1 Timothy — Chapter 2

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1First of all, then, I urge that petitions, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgiving be offered for everyone—

2for kings and all those in authority—so that we may lead tranquil and quiet lives in all godliness and dignity.

3This is good and pleasing in the sight of God our Savior,

4who wants everyone to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth.

5For there is one God, and there is one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus,

6who gave Himself as a ransom for all—the testimony that was given at just the right time.

7For this reason I was appointed as a preacher, an apostle, and a faithful and true teacher of the Gentiles. I am telling the truth; I am not lying about anything.

8Therefore I want the men everywhere to pray, lifting up holy hands, without anger or dissension.

9Likewise, I want the women to adorn themselves with respectable apparel, with modesty, and with self-control, not with braided hair or gold or pearls or expensive clothes,

10but with good deeds, as is proper for women who profess to worship God.

11A woman must learn in quietness and full submissiveness.

12I do not permit a woman to teach or to exercise authority over a man; she is to remain quiet.

13For Adam was formed first, and then Eve.

14And it was not Adam who was deceived, but the woman who was deceived and fell into transgression.

15Women, however, will be saved through childbearing, if they continue in faith, love, and holiness, with self-control.

1I exhort therefore, that, first of all, supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks, be made for all men;

2For kings, and for all that are in authority; that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and honesty.

3For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Saviour;

4Who will have all men to be saved, and to come unto the knowledge of the truth.

5For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus;

6Who gave himself a ransom for all, to be testified in due time.

7Whereunto I am ordained a preacher, and an apostle, (I speak the truth in Christ, and lie not;) a teacher of the Gentiles in faith and verity.

8I will therefore that men pray every where, lifting up holy hands, without wrath and doubting.

9In like manner also, that women adorn themselves in modest apparel, with shamefacedness and sobriety; not with broided hair, or gold, or pearls, or costly array;

10But (which becometh women professing godliness) with good works.

11Let the woman learn in silence with all subjection.

12But I suffer not a woman to teach, nor to usurp authority over the man, but to be in silence.

13For Adam was first formed, then Eve.

14And Adam was not deceived, but the woman being deceived was in the transgression.

15Notwithstanding she shall be saved in childbearing, if they continue in faith and charity and holiness with sobriety.

1I exhort therefore, first of all, that supplications, prayers, intercessions, thanksgivings, be made for all men;

2for kings and all that are in high place; that we may lead a tranquil and quiet life in all godliness and gravity.

3This is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Saviour;

4who would have all men to be saved, and come to the knowledge of the truth.

5For there is one God, one mediator also between God and men, [himself] man, Christ Jesus,

6who gave himself a ransom for all; the testimony [to be borne] in its own times;

7whereunto I was appointed a preacher and an apostle (I speak the truth, I lie not), a teacher of the Gentiles in faith and truth.

8I desire therefore that the men pray in every place, lifting up holy hands, without wrath and disputing.

9In like manner, that women adorn themselves in modest apparel, with shamefastness and sobriety; not with braided hair, and gold or pearls or costly raiment;

10but (which becometh women professing godliness) through good works.

11Let a woman learn in quietness with all subjection.

12But I permit not a woman to teach, nor to have dominion over a man, but to be in quietness.

13For Adam was first formed, then Eve;

14and Adam was not beguiled, but the woman being beguiled hath fallen into transgression:

15but she shall be saved through her child-bearing, if they continue in faith and love and sanctification with sobriety.

1First of all, then, I urge that requests, prayers, intercessions, and thanks be offered on behalf of all people,

2even for kings and all who are in authority, that we may lead a peaceful and quiet life in all godliness and dignity.

3Such prayer for all is good and welcomed before God our Savior,

4since he wants all people to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth.

5For there is one God and one intermediary between God and humanity, Christ Jesus, himself human,

6who gave himself as a ransom for all, revealing God’s purpose at his appointed time.

7For this I was appointed a preacher and apostle—I am telling the truth; I am not lying—and a teacher of the Gentiles in faith and truth.

8So I want the men in every place to pray, lifting up holy hands without anger or dispute.

9Likewise the women are to dress in suitable apparel, with modesty and self-control. Their adornment must not be with braided hair and gold or pearls or expensive clothing,

10but with good deeds, as is proper for women who profess reverence for God.

11A woman must learn quietly with all submissiveness.

12But I do not allow a woman to teach or exercise authority over a man. She must remain quiet.

13For Adam was formed first and then Eve.

14And Adam was not deceived, but the woman, because she was fully deceived, fell into transgression.

15But she will be delivered through childbearing, if she continues in faith and love and holiness with self-control.

1I exhort therefore, first of all, that petitions, prayers, intercessions, and givings of thanks, be made for all men:

2for kings and all who are in high places; that we may lead a tranquil and quiet life in all godliness and reverence.

3For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior;

4who desires all people to be saved and come to full knowledge of the truth.

5For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus,

6who gave himself as a ransom for all; the testimony in its own times;

7to which I was appointed a preacher and an apostle (I am telling the truth in Christ, not lying), a teacher of the Gentiles in faith and truth.

8I desire therefore that the men in every place pray, lifting up holy hands without anger and doubting.

9In the same way, that women also adorn themselves in decent clothing, with modesty and propriety; not just with braided hair, gold, pearls, or expensive clothing;

10but (which becomes women professing godliness) with good works.

11Let a woman learn in quietness with full submission.

12But I don’t permit a woman to teach, nor to exercise authority over a man, but to be in quietness.

13For Adam was first formed, then Eve.

14Adam wasn’t deceived, but the woman, being deceived, has fallen into disobedience;

15but she will be saved through her childbearing, if they continue in faith, love, and sanctification with sobriety.

Summary
Authorship & Background
Commentary
Videos
Articles
Reflection

Summary

Paul urges that prayers, intercessions, and thanksgiving be offered for everyone, including kings and those in authority, so believers can live peaceful and godly lives, since God desires all people to be saved and come to know the truth (vv. 1-4). He grounds this in the truth that there is one God and one mediator between God and humanity, the man Christ Jesus, who gave himself as a ransom for all, a message Paul was appointed to preach as apostle to the Gentiles (vv. 5-7). He then instructs men to pray without anger or arguing, women to dress modestly and pursue good works rather than showy adornment, and women to learn in quietness and submission rather than teaching or exercising authority over men in the assembly, pointing to the order of creation and the deception of Eve (vv. 8-14). The chapter closes with the promise that women will be preserved through childbearing if they continue in faith, love, holiness, and self-control (v. 15).

Authorship & Background

Author: Paul the Apostle (see Chapter 1 notes for full authorship details).
Historical Context: Chapter 2 addresses public worship in the church at Ephesus. Paul gives instructions on prayer (vv.1-8) and the conduct of women in worship (vv.9-15). Ephesus was home to the temple of Artemis (Diana) — a center of female-dominated pagan worship. The false teachers in Ephesus may have been influencing women in the church (cf. 2 Tim 3:6-7). Paul's instructions address the specific situation while establishing principles for church order.
Classification: Epistle — Pauline, Pastoral Epistle
Key Themes: Prayer urged for all men and specifically for rulers before any other instruction, one mediator and one ransom stated against a backdrop of many, modesty in dress set against costly adornment as the real point of contrast, teaching authority restricted and grounded in the order of creation rather than culture, and a disputed final verse that has divided readers for centuries
Prayer for All (vv.1-8): Paul urges prayer for "all men" — especially rulers and authorities (vv.1-2). The goal: a peaceful life in godliness (v.2). God desires all to be saved (v.4). There is one God and one mediator: Christ Jesus (v.5), who gave Himself as a ransom for all (v.6). Men should pray everywhere with holy hands, without anger or quarreling (v.8).
Women in Worship (vv.9-15): Women should adorn themselves with modesty and good works, not expensive clothing (vv.9-10). Paul restricts women from teaching or exercising authority over men in the church assembly (vv.11-12), grounding this in creation order (v.13) and the fall (v.14). Verse 15 is one of the most debated verses in the NT.

Commentary

  • Enduring Word (David Guzik): enduringword.com Guzik covers prayer for all, God's desire for salvation, Christ as sole mediator, and the instructions regarding women in worship.
  • Jamieson-Fausset-Brown (1871): blueletterbible.org A critical and explanatory commentary on the whole Bible, more concise than Matthew Henry and closer to the Hebrew and Greek, with attention to historical and geographical detail. Public domain.
  • Matthew Henry's Exposition (1710): blueletterbible.org A devotional verse-by-verse commentary in the Puritan tradition, still among the most widely read three centuries on. Public domain.

Videos

Women Pastors: A look at 1 Timothy 2:11-15 and 1 Corinthians 14:33-35 - Podcast Episode 153, Part 2
Got Questions Ministries

1 Timothy 2-3 | Men, Women, and Leadership in God's Home Part 2 | Podcast
Spoken Gospel

1 Timothy 2-3 | Men, Women, and Leadership in God's Home Part 1 | Podcast
Spoken Gospel

1 Timothy 2-3 | Men, Women, and Leadership | Bible Study
Spoken Gospel

1 Timothy 2:1-10 - Instructions for Public Worship
David Guzik

1 Timothy 2:8-15 - Men and Women in the Church
David Guzik

Articles

  • GotQuestions.org: gotquestions.org On the whole book: an overview of the book of 1 Timothy -- who wrote it, when, why, and how it fits the rest of Scripture.

Links open on the publisher's own site. Nothing here is reproduced on this page.

Reflection

  • Praying for Everyone, Including Leaders (vv.1-2) — Paul urges prayer for all people, specifically naming those in authority, so the church can live out its faith in peace. Does your prayer list include people in power you don't naturally agree with or admire?
  • One Mediator Between God and Man (v.5) — Paul states plainly that there is only one go-between connecting God and humanity: Christ Jesus. Do you approach God directly through Christ, or do you sometimes act as if you need something more?
  • A Ransom Offered to All (v.6) — Christ gave Himself as the payment for freedom, and that offer is extended to everyone, not a select few. Who in your life needs to hear that this gift is genuinely available to them?
  • Prayer That's Free of Anger (v.8) — Paul ties effective prayer to a heart free from anger and quarreling. What unresolved conflict might be getting in the way of your own prayer life right now?
  • Adornment That Actually Matters (vv.9-10) — Paul redirects attention from outward appearance to a life marked by good works and reverence for God. Where is your effort mostly invested — in how you look, or in what you do?