‍“From Childhood” or “From Infancy”?

‍2 Timothy 3:12

  Gary Hoge  ·  October 16, 2026

‍The Greek text of 2 Timothy 3:15 is,

‍καὶ ὅτι ἀπὸ βρέφους τὰ ἱερὰ γράμματα οἶδας, τὰ δυνάμενά σε σοφίσαι εἰς σωτηρίαν διὰ πίστεως τῆς ἐν χριστῷ Ἰησοῦ.

‍The New King James Version (NKJV) translates it as:

‍and that from childhood you have known the Holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus.

‍But the New International Version (NIV) translates it:

‍and how from infancy you have known the Holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus.

‍The highlighted words are translations of the Greek phrase ἀπὸ βρέφους (apó vréfous). So, should it be translated “from childhood” or “from infancy”?

‍The Greek word βρέφος (vréfos) ordinarily refers to a baby or infant, and it can even refer to an unborn child (Luke 1:41). Greek also has the word παιδίον (paidíon), which refers more broadly to a young child, although it can include infants. So, while the meanings overlap, βρέφος ordinarily refers to a younger stage of life. The NIV's “from infancy” is therefore a more precise translation of ἀπὸ βρέφους than the NKJV's “from childhood.”

‍If Paul had wanted to say “from childhood,” Greek offered another expression. The word παιδιόθεν (paidióthen) means “from childhood,” and the expression ἐκ παιδιόθεν (ek paidióthen) actually occurs in Mark 9:21:

‍Jesus asked the boy’s father, “How long has he been like this?” “From childhood,” he answered.

‍Of course, Paul wasn't suggesting that Timothy could read Scripture as a baby. He was saying that Timothy had been exposed to its teachings from his earliest years, presumably through his mother and grandmother (2 Timothy 1:5).

‍Does it matter? Probably not much. Whether Timothy knew the Scriptures from infancy or from early childhood makes little difference to Paul's point. But the distinction illustrates something worth remembering when comparing Bible translations: two translations can convey essentially the same meaning while one preserves a nuance of the original Greek more precisely than the other.