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2 Timothy 2 · a question people ask

"of whom is Hymenaeus and Philetus" (2:17). Who were they?

In the text

Here are the letter's own words: "and those words will consume like gangrene, of whom is Hymenaeus and Philetus:" (2:17) "men who have erred concerning the truth, saying that the resurrection is already past, and overthrowing the faith of some." (2:18). The letter names them only here, and says no more of them than these verses do; these notes don't either. They identify neither the two men nor the teaching of 2:18 with anyone or anything, then or now.

The verses

“and those words will consume like gangrene, of whom is Hymenaeus and Philetus: men who have erred concerning the truth, saying that the resurrection is already past, and overthrowing the faith of some.”
2 Timothy 2:17-18 · World English Bible

From Favor's study of 2 Timothy 2

2 Timothy 2: God’s word isn’t chained

In 2:3-4 the WEB says soldier three times, and behind it stand three different Greek words: a noun in 2:3, and two verbs in 2:4. And in the verse after "Remember Jesus Christ, risen from the dead" (2:8), the letter's I speaks of chains and says, "But God’s word isn’t chained." (2:9)

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Last reviewed October 8, 2026. Scripture quotations are from the World English Bible, which is in the public domain. Every answer cites the verses it rests on. What we believe · All Bible questions