from which things some, having missed the mark, have turned aside to vain talking;
Some teachers in the Ephesian congregation had lost sight of this lofty purpose and had wandered away (lit., “missed the aim”; cf. 1 Timothy 6:21; 2 Timothy 2:18) and turned aside to meaningless talk. Their teaching was mataiologian, that is, idle, useless, futile, empty verbiage that benefited no one.