Exegetical Analysis of 1 Timothy 2:9-15

David Beatty
Canby Bible College
BI 212 Pastoral and General Epistles
Professor Thomas Axmaker
September 24, 2015

1 Timothy 2:9-15 Holman Christian Standard Bible (HCSB)

9

Also, the women are to dress themselves in modest clothing, with decency and good
sense, not with elaborate hairstyles, gold, pearls, or expensive apparel, 10 but with good
works, as is proper for women who affirm that they worship God. 11 A woman should
learn in silence with full submission. 12 I do not allow a woman to teach or to have authority over a man; instead, she is to be silent. 13 For Adam was created first, then Eve.
14
And Adam was not deceived, but the woman was deceived and transgressed. 15 But she
will be saved through childbearing, if they continue in faith, love, and holiness, with good
judgment.
For many scholars, 1 Timothy 2:9-15 is the locus classicus for the hierarchical / complementarian position that Scripture restricts women from leadership over males in the ministry of the
church. Paul could not have been more explicit in denying women's authority over men, nor in
his other admonitions or guidance for women. That Paul intended this letter to serve as guidance
to Timothy in how to carry out his assignment is clear but was this divinely inspired and inerrant1
letter, and specifically this passage intended to be instructions for all churches at all times?
Timothy was a Greek convert and one of Pauls most trusted lieutenants as evidenced by his
selection for the important mission in Ephesus. Timothy was half Greek and half Jew, was probably converted by Paul on his first missionary trip in Lystra in Galatia,2 and was circumcised by
Paul so that his Greek ancestry would not be a liability in working with the Jews.3 By the time
1st Timothy was written (circa 63 AD)4 Timothy had been working with Paul and learning from
him for over 20 years and was well acquainted with Pauls methods, ideas on church organiza-

The Bible is Gods inspired and inerrant Word; it reveals both law and gospel; it points us to the only savior of the
world Jesus Christand is the sole rule, norm, and authority for Christian life. We believe the Word of God the
Word (Jesus Christ), the proclaimed Word (the Gospel) and the Written Word (the Bible)is the source and authority for our life of faith (Romans 10:17, Hebrews 4:12, 2 Timothy 3:16). Statement of Faith, Community of Faith
Lutheran Congregation in Mission for Christ, http://www.cofaith.net/about-us/statement-of-faith (accessed September 22, 2015).
2
David and Pat Alexander, eds., Zondervan Handbook to the Bible, 3rd ed. (Grand Rapids, Mich.: Zondervan,
1999), 732.
3
Kenneth Barker, ed., NIV Study Bible (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Publishing Company, 1985), 1833.
4
Ibid.

tion, and the nuances of nascent Christianity as it rapidly changed from a Jewish sect into a new
religion in its own right. 1st Timothy thus augmented years of oral instruction.
Ephesus in 63 AD was the capital of the Roman province of Asia and the second most important city in the Roman Empire.5 It was a huge city for its time with 300,000 inhabitants6 and was
the center of a trade network that spanned the entire Roman Empire and beyond. It had a cosmopolitan polyglot population, largely of Greek extraction but including native minority
Mysians, Carians, and Phrygians as well as the occupants of many international trading houses.
Ephesus had impressive civic monuments and large pagan temples including that of EphesianArtemis (one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World, served by many priestesses and a major center of banking)7 and the city proudly called itself temple-warden.8 There was an outdoor
theater seating 25,000, a stadium and a hippodrome, and a major library which ultimately became the Library of Celsus which in the 2nd century AD boasted 12,000 scrolls.9
Timothy was sent to deal with specific circumstances in the name of the apostle.10 Pauls
purpose for writing 1st Timothy was to address how Timothy should deal with the spread of
false doctrine, spiritual coldness, personnel problems, problems of worship services, problems
related to the offices of the church and the care of widows.11 These problems can be traced to
difficulties Paul had in evangelizing Ephesus visiting the synagogue which rejected Pauls message and ejected him, leading to the establishment of house churches.12 Some of the home
owners of the house churches were no doubt women; Approximately one-fourth of the cowork5

Strabo, Geography, 13.1.24

Helen Starkweather, Exploring Ancient Ephesus, Smithsonian, January, 2008, 1, http://www.smithsonianmag.com/lifelists/exploring-ancient-ephesus-11753958/?no-ist (accessed April 25, 2014).
7
Geoffrey Wigoder ed., Illustrated Dictionary and Concordance of the Bible (New York: Reader, 1986), 322.
8
Acts 19:35; W. M. Ramsey, Cities and Bishoprics of Phrygia (Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1895), 58.
9
NIV Archaeological Study Bible: An Illustrated Walk through Biblical History and Culture (Grand Rapids, Mich.:
Zondervan, 2005), 1968.
10
Walter L. Liefeld, 1 and 2 Timothy/Titus: The NIV Application Commentary from Biblical Text--to Contemporary
Life, The NIV Application Commentary Series (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 1999), 23.
11
Irving Lester Jensen, Jensen's Survey of the New Testament: Search and Discover (Chicago: Moody Press, 1981),
377.
12
Roger Gehring, House Church and Mission: The Importance of Household Structures in Early Christianity
(Peabody, MA: Hendrickson, 2009), 211.
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ers mentioned in the undisputed Pauline Epistles are women.13 Thus, there was no centralized
place of Christian worship in Ephesus; Timothy was very likely a circuit preacher more akin to
those of the early American frontier than the leader of a single large church.
Women in 1st century Ephesus enjoyed neither sociological nor soteriological-religious
equality with men.14 Free Jewish men thanked God daily that they were not created a pagan, a
slave, or a woman... Hellenistic men also had three reasons to be thankful: that they were not
born as an animal, as a woman, or as a barbarian.15 By law, women in the Roman Empire could
not own property, defend themselves in court, vote, or hold public office.16 In the Roman Republic a man could legally kill his wife or daughter if they questioned his authority.17 The situation in Hellenistic Ephesus was similar, but women living in the different cities of Greece
played key roles in some of those cities most crucial religious celebrations and processions.18
Indeed, the temple of Artemis in Ephesus had a long history of women in leadership positions.
Artemis of the Ephesians may have subsumed elements of worship of the native Anatolian
mother-goddess (Cybele) 1000 years earlier but at the time of Paul the ancient Ephesians themselves presented Artemis Ephesia to the world as the traditional tomboy huntress who stood for
chastity and the rejection of marriage. 19
1 Timothy 2:9-10 contains instructions on how Paul wants women to dress in the church he
founded in Ephesus around 54 AD during his 3rd missionary journey (Acts 20:31 says he spent
three years there). Paul stopped briefly in Miletus (30 miles south of Ephesus) on the return leg
13

Ibid, 267-8.
Ibid, 220.
15
Talmud Berakot 7:18, Thales (Diogenes Laertius, Clar. Phil. 1.3.3), Socrates (Diogenes Laertius Clar. Phil. 1.3.3),
Plato (Plutarch, Marius 46.1) in Gehring, 220.
16
Spartacus Educational, s.v. Women in the Roman Empire, accessed September 22, 2015, http://spartacus-educational.com/ROMwomen.htm.
17
Ibid.
18
Michael Scott, Women's Rights in the Ancient World, HistoryExtra (blog), August 10, 2010, accessed September 22, 2015, http://www.historyextra.com/blog/womens-rights-ancient-world.
19
S. M. Baugh, Cult Prostitution in New Testament Ephesus: A Reappraisal, Journal of the Evangelical Theological Society, 42, no. 3 (1999): 443-60, accessed September 22, 2015, http://www.biblicalstudies.org.uk/article_ephesus_baugh.html.
14

of his 3rd missionary journey (57 AD) and met there with the elders of the Ephesian church, predicting that Even from your own number men will arise and distort the truth in order to draw
away disciples (Acts 20:30). The book of Timothy was written circa 63 AD, six years or so after Paul was last there. Note also that Pauls epistle to the Ephesians (likely written in 60 AD
while Paul was in prison in Rome)20 contains no warnings against any particular heresy or error
but he does urge the church to make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond
of peace (Ephesians 4:3), gives instruction on the conduct of wives towards husbands and vice
versa (Wives, submit to your husbands (6:22), etc.) and gives instructions for modest, moral
living: Be very careful, then, how you live (6:15). Apparently in the six years since Paul had
been in Ephesus, the manner, style and purpose of worship had changed. From the text of 1 Timothy 2:9-10 one might deduce that the women of Ephesus were dressing immodestly, with indecency and impropriety, with elaborate hair styles, and expensive clothes and jewelry. Note that
Paul does not command that women not dress this way, it is his desire (boulomai in verse 8 is the
main verb; this might better be translated I plan or I intend).
Paul may have had several things in mind. Firstly, he may have been concerned about reports of risqu dress among the ladies of the churches in Ephesus. Conversely, he may be making a general complaint against the dress style in vogue throughout the empire, making a statement comparing immodest dress to moral decay Paul desires that women dress modestly in
church. Isaiah 3:16-24 also rails against immodest and fancy dress.
Secondly, Paul is making a statement about how people are to worship. He desires men and
likewise (hosowtos) women to pray in every place, men lifting up holy hands and the women
in clothing (katastolay) modest (kosmio). Compare also to 1 Peter 3:3 where women are urged
to rely on their inner beauty given by God and not on outward adornment, such as braided hair
and the wearing of gold jewelry and fine clothes. This similarity to the wording in 1 Timothy
20

Op cit, Barker, 1789.

2:9 is remarkable. Paul exhorts Timothy to discourage this sort of thing. Men are to worship
without anger or disputing and women are also to dress modestly, with decency and propriety. This is not to say that men should not also dress modestly, with decency and propriety;
rather, Paul is specifically making note of a trend that he feels needs to be corrected or addressed.
It is worth noting that what passes for modesty in 2015 is quite different than in 63 AD (or even
1970 for that matter). The definition of modest clothing is not specific to 63 AD, and that definition is fluid with time, space and culture. Conversely, R.C.H Lenski specifically rejects any
comparison between verses 8 and 9, holding that only men are to pray as Paul instructs in 1
Corinthians 14:34-35 and that Pauls exhortation to women is to avoid dressing ostentatiously
with personal vanity in mind while keeping silent.21
A third possibility is that Paul is mindful of the differences in social standing amongst Christian Ephesians. Recall that Ephesus was a very wealthy city; many Christians in Ephesus were
no doubt wealthy. Many were no doubt poor. Paul may be asking Timothy to discourage
wealthy women from dressing in a manner that would excite envy or resentment from those unable to afford such finery and this would follow Pauls desire for unity in the church, with harmony amongst all members, as expressed in Ephesians 4:3. Compare Paul's words to Proverbs
31:10-31 for another interesting twist. Compare also with Jesus encounter with the rich young
ruler (Matthew 19:24, Mark 10:25, Luke 18:25), to James 5:1-5 and to Revelation 3:17-19. Paul
wants women to focus on worshiping God in modest attire without ostentatious displays of
wealth.
Many interpretations of 1 Timothy 2:11-15 rely heavily on the nature of this false teaching
at Ephesus [v. 1:3]22 as well as meaningless talk in 1:6. The false teachers were encouraging
21

R. C. H Lenski, The Interpretation of St. Paul's Epistles to the Colossians, to the Thessalonians, to Timothy, to Titus and to Philemon, (Minneapolis: Wartburg Press, 1946), 554.
22
Douglas Moo, "What Does it Mean to Teach or Have Authority Over a Man?," in Recovering Biblical Manhood
and Womanhood, ed. J. Piper and W. Grudem (Westchester, IL: Crossway, 1991), 179-93.

women to discard what we might call traditional female roles in favor of a more egalitarian approach to the role relationships of men and women.23 While this is really speculation it does offer some purpose to Pauls admonitions. Verse 11 is very similar to 1 Cor. 14:34-35; learning is
in the imperative meaning (by the teaching of others);24 silence is hesuchia (quietness, calmness), and full submission is pas (whole, all,) hupotage (subjection, subordination).25 Verse 12
is literally translated A woman but to teach not I allow nor to exercise authority of a man but to
be in silence.26 I do not allow is ouk (not) epitrepo (to let, permit, give leave or liberty), exercise authority is authenteo (to act of oneself, to dominate, to usurp authority over), of a man
is andros (an individual man or husband), and but to be in silence is all (nay, nevertheless, indeed) einai (to be) en hesuchia (in quietness, calmness, as in verse 11). Although it is difficult to
interpret this any other way than that Paul is using his apostolic authority to ban women from
even speaking in church, compare with Pauls words at 1 Corinthians 7:10 (To the married, I
give this command (not I, but the Lord)) and 1 Corinthians 7:12 (To rest I say this (I, not the
Lord)). Thus, it may be that Pauls personal opinion is that he (not the Lord) does not allow
women to exercise authority over men or to speak in church.
Verses 13 -15 is Pauls logical and theological reasoning for his previous admonitions. Paul
uses Genesis 2 and 3 as the basis for this logic; these facts are valid for all time in the church;
the gospel does not alter them27 is the extreme view. However, it can be difficult to follow
Pauls logic. In Genesis, Hebrew adam is a generic term for humankind; it never appears in Hebrew in the feminine or plural. In the first five chapters of Genesis it is only rarely a proper
name, Adam. The term encompasses both man and woman, as shown in verses 1:27-28 and 5:123

Ibid.
Op. cit., Lenski, 562.
25
All translations are from James Strong, Strong's Concise Dictionary of the Words in the Greek Testament, compact
ed. (Grand Rapids, Mich.: Baker Book House, 1985),.
26
Jay P. Green, The Interlinear Bible: Hebrew-Greek English, 2nd ed. (Peabody, Mass.: Hendrickson Publishers,
1986), 932.
27
Op. cit., Lenski, 564.
24

2, where it is construed with plural verbs and terminations.28 Thus, man and woman can be seen
as ontologically the same; yet do not forget that Gods purpose in creating Eve was as a helper
suitable for Adam (Genesis 2:18b). Pauls point is the divinely appointed relation between man
and woman and that women are to remain in their subordinate position.29
We cannot look at 1 Tim. 2:15 in isolation. Rather, it is the concluding verse to Pauls
urgings and desires for the conduct of men and women in the Ephesian churches and must therefore be viewed as a final reassurance of justification by faith to all. The last they in verse 15
refers back to Adam and Eve (she clearly refers specifically to Eve in verse 14, and thus hearkens back to the curse of greatly increased pain in childbirth placed upon Eve in Gen. 3:16).
This reference to childbearing may be a counter to the false doctrines Paul warns Timothy
about in 1:3 if God has ordained childbearing, who are mere men to teach against it? Some
would connect this childbearing with the seed of the woman (Gen. 3:15), with Gods Son made
of a woman.30
The last phrase of 1 Tim. 2:15 continue in faith, love and holiness with propriety is
the formula for salvation followed by sanctification. Salvation through faith in Jesus Christ is
followed by continuing to be conformed to the image of Christ through love and holiness with
propriety. This short phrase neatly sums up this entire concept and reminds Timothy of the path
to sanctification following salvation. Christians are led to perform good works through their love
of Christ and a desire to please Him, fully aware that no one can hope to fully abide by the Law
and thus all are worthy of eternal death (Romans 3:23). Only through the grace of God and by
faith in Jesus Christ alone can mankind hope to gain salvation.

28

Nahum M. Sarna, Genesis, The JPS Torah Commentary (Philadelphia: Jewish Publication Society, 1989), 12.
Op. cit., Lenski, 570.
30
Ibid, 574, although Lenski views this as a stretch and not the intent of the text.
29

It is clear that each of the divinely inspired and fully inerrant31 Pastoral letters was tailored to the situations in Ephesus and Crete at the time of writing. However, it is important not
to make the error of attempting to discern which parts of Gods inerrant Word are true for today
and which might be discarded as irrelevant in the modern world. To do so is to open a Pandoras
box and fulfill the warning of the Council of Trent by which the words and sentences of sacred
Scripture are turned and twisted to all sorts of profane uses32 leading directly to post-modernism, relative truth and questioning the inerrancy of Scripture. Relativism is the enemy of systematic theology and starts a long slide into existentialism and nihilism and the danger of declaring that life does not make sense and has no purpose. Always keep in mind that God is coherent,
unconfused, omnipotent, omnipresent and unchanging and His Word reflects His character. All
Scripture is God-breathed (2 Tim. 3:16) includes 1 Timothy 2:9-15; all means all, not just the
bits the reader finds comfortable or that fits current societal norms. Scripture must not be forced
into the mold of current society the reverse must be the goal. This is not to say that Paul did not
write to specific 1st century audiences. Quite the contrary, he made brilliant use of metaphors particular to recipients of his epistles e.g. in his letter to Philippi, a colony for Roman army veterans
a very specialized military vocabulary of more than 70 words occurs throughout the context.33
Paul did not intend his letters to Timothy and Titus as stand alone manuals for church ministry; they augmented personal verbal instruction over the course of the previous 20 years. All
Scripture is God-breathed can also mean that to take any single part of Scripture as a stand
alone manual is unwise; cherry picking Scripture to fit human druthers is an old heresy and
fraught with danger.

31

Armin W. Schuetze, 1 Timothy, 2 Timothy, Titus, rev. ed. (St. Louis, MO: Concordia Pub. House, 2005), 4.
James Waterworth, trans., Canons and Decrees of the Council of Trent: The Fourth Session (London: Dolman,
1848), 1, http://www.bible-researcher.com/trent1.html (accessed April 26, 2014).
33
Andreas J. Kostenberger and Terry L. Wilder, eds., Entrusted with the Gospel: Paul's Theology in the Pastoral
Epistles (Nashville, Tenn.: B&H Academic, 2010), 73.
32

While each book may have a specific target audience, taken as a whole the New Testament is
the complete manual for Christian conduct in Gods household. As especially 1 Tim. 3:15
makes clear (see also 1 Tim. 2-8), Pauls injunctions in chaps. 2-3 are not confined to the Ephesian situation but stipulate how people ought to conduct themselves in Gods household (NIV)
in general.34 [T]here can be little disagreement that the Pastorals are among the most important New Testament writings for the practice of the contemporary church. The church must continue to wrestle with what Scripture teaches regarding church governance and qualifications for
leadership and commit itself to abide by what it understands Scripture to teach rather [than] operating primarily on the basis of personal preference or church tradition.35

34
35

Ibid, 9.
Ibid, 27.

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Alexander, David and Pat, Eds. Zondervan Handbook to the Bible. 3rd ed. Grand Rapids, Mich.:
Zondervan, 1999.
Barker, Kenneth, ed. NIV Study Bible. Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Publishing Company, 1985.
Baugh, S. M. Cult Prostitution in New Testament Ephesus: A Reappraisal. Journal of the
Evangelical Theological Society 42, no. 3 (1999): 443-60, accessed September 22, 2015,
http://www.biblicalstudies.org.uk/article_ephesus_baugh.html.
Gehring, Roger W. House Church and Mission: The Importance of Household Structures in
Early Christianity. Peabody, MA: Hendrickson, 2009.
Green, Jay P. The Interlinear Bible: Hebrew-Greek-English. 2nd ed. Peabody, Mass.: Hendrickson Publishers, 1986.
Kostenberger, Andreas J., and Terry L. Wilder, eds. Entrusted with the Gospel: Paul's Theology
in the Pastoral Epistles. Nashville, Tenn.: B&H Academic, 2010.
Liefeld, Walter L. 1 and 2 Timothy/Titus: The NIV Application Commentary from Biblical Text-to Contemporary Life. The NIV Application Commentary Series. Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 1999.
Lenski, R. C. H. The Interpretation of St. Paul's Epistles to the Colossians, to the Thessalonians,
to Timothy, to Titus and to Philemon. Minneapolis: Wartburg Press, 1946.
Moo, Douglas. What Does it Mean to Teach or Have Authority Over a Man? In Recovering
Biblical Manhood and Womanhood, edited by J. Piper and W. Grudem, 179-93. Westchester, IL: Crossway, 1991.
NIV Archaeological Study Bible: An Illustrated Walk through Biblical History and Culture.
Grand Rapids, Mich.: Zondervan, 2005.
Ramsey, W. M. Cities and Bishoprics of Phrygia. Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1895.
Sarna, Nahum M. Genesis. The JPS Torah Commentary. Philadelphia: Jewish Publication Society, 1989.
Schuetze, Armin W. 1 Timothy, 2 Timothy, Titus. Rev. ed. St. Louis, MO: Concordia Pub. House,
2005.
Scott, Michael. Women's Rights in the Ancient World. HistoryExtra (blog), August 10, 2010.
Accessed September 22, 2015. http://www.historyextra.com/blog/womens-rights-ancientworld.
Statement of Faith, Community of Faith Lutheran Congregation in Mission for Christ,
http://www.cofaith.net/about-us/statement-of-faith (accessed September 22, 2015).
10

Starkweather, Helen. Exploring Ancient Ephesus. Smithsonian, January, 2008. http://www.smithsonianmag.com/lifelists/exploring-ancient-ephesus-11753958/?no-ist (accessed April
25, 2014).
Strong, James. Strong's Concise Dictionary of the Words in the Greek Testament, compact ed.
Grand Rapids, Mich.: Baker Book House, 1985.
Waterworth, James, trans. Canons and Decrees of the Council of Trent: The Fourth Session. London: Dolman, 1848. http://www.bible-researcher.com/trent1.html (accessed April 26,
2014).
Wigoder, Geoffrey, ed. Illustrated Dictionary and Concordance of the Bible. New York: Reader,
1986.

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