Verse Lens · Expanded explanation
2 Timothy 3:6 Explained in Context
Use this verse as a doorway into the larger passage—not as an isolated saying.
Verse 6. 6For of this sort are they which creep into houses, and lead captive silly women laden with sins, led away with divers lusts,
King James Version — public domain in the United States · Bible text and permissions
Quick Meaning
This verse holds household infiltrators responsible for taking captive burdened, vulnerable women.
Read It With
- 2 Timothy 3:1–9
Read 2 Timothy 3:6 with 3:1–9. This verse holds household infiltrators responsible for taking captive burdened, vulnerable women. The complete unit establishes this movement: The letter says difficult last-days conditions include self-love, money-love, arrogance, abuse, lack of natural affection and self-control, pleasure-love, hollow godliness, household exploitation, and resistance to truth; such folly will not remain hidden forever.
Why This Verse Appears Here
The warning identifies corrupt formation by concrete loves, relational harms, exploitation, and resistance to truth before presenting Timothy's alternative pattern. Within that movement, this verse holds household infiltrators responsible for taking captive burdened, vulnerable women.
Read 2 Timothy 3:1–9 together
Why these verses belong together: The time announcement is interpreted by concrete loves, relational conduct, household exploitation, truth resistance, and exposure.
Verse 1. 1 This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come.
Verse 2. 2 For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy,
Verse 3. 3 Without natural affection, trucebreakers, false accusers, incontinent, fierce, despisers of those that are good,
Verse 4. 4 Traitors, heady, highminded, lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God;
Verse 5. 5 Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof: from such turn away.
Verse 6. 6 For of this sort are they which creep into houses, and lead captive silly women laden with sins, led away with divers lusts,
Verse 7. 7 Ever learning, and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth.
Verse 8. 8 Now as Jannes and Jambres withstood Moses, so do these also resist the truth: men of corrupt minds, reprobate concerning the faith.
Verse 9. 9 But they shall proceed no further: for their folly shall be manifest unto all men, as theirs also was.
Follow the Context
- Timothy must know that difficult times characterize the last days.
- A long vice list begins with self-love and money-love and ends with pleasure-love over God-love.
- People may preserve a form of godliness while denying its power.
- Some enter households and exploit burdened, vulnerable people.
- Perpetual learning can coexist with resistance to truth.
- Jannes and Jambres provide a traditional comparison for corrupt resistance to Moses.
- The opponents' progress is limited because their folly will become evident.
Phrase-by-Phrase Explanation
“creep into houses, and lead captive”
In plain language: The intruders are the active exploiters; the women are targeted under burdens.
holds household infiltrators responsible for taking captive burdened, vulnerable women. Godliness protects vulnerable people from manipulative access.
Why it matters: The wording carries interpretive or ethical risk that requires the full unit and its stated limits.
How certain? probableWhat This Verse Is Not Saying
The verse does not blame women for being exploited, portray women as inherently gullible, or deny them education and leadership.
What Remains True
Godliness protects vulnerable people from manipulative access.
How It Can Shape Life
- Center accountability on exploiters and provide trauma-informed support to those targeted.
Teach It Back
Explain 2 Timothy 3:6's contribution to 2 Timothy 3:1–9: holds household infiltrators responsible for taking captive burdened, vulnerable women. Include what the surrounding verses add, the stated uncertainty, and what this verse does not authorize.
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Continue in Context
The full thought-unit study remains the final contextual authority for this Verse Lens.
Read 2 Timothy 3:1–9 — Last-Days Vice Is Exposed by Its HarmSources used for this Verse Lens
How certain is this explanation? probable
Where care is needed
The precise household situation is not recoverable.
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 3:1–9, 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, 3:1–9
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, 3:1–9 translation and attached translator, study, and textual notes
Open the official NET 2 Timothy PDF ↗