This thou knowest, that all they which are in Asia be turned away from me; of whom are Phygellus and Hermogenes.

2 TIMOTHY 1:15KJV
Know the Bible

2 Timothy 1:15 (KJV)

What does 2 Timothy 1:15 mean?

In 2 Timothy 1:15, Paul tells Timothy that people in the Roman province of Asia have turned away from him. He names Phygellus and Hermogenes as examples. Paul’s words describe a painful loss of support from people Timothy knew about.

“Asia” here refers to a Roman province in what is now western Turkey, not the entire continent. Paul writes “all,” describing the extent of the turning away in sweeping terms. His mention of two individuals makes the situation personal rather than abstract.

The Greek behind 2 Timothy 1:15

  • “Asia” — Ἀσία (Asia): The name refers here to a Roman province. For the first readers, the word pointed to a region around cities such as Ephesus, rather than to the modern continent.

  • “turned away from” — ἀποστρέφω (apostrephō): The word can carry the sense of turning away or turning back. Here it describes people distancing themselves from Paul.

Why 2 Timothy 1:15 matters

  • The turning away is described in relation to Paul himself. The phrase “from me” focuses on their response to him, while the verse leaves the details of their actions unstated.

  • The surrounding passage sets this withdrawal beside a different response. After naming Phygellus and Hermogenes, Paul speaks of Onesiphorus, who sought him out in Rome and was not ashamed of his imprisonment (verses 16–17).

Where else these words appear

“from” Greek G654 · used in 10 verses

  • Matthew 5:42 Give to him that asketh thee, and from him that would borrow of thee turn not thou away.
  • Luke 23:14 Said unto them, Ye have brought this man unto me, as one that perverteth the people: and, behold, I, having examined him before you, have found no fault in this man touching those things whereof ye accuse him:
  • 2 Timothy 4:4 And they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables.

“Asia” Greek G773 · used in 19 verses

  • Acts 2:9 Parthians, and Medes, and Elamites, and the dwellers in Mesopotamia, and in Judaea, and Cappadocia, in Pontus, and Asia,
  • Acts 19:27 So that not only this our craft is in danger to be set at nought; but also that the temple of the great goddess Diana should be despised, and her magnificence should be destroyed, whom all Asia and the world worshippeth.
  • Acts 27:2 And entering into a ship of Adramyttium, we launched, meaning to sail by the coasts of Asia; one Aristarchus, a Macedonian of Thessalonica, being with us.