In 2 Timothy 3:16, inspiration means?

• A. Inspired by God
• B. Breathed by God
• C. Written by God
• D. Spoken by God

Answer: (B)

The key idea here is the source of Scripture and how its inspiration is described. In 2 Timothy 3:16, the word typically translated as “inspiration” is theopneustos, literally “God-breathed.” This paints Scripture as words that come from God Himself, breathed out as the content He intends to convey, while still being written through human authors. So the best choice captures that precise sense: Scripture is God-breathed, not merely something inspired in the human mind, not something God physically wrote with His own hand in a literal sense, and not only spoken by God—because the text presents these divine words as written writings produced through human agents.

The other nuances are helpful to note but don’t fit as tightly. Saying it’s merely “inspired by God” acknowledges divine influence but misses the explicit image of God as the one who breathes out the words themselves. Saying it’s “written by God” suggests direct, mechanical writing by God, which the verse presents as God guiding human authors to put His words into writing. Saying it’s “spoken by God” emphasizes oral revelation, whereas the passage is about Scripture that has been given in written form.