Charles Ellicott Commentary 2 Timothy 2:23

"But foolish and ignorant questionings refuse, knowing that they gender strifes." — 2 Timothy 2:23 (ASV)

But foolish and unlearned questions avoid.—The Greek word translated “unlearned” is better rendered ignorant. These “questions,” which, as we have seen above, the false teachers with whom Timothy was so often confronted loved to put forward for discussion, could hardly be termed “unlearned”—much useless learning often being thrown away in these disputes of the schools—but were rather “pointless,” “stupid,” as well as foolish. The nature of these questions of controversy has been discussed above.

Knowing that they do gender strifes.—Knowing—as you do—from sad and frequent experience, what conflicts, resentment, estrangements, these abstract questions between rival teachers and rival sects engendered.