheōs (ταχέως), “soon.”
The apostle Paul is employing the figure of asyndeton here in Second Timothy 4:9 meaning that he is not using a connective word between his statements in verses 6-8 and this command here in verse 9.
The reason for the use of this figure is to mark a transition.
Therefore, the figure is marking a transition from Paul discussing his attitude with regards to his imminent execution in verses 6-8 and this command here in verse 9.
The figure also emphasizes the urgency of this command in verse 9.
The verb spoudazō means “to make every effort, to try hard to” doing something or “to proceed quickly” in doing something expressing the idea of urgency.
Here it speaks of Timothy “making every effort” in his power to come to visit Paul in Rome and expresses urgency.
The second person singular form of the verb means “you” referring of course to Timothy.
The active voice of this verb indicates that Timothy as the subject of this verb is to fulfill the command to make every effort to visit Paul in Rome.
The aorist imperative form of the verb is an ingressive aorist imperative which is a command to begin an action.
The emphasis is upon the urgency of the action.
A specific situation is in view with the pure ingressive rather than a general precept.
Here in Second Timothy 4:9, the pure ingressive aorist imperative form of the verb spoudazō indicates that Paul is urging Timothy to begin the action of making every effort to visit him in Rome and expresses a sense of urgency.
The verb erchomai means “to come” in the sense of proceeding on a course with a particular destination in view.
Here it refers to Timothy traveling to visit Paul in Rome before he is executed by the Roman civil authorities.
The infinitive form of the verb is a complementary infinitive meaning it is completing the thought of the verb spoudazō and thus identifying for Timothy what he was to immediately make every effort to do.
The first person singular form of the personal pronoun ego refers of course to the apostle Paul.
It is functioning as the object of the preposition pros which means “to” since it functions as a marker of destination indicating that Timothy’s destination was with Paul in Rome.
The adverb of manner tacheōs is modifying the verb erchomai and means “soon” since it pertains to a future point of time subsequent to another point of time with emphasis upon the relatively brief interval between the two points of time rather than on speed of activity.
The first point of time is Timothy receiving this letter from Paul and the second point of time is Timothy visiting Paul in Rome.
Therefore, this adverb indicates that Paul is requesting of Timothy that a brief interval of time would elapse between the receipt of this request to come visit him in Rome before his execution and the actual visit.
Thus, Paul wants Timothy to make every effort to visit him “soon.”
Second Timothy 4:9 Please, don’t delay, make every effort to come to me soon. (My translation)
Second Timothy 4:9-22 constitutes the final section of Paul’s second epistle to Timothy.
The entire pericope is centered around Paul and Timothy and their fellow servants of the Lord Jesus Christ and can be divided into three sections.
Verses 9-13 deal with Paul’s inner circle of friends and confidants.
Verses 14-18 address Paul’s enemies and how the Lord rescued him from them.
Lastly, verses 19-22 contain final greetings.
Now, here in verse 9, the apostle Paul departs from a discussion regarding himself and his attitude toward his circumstances to a discussion regarding his friends and enemies.
Paul urgently requests that Timothy make every effort to visit him in Rome as soon as possible.
In other words, Paul is requesting of Timothy that he not delay but immediately come to him in Rome.
He is requesting that a brief interval of time would elapse between the receipt of this request in writing to come visit him in Rome before his execution and the actual visit.
When Paul wrote Second Timothy as we noted in our introduction, he was suffering his second Roman imprisonment while languishing in the infamous Mamertine dungeon in the city of Rome which was a subterranean building consisting of two vaulted chambers.
There was one chamber above the other and connected by a small hole.
There are some who believe the lower chamber originally served as a cistern.
When it was converted into a prison, prisoners were lowered through the hole and held in the lower chamber until their execution.
The apostle Paul may have been placed there just prior to his execution but not likely before his final sentencing.
It would have been almost impossible to receive visitors like Timothy if he had been placed in the lower chamber.
Unlike his first Roman imprisonment between 60-62 A.D., he did not receive preferential treatment by the Roman authorities during his second Roman imprisonment (See Acts 28:30-31).
When Timothy received this command from Paul, he was stationed in Ephesus.
Second Timothy does not explicitly mentioned where Timothy was located when he received this epistle from Paul.
However, Timothy must not have been a great distance from Rome since he requests that his delegate come to him quickly (2 Timothy 4:9) and “before winter” (2 Timothy 4:21).
He even requests that Timothy bring his cloak which he left at Troas with Carpus (2 Timothy 4:13).
Paul’s concern for warm clothing would appear to indicate a period in the early fall.
Travel by water in the Mediterranean would be dangerous between October and May.
All of this indicates Timothy’s location was not a great distance from Rome where Paul was imprisoned.
This command in Second Timothy 4:9 expresses one of Paul’s purposes for which he wrote Second Timothy, namely that he was lonely and wanted Timothy to come to Rome (1:4; 4:9, 21), even though Luke was with him (4:11).
In Philippians 2:20, Paul stated that no other person could minister to him like Timothy.
Paul’s death was imminent and he wanted to say goodbye to his young delegate and friend and to encourage him to continue in the work of the ministry.
In Second Timothy 1:4, Paul told Timothy that he greatly desired to see him when he remembered his tears.
The purpose of desiring to see Timothy was so that he would become filled with joy.
This does not imply that Paul was miserable without Timothy since Paul learned to be content in each and every circumstance (cf. Philippians 4:11).
Rather, the apostle is encouraging Timothy by telling him that his personal presence will bring him great joy.
Paul’s comments in Second Timothy 4:10-12 indicate that another reason why he wanted Timothy to visit him in Rome is the apostasy of some of his fellow servants such as Demas.
Also Crescens went to Galatia and Titus to Dalmatia.
The latter two were faithful and were sent out by Paul to these destinations to minister to the Christians in these provinces.
In order for Timothy to obey this command, Paul needed to send another trusted worker to Ephesus to relieve him.
This individual turned out to be Tychicus according to Second Timothy 4:12.