THE SECOND EPISTLE OF PAUL TO TIMOTHY - Chapter 2 - Verse 17

Verse 17. And their word. The word, or the discourses of those who love vain and idle disputations.

Will eat as doth a canker. Marg. gangrene. This word— gaggraina occurs nowhere else in the New Testament. It is derived from graiw, grainw, graio or graino—to devour, corrode, and means gangrene or mortifications the death of a part, spreading, unless arrested, by degrees over the whole body. The words rendered "will eat," mean will have nutriment; that is, will spread over and consumes the healthful parts. It will not merely destroy the parts immediately affected, bat will extend into the surrounding healthy parts and destroy them also. So it is with erroneous doctrines. They will not merely eat out the truth in the particular matter to which they refer, but they will also spread over and corrupt other truths. The doctrines of religion are closely connected, and are dependent on each other—like the different parts of the human body. One cannot be corrupted without affecting those adjacent to it, and unless checked, the corruption will soon spread over the whole.

Of whom is Hymeneus and Philetus. In regard to Hymeneus, See Barnes "1 Ti 1:20".

Of Philetus nothing more is known. They have gained an undesirable immortality, destined to be known to the end of time only as the advocates of error.

{1} "canker" "gangrene"