1 Timotius 4:16

4:16 Be conscientious about how you live and what you teach. ¹  Persevere in this, because by doing so you will save both yourself and those who listen to you.

1 Timotius 2:11

2:11 A woman must learn ²  quietly with all submissiveness.

1 Timotius 2:6

2:6 who gave himself as a ransom for all, revealing God’s purpose at his appointed time. ³ 

1 Timotius 2:10

2:10 but with good deeds, as is proper for women who profess reverence for God.

1 Timotius 6:19

6:19 In this way they will save up ⁴  a treasure for themselves as a firm foundation ⁵  for the future and so lay hold of ⁶  what is truly life.

1 Timotius 4:7

4:7 But reject those myths ⁷  fit only for the godless and gullible, ⁸  and train yourself for godliness.

1 Timotius 5:22

5:22 Do not lay hands on anyone ⁹  hastily and so identify with the sins of others. ¹⁰  Keep yourself pure.

1 Timotius 2:12

2:12 But I do not allow ¹¹  a woman to teach or exercise authority ¹²  over a man. She must remain quiet. ¹³ 

1 Timotius 2:9

Conduct of Women

2:9 Likewise ¹⁴  the women are to dress ¹⁵  in suitable apparel, with modesty and self-control. ¹⁶  Their adornment must not be ¹⁷  with braided hair and gold or pearls or expensive clothing,

1 Timotius 6:10-11

6:10 For the love of money is the root ¹⁸  of all evils. ¹⁹  Some people in reaching for it have strayed from the faith and stabbed themselves with many pains.

6:11 But you, as a person dedicated to God, ²⁰  keep away from all that. ²¹  Instead pursue righteousness, godliness, faithfulness, love, endurance, and gentleness.

1 Timotius 3:11

3:11 Likewise also their wives ²²  must be dignified, not slanderous, temperate, faithful in every respect.

1 Timotius 4:14

4:14 Do not neglect the spiritual gift you have, ²³  given to you and confirmed by prophetic words ²⁴  when the elders laid hands on you. ²⁵ 

1 Timotius 6:20

Conclusion

6:20 O Timothy, protect what has been entrusted to you. Avoid ²⁶  the profane chatter and absurdities ²⁷  of so-called “knowledge.” ²⁸ 

1 Timotius 6:5

6:5 and constant bickering by people corrupted in their minds and deprived of the truth, who suppose that godliness ²⁹  is a way of making a profit.

1 Timotius 1:18

1:18 I put this charge ³⁰  before you, Timothy my child, in keeping with the prophecies once spoken about you, ³¹  in order that with such encouragement ³²  you may fight the good fight.

1 Timotius 3:16

3:16 And we all agree, ³³  our religion contains amazing revelation: ³⁴ 

He ³⁵  was revealed in the flesh,

vindicated by the Spirit, ³⁶ 

seen by angels,

proclaimed among Gentiles,

believed on in the world,

taken up in glory.

1 Timotius 5:5

5:5 But the widow who is truly in need, and completely on her own, ³⁷  has set her hope on God and continues in her pleas and prayers night and day.

1 Timotius 1:6

1:6 Some have strayed from these and turned away to empty discussion.

1 Timotius 4:2

4:2 influenced by the hypocrisy of liars ³⁸  whose consciences are seared. ³⁹ 

1 Timotius 4:13

4:13 Until I come, give attention to the public reading of scripture, ⁴⁰  to exhortation, to teaching.

1 Timotius 5:15

5:15 For some have already wandered away to follow Satan. ⁴¹ 

1 Timotius 6:6

6:6 Now godliness combined with contentment brings great profit.

1 Timotius 3:2

3:2 The overseer ⁴²  then must be above reproach, the husband of one wife, ⁴³  temperate, self-controlled, respectable, hospitable, an able teacher,

1 Timotius 6:8

6:8 But if we have food and shelter, we will be satisfied with that. ⁴⁴ 

1 Timotius 6:18

6:18 Tell them to do good, ⁴⁵  to be rich in good deeds, to be generous givers, sharing with others. ⁴⁶ 

1 Timotius 4:15

4:15 Take pains with these things; be absorbed in them, so that everyone will see your progress. ⁴⁷ 

1 Timotius 4:1

Timothy’s Ministry in the Later Times

4:1 Now the Spirit explicitly says that in the later times some will desert the faith and occupy themselves ⁴⁸  with deceiving spirits and demonic teachings, ⁴⁹ 

1 Timotius 3:13

3:13 For those who have served well as deacons gain a good standing for themselves ⁵⁰  and great boldness in the faith that is in Christ Jesus. ⁵¹ 

1 Timotius 3:6

3:6 He must not be a recent convert or he may become arrogant ⁵²  and fall into the punishment that the devil will exact. ⁵³ 

1 Timotius 5:3

5:3 Honor ⁵⁴  widows who are truly in need. ⁵⁵ 

1 Timotius 2:15

2:15 But she will be delivered through childbearing, ⁵⁶  if she ⁵⁷  continues in faith and love and holiness with self-control.

1 Timotius 5:6

5:6 But the one who lives for pleasure is dead even ⁵⁸  while she lives.

1 Timotius 5:12

5:12 and so incur judgment for breaking their former pledge. ⁵⁹ 

1 Timotius 3:15

3:15 in case I am delayed, to let you know how people ought to conduct themselves ⁶⁰  in the household of God, because it is ⁶¹  the church of the living God, the support and bulwark of the truth.

1 Timotius 5:13

5:13 And besides that, going around ⁶²  from house to house they learn to be lazy, ⁶³  and they are not only lazy, but also gossips and busybodies, talking about things they should not. ⁶⁴ 

1 Timotius 1:14

1:14 and our Lord’s grace was abundant, bringing faith and love in Christ Jesus. ⁶⁵ 

1 Timotius 6:14

6:14 to obey ⁶⁶  this command ⁶⁷  without fault or failure until the appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ

1 Timotius 1:16

1:16 But here is why I was treated with mercy: so that ⁶⁸  in me as the worst, ⁶⁹  Christ Jesus could demonstrate his utmost patience, as an example for those who are going to believe in him for eternal life.

1 Timotius 1:4

1:4 nor to occupy themselves with myths and interminable genealogies. ⁷⁰  Such things promote useless speculations rather than God’s redemptive plan ⁷¹  that operates by faith.

1 Timotius 4:8

4:8 For “physical exercise ⁷²  has some value, but godliness is valuable in every way. It holds promise for the present life and for the life to come.”

1 Timotius 5:8

5:8 But if someone does not provide for his own, ⁷³  especially his own family, he has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever.

1 Timotius 6:4

6:4 he is conceited and understands nothing, but has an unhealthy interest in controversies and verbal disputes. This gives rise to envy, dissension, slanders, evil suspicions,

1 Timotius 6:9

6:9 Those who long to be rich, however, stumble into temptation and a trap and many senseless and harmful desires that plunge people into ruin and destruction.

1 Timotius 6:17

6:17 Command those who are rich in this world’s goods ⁷⁴  not to be haughty or to set their hope on riches, which are uncertain, ⁷⁵  but on God who richly provides us with all things for our enjoyment.

[4:16]  ¹ tn Grk “about yourself and your teaching.”

[2:11]  ² tn Or “receive instruction.”

[2:6]  ³ sn Revealing God’s purpose at his appointed time is a difficult expression without clear connection to the preceding, literally “a testimony at the proper time.” This may allude to testimony about Christ’s atoning work given by Paul and others (as v. 7 mentions). But it seems more likely to identify Christ’s death itself as a testimony to God’s gracious character (as vv. 3-4 describe). This testimony was planned from all eternity, but now has come to light at the time God intended, in the work of Christ. See 2 Tim 1:9-10; Titus 2:11-14; 3:4-7 for similar ideas.

[6:19]  ⁴ tn Grk “saving up” (the continuation of 6:18). Because of the length and complexity of the Greek sentence, a new sentence was started at the beginning of v. 19.

[6:19]  ⁵ tn Grk “treasuring up a good foundation.”

[6:19]  ⁶ tn Grk “that they may lay hold of.”

[4:7]  ⁷ sn Those myths refer to legendary tales characteristic of the false teachers in Ephesus and Crete. See parallels in 1 Tim 1:4; 2 Tim 4:4; and Titus 1:14.

[4:7]  ⁸ tn Grk “the godless and old-wifely myths.”

[5:22]  ⁹ tn In context “laying hands on anyone” refers to ordination or official installation of someone as an elder.

[5:22]  ¹⁰ tn Grk “and do not share in the sins of others.”

[2:12]  ¹¹ sn But I do not allow. Although the Greek conjunction δέ (de) can have a simple connective force (“and”), it is best to take it as contrastive here: Verse 11 gives a positive statement (that is to say, that a woman should learn). This was a radical and liberating departure from the Jewish view that women were not to learn the law.

[2:12]  ¹² tn According to BDAG 150 s.v. αὐθεντέω this Greek verb means “to assume a stance of independent authority, give orders to, dictate to” (cf. JB “tell a man what to do”).

[2:12]  ¹³ tn Grk “but to be in quietness.” The phrase ἐν ἡσυχίᾳ (en Jhsucia) is used in Greek literature either of absolute silence or of a quiet demeanor.

[2:9]  ¹⁴ tc ‡ Most witnesses have καὶ τάς (kai tas; so D¹ Ψ 1881 Ï) or simply καί (א² D* F G 6 365 1739 pc) after ὡσαύτως (Jwsautw"). A few important witnesses lack such words (א* A H P 33 81 1175 pc). The evidence is for the most part along “party” lines, with the shortest reading being found in the Alexandrian text, the conjunction in the Western, and the longest reading in the Byzantine tradition. Externally, the shortest reading is preferred. However, there is a good chance of homoiomeson or homoioteleuton in which case καί or καὶ τάς could have accidentally been omitted (note the αι [ai] and αι ας [ai as] in the word that follows, written here in uncial script): wsautwskaigunaikas/ wsautwskaitasgunaikas. Nevertheless, since both the καί and καὶ τάς are predictable variants, intended to fill out the meaning of the text, the shortest reading seems best able to explain the rise of the others. NA²⁷ has the καί in brackets, indicating doubts as to its authenticity.

[2:9]  ¹⁵ tn Grk “to adorn themselves.” Grammatically the phrase “to adorn themselves” continues the author’s words in v. 8: “I want…likewise the women to adorn themselves.”

[2:9]  ¹⁶ tn This word and its cognates are used frequently in the Pastoral Epistles. It means “moderation,” “sobriety,” “decency,” “sensibleness,” or “sound judgment.”

[2:9]  ¹⁷ tn Literally a continuation of v. 9a, “not with braided hair…” Because of the length and complexity of the Greek sentence, a new sentence was started here in the translation.

[6:10]  ¹⁸ tn This could be taken to mean “a root,” but the phrase “of all evils” clearly makes it definite. This seems to be not entirely true to life (some evils are unrelated to love of money), but it should be read as a case of hyperbole (exaggeration to make a point more strongly).

[6:10]  ¹⁹ tn Many translations render this “of all kinds of evil,” especially to allow for the translation “a root” along with it. But there is no parallel for taking a construction like this to mean “all kinds of” or “every kind of.” The normal sense is “all evils.”

[6:11]  ²⁰ tn Grk “O man of God.”

[6:11]  ²¹ tn Grk “flee these things.”

[3:11]  ²² tn Or “also deaconesses.” The Greek word here is γυναῖκας (gunaika") which literally means “women” or “wives.” It is possible that this refers to women who serve as deacons, “deaconesses.” The evidence is as follows: (1) The immediate context refers to deacons; (2) the author mentions nothing about wives in his section on elder qualifications (1 Tim 3:1-7); (3) it would seem strange to have requirements placed on deacons’ wives without corresponding requirements placed on elders’ wives; and (4) elsewhere in the NT, there seems to be room for seeing women in this role (cf. Rom 16:1 and the comments there). The translation “wives” – referring to the wives of the deacons – is probably to be preferred, though, for the following reasons: (1) It would be strange for the author to discuss women deacons right in the middle of the qualifications for male deacons; more naturally they would be addressed by themselves. (2) The author seems to indicate clearly in the next verse that women are not deacons: “Deacons must be husbands of one wife.” (3) Most of the qualifications given for deacons elsewhere do not appear here. Either the author has truncated the requirements for women deacons, or he is not actually referring to women deacons; the latter seems to be the more natural understanding. (4) The principle given in 1 Tim 2:12 appears to be an overarching principle for church life which seems implicitly to limit the role of deacon to men. Nevertheless, a decision in this matter is difficult, and our conclusions must be regarded as tentative.

[4:14]  ²³ tn Grk “in you.”

[4:14]  ²⁴ tn Grk “which was given to you through prophecy.” Here as in 2:15 the preposition “through” denotes not “means” but accompanying circumstances: “accompanied by prophecy.”

[4:14]  sn These prophetic words perhaps spoke of what God would do through Timothy in his ministry (cf. 1 Tim 1:18).

[4:14]  ²⁵ tn Grk “with the imposition of the hands of the presbytery” (i.e., the council of elders).

[6:20]  ²⁶ tn Grk “avoiding.” Because of the length and complexity of the Greek sentence, a new sentence was started here in the translation.

[6:20]  ²⁷ tn Or “contradictions.”

[6:20]  ²⁸ tn Grk “the falsely named knowledge.”

[6:5]  ²⁹ tc Although most witnesses, including some early versions and fathers (D² Ψ Ï sy Cyp Lcf Ambst), have ἀφίστασο ἀπὸ τῶν τοιούτων (afistaso apo’ twn toioutwn, “stay away from such things!”) after εὐσεβείαν (eusebeian, “godliness”; thus, “who suppose that godliness is a way of making a profit; stay away from such things!”), there seems to be little good reason for this clause’s omission in some of the oldest and best witnesses (א A D* F G 048 6 33 81 1175 1739 1881 lat co). It is likely that it crept into the text early, perhaps as a marginal comment, but it should not be considered authentic in light of the strong external evidence against it.

[1:18]  ³⁰ sn This charge refers to the task Paul described to Timothy in vv. 3-7 above.

[1:18]  ³¹ sn The prophecies once spoken about you were apparently spoken at Timothy’s ordination (cf. 1 Tim 4:14) and perhaps spoke of what God would do through him. Thus they can encourage him in his work, as the next clause says.

[1:18]  ³² tn Grk “that by them you might fight…” (a reference to the prophecies which can encourage him in his work).

[3:16]  ³³ tn Grk “confessedly, admittedly, most certainly.”

[3:16]  ³⁴ tn Grk “great is the mystery of [our] religion,” or “great is the mystery of godliness.” The word “mystery” denotes a secret previously hidden in God, but now revealed and made widely known (cf. Rom 16:25; 1 Cor 2:7; 4:1; Eph 1:9; 3:3, 4, 9; 6:19; Col 1:26-27; 4:3). “Religion” (εὐσέβεια, eusebeia) is a word used frequently in the pastorals with a range of meanings: (1) a certain attitude toward God – “devotion, reverence”; (2) the conduct that befits that attitude – “godliness, piety”; and (3) the whole system of belief and approach to God that forms the basis for such attitude and conduct – “religion, creed.” See BDAG 412-13 s.v.; 2 Tim 3:5; 4 Macc 9:6-7, 29-30; 15:1-3; 17:7. So the following creedal statements are illustrations of the great truths that the church is charged with protecting (v. 15).

[3:16]  ³⁵ tc The Byzantine text along with a few other witnesses (א^c A^c C² D² Ψ [88 pc] 1739 1881 Ï vg^ms) read θεός (qeos, “God”) for ὅς (Jos, “who”). Most significant among these witnesses is 1739; the second correctors of some of the other mss tend to conform to the medieval standard, the Byzantine text, and add no independent voice to the discussion. A few mss have ὁ θεός (so 88 pc), a reading that is a correction on the anarthrous θεός. On the other side, the masculine relative pronoun ὅς is strongly supported by א* A* C* F G 33 365 pc Did Epiph. Significantly, D* and virtually the entire Latin tradition read the neuter relative pronoun, ὅ (Jo, “which”), a reading that indirectly supports ὅς since it could not easily have been generated if θεός had been in the text. Thus, externally, there is no question as to what should be considered original: The Alexandrian and Western traditions are decidedly in favor of ὅς. Internally, the evidence is even stronger. What scribe would change θεός to ὅς intentionally? “Who” is not only a theologically pale reading by comparison; it also is much harder (since the relative pronoun has no obvious antecedent, probably the reason for the neuter pronoun of the Western tradition). Intrinsically, the rest of 3:16, beginning with ὅς, appears to form a six-strophed hymn. As such, it is a text that is seemingly incorporated into the letter without syntactical connection. Hence, not only should we not look for an antecedent for ὅς (as is often done by commentators), but the relative pronoun thus is not too hard a reading (or impossible, as Dean Burgon believed). Once the genre is taken into account, the relative pronoun fits neatly into the author’s style (cf. also Col 1:15; Phil 2:6 for other places in which the relative pronoun begins a hymn, as was often the case in poetry of the day). On the other hand, with θεός written as a nomen sacrum, it would have looked very much like the relative pronoun: q-=s vs. os. Thus, it may have been easy to confuse one for the other. This, of course, does not solve which direction the scribes would go, although given their generally high Christology and the bland and ambiguous relative pronoun, it is doubtful that they would have replaced θεός with ὅς. How then should we account for θεός? It appears that sometime after the 2nd century the θεός reading came into existence, either via confusion with ὅς or as an intentional alteration to magnify Christ and clear up the syntax at the same time. Once it got in, this theologically rich reading was easily able to influence all the rest of the mss it came in contact with (including mss already written, such as א A C D). That this reading did not arise until after the 2nd century is evident from the Western reading, ὅ. The neuter relative pronoun is certainly a “correction” of ὅς, conforming the gender to that of the neuter μυστήριον (musthrion, “mystery”). What is significant in this reading is (1) since virtually all the Western witnesses have either the masculine or neuter relative pronoun, the θεός reading was apparently unknown to them in the 2nd century (when the “Western” text seems to have originated, though its place of origination was most likely in the east); they thus supply strong indirect evidence of ὅς outside of Egypt in the 2nd century; (2) even 2nd century scribes were liable to misunderstand the genre, feeling compelled to alter the masculine relative pronoun because it appeared to them to be too harsh. The evidence, therefore, for ὅς is quite compelling, both externally and internally. As TCGNT 574 notes, “no uncial (in the first hand) earlier than the eighth or ninth century (Ψ) supports θεός; all ancient versions presuppose ὅς or ὅ; and no patristic writer prior to the last third of the fourth century testifies to the reading θεός.” Thus, the cries of certain groups that θεός has to be original must be seen as special pleading in this case. To argue that heretics tampered with the text here is self-defeating, for most of the Western fathers who quoted the verse with the relative pronoun were quite orthodox, strongly affirming the deity of Christ. They would have dearly loved such a reading as θεός. Further, had heretics introduced a variant to θεός, a far more natural choice would have been Χριστός (Cristos, “Christ”) or κύριος (kurios, “Lord”), since the text is self-evidently about Christ, but it is not self-evidently a proclamation of his deity. (See ExSyn 341-42, for a summary discussion on this issue and additional bibliographic references.)

[3:16]  tn Grk “who.”

[3:16]  sn This passage has been typeset as poetry because many scholars regard this passage as poetic or hymnic. These terms are used broadly to refer to the genre of writing, not to the content. There are two broad criteria for determining if a passage is poetic or hymnic: “(a) stylistic: a certain rhythmical lilt when the passages are read aloud, the presence of parallelismus membrorum (i.e., an arrangement into couplets), the semblance of some metre, and the presence of rhetorical devices such as alliteration, chiasmus, and antithesis; and (b) linguistic: an unusual vocabulary, particularly the presence of theological terms, which is different from the surrounding context” (P. T. O’Brien, Philippians [NIGTC], 188-89). Classifying a passage as hymnic or poetic is important because understanding this genre can provide keys to interpretation. However, not all scholars agree that the above criteria are present in this passage, so the decision to typeset it as poetry should be viewed as a tentative decision about its genre.

[3:16]  ³⁶ tn Or “in spirit.”

[5:5]  ³⁷ tn Or “left all alone.”

[4:2]  ³⁸ tn Grk “in the hypocrisy of liars.”

[4:2]  ³⁹ tn Or “branded.” The Greek verb καυστηριάζω (kausthriazw) can be used to refer either to the cause (“brand”) or the effect (“seared”).

[4:2]  sn Consciences are seared. The precise meaning of this phrase is somewhat debated. Three primary interpretations are (1) the consciences of these false teachers are “branded” with Satan’s mark to indicate ownership, (2) their consciences are “branded” with a penal mark to show they are lawbreakers, or (3) their consciences have been “seared” (i.e., totally burnt and desensitized) so that they are unable to notice the difference between right and wrong. See G. W. Knight, Pastoral Epistles (NIGTC), 189.

[4:13]  ⁴⁰ tn Grk “reading.”

[4:13]  sn The public reading of scripture refers to reading the scripture out loud in the church services. In a context where many were illiterate and few could afford private copies of scripture, such public reading was especially important.

[5:15]  ⁴¹ tn Grk “wandered away after Satan.”

[3:2]  ⁴² tn Or “bishop.”

[3:2]  sn Although some see the article with overseer as indicating a single leader at the top of the ecclesiastical structure (thus taking the article as monadic), this is hardly necessary. It is naturally taken generically (referring to the class of leaders known as overseers) and, in fact, finds precedent in 2:11-12 (“a woman,” “a man”), 2:15 (“she”). Paul almost casually changes between singular and plural in both chapters.

[3:2]  ⁴³ tn Or “a man married only once,” “devoted solely to his wife” (see 1 Tim 3:12; 5:9; Titus 1:6). The meaning of this phrase is disputed. It is frequently understood to refer to the marital status of the church leader, excluding from leadership those who are (1) unmarried, (2) polygamous, (3) divorced, or (4) remarried after being widowed. A different interpretation is reflected in the NEB’s translation “faithful to his one wife.”

[6:8]  ⁴⁴ tn Grk “with these.”

[6:18]  ⁴⁵ tn Grk “to do good” (the continuation of 6:17). Because of the length and complexity of the Greek sentence, a new sentence was started at the beginning of v. 18.

[6:18]  ⁴⁶ tn Grk “to be generous,” “sharing.”

[4:15]  ⁴⁷ tn Grk “that your progress may be evident to all.”

[4:1]  ⁴⁸ tn Or “desert the faith by occupying themselves.”

[4:1]  ⁴⁹ tn Grk “teachings of demons” (speaking of the source of these doctrines).

[3:13]  ⁵⁰ sn The statement those who have served well as deacons gain a good standing for themselves is reminiscent of Jesus’ teaching (Matt 20:26-28; Mark 10:43-45) that the one who wishes to be great must be a servant (διάκονος [diakonos], used here of deacons) of all, just as the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve (διακονέω [diakonew], as in 1 Tim 3:10, 13).

[3:13]  ⁵¹ sn In the phrase the faith that is in Christ Jesus, the term faith seems to mean “what Christians believe, Christian truth,” rather than personal trust in Christ. So the whole phrase could mean that others will come to place greater confidence in them regarding Christian truth; but the word “confidence” is much more likely to refer to their own boldness to act on the truth of their convictions.

[3:6]  ⁵² tn Grk “that he may not become arrogant.”

[3:6]  ⁵³ tn Grk “the judgment of the devil,” which could also mean “the judgment that the devil incurred.” But see 1 Tim 1:20 for examples of the danger Paul seems to have in mind.

[5:3]  ⁵⁴ sn The word honor here carries the double meaning of respect and financial support. This Greek word can imply both senses, and both are intended in this context.

[5:3]  ⁵⁵ tn Grk “the real widows,” “those who are really widows.”

[2:15]  ⁵⁶ tn Or “But she will be preserved through childbearing,” or “But she will be saved in spite of childbearing.” This verse is notoriously difficult to interpret, though there is general agreement about one point: Verse 15 is intended to lessen the impact of vv. 13-14. There are several interpretive possibilities here, though the first three can be readily dismissed (cf. D. Moo, “1 Timothy 2:11-15: Meaning and Significance,” TJ 1 [1980]: 70-73). (1) Christian women will be saved, but only if they bear children. This view is entirely unlikely for it lays a condition on Christian women that goes beyond grace, is unsupported elsewhere in scripture, and is explicitly against Paul’s and Jesus’ teaching on both marriage and salvation (cf. Matt 19:12; 1 Cor 7:8-9, 26-27, 34-35; 1 Tim 5:3-10). (2) Despite the curse, Christian women will be kept safe when bearing children. This view also is unlikely, both because it has little to do with the context and because it is not true to life (especially life in the ancient world with its high infant mortality rate). (3) Despite the sin of Eve and the results to her progeny, she would be saved through the childbirth – that is, through the birth of the Messiah, as promised in the protevangelium (Gen 3:15). This view sees the singular “she” as referring first to Eve and then to all women (note the change from singular to plural in this verse). Further, it works well in the context. However, there are several problems with it: [a] The future tense (σωθήσηται, swqhshtai) is unnatural if referring to the protevangelium or even to the historical fact of the Messiah’s birth; [b] that only women are singled out as recipients of salvation seems odd since the birth of the Messiah was necessary for the salvation of both women and men; [c] as ingenious as this view is, its very ingenuity is its downfall, for it is overly subtle; and [d] the term τεκνογονία (teknogonia) refers to the process of childbirth rather than the product. And since it is the person of the Messiah (the product of the birth) that saves us, the term is unlikely to be used in the sense given it by those who hold this view. There are three other views that have greater plausibility: (4) This may be a somewhat veiled reference to the curse of Gen 3:16 in order to clarify that though the woman led the man into transgression (v. 14b), she will be saved spiritually despite this physical reminder of her sin. The phrase is literally “through childbearing,” but this does not necessarily denote means or instrument here. Instead it may show attendant circumstance (probably with a concessive force): “with, though accompanied by” (cf. BDAG 224 s.v. δία A.3.c; Rom 2:27; 2 Cor 2:4; 1 Tim 4:14). (5) “It is not through active teaching and ruling activities that Christian women will be saved, but through faithfulness to their proper role, exemplified in motherhood” (Moo, 71). In this view τεκνογονία is seen as a synecdoche in which child-rearing and other activities of motherhood are involved. Thus, one evidence (though clearly not an essential evidence) of a woman’s salvation may be seen in her decision to function in this role. (6) The verse may point to some sort of proverbial expression now lost, in which “saved” means “delivered” and in which this deliverance was from some of the devastating effects of the role reversal that took place in Eden. The idea of childbearing, then, is a metonymy of part for the whole that encompasses the woman’s submission again to the leadership of the man, though it has no specific soteriological import (but it certainly would have to do with the outworking of redemption).

[2:15]  ⁵⁷ tn There is a shift to the plural here (Grk “if they continue”), but it still refers to the woman in a simple shift from generic singular to generic plural.

[5:6]  ⁵⁸ tn For “is dead even” the Greek text reads “has died.”

[5:12]  ⁵⁹ tn Grk “incurring judgment because they reject their first faith.”

[5:12]  sn The pledge refers most likely to a vow not to remarry undertaken when a widow is put on the list (cf. 1 Tim 5:9).

[3:15]  ⁶⁰ tn Grk “how it is necessary to behave.”

[3:15]  ⁶¹ tn Grk “which is” (but the relative clause shows the reason for such conduct).

[5:13]  ⁶² tn L&N 15.23 suggests the meaning, “to move about from place to place, with significant changes in direction – ‘to travel about, to wander about.’”

[5:13]  ⁶³ tn Or “idle.” The whole clause (“going around from house to house, they learn to be lazy”) reverses the order of the Greek. The present participle περιερχόμεναι (periercomenai) may be taken as temporal (“while going around”), instrumental (“by going around”) or result (“with the result that they go around”).

[5:13]  ⁶⁴ tn Grk “saying the things that are unnecessary.” Or perhaps “talking about things that are none of their business.”

[1:14]  ⁶⁵ tn Grk “with faith and love in Christ Jesus.”

[6:14]  ⁶⁶ tn The Greek word τηρέω (threw, traditionally translated “keep”) in this context connotes preservation of and devotion to an object as well as obedience.

[6:14]  ⁶⁷ tn Grk “the command.”

[6:14]  sn The command refers to the duties laid upon Timothy for his ministry in Ephesus (1 Tim 1:3-20; 6:2c-5).

[1:16]  ⁶⁸ tn Grk “but because of this I was treated with mercy, so that…”

[1:16]  ⁶⁹ tn Grk “in me first,” making the connection with the last phrase of v. 15.

[1:4]  ⁷⁰ sn Myths and interminable genealogies. These myths were legendary tales characteristic of the false teachers in Ephesus and Crete. See parallels in 1 Tim 4:7; 2 Tim 4:4; and Titus 1:14. They were perhaps built by speculation from the patriarchal narratives in the OT; hence the connection with genealogies and with wanting to be teachers of the law (v. 7).

[1:4]  ⁷¹ tc A few Western mss (D* latt Ir) read οἰκοδομήν (oikodomhn, “[God’s] edification”) rather than οἰκονομίαν (oikonomian, “[God’s] redemptive plan”), which is read by the earliest and best witnesses.

[1:4]  tn More literally, “the administration of God that is by faith.”

[1:4]  sn God’s redemptive plan. The basic word (οἰκονομία, oikonomia) denotes the work of a household steward or manager or the arrangement under which he works: “household management.” As a theological term it is used of the order or arrangement by which God brings redemption through Christ (God’s “dispensation, plan of salvation” [Eph 1:10; 3:9]) or of human responsibility to pass on the message of that salvation (“stewardship, commission” [1 Cor 9:17; Eph 3:2; Col 1:25]). Here the former is in view (see the summary of God’s plan in 1 Tim 2:3-6; 2 Tim 1:9-10; Titus 3:4-7), and Paul notes the response people must make to God’s arrangement: It is “in faith” or “by faith.”

[4:8]  ⁷² tn Grk “bodily training” (using the noun form of the verb “train” in v. 7b).

[5:8]  ⁷³ tn That is, “his own relatives.”

[6:17]  ⁷⁴ tn Grk “in the present age.”

[6:17]  ⁷⁵ tn Grk “in uncertainty.”