Translation commentary on 1 Timothy 2:15

The previous four verses seem to be very negative toward women. This is somewhat remedied by this last verse, which spells out how women can obtain salvation. There are, however, complications in the verse that contribute to the difficulty of determining what it is really trying to say. It must be noted first of all that the beginning of the verse is literally “But she will be saved,” which if rendered that way would make Eve in verse 13 as the antecedent of the verse. Many translations therefore make clear that this refers not to Eve but to any woman (so Revised Standard Version woman, Good News Translation “a woman,” Phillips, New International Version “women”). Secondly, the expression will be saved through bearing children also presents difficulties in translation and interpretation. There are at least three possible interpretations: (1) Women find salvation in their role as child bearers. This is the idea that comes out in both Revised Standard Version and Good News Translation (so also New International Version footnote and Contemporary English Version). (2) Women are delivered from danger when giving birth (so Good News Translation footnote “will be kept safe through childbirth”; compare Phillips “women will come safely through child-birth”). In this case “salvation” refers primarily to physical safety and not to the experience of divine salvation. This relates the verse to Gen 3.16, where Eve’s punishment is to experience pain in childbearing. The preposition through will then be understood not in the sense “by means of” but “in the experience of” (see for a similar usage 1 Cor 3.15, “saved as through fire”). (3) Childbearing in this verse refers primarily to Mary giving birth to Jesus Christ; women are therefore saved spiritually through Jesus’ birth, which has undone the effects of Eve’s disobedience. While this is found in some writings of the church fathers, it seems rather unlikely that this was in the author’s mind when he wrote this verse. Of these three possibilities, then, the first seems to be the most likely; the other alternatives seem to have arisen in order to solve the theological problem brought about by the verse, namely, that women find their salvation by means of childbearing. Translators in certain languages will need to restructure this verse to show the agent of “save,” namely God, “But God will save women through their bearing children.” And if one needs to state what the women are to be saved from, a translator may say, for example, “But God will save women from their sins (or, sinful condition) if….”

A further problem is found in the second half of the verse, where in the Greek the plural pronoun (“they”) is used; there is thus a mixing of the singular and plural pronouns in the same verse. Some interpreters have proposed a solution to the problem by taking the second pronoun as referring to the children, which is unlikely, since the behavior of the children would then determine the salvation of the mother. Others have suggested that the plural pronoun refers to both husband and wife, which again is rather unlikely, since the woman is in focus in the verse. This leaves us then with the third possibility, which also happens to be the choice of most interpreters, and that is that the plural pronoun has the same antecedent as the singular pronoun at the beginning of the verse. It is not very unusual in Greek writings to have a mixture of singular and plural pronouns, especially if the subject of the sentence is understood to be generic, which is the case in this context.

The salvation of women is to be made sure by their continuing to possess certain virtues. The verb for “continue” is literally “abide” or “remain”; the focus is on unwavering resolve to continue doing and observing certain things, which in this case are the four virtues mentioned. Another way of phrasing this is “if she does not waver in her belief in Christ.” Faith does not have the article, and more likely it refers to trust and commitment to Jesus Christ. Love is more likely to be horizontal than vertical; its object is other people rather than God or Christ. Holiness is perhaps used here primarily in a moral and ethical sense, referring to a life that is dedicated to God and therefore characterized by blameless conduct. Some would see this as a specific reference to right sexual conduct, but there is no clue in the passage to indicate this specific understanding. Modesty can be understood as characterizing the woman’s whole life, including the way she expresses her faith and love and holiness. The word is also used in 1 Tim. 2.9, for which see discussion there. In many languages it will be helpful to render with modesty as a separate sentence, as it will be hard to have this expression modify faith, love, and holiness naturally. All of these are “events” rather than “objects,” and in many languages they will be rendered with verbal expressions. Even in English, to say “if she perseveres in believing, and loves others, and lives a life dedicated to God, with all modesty (or propriety, or properness)” sounds rather strange. One way to restructure this sentence is “if she with an unassuming (or, humble) heart perseveres in her belief in Christ, continues to love her fellow believers, and maintains a blameless life.” Perhaps some translators can restructure as follows: “if she does not waver in her belief in Christ, continues to love her fellow believers, and maintains a blameless life. All of this, of course, should be done in a modest (or, unassuming) way.”

An alternative translation model for this verse is:
• But God will save a women through her bearing children, if she has a modest (or, unassuming) heart and does not waver (or, falter) in her belief in Christ, keeps on loving others, and maintains a blameless life.

Quoted with permission from Arichea, Daniel C. and Hatton, Howard A. A Handbook on Paul’s First Letter to Timothy. (UBS Handbook Series). New York: UBS, 1995. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .

Translation commentary on 1 Timothy 2:13 – 2:14

These two verses give a theological reason for the position regarding women in the Christian community. The source of the information is the book of Genesis, particularly the second and third chapters, with verse 13 taken from Genesis 2, and verse 14 from Genesis 3. In particular, verse 13 is a reference to Gen 2.7, 18-24, where the man was not only created first, but becomes the source of the creation of the woman. Verse 14, on the other hand, is a summary statement of Gen 3.1-7, where the woman was tempted by the snake to eat of the forbidden fruit in the garden.

First, then, in the order of creation, it was Adam who was formed first before Eve, based on the information found in Gen 2.7, 18-24. The word for formed can also be generic (“to make”), but in a specific sense it means “to mold” (as, for example, clay), “to shape.” This is the same word used by the Septuagint translators in Gen 2.7 (Revised Standard Version “formed”) in the creation of man from dust, and Gen 2.19, in the creation of the animals. The superiority of men over women is grounded first of all on the fact that man was created before woman and that man becomes a source of the creation of woman. This kind of thinking may also be found in 1 Cor 11.3, 8-9. In languages that do not use the passive voice, one may translate this first sentence as “After all, God created (or formed, or made) Adam first, and then he made Eve” or “… after that he made Eve.”

The second thing mentioned is the sin of the woman. This is a reference to Gen 3.1-7, where the woman was tempted by the snake to eat of the forbidden fruit in the garden. By yielding to the temptation of the snake, the woman was deceived and thus became a transgressor. The word for deceived includes the idea of misleading someone into believing as true something that is not; hence “led astray” (New Jerusalem Bible). The verse emphatically states that Adam was not deceived, which means that his accepting the fruit from Eve did not constitute submitting to deception. But there are many passages in the New Testament where Adam is depicted as the first transgressor (see, for example, Rom 5.12-21; 1 Cor 15.21-22, 45-58). This apparently is a difficulty that some translators face, and therefore they have made adjustments in such a way as to show that it was Eve’s deception that led to other deceptions including Adam’s. (Compare Phillips “It was Eve and not Adam who was first deceived.”) Such adjustments, however, cannot be justified by the Greek text. And may also be expressed as “Furthermore” or “Also.” In many languages translators will need to identify the agent of the event deceived and say something like “Furthermore, it was not Adam whom the snake deceived.” In certain languages it will be helpful to reverse the order of the first two clauses in verse 14; for example, “Also, it was the woman (or, Eve) whom the snake deceived, not Adam. And so in this way Eve broke (or, disobeyed) God’s law.”

Transgressor describes someone who willfully acts contrary to established customs, rules, and laws. One who disobeys God’s law is not only a lawbreaker but a sinner; so Jerusalem Bible “fell into sin.”

These two verses reflect the belief that was prevalent since Old Testament times, that women were inferior to men because it was the woman who caused the downfall of the human race; it was by her disobedience that sin, evil, and judgment came into the world. An author in the second century B.C. had written, “From a woman sin had its beginning, and because of her we all die.” This belief that women are easily deceived was one of the main reasons for some people to exclude women from any leadership functions in the early church. This was not the exclusive practice of the early church, however, as in other places in the New Testament women are in positions of leadership and teaching men; for example, Priscilla in Acts 18.26, and Phoebe in Rom 16.1.

Alternative translation models for this verse are:
• For God created Adam first, and then he made Eve. Furthermore, it was not Adam whom the snake deceived. But it was Eve who was deceived and sinned (or, broke God’s law).

Or:
• … Also, it was the woman (or, Eve) whom the snake deceived, not Adam. And so in this way Eve broke God’s law.

Quoted with permission from Arichea, Daniel C. and Hatton, Howard A. A Handbook on Paul’s First Letter to Timothy. (UBS Handbook Series). New York: UBS, 1995. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .

Translation commentary on 1 Timothy 2:11 – 2:12

After dealing with the physical appearance of women, the passage goes on to deal with the behavior of women. The primary concern still seems to be the conduct of women during the worship service and other church meetings, although as verse 12 indicates there may also be a reference to the relationship between men and women in general, and in particular the relationship between a woman and her husband.

The three ingredients of the behavior of women are: they should be learners, they should observe silence, and they should be submissive. So women should learn and not teach, since teaching in church was the exclusive function of men. This at least accents a feature of the early Christian community that makes it different from the Jewish synagogue, where instruction was reserved for men and boys. From the beginning of the Christian movement, women were included in instruction classes together with the men. But there was one condition: the women should learn in silence, which means that women were not allowed to speak at church meetings. Other ways to express learn in silence are “listen to the men’s teaching without asking questions” or “when the men are teaching them the Christian principles, the women should listen silently.” And finally, women should be submissive and should not have authority over men. Submissiveness includes the elements of recognition, subordination, and obedience; the addition of all indicates the intensity and extent of the submission; hence New Revised Standard Version “learn … with full submission.” Or one may translate “be completely submissive to the authority of the men as teachers.” This perhaps means that the women should submit to the authority of the men as teachers and should accept with humility and obedience what is taught to them. The logical offshoot of this is that women should not teach men or have authority over them. To have authority translates a Greek verb that means “to control,” “to dominate,” “to control in a domineering manner.” It is suggested that the Greek word for have authority can mean “interrupt,” in which case what verse 12 is saying is that the women should remain completely quiet during the meetings and should not interrupt the men teachers in any way. This suggestion is attractive in view of the context. However, so far as we know, no modern translation reflects this understanding.

An alternative translation model for verses 11 and 12 is the following:
• When the men are teaching them, the women should listen (or, learn) silently (or, without asking questions), recognizing the complete authority of the men. I do not allow women to teach men or to dominate (or, have authority over) them. Women should remain silent when you meet together in worship.

One other thing that needs to be noted is that, from verse 11 on, the singular form woman is used, in contrast to verse 9, which has the plural form. If, however, it is more natural in the receptor language to use the plural form when talking about women in general, then the plural form can be used in verses 11, 12, and 15.

Quoted with permission from Arichea, Daniel C. and Hatton, Howard A. A Handbook on Paul’s First Letter to Timothy. (UBS Handbook Series). New York: UBS, 1995. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .