2 Timothy 4:14 is Paul’s statement that a man named Alexander, a metalworker, had done him serious harm, and that the Lord would judge him fairly for it. Paul is not asking his reader to take revenge; he is handing the matter over to God. He writes this near the end of his life, in a letter to his younger co-worker Timothy, who was leading the church in Ephesus.
Alexander, the coppersmith, did much evil to me. The Lord will repay him according to his deeds…
2 Timothy 4:14 (WEB)
What 2 Timothy 4:14 Means
The verse begins with a specific name and a specific wrong. Paul does not speak in vague generalities about being treated badly. He names Alexander, the coppersmith, and says he “did much evil” to him. Paul is describing real harm, and the verse does not pretend it was minor or that it did not hurt. Honesty about injury is part of the passage.
The second sentence turns the matter over to the Lord: “The Lord will repay him according to his deeds.” The word “repay” means to give back what is owed, and the phrase “according to his deeds” means the response will match what Alexander actually did. Paul is saying justice belongs to God, and God sees clearly. The verse does not promise that Paul will see Alexander punished in his lifetime, and it does not tell Timothy to set himself up as judge. It states a settled trust that the account will be settled by someone wiser and more fair than Paul.
The Context of 2 Timothy 4:14
Second Timothy is traditionally attributed to Paul, written from prison shortly before his execution. Its tone is personal and farewell-like. Paul is lonely, cold, and aware that few people have stood with him. He asks Timothy to come quickly, to bring his cloak and his books, and he mentions several companions who have left or been sent elsewhere. Timothy is the intended reader, and the letter is meant to strengthen him for ministry after Paul is gone.
The verses just before and after 2 Timothy 4:14 show what Paul is working through. In verse 16 he says no one came to help him at his first defense, and he asks that this not be held against them. In verse 17 he says the Lord stood by him and strengthened him. So verse 14 sits between two responses: Paul entrusts his enemy to God’s justice, and he forgives those who abandoned him while trusting God’s faithfulness to himself. Read in that setting, the verse is not bitter. It is part of a pattern of entrusting hurts to the Lord.
Key Phrases in 2 Timothy 4:14
Romans 12:19
Don’t seek revenge yourselves, beloved, but give place to God’s wrath. For it is written, “Vengeance belongs to me; I will repay, says the Lord.”
(WEB)
Paul writes this in a related way, telling believers not to take their own revenge and to leave room for God’s wrath. Reading it alongside 2 Timothy 4:14 shows that his trust in the Lord’s justice was a consistent conviction, not a passing mood.
Psalm 37:5-6
5 Commit your way to the LORD. Trust also in him, and he will do this: 6 he will make your righteousness go out as the light, and your justice as the noon day sun.
(WEB)
This psalm pictures a person committing their way to the Lord and trusting Him to bring about what is right. It deepens 2 Timothy 4:14 by showing that entrusting injustice to God is an old and steady practice among those who fear Him.
A Short Prayer From 2 Timothy 4:14
Lord, I bring to You the hurt that someone has caused me. You know exactly what was done, and You know how much it has cost me. I confess that I want to see things made right, and I ask You to take that desire and hold it for me. Deal with this matter in Your justice, and keep my own heart from bitterness. Show me what honest steps I can take, and give me the peace of knowing that You see every deed clearly. Amen.
