2 Timothy 2:20

But in a great house there are not only vessels of gold and of silver, but also of wood and of earth; and some to honour, and some to dishonour.

King James Version · Read in your translation · Open the Explore console

Word by word — the Greek

Word	Greek	Strong’s	Meaning
But	δὲ de	G1161	but · conjunction
in	Ἐν En	G1722	"in · preposition
great	μεγάλῃ megalē	G3173	big (literally or figuratively · adjective — dative singular feminine
house	οἰκίᾳ oikia	G3614	properly · noun — dative singular feminine
are	ἐστί estí	G2076	he (she or it) is
not	οὐκ ouk	G3756	the absolute negative (compare G3361 (μή)) adverb · particle — negative
only	μόνον mónon	G3440	merely
vessels	σκεύη skeuē	G4632	a vessel · noun — nominative plural neuter
gold	χρυσᾶ chrusa	G5552	made of gold · adjective — nominative plural neuter
and	καὶ kai	G2532	and · conjunction
silver	ἀργυρᾶ argura	G693	made of silver · adjective — nominative plural neuter
but	ἀλλὰ alla	G235	properly · conjunction
also	καὶ kai	G2532	and · conjunction
wood	ξύλινα xulina	G3585	wooden · adjective — nominative plural neuter
and	καὶ kai	G2532	and · conjunction
earth	ὀστράκινα, ostrakina	G3749	earthen-ware · adjective — nominative plural neuter
and	καὶ kai	G2532	and · conjunction
some	ἃ ha	G3739	the relatively (sometimes demonstrative) pronoun · relative pronoun — nominative plural neuter
to	εἰς eis	G1519	to or into (indicating the point reached or entered) · preposition
honour	τιμὴν timēn	G5092	a value · noun — accusative singular feminine
and	δὲ de	G1161	but · conjunction
some	ἃ ha	G3739	the relatively (sometimes demonstrative) pronoun · relative pronoun — nominative plural neuter
to	εἰς eis	G1519	to or into (indicating the point reached or entered) · preposition
dishonour	ἀτιμίαν. atimian	G819	infamy · noun — accusative singular feminine

Strong's Exhaustive Concordance (James Strong, 1890/1894), public domain; digitized by Open Scriptures (CC BY-SA). KJV word tagging: eBible.org (public domain). Original-language text, parsing and brief lexicon: STEPBible.org data from Tyndale House, Cambridge (CC BY 4.0).

Cross-references

Romans 9:21-23 Hath not the potter power over the clay, of the same lump to make one vessel unto honour, and another unto dishonour?
1 Timothy 3:15 But if I tarry long, that thou mayest know how thou oughtest to behave thyself in the house of God, which is the church of the living God, t…
1 Peter 2:5 Ye also, as lively stones, are built up a spiritual house, an holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices, acceptable to God by Jesus…
1 Corinthians 3:9 For we are labourers together with God: ye are God’s husbandry, ye are God’s building.
Ezra 1:6 And all they that were about them strengthened their hands with vessels of silver, with gold, with goods, and with beasts, and with precious…
Ezra 6:5 And also let the golden and silver vessels of the house of God, which Nebuchadnezzar took forth out of the temple which is at Jerusalem, and…
Ephesians 2:22 In whom ye also are builded together for an habitation of God through the Spirit.
Lamentations 4:2 The precious sons of Zion, comparable to fine gold, how are they esteemed as earthen pitchers, the work of the hands of the potter!

Cross-references from OpenBible.info (CC BY), in the lineage of the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (public domain).

Commentary

Matthew Henry on 2 Timothy 2:19-21

Here we see what we may comfort ourselves with, in reference to this, and the little errors and heresies that both infect and infest the church, and do mischief. I. It may be a great comfort to us that the unbelief of men cannot make the promise of God of no effect. Though the faith of some particular persons be overthrown, yet the foundation of God standeth sure (Ti2 2:19); it is not possible that they should deceive the elect. Or it may be meant of the truth itself, which they impugn. All the attacks which the powers of darkness have made upon the doctrine of Christ cannot shake it; it stands firm, and weathers all the storms which have been raised against it. The prophets and apostles, th…

Read the whole note in the console

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown on 2 Timothy 2:20

in a great house--that is, the visible professing Christian Church (Ti1 3:15). Paul is speaking, not of those without, but of the [visible] family of God [CALVIN]. So the parable of the sweep-net (Mat 13:47-49) gathering together of every kind, good and bad: as the good and bad cannot be distinguished while under the waves, but only when brought to shore, so believers and unbelievers continue in the same Church, until the judgment makes the everlasting distinction. "The ark of Noah is a type of the Church; as in the former there were together the leopard and the kid, the wolf and the lamb; so in the latter, the righteous and sinners, vessels of gold and silver, with vessels of wood and earth…

Read the whole note in the console

Adam Clarke on 2 Timothy 2:20

But in a great house - Here the apostle carries on the allusion introduced in the preceding verse. As the foundation of God refers to God's building, i.e. the whole system of Christianity, so here the great house is to be understood of the same; and the different kinds of vessels mean the different teachers, as well as the different kinds of members. In this sacred house at Ephesus there were vessels of gold and silver - eminent, holy, sincere, and useful teachers and members, and also vessels of wood and of earth - false and heretical teachers, such as Hymeneus and Philetus, and their followers. There are also in such houses vessels employed, some in a more honorable, others in a less honor…

The Church Fathers

Here the house is the church, where different persons are not at all equal, yet each serves his or her use.
— Theodore of Mopsuestia, COMMENTARY ON 2 TIMOTHY

The house described by Paul cannot be the church, which is pure, but must be the world with its mixture of wheat and tares.
— Pelagius, PELAGIUS'S COMMENTARY ON THE SECOND LETTER TO TIMOTHY

Paul indicates that the church has diverse members, who are at differing levels of maturity. The heretic Novatian believes that this passage applies to the world, since he defends the general truth and holiness of his church. But this is wrong.
— Ambrosiaster, COMMENTARY ON THE SECOND LETTER TO TIMOTHY

The Church Fathers: public-domain translations (Ante-Nicene and Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers), verse-indexed by SermonIndex (CC BY 4.0).

Dictionary and topics

Houses · Of the rich: Great — Of the rich: Great
Parables · Furnished house — Furnished house
Righteous · .Vessels of gold and silver — .Vessels of gold and silver
Saints, Compared To · Vessels of gold and silver — Vessels of gold and silver

Dictionary: Easton's (1897) and Smith's (1863), public domain. Topics: Nave's Topical Bible (1896) and Torrey's Topical Textbook (1897), public domain. Both as parsed by NEUU (CC BY 4.0).

2 Timothy 2:20

Word by word — the Greek

Cross-references

Commentary

Matthew Henry on 2 Timothy 2:19-21

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown on 2 Timothy 2:20

Adam Clarke on 2 Timothy 2:20

The Church Fathers

Dictionary and topics

2 Timothy 2:20

Word by word — the Greek

Cross-references

Commentary

Matthew Henry on 2 Timothy 2:19-21

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown on 2 Timothy 2:20

Adam Clarke on 2 Timothy 2:20

The Church Fathers

Dictionary and topics

John Gill on 2 Timothy 2:20

John Calvin on 2 Timothy 2:19-21

Tyndale Open Study Notes on 2 Timothy 2:20-21