Does God Desire The Salvation Of The Elect Only According To 2 Timothy 2:10?

2Ti 2:10 Therefore I endure all things for the sake of the elect, that they also may obtain the salvation which is in Christ Jesus with eternal glory.

By failing to notice the word "also" in the verse, many go right on interpreting the verse wrongly as teaching that God aims for the salvation of the elect only.

No, God does not aim for the salvation of the elect only, He desires all to be saved (1 Tim. 2:4) but ALSO the elect.

Who then are the elect here?

First of all, in this very book, Paul declares himself to be a preacher and a teacher to the Gentiles.

2 Ti 1:11 ... I was appointed a preacher, an apostle, and a teacher of the Gentiles.

He traveled far and wide, he tirelessly labored and preached the Gospel so that the Gentiles can hear the message of salvation in the Gospel. But in every place where there was a synagogue of the Jews, he first went there and presented to them the way of salvation.

Ro 1:16 For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes, for the Jew first and also for the Greek.

He so longed and desired the salvation of his fellow Jews:

Ro 9:1 I tell the truth in Christ, I am not lying, my conscience also bearing me witness in the Holy Spirit,
2 that I have great sorrow and continual grief in my heart.
3 For I could wish that I myself were accursed from Christ for my brethren, my countrymen according to the flesh,

Ro 10:1 Brethren, my heart's desire and prayer to God for Israel is that they may be saved.

Secondly, Israel is called in the Bible as elect:

De 7:6 "For you are a holy people to the LORD your God; the LORD your God has chosen you to be a people for Himself, a special treasure above all the peoples on the face of the earth.

Isa 45:4 For Jacob My servant's sake, And Israel My elect, I have even called you by your name; I have named you, though you have not known Me.

When Paul says that he desires the salvation of the elect also in 2 Tim. 2:10, the context points to the Jews as a chosen people. Start reading from verse 8:

2Ti 2:8 Remember that Jesus Christ, of the seed of David, was raised from the dead according to my gospel,

9 for which I suffer trouble as an evildoer, even to the point of chains; but the word of God is not chained.
10 Therefore I endure all things for the sake of the elect, that they also may obtain the salvation which is in Christ Jesus with eternal glory.

The expression "seed of David" is very significant to a Jew. The Jews once had a discussion about this one:

Joh 7:42 "Has not the Scripture said that the Christ comes from the seed of David and from the town of Bethlehem, where David was?"

Matthew was written to Jews. In presenting Christ to them as Savior, Matthew started out by saying in effect: "Jesus Christ is the seed of David." Notice the very first verse of Matthew:

Mt 1:1 The book of the genealogy of Jesus Christ, the Son of David, the Son of Abraham:

Why start out this way? The Messiah being a descendant or a seed of David is that important to a Jew. The Jews cannot accept a Messiah that is not a descendant of David. The Lord Jesus being a seed of David means that He was the promised Jewish Messiah.

Now, since the Messiah was a Jew, Paul also desired the salvation of the Jews! He labored and endured all things for their salvation.

Yes, he was the apostle to the Gentiles, but he also desired the salvation of the Jews. He never forgot and neglected His Jewish brethren. He went out to them and told that the Lord Jesus Christ is indeed the promised seed of David, the Messiah. This has nothing to do with an elect caste chosen by God unconditionally to be saved. 

This verse is not at odds and in tension with John 3:16, 2 Peter 3:9, 1 Tim. 2:4 etc.