The Greek adjective anexikakos means patient under evil, tolerant of wrongs suffered, or forbearing toward difficult people. Occurring only once in the NT (2 Timothy 2:24), it is a compound of anecho (to hold back, endure) and kakos (evil). It describes the character required of the Lord's servant.
Paul tells Timothy that the Lord's servant must be anexikakos — able to absorb mistreatment without retaliation, to endure difficult people without becoming bitter. This is not passive weakness but active, Christ-like forbearance. Jesus embodied this supremely: 'When they hurled insults at him, he did not retaliate' (1 Peter 2:23). This virtue is necessary for gospel ministry because the truth produces opposition. The teacher who cannot bear insults without becoming harsh has lost the heart needed to reach the very people who oppose the truth.