Be diligent to come before winter. Eubulus salutes you, as do Pudens, Linus, Claudia, and all the brothers.
Parallel Translations
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Be diligent to come before winter. Eubulus salutes you, as do Pudens, Linus, Claudia, and all the brothers.
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Make spede to come before winter. Eubolus gretith the and Pudes and Linus and Claudia and all the brethren.
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Make speede to come before winter. Eubulus greeteth thee, and Pudens, and Linus, and Claudia, and all the brethren.
Cross-references (9)
Passages linked to 2 Timothy 4:21 in the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge, ordered by reader-vote popularity; verse text shown in World English Bible.
- 2 Timothy 4:9 Be diligent to come to me soon,
- Philippians 4:22 All the saints greet you, especially those who are of Caesar’s household.
- Romans 16:21-23 Timothy, my fellow worker, greets you, as do Lucius, Jason, and Sosipater, my relatives. I, Tertius, who write the letter, greet you in the Lord. Gaius, my host and host of the whole assembly, greets you. Erastus, the treasurer of the city, greets you, as does Quartus, the brother.
- 1 Corinthians 16:20 All the brothers greet you. Greet one another with a holy kiss.
- 2 Corinthians 13:13 All the saints greet you.
- 2 Timothy 1:4 longing to see you, remembering your tears, that I may be filled with joy;
- 2 Timothy 4:13 Bring the cloak that I left at Troas with Carpus when you come, and the books, especially the parchments.
- 2 John 1:13 The children of your chosen sister greet you. Amen.
- 3 John 1:14 but I hope to see you soon. Then we will speak face to face. Peace be to you. The friends greet you. Greet the friends by name.
Cross-references from openbible.info (CC BY 4.0)
Explain this verse (13 sources)
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John Trapp 1656 · Public Domain 21 Do thy diligence to come before winter. Eubulus…
21 Do thy diligence to come before winter. Eubulus greeteth thee, and Pudens, and Linus, and Claudia, and all the brethren.
Ver. 21. Do thy diligence, &c.] The apostle quickeneth Timothy, as Cicero did his friend, Quamobrem si me amas, &c., si dormis expergiscere, si stas ingredere, si ingrederis curre, si curris advola. Credibile non est quantum ego in amore et fide tua ponam. Make all possible haste hither, for I rely much upon thy love and loyalty.
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And Claudia] An English (or rather British) woman, who went to Rome, was converted by Paul, married a Roman gentleman called Pudens (as here) for his parts, but before called Rufus. It is thought she sent the gospel first into England. (See Antiq. Britan., Camden in Britan., Matth. Parker, Bale, Godwin’s Catalogue, Speed’s Chron., &c.) This is no article of our faith.
John Trapp, A Commentary or Exposition upon All the Books of the Old and New Testament (1647–1656) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
Matthew Poole 1685 · Public Domain Do thy diligence to come before winter; that is,…
Do thy diligence to come before winter; that is, to come to Rome to me before winter, either because sailing in the winter time would be more dangerous, or because in the winter time he might have more need of assistance.
Eubulus greeteth thee, and Pudens, and Linus, and Claudia, and all the brethren; we have no further account of these persons in holy writ; the first is a Greek name, the rest Latin, Claudia is a woman’s name. Paul sends the respects of these persons, and all the other Christians that at that time were in Rome to Timothy.
Matthew Poole's English Annotations on the Holy Bible (1683–1685) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.
William Burkitt 1703 · Public Domain Our apostle being greatly desirous to see Timothy before…
Our apostle being greatly desirous to see Timothy before his death, reneweth his request and suit to him to make haste and come before winter: the personal presence of good men is much, very much desired by them, in order to excite and quicken each other.
To encourage Timothy to hasten to him, he names several persons of note that were then at Rome, who sent salutations to him, and would rejoice to see him.
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But where were all these, when our apostle was upon his trial?
Ans. They all forsook him, and not one of them stood with him.
Behold what frailty there may be! and what fear will do, in persons of choice note for eminency and grace in the church of God!
William Burkitt's Expository Notes on the New Testament (1700–1703) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
Adam Clarke 1810 · Public Domain Verse 21. Come before winter.]
Verse 21. Come before winter.]
1. Because the apostle's time was short and uncertain.
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2. Because sailing in those seas was very dangerous in winter. Whether Timothy saw the apostle before he was martyred is not known.
Eubulus] This person is nowhere else mentioned in the New Testament.
Pudens] Of this person we have traditions and legends, but nothing certain. The Catholics make him bishop of Rome.
Linus] He also is made, by the same persons, bishop of Rome; but there is no sufficient ground for these pretensions.
Claudia] Supposed to be the wife of Pudens. Some think she was a British lady, converted by St. Paul; and that she was the first that brought the Gospel to Britain.
All the brethren.] All the Christians, of whom there were many at Rome; though of Paul's companions in travel, only Luke remained there.
Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible (1810–1826) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.
Albert Barnes 1834 · Public Domain Do thy diligence; - 2Ti 4:9.
Do thy diligence; - 2Ti 4:9.
To come before winter - Probably because of the dangers of the navigation then, and because the circumstances of the apostle were such as to demand the presence of a friend.
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Eubulus, ... - These names are of common occurrence in the works of the classic writers, but of the persons here referred to we know nothing.
Albert Barnes' Notes on the Bible (1834–1885) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.
Robert Jamieson, A. R. Fausset & David Brown 1871 · Public Domain before winter--when a voyage, according to ancient usages of…
before winter--when a voyage, according to ancient usages of navigation, would be out of the question: also, Paul would need his "cloak" against the winter (Ti2 4:13).
Pudens . . . Claudia--afterwards husband and wife (according to MARTIAL [Epigrams, 4.13; 11.54]), he a Roman knight, she a Briton, surnamed Rufina. TACITUS [On Agriculture, 14], mentions that territories in southeast Britain were given to a British king; Cogidunus, in reward for his fidelity to Rome, A.D. 52, while Claudius was emperor. In 1772 a marble was dug up at Chichester, mentioning Cogidunus with the surname Claudius, added from his patron, the emperor's name; and Pudens in connection with Cogidunus, doubtless his father-in-law. His daughter would be Claudia, who seems to have been sent to Rome for education, as a pledge of the father's fidelity. Here she was under the protection of Pomponia, wife of Aulus Plautius, conqueror of Britain. Pomponia was accused of foreign superstitions, A.D. 57 [TACITUS, Annals, 3.32], probably Christianity. She probably was the instrument of converting Claudia, who took the name Rufina from her, that being a cognomen of the Pomponian gens (compare Rom 16:13, Rufus, a Christian). Pudens in MARTIAL and in the Chichester inscription, appears as a pagan; but perhaps he or his friends concealed his Christianity through fear. Tradition represents Timothy, a son of Pudens, as taking part in converting the Britons.
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Linus--put third; therefore not at this time yet, as he was afterwards, bishop. His name being here inserted between Pudens and Claudia, implies the two were not yet married. "Eubulus" is identified by some with Aristobulus, who, with his converts, is said to have been among the first evangelists of Britain. Paul himself, says CLEMENT, "visited the farthest west [perhaps Britain, certainly Spain], and was martyred under the rulers at Rome," who were Nero's vicegerents in his absence from the city.
Jamieson, Fausset & Brown — Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.
Daniel D. Whedon 1874 · Public Domain 21. Before winter—When the ancient vessels were mostly laid…
21. Before winter—When the ancient vessels were mostly laid up, and voyage across sea impossible. Such a delay might postpone Timothy’s coming until after Paul’s martyrdom.
Eubulus—Nowhere else mentioned.
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Pudens… and Claudia—An epigram of the Roman poet, Martial, written not long after this time, celebrates the marriage of Pudens and Claudia. English scholars have found proofs that Martial’s Claudia was daughter of a British prince, and was a Christian lady at Rome. Hence a plausible and pleasing theory identifies Paul’s Pudens and Claudia with Martial’s. See Alford’s Prolegomena, and Conybeare and Howson, vol. ii, pp. 500-502.
Linus—Irenaeus says: “The apostles… conferred upon Linus the office of the episcopate [at Rome.] Of this Linus Paul makes mention in his epistles to Timothy.”
All the brethren—From which it appears that the Church had not been wholly scattered by persecution. And this was destined soon to become “the Church of the Catacombs.”
Daniel D. Whedon (gen. ed.), Commentary on the Old and New Testaments (1874–1909) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges 1878 · Public Domain 21. before winter] ‘The motive (rather a motive) of…
21. before winter] ‘The motive (rather a motive) of the letter is the desire for Timothy’s presence, Haste! Come! 2Ti_4:9 “Haste to come quickly,” 2Ti_4:21 “Haste to come before winter,” 2Ti_4:13 “when thou comest,” 2Ti_1:4 “Yearning to see thee,” 2Ti_4:5 “my death is near at hand.” ’ Farrar, Message of the Books, p. 397.
Eubulus] Of him nothing is known.
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Pudens … and Claudia] The identity of these two members of the Church at Rome with the Pudens and Claudia of Martial is discussed in Appendix, H.
Linus] According to general testimony bishop of Rome. Cf. Iren. iii. 3, § 3 ‘Peter and Paul, when they founded and built up the church of Rome, committed the office of its episcopate to Linus.’ Cf. also Euseb. H. E. iii. 2 ‘of the church of the Romans after the martyrdom of Paul and Peter the first to be appointed to the office of bishop was Linus, of whom Paul makes mention at the end of his letter to Timothy.’ Eusebius also gives the length of his episcopate as twelve years a.d. 68–80.
The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges (gen. ed. J. J. S. Perowne; Cambridge University Press, 1878–1918) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers 1878 · Public Domain (21) Do thy diligence to come before winter. Probably…
(21) Do thy diligence to come before winter. Probably this was added to hasten his coming. If he delayed, the season of the year would put off, perhaps hinder altogether, his voyage.
Eubulus greeteth thee.—Of this Eubulus nothing is known.
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And Pudens, and Linus, and Claudia.—Of these, Linus was, no doubt, the first of the long line of Bishops of Rome. The date of his consecration corresponds with the year of St. Paul’s martyrdom, A.D. 66. We know, from this greeting, he was one of the few “faithful” to his old master.
It is, perhaps, fair to assume, though of course there is no certainty of this, that the consecration of Linus to the government of the Roman Church as its first Bishop was one of the dying acts done by the Apostle Paul.
Some commentators identify the other two with “Pudens and Claudia” mentioned by Martial (Epigrams, iv. 13; xi. 54). Pudens was the son of a Roman senator; to Claudia, Martial gives the name of Rufina, and states she was a Briton. The dates of the Epigrams in question would agree with the identification. It is, however, only a supposition.
A Bible Commentary for English Readers, edited by Charles John Ellicott (1878–1897) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
The Pulpit Commentary 1880 · Public Domain Saluteth for greeteth, A.V Do thy diligence (spoudason); see…
Saluteth for greeteth, A.V Do thy diligence (spoudason); see ver. 9 and 2Ti_2:15, note. Before winter; lest, when winter storms come, it be impossible to do so. St. Paul"s longing to have Timothy with him is apparent throughout. Eubulus; mentioned nowhere else. The name is not uncommon as a Greek name, and appears also in the patronymic Eubulides, and the female name Eubule. And Pudens, and Linus, and Claudia. Of these persons Linus is probably the same as is mentioned by Irenaeus and Eusebius as the first Bishop of Rome. Irenaeus (3:111, 3) says, "When the apostles, therefore, had founded the Church (of Rome) they entrusted the office (leitourgian) of the episcopate to Linus, of whom Paul makes mention in his Epistles to Timothy." Eusebius ("Ecc. Hist.," 3:2) says, "Linus was ordained the first Bishop of Rome (prwtov klhroutai thn) after the martyrdom of Paul and Peter" (see, too, of the same book). Some identify him with a certain Llin in Welsh hagiography, said to be the son of Caractacus. As regards Pudens and Claudia, nothing is known about them unless the very ingenious and interesting theory of Archdeacon Williams is true, which is necessarily very uncertain. According to this theory, Claudia is the foreign lady, a Briton, whose marriage with Pudens is spoken of by Martial in two epigrams, and who also bore the cognomen of Rufina. It is supposed that she was the daughter of the British king Cogidubnus, the ally of the Romans and of the Roman governor, Aulus Plautius, whose wife Pomponia is said by Tacitus to have been impeached of the crime of embracing a "foreign superstition," which was probably Christianity. Cogidubnus appears by an ancient inscription now at Goodwood to have taken the name of the Emperor Claudius, being called Tiberius Claudius Cogidubnus, which would naturally lead to his daughter being called Claudia. And if further she was adopted by the wife of her father"s ally, the name Rufina would be accounted for, as a distinguished branch of the gens Pomponia bore the name of Rufus. And Martial"s epigram is addressed to "Rufus," as one interested in the marriage. Claudia may either have learnt Christianity from Pomponia, or may have conveyed the knowledge of the gospel to her. On the other hand, the name of Pudens appears on the Goodwood inscription as having given, while still a heathen, a site for a temple of Neptune and Minerva, which was built "pro salute" of the imperial family under the authority of King Cogidubnus curiously connecting him with the British king. It is probable that Pudens and Claudia were not yet married. Thus it will be seen that, while this theory is borne out by many coincidences, it cannot by any means be adopted as certain (see Dean Alford"s excussus in the "Proleg. to 2 Timothy;" and Conybeare and Howson"s "Life of St. Paul," vol. it. p. 501). Lewin ("Life and Epist. of St. Paul," vol. 2, p. 392) warmly espouses the theory, but hesitates between Caractacus and Cogidubnus as the father of Claudia. Farrar rejects the whole theory "as an elaborate rope of sand" ("Life of St. Paul," vol. 2, p. 569). If Linus was the son, and Claudia the daughter, of Caractacus, they would be brother and sister.
Timothy"s presence desired.
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thy diligence to come before winter." Travelling would be difficult then, if not impossible, and perhaps the white snow would be the shroud of the apostle. Anyway, he has been delivered once for a brief space out of the mouth of that lion Nero. But it is not easy to believe that this ferocious lion, satiated for the time with blood, should seek to devour him no more. But a Roman prison in winter is a very desolate place, and he who has been hurried from place to place by his keepers has left even his warm cloke behind him, and hopes to cover himself with that black goat"s-hair skin when winter comes. Bring the cloke, Timothy, and the papyrus books old vellum manuscripts, perhaps the roll of Isaiah and the prophets; let not Timothy forget them, for there are songs of prisoners in those inspired prophetic rolls. And let Timothy remember that St. Paul wants to see his face again.
I HERE IS ABSENCE OF MURMURING. We may and ought to learn what the gospel can achieve. Here is Paul prevented from preaching, with arrest laid on all his missionary work. In a dreary Roman dungeon he is "persecuted, but not forsaken;" "struck down, but not destroyed." Yet mark this he never suffered one murmuring word to pass his lips.
II HERE IS PRESENCE OF GREETING. He would cheer Timothy, and sends him various greetings, from the Roman saints, as we may see by their names Eubulus, Pudens, Linus, and Claudia, and all the brethren send greeting. What sublime self-abnegation there was in St. Paul! Forgetful always of himself! How like the Master! In the hour of expected dissolution he is thinking only of others. W.M.S.
The Pulpit Commentary (1880–1919), ed. H.D.M. Spence-Jones & Joseph S. Exell — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
The Biblical Illustrator 1887 · Public Domain Come before winter.
2Ti_4:21
Come before winter.
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Winter voyages
I. The voyage to the eternal city.
1. The departure.
2. The voyage.
3. The guidance of the helmsman.
4. The propulsion of all progress must come from the winds of heaven.
5. Industry on board the ship.
6. The shipping of the anchor.
7. The end of the journey.
II. The avoidance of winter risks. Put not off to old age, etc.
III. The adventure of diligence. Make haste. There is no time to lose. (S. H. Tyng, Jr. , D. D.)
Friendships
Of such friendships biography happily furnishes us with many examples:--Gray, the poet, and Mason; Cowper and Mrs. Unwin; Tennyson and Arthur Henry Hallam; Keats and Severn; Elizabeth Carter and Bishop Seeker; Mrs. Taft and Miss Marsh. This collocation of names reminds us of the old fallacy that true friendship can subsist only between individuals of similar character and disposition. Never was there a greater delusion! A mans friend is never his counterpart, but his complement; supplies that which is wanting in himself. And this is the use and value of friendship, it is like an offensive and defensive alliance between two equal powers, in which the one undertakes to furnish a military and the other a naval force, it provides for each party to the bond that which he or she most needs. (The Fireside.)
Eubulus and Pudens, and Ltuus, and Claudia. Eubulus is mentioned here only. It has been thought possible that Pudens may be the friend of the poet Martial, whose marriage with Claudia, a foreign lady, he celebrates in Epigram 8. lib. 4., supposing that other epigrams which are not favourable to the moral character of Pudens were written before his conversion. An inscription found at Colchester mentions a site given by one Pudens for a temple, built under the sanction of a British king, Claudius Cogidubrius; and it has been conjectured that this was the same Pudens who was a centurion in the army, and who may have married the daughter of Cogidubrius, whose name would consequently have been Claudia. The Claudia Rufina of Martial was a Briton, and may have received the name of Rufina from Pomponia, the wife of Aulus Ptantius, commander in Britain, who was connected with the Ruff family, and was accused of holding foreign superstitions. All this, however, is very uncertain. Linus is probably the same Roman Christian who became the first bishop of the Church there, according to Ignatius and Eusebius. (Bp. Jackson.)
The Biblical Illustrator, edited by Joseph S. Exell (c. 1880s–1900s) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
B. W. Johnson 1891 · Public Domain 21. Come before winter. He could not come in…
21. Come before winter. He could not come in the winter because navigation was suspended. Eubulus. Not before mentioned. It is probable that all these were Roman brethren. Prudens. He is thought to have been a Roman senator, from data secured outside the New Testament. Linus. A Linus appears as a bishop of Rome not many years later. Claudia. It has been argued that this lady was the daughter of a British king, and the wife of Prudens. See Conybeare and Howson.
Shortly after this Epistle was written, within a few months at most, Paul had his second hearing, was sentenced to death by execution, was led out of the city at the Ostian Gate to a place called the Three Fountains, and there was beheaded. At least all early tradition, and the Fathers, among them Clement, one of his companions, support this view.
B. W. Johnson's The People's New Testament with Notes (1889–1891) — public domain. Electronic text from the Christian Classics Ethereal Library (CCEL) ThML edition.
Tyndale Open Study Notes 2022 · CC BY-SA 4.0 4:21 before winter: Paul was probably concerned there would…
4:21 before winter: Paul was probably concerned there would be an extended delay if Timothy missed this chance to travel in the fall (see 1:4; 4:9). Winter closed travel across the Adriatic Sea from November to March (see Acts 27:12). Paul might also have been concerned to receive his coat (2 Tim 4:13) for the unheated prison. Eubulus is not mentioned elsewhere in the New Testament, but he was obviously well known to Timothy. • Pudens was a name used in upper class families. • Eusebius and Irenaeus later identified Linus as the first bishop of Rome. • Claudia is not mentioned elsewhere in the New Testament. • brothers and sisters: Greek adelphoi, a generic term that refers to members of the same family, both male and female.
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