God’s Word Translation
2 Timothy 2:6
6A hard-working farmer should have the first share of the crops.
2 Timothy 2:6 in other versions
- King James Version (KJV)The husbandman that laboureth must be first partaker of the fruits.
- New International Version (NIV)The hardworking farmer should be the first to receive a share of the crops.
- English Standard Version (ESV)It is the hard-working farmer who ought to have the first share of the crops.
- New King James Version (NKJV)The hardworking farmer must be first to partake of the crops.
Context of 2 Timothy 2:6
4Whoever serves in the military doesn’t get mixed up in non-military activities. This pleases his commanding officer. 5Whoever enters an athletic competition wins the prize only when playing by the rules. A hard-working farmer should have the first share of the crops. 7Understand what I’m saying. The Lord will help you understand all these things. 8Always think about Jesus Christ. He was brought back to life and is a descendant of David. This is the Good News that I tell others.
Read all of 2 Timothy 22 Timothy 2:6 word by word
τὸν κοπιῶντα γεωργὸν δεῖ πρῶτον τῶν καρπῶν μεταλαμβάνειν·Read the interlinear
Words taken from the KJV.
Cross-references for 2 Timothy 2:6
- Isaiah 28:24Does a farmer go on plowing every day so he can plant? Does he continue to break up the soil and make furrows in the ground?
- Matthew 9:37Then he said to his disciples, “The harvest is large, but the workers are few.
- Matthew 20:1“The kingdom of heaven is like a landowner who went out at daybreak to hire workers for his vineyard.
- Matthew 21:33“Listen to another illustration. A landowner planted a vineyard. He put a wall around it, made a winepress, and built a watchtower. Then he leased it to vineyard workers and went on a trip.
- Luke 10:2He told them, “The harvest is large, but the workers are few. So ask the Lord who gives this harvest to send workers to harvest his crops.
- John 4:35“Don’t you say, ‘In four more months the harvest will be here’? I’m telling you to look and see that the fields are ready to be harvested.
- 1 Corinthians 3:6I planted, and Apollos watered, but God made it grow.
- 1 Corinthians 9:7Does a soldier ever serve in the army at his own expense? Does anyone plant a vineyard and not eat the grapes? Does anyone take care of a flock and not drink milk from the sheep?
- 1 Corinthians 9:23I do all this for the sake of the Good News in order to share what it offers.
- Hebrews 10:36You need endurance so that after you have done what God wants you to do, you can receive what he has promised.
Commentaries on 2 Timothy 2:6
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 6The husbandman that laboureth - That is: The husbandman must first till his ground before he can expect a crop; and he must till it according to the proper rules of agriculture, else he cannot have a crop. The combatant must fight and conquer, and fight according to the laws of the agones, before he can be crowned; so the Christian minister must labor in the spiritual vineyard, and labor too under the eye and according to the direction of his Master…Read the comment
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 6The husbandman that laboureth - The margin is, “labouring first, must be partaker.” The idea, according to the translation in the text, is, that there is a fitness or propriety ( dei) that the man who cultivates the earth, should enjoy the fruits of his labor. See the same image explained in the notes at 1 Corinthians 9:10. But if this be the meaning here, it is not easy to see why the apostle introduces it. According to the marginal reading, the word…Read the comment
- Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 4-7Paul quickly quotes a series of sayings about hard work, struggle, and reward.Read the comment
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 66. must be first partaker--The right of first partaking of the fruits belongs to him who is laboring; do not thou, therefore, relax thy labors, as thou wouldest be foremost in partaking of the reward. Conybeare explains "first," before the idler.Read the comment
Topics related to 2 Timothy 2:6
In the dictionaries
Commentaries on 2 Timothy 2
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
- Matthew Henry Concise Commentary
- Tyndale Open Study Notes
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary
- Calvin’s Commentaries
- John Wesley’s Notes
- Illustrated New Testament
- Burkitt’s Expository Notes
- Darby Translation Notes
- Family Bible Notes
- Geneva Bible Translation Notes
- Kingcomments
- Matthew Henry’s Complete Commentary
- Matthew Henry’s Modern English Commentary
- The People’s New Testament
- Robertson’s Word Pictures
- Scofield Reference Notes, 1917 Edition
- Original Douay–Rheims Annotations
- Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary
- EGW Writings
God’s Word Translation — © 1995 God’s Word to the Nations Bible Society
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