Verse Lens · Concise explanation
2 Timothy 2:6 Explained in Context
Use this verse as a doorway into the larger passage—not as an isolated saying.
Verse 6. 6The husbandman that laboureth must be first partaker of the fruits.
King James Version — public domain in the United States · Bible text and permissions
Quick Meaning
This verse adds the hardworking farmer's rightful first share of the crop.
Grace trains a teaching relay, not a private army
This verse is one part of that explanation in 2 Timothy 2:1–7. The complete section carries the connected meaning and how it should shape life.
Read It With
- 2 Timothy 2:1–7
Read 2 Timothy 2:6 with 2:1–7. This verse adds the hardworking farmer's rightful first share of the crop. The complete unit establishes this movement: Timothy is to be strengthened by grace, entrust heard teaching to reliable people able to teach others, share hardship, and reflect on the focused soldier, rule-observing athlete, and hardworking farmer.
Why This Verse Appears Here
The unit translates guarding the deposit into grace-enabled multiplication, disciplined attention, integrity, labor, and patient understanding. Within that movement, this verse adds the hardworking farmer's rightful first share of the crop.
Read 2 Timothy 2:1–7 together
Why these verses belong together: Grace-enabled transmission is illuminated by soldier focus, athlete integrity, farmer labor, and reflective understanding.
Verse 1. 1 Thou therefore, my son, be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus.
Verse 2. 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.
Verse 3. 3 Thou therefore endure hardness, as a good soldier of Jesus Christ.
Verse 4. 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.
Verse 5. 5 And if a man also strive for masteries, yet is he not crowned, except he strive lawfully.
Verse 6. 6 The husbandman that laboureth must be first partaker of the fruits.
Verse 7. 7 Consider what I say; and the Lord give thee understanding in all things.
Phrase-by-Phrase Explanation
“laboureth must be first partaker”
In plain language: The farmer who works should receive a share of the harvest.
adds the hardworking farmer's rightful first share of the crop. Patient labor deserves appropriate participation in its fruit.
Why it matters: The wording helps identify this verse's distinct contribution to the complete unit.
How certain? strongWhat Remains True
Patient labor deserves appropriate participation in its fruit.
How It Can Shape Life
- Pay workers fairly and share benefits without exploitation.
Continue in Context
Read the complete section for the connected explanation and how it should shape life. This verse is a doorway into that passage, not a saying that stands alone.
Read 2 Timothy 2:1–7 — Grace Strengthens Faithful TransmissionSources used for this Verse Lens
How certain is this explanation? strong
These are the sources used directly for this lens. Language, grammar, disagreements, and the complete source shelf remain attached to the full thought-unit research record.
Biblical text
King James (Authorized) Version — eng-kjv2006
eBible.org and CrossWire Bible Society
USFM archive eng-kjv2006_usfm.zip; source files dated 2026-08-19; downloaded 2026-08-24; archive SHA-256 aec1b3b26c622fd3d963d2bbac963016b9513246ffbfa20da00bb100372ea007; normalized corpus SHA-256 09aef51d90488aa7b9722b3fd9a93f4b25f6bf2064c5fd798fb39673c300ddf2.
Supports: Exact reader-facing KJV wording, paragraph markers, supplied-word markup, and complete verse coverage.
Exact location: 2 Timothy 2:1–7, pinned eng-kjv2006 USFM corpus
Open source ↗Greek textual evidence
The Greek New Testament: SBL Edition
Michael W. Holmes, editor; Society of Biblical Literature and Logos
Society of Biblical Literature and Logos Bible Software, 2010
Supports: Greek wording, clause relationships, morphology targets, and base text for original-language discussion.
Exact location: Faithlife SBLGNT repository, data/sblgnt/text/2Tim.txt, 2:1–7
Open the 2 Timothy Greek text file ↗Translation and textual notes
NET Bible — 2 Timothy with translators' and textual notes
Biblical Studies Press
Biblical Studies Press, 2005–2026 online edition
Supports: Verse-level syntax, KJV-era wording, textual alternatives, and interpretive notes.
Exact location: NET Bible official 2 Timothy PDF, 2:1–7 translation and attached translator, study, and textual notes
Open the official NET 2 Timothy PDF ↗