BibleWay
⌕

← People

Person

Demas

Man living at the time of the New Testament

Demas was a companion of Paul who later deserted him because he loved the world.

🗺 Places mentioned alongside Demas on the map →

Demas is mentioned in three of Paul's epistles as a companion and fellow worker in the ministry. In Col.4.14 and Phm.1.24, Paul sends greetings from Demas, along with other believers such as Luke, Mark, and Aristarchus. This suggests that Demas was a valued member of Paul's ministry team during his imprisonment in Rome.

However, in 2Ti.4.10, Paul writes with a tone of disappointment, stating that Demas had forsaken him, "having loved this present world." This statement indicates that Demas had abandoned Paul and the ministry, choosing instead to pursue worldly interests. The exact nature of Demas' desertion is not specified, but it clearly caused Paul distress, especially as he faced his impending martyrdom.

The contrast between Demas' earlier dedication and his later abandonment serves as a warning to believers about the allure of worldly pursuits and the importance of remaining faithful to Christ and His mission. Demas' story is a reminder that even those who have served alongside great leaders like Paul can fall away if they allow their love for the world to supersede their commitment to God.

Connections

Part of: Paul's Circle

Was Luke a Gentile?

FriendsDebated

In Colossians 4 Paul names Aristarchus, Mark, and Justus as "of the circumcision" and then lists Epaphras, Luke, and Demas. Many read the second group as Gentiles, making Luke the only non-Jewish NT writer, but the text does not say so directly.

LukePhysician; companion of Paul; author of Luke and ActsEpaphrasA faithful minister and fellow servant of Paul.DemasCompanion of Paul who later deserted him
Where the text shows it: Colossians 4:10-11 — Three named as of the circumcisionColossians 4:12-14 — Epaphras, Luke, Demas listed afterwards
Ways people read this (3)
  • Common reading: Luke was a Gentile, as the grouping in Colossians 4 implies.
  • Some scholars argue the list does not exclude Luke being a Hellenistic Jew, given his knowledge of the LXX and synagogue life.
  • Tradition (Eusebius) calls him a native of Antioch.

Sources: Scripture

Demas: from co-worker to deserter

FriendsStated in the text

Demas appears with Luke among Paul's greetings and as a fellow worker, yet in Paul's last letter he has deserted Paul, in love with the present world. Luke alone remains.

PaulAn apostleDemasCompanion of Paul who later deserted himLukePhysician; companion of Paul; author of Luke and Acts
Where the text shows it: Colossians 4:14 — Demas greets with LukePhilemon 1:24 — Demas a fellow worker2 Timothy 4:10-11 — Demas deserted; only Luke is with Paul

Sources: Scripture

More background: search Wikipedia ↗

Bible dictionary

Demas Easton Easton’s Bible Dictionary (1897)

A companion and fellow-labourer of Paul during his first imprisonment at Rome (Philemon 1:24; Col. 4:14). It appears, however, that the love of the world afterwards mastered him, and he deserted the apostle (2 Tim. 4:10).

Read the full entry →

Demas Smith Smith’s Bible Dictionary (1863)

(governor of the people), most probably a contraction from Demetrius or perhaps from Demarchus, a companion of St. Paul, (Philemon 1:24; Colossians 4:14) during his first imprisonment at Rome. (A.D. 57.) At a later period, (2 Timothy 4:10) we find him mentioned as having deserted the apostle through love of this present world, and gone to Thessalonica.

Read the full entry →

Demas Hitchcock Hitchcock’s Bible Names Dictionary (1869)

popular

Read the full entry →

Demas Hastings Hastings’ Dictionary of the Bible (1898)

DE'MAS, a zealous disciple and fellow-laborer of Paul, Phile 24; Col 4:14, who afterward left him through inordinate love of the world, 2 Tim 4:10. The name is most probably a contraction from "Demetrius" or from "Demarchus."

Read the full entry →

Demas Schaff Schaff’s Dictionary of the Bible

DE'MAS, a zealous disciple and fellow-laborer of Paul, Phile 24; Col 4:14, who afterward left him through inordinate love of the world, 2 Tim 4:10. The name is most probably a contraction from "Demetrius" or from "Demarchus."

Read the full entry →

Easton (1897), Smith (1863), Hitchcock (1869), Hastings (1898) and Schaff are in the public domain. Parsed text: neuu-org/bible-dictionary-dataset (CC BY 4.0). Headwords and whitespace normalised for this site.

Where Demas appears

3 verses in 3 books · English text: BSB (change it from the menu at the top) · Strong’s G1214

Colossians1
2 Timothy1
Philemon1

Names, family links and references: STEPBible TIPNR (Tyndale House Cambridge, CC BY 4.0). Short descriptions were drafted with AI assistance by STEPBible. Family links follow STEPBible’s scholarly decisions where genealogies are ambiguous.