RT Article
T1 No More Itch: (2 Tim 4.3)
JF New Testament studies
VO 64
IS 1
SP 81
OP 93
A1 Dulk, Matthijs den 1983-
LA English
PB Cambridge Univ. Press
YR 2018
UL https://ixtheo.de/Record/1581980345
AB The majority of translations and commentaries render the phrase knēthomenoi tēn akoēn in 2 Tim 4.3 as ‘having itching ears’ (or something to the same effect). Many commentaries and lexica claim, furthermore, that this figure of speech expresses curiosity. The present study demonstrates that the phrase found in 2 Tim 4.3 is an idiom that occurs quite frequently in first- and second-century ce literature. Contemporary usage of this expression suggests, first, that the translation at 2 Tim 4.3 should be ‘having their ears tickled’, rather than ‘having itching ears’, and, second, that the idiom refers primarily to the experience of pleasure rather than curiosity. This translation and interpretation of knēthomenoi tēn akoēn fits the context of 2 Timothy better than other commonly proposed readings and is significant for how we understand the author's portrayal of his opponents and their appeal to the believers.
K1 2 Timothy
K1 Pastoral Epistles
K1 Curiosity
K1 figure of speech
K1 Opponents
K1 Polemic
DO 10.1017/S0028688517000236