Albert Barnes Commentary 2 Timothy 3:6

"For of these are they that creep into houses, and take captive silly women laden with sins, led away by divers lusts," — 2 Timothy 3:6 (ASV)

For of this sort are they which creep into houses. They go slyly and insidiously into families. They are not open and forthright in striving to propagate their views, but they endeavor by their skillful approach to ingratiate themselves first with weak women, and through them to influence men. . The word translated "creep into" is rendered by Doddridge, insinuate themselves; by Bloomfield, wind their way into, in the manner of serpents; by Bretschneider, deceitfully enter; by Robinson and Passow, go in, enter in. It is not certain that the idea of deceit or cunning is contained in this word, yet the whole context of the passage implies that they made their way by artifice and deceitful tricks.

And lead captive silly women. One of the tricks always played by the advocates of error, and one of the ways by which they seek to promote their purposes. Satan began his work of temptation with Eve rather than with Adam, and the advocates of error usually follow his example.

There are always enough weak-minded women in any community to give an opportunity to practice these arts, and often the aims of the impostor and deceiver can be best secured by appealing to them. Such women are easily flattered; they are charmed by the graceful manners of religious instructors; they lend a willing ear to anything that has the appearance of religion, and their hearts are open to anything that promises to advance the welfare of the world.

At the same time, they are just the sort of people whom the propagators of error can rely on. They have leisure; they have wealth; they are busy; they move about in society, and by their activity they obtain an influence to which they are by no means entitled by their piety or talents.

There are, indeed, very many women in the world who cannot be so easily led away as men; but it also cannot be denied that there are those who are particularly suited to the purposes of those who seek to spread plausible error. The word translated silly women properly means little women, and then weak women.

Laden with sins. With so many sins that they seem to be burdened with them. The idea is that they are under the influence of sinful desires and propensities, and hence are better adapted to the purposes of deceivers.

Led away with divers lusts. With various kinds of passions or desires—epiyumiaiv—such as pride, vanity, the love of novelty, or a susceptibility to flattery, so as to make them an easy prey to deceivers.