2 Timothy 1:17

17 when he arrived in Rome, he eagerly ^[a] searched for me and found me

2 Timothy 1:17 Meaning and Commentary

2 Timothy 1:17

But when he was in Rome
Upon some business or another, where the apostle was a prisoner:

he sought me out very diligently,
and found me; as there might be many prisons in Rome, he went from one to another, till he found him; and was one of those to whom Christ will say hereafter, "I was in prison and ye came unto me", ( Matthew 25:36 ) or the reason of his going from place to place in quest of him was this; the apostle was not in any particular place of confinement, but had a lodging where he was kept by a soldier, and which with some difficulty Onesiphorus found out: the manner of his bonds was this; he had a long chain fastened at one end to his right arm, and at the other to the left arm of the soldier that kept him, who constantly attended him in this form, wherever he went; and it is possible that in this way he might have liberty to go about and visit his friends; and this might still make it more difficult for Onesiphorus to find him.

2 Timothy 1:17 In-Context

15 You are aware that all who are in Asia have turned away from me, including Phygelus and Hermogenes.

16 May the Lord grant mercy to the household of Onesiphorus, because he often refreshed me and was not ashamed of my chain;

17 when he arrived in Rome, he eagerly searched for me and found me

18 —may the Lord grant that he will find mercy from the Lord on that day! And you know very well how much service he rendered in Ephesus.

Footnotes

• [a]. Or [promptly]