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Read the Bible

King James Version

2 Timothy 2:4

No man that warreth entangleth himself with the affairs of this life; that he may please him who hath chosen him to be a soldier.

Bible Study Resources

Concordances:

- Nave's Topical Bible - Care;   Minister, Christian;   Parables;   Righteous;   Self-Denial;   War;   Worldliness;   Thompson Chain Reference - Battle of Life;   Conflict, Spiritual;   Leaders;   Ministers;   Religious;   Spiritual;   Unworldliness;   Warfare, Spiritual;   Worldliness-Unworldliness;   Torrey's Topical Textbook - Care, Overmuch;   Election;   Life, Natural;   Ministers;   Roman Empire, the;   Saints, Compared to;   Self-Denial;   Warfare of Saints;  

Dictionaries:

- Bridgeway Bible Dictionary - Endurance;   Holy spirit;   Soldier;   Baker Evangelical Dictionary of Biblical Theology - Christians, Names of;   Easton Bible Dictionary - War;   Fausset Bible Dictionary - Elect;   Timothy;   Timothy, the First Epistle to;   Holman Bible Dictionary - Service;   Titus, Epistle to;   2 Timothy;   Hastings' Dictionary of the Bible - Life;   Hastings' Dictionary of the New Testament - Church Government;   Games;   Life and Death;   Timothy and Titus Epistles to;   Morrish Bible Dictionary - Soldier;   23 Life Living;  

Encyclopedias:

- International Standard Bible Encyclopedia - Army;   Entangle;   Patience;  

Devotionals:

- Every Day Light - Devotion for December 21;  

Parallel Translations

New American Standard Bible (1995)
No soldier in active service entangles himself in the affairs of everyday life, so that he may please the one who enlisted him as a soldier.
Legacy Standard Bible
No soldier in active service entangles himself in the affairs of everyday life, so that he may please the one who enlisted him as a soldier.
Simplified Cowboy Version
Cowboys don't get messed up in city people's thoughts and desires. They only care about what the cow boss says to do.
Bible in Basic English
A fighting man, when he is with the army, keeps himself free from the business of this life so that he may be pleasing to him who has taken him into his army.
Darby Translation
No one going as a soldier entangles himself with the affairs of life, that he may please him who has enlisted him as a soldier.
Christian Standard Bible®
No one serving as a soldier gets entangled in the concerns of civilian life; he seeks to please the recruiter.
World English Bible
No soldier on service entangles himself in the affairs of life, that he may please him who enrolled him as a soldier.
Wesley's New Testament (1755)
No man that warreth intangleth himself in the affairs of this life; that he may please him who hath inlisted him.
Weymouth's New Testament
Every one who serves as a soldier keeps himself from becoming entangled in the world's business--so that he may satisfy the officer who enlisted him.
King James Version (1611)
No man that warreth, intangleth himselfe with the affaires of this life, that hee may please him who hath chosen him to be a souldJeremiah
Literal Translation
No one serving as a soldier entangles himself with the affairs of this life, so that he might please the one having enlisted him .
Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
No ma that warreth, tangleth him selfe with wordly busynesses, & that because he wolde please him, which hath chosen him to be a soudyer.
Mace New Testament (1729)
he that enters into the service, disengages himself from civil affairs, that he may be acceptable to his officer.
Amplified Bible
No soldier in active service gets entangled in the [ordinary business] affairs of civilian life; [he avoids them] so that he may please the one who enlisted him to serve.
American Standard Version
No soldier on service entangleth himself in the affairs of this life; that he may please him who enrolled him as a soldier.
Revised Standard Version
No soldier on service gets entangled in civilian pursuits, since his aim is to satisfy the one who enlisted him.
Tyndale New Testament (1525)
No man that warreth entanglith him silfe with worldely busynes and that be cause he wolde please him that hath chosen him to be a soudier.
Update Bible Version
No soldier on service entangles himself in the affairs of [this] life; that he may please him who enrolled him as a soldier.
Webster's Bible Translation
No man that warreth entangleth himself with the affairs of [this] life; that he may please him who hath chosen him to be a soldier.
Young's Literal Translation
no one serving as a soldier did entangle himself with the affairs of life, that him who did enlist him he may please;
New Century Version
A soldier wants to please the enlisting officer, so no one serving in the army wastes time with everyday matters.
New English Translation
No one in military service gets entangled in matters of everyday life; otherwise he will not please the one who recruited him.
Berean Standard Bible
A soldier refrains from entangling himself in civilian affairs, in order to please the one who enlisted him.
Contemporary English Version
Soldiers on duty don't work at outside jobs. They try only to please their commanding officer.
Complete Jewish Bible
No soldier on duty gets involved with civilian affairs, since he has to please his commanding officer.
English Standard Version
No soldier gets entangled in civilian pursuits, since his aim is to please the one who enlisted him.
Geneva Bible (1587)
No man that warreth, entangleth himselfe with the affaires of this life, because he woulde please him that hath chosen him to be a souldier.
George Lamsa Translation
No man can be a soldier, and also entangle himself with the things of this life; if he would please him who has chosen him to be a soldier.
Hebrew Names Version
No soldier on service entangles himself in the affairs of life, that he may please him who enrolled him as a soldier.
International Standard Version
No one serving in the military gets mixed up in civilian matters, for his aim is to please his commanding officer.1 Corinthians 9:25;">[xr]
Etheridge Translation
No man serveth as a soldier, and entangleth himself with the affairs of the world, that he might please him who hath chosen him.
Murdock Translation
No man, on becoming a soldier, entangleth himself with the business of the world; that he may please him who enlisted him.
New King James Version
No one engaged in warfare entangles himself with the affairs of this life, that he may please him who enlisted him as a soldier.
New Living Translation
Soldiers don't get tied up in the affairs of civilian life, for then they cannot please the officer who enlisted them.
New Life Bible
No soldier fighting in a war can take time to make a living. He must please the one who made him a soldier.
English Revised Version
No soldier on service entangleth himself in the affairs of [this] life; that he may please him who enrolled him as a soldier.
New Revised Standard
No one serving in the army gets entangled in everyday affairs; the soldier's aim is to please the enlisting officer.
J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
No one that is serving as a soldier, entangleth himself with the matters of his livelihood, that he may please him that hath summoned him to serve as a soldier;
Douay-Rheims Bible
No man, being a soldier to God, entangleth himself with secular businesses: that he may please him to whom he hath engaged himself.
Lexham English Bible
No one who serves as a soldier is entangled in the activities of everyday life, so that he may please the one who enlisted him.
Bishop's Bible (1568)
No man that warreth, entangleth hym selfe with thaffayres of [this] lyfe, that he may please hym which hath chosen hym to be a souldier.
Easy-to-Read Version
A soldier wants to please his commanding officer, so he does not spend any time on activities that are not a part of his duty.
New American Standard Bible
No soldier in active service entangles himself in the affairs of everyday life, so that he may please the one who enlisted him.
Good News Translation
A soldier on active duty wants to please his commanding officer and so does not get mixed up in the affairs of civilian life.
Wycliffe Bible (1395)
No man holdinge knyythod to God, wlappith hym silf with worldli nedis, that he plese to hym, to whom he hath preuyd hym silf.

Contextual Overview

1 Thou therefore, my son, be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus. 2 And the things that thou hast heard of me among many witnesses, the same commit thou to faithful men, who shall be able to teach others also. 3 Thou therefore endure hardness, as a good soldier of Jesus Christ. 4 No man that warreth entangleth himself with the affairs of this life; that he may please him who hath chosen him to be a soldier. 5 And if a man also strive for masteries, yet is he not crowned, except he strive lawfully. 6 The husbandman that laboureth must be first partaker of the fruits. 7 Consider what I say; and the Lord give thee understanding in all things.

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

that warreth: Deuteronomy 20:5-7, Luke 9:59-62

entangleth: 2 Timothy 4:10, Luke 8:14, 1 Corinthians 9:25, 1 Corinthians 9:26, 1 Timothy 6:9-12, 2 Peter 2:20

that he: 1 Corinthians 7:22, 1 Corinthians 7:23, 2 Corinthians 5:9, 1 Thessalonians 2:4

Reciprocal: Exodus 6:13 - General Numbers 4:23 - to perform the service Numbers 4:30 - service Numbers 16:5 - even him Deuteronomy 20:7 - lest he die 2 Samuel 11:11 - my lord Zechariah 10:4 - of him came forth Matthew 6:25 - Take Luke 9:3 - Take Luke 9:60 - but Acts 6:2 - we should Acts 9:15 - a chosen Acts 18:25 - fervent Acts 21:13 - for Acts 23:31 - as 1 Corinthians 6:3 - pertain 1 Corinthians 9:7 - goeth 1 Corinthians 15:19 - this 2 Corinthians 10:3 - we do Philippians 2:25 - fellowsoldier Colossians 1:10 - all Philemon 1:2 - our fellowsoldier Hebrews 12:1 - let us lay Revelation 17:14 - and they

Cross-References

Genesis 1:1
In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth.
Genesis 1:4
And God saw the light, that it was good: and God divided the light from the darkness.
Genesis 1:28
And God blessed them, and God said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it: and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moveth upon the earth.
Genesis 1:31
And God saw every thing that he had made, and, behold, it was very good. And the evening and the morning were the sixth day.
Genesis 2:1
Thus the heavens and the earth were finished, and all the host of them.
Genesis 2:2
And on the seventh day God ended his work which he had made; and he rested on the seventh day from all his work which he had made.
Genesis 5:1
This is the book of the generations of Adam. In the day that God created man, in the likeness of God made he him;
Genesis 10:1
Now these are the generations of the sons of Noah, Shem, Ham, and Japheth: and unto them were sons born after the flood.
Genesis 11:10
These are the generations of Shem: Shem was an hundred years old, and begat Arphaxad two years after the flood:
Genesis 25:12
Now these are the generations of Ishmael, Abraham's son, whom Hagar the Egyptian, Sarah's handmaid, bare unto Abraham:

Gill's Notes on the Bible

No man that warreth,.... Who is a soldier, and gives himself up to military service, in a literal sense: the Vulgate Latin version, without any authority, adds, "to God"; as if the apostle was speaking of a spiritual warfare; whereas he is illustrating a spiritual warfare by a corporeal one; and observes, that no one, that is in a military state,

entangleth himself with the affairs of this life; with civil affairs, in distinction from military ones. The Roman soldiers might not follow any trade or business of life, or be concerned in husbandry, or merchandise of any sort, but were wholly to attend to military exercises, and to the orders of their general; for to be employed in any secular business was reckoned an entangling of them, a taking of them off from, and an hindrance to their military discipline: and by this the apostle suggests that Christ's people, his soldiers, and especially his ministers, should not he involved and implicated in worldly affairs and cares; for no man can serve two masters, God and mammon; but should wholly give up themselves to the work and service to which they are called; and be ready to part with all worldly enjoyments, and cheerfully suffer the loss of all things, when called to it, for the sake of Christ and his Gospel:

that he may please him who hath chosen him to be a soldier; his captain, or general, who has enlisted him, enrolled and registered him among his soldiers; whom to please should be his chief concern; as it should be the principal thing attended to by a Christian soldier, or minister of the Gospel, not to please men, nor to please himself, by seeking his own ease and rest, his worldly emoluments and advantages, but to please the Lord Christ, in whose book his name is written.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

No man that warreth entangleth himself with the affairs of this life - Having alluded to the soldier, and stated one thing in which the Christian minister is to resemble him, another point of resemblance is suggested to the mind of the apostle. Neither the minister nor the soldier is to be encumbered with the affairs of this life, and the one should not be more than the other. This is always a condition in becoming a soldier. He gives up his own business during the time for which he is enlisted, and devotes himself to the service of his country. The farmer leaves his plow, and the mechanic his shop, and the merchant his store, and the student his books, and the lawyer his brief; and neither of them expect to pursue these things while engaged in the service of their country. It would be wholly impracticable to carry on the plans of a campaign, if each one of these classes should undertake to prosecute his private business. See this fully illustrated from the Rules of War among the Romans, by Grotius, “in loc.” Roman soldiers were not allowed to marry, or to engage in any husbandry or trade; and they were forbidden to act as tutors to any person, or curators to any man’s estate, or proctors in the cause of other men. The general principle was, that they were excluded from those relations, agencies, and engagements, which it was thought would divert their minds from that which was to be the sole object of pursuit. So with the ministers of the gospel. It is equally improper for them to “entangle” themselves with the business of a farm or plantation; with plans of speculation and gain, and with any purpose of worldly aggrandizement. The minister of the gospel accomplishes the design of his appointment only when he can say in sincerity, that he “is not entangled with the affairs of this life;” compare the notes at 1 Corinthians 9:25-27.

That he may please him who hath chosen him to be a soldier - That is, him who has enlisted him, or in whose employ he is. His great object is to approve himself to him. It is not to pursue his own plans, or to have his own will, or to accumulate property or fame for himself. His will is absorbed in the will of his commander, and his purpose is accomplished if he meet with his approbation. Nowhere else is it so true that the will of one becomes lost in that of another, as in the case of the soldier. In an army it is contemplated that there shall be but one mind, one heart, one purpose - that of the commander; and that the whole army shall be as obedient to that as the members of the human body are to the one will that controls all. The application of this is obvious. The grand purpose of the minister of the gospel is to please Christ. He is to pursue no separate plans, and to have no separate will, of his own; and it is contemplated that the whole “Corps” of Christian ministers and members of the churches shall be as entirely subordinate to the will of Christ, as an army is to the orders of its chief.

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse 2 Timothy 2:4. No man that warreth entangleth, &c.] It is well remarked by Grotius, on this passage, that the legionary soldiers among the Romans were not permitted to engage in husbandry, merchandise, mechanical employments, or any thing that might be inconsistent with their calling. Many canons, at different times, have been made to prevent ecclesiastics from intermeddling with secular employments. The who will preach the Gospel thoroughly, and wishes to give full proof of his ministry, had need to have no other work. He should be wholly in this thing, that his profiting may appear unto all. There are many who sin against this direction. They love the world, and labour for it, and are regardless of the souls committed to their charge. But what are they, either in number or guilt, compared to the immense herd of men professing to be Christian ministers, who neither read nor study, and consequently never improve? These are too conscientious to meddle with secular affairs, and yet have no scruple of conscience to while away time, be among the chief in needless self-indulgence, and, by their burdensome and monotonous ministry, become an incumbrance to the Church! Do you inquire: In what sect or party are these to be found? I answer: In ALL. Idle drones: -

Fruges consumere nati,

"Born to consume the produce of the soil,"


disgrace every department in the Christian Church. They cannot teach because they will not learn.


 
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