I Timothy Chapter 2
ANALYSIS OF THE CHAPTER,
THIS chapter is occupied mainly in directions about the mode of
conducting public worship. Timothy had been left at Ephesus to
complete the plans which the apostle had commenced in reference
to the church there, but from completing which he had been un-
expectedly prevented, (see the Intro. ;) and it was important to state
the views which he entertained on this subject to Timothy. It
was important also that general directions on these subjects should
be given, which would be useful to the church at large. The
directions in this chapter relate to the following subjects:--
I. Public prayer, 1 Timothy 2:1-8.
(1.) It was to be offered for all classes of men, without distinction
of rank, sect, party, country, or name; especially for all that
were in authority, 1 Timothy 2:1,2. The reasons for this were,
(a) That God desired all men to be saved, and it was acceptable
to him that prayer should be offered for all, 1 Timothy 2:3,4.
(b) There is but one God over all the human race, and all are alike his
children, 1 Timothy 2:5.
(c) There is one and the same Mediator between God and all men,
1 Timothy 2:5.
(d) The same atonement has been made for all, 1 Timothy 2:6,7.
(2.) The way in which prayer should be offered. It should be with holy
hands, and without the intermingling of any bad passion, 1 Timothy 2:8.
II. The duties of women, 1 Timothy 2:9-15.
(1.) Modesty in their demeanour and apparel, 1 Timothy 2:9.
(2.) Good works--the chief ornament of women professing piety,
1 Timothy 2:10.
(3.) The duty of learning from others with a gentle and quiet spirit,
1 Timothy 2:11.
(4.) The duty of a proper subordination and submission to man,
1 Timothy 2:12.
(5.) The reasons for this subordination and submission are then
stated. They are,
(a) That Adam was first formed, 1 Timothy 2:13.
(b) That the woman had been deceived, and should be willing to occupy a
subordinate place, as she was first in the transgression and was the
means of leading him into sin, 1 Timothy 2:14.
(6.) Yet, as if to make a kind remark in favour of woman--to show that
he did not intend to teach that she was degraded and abandoned of
God--the apostle says that she would be under the Divine protection, and
that in the special sorrow and peril which had been brought upon her for
her transgression, God would sustain her if she continued in faith, and
evinced the spirit of a Christian in her life, 1 Timothy 2:15.
Verse 1. I exhort, therefore. Marg., desire. The word
exhort, however, better expresses the sense of the original. The
exhortation here is not addressed particularly to Timothy, but relates
to all who were called to lead in public prayer, 1 Timothy 2:8. This
exhortation, it may be observed, is inconsistent with the supposition
that a liturgy was then in use, or with the supposition that there
ever would be a liturgy--since, in that case, the objects to be prayed
for would be prescribed. How singular would it be now for an episcopal
bishop to "exhort" his presbyters to pray "for the President of the
United States and for all who are in authority." When the prayer is
prescribed, do they not do this as a matter of course?
First of all. That is, as the first duty to be enjoined; the thing
that is to be regarded with primary concern. Comp. Luke 12:1;
2 Peter 1:20. It does not mean that this was to be the first thing in
public worship in the order of time, but that it was to be regarded as a
duty of primary importance. The duty of praying for the salvation
of the whole world was not to be regarded as a subordinate and
secondary thing.
Supplications. It is not entirely easy to mark the difference in the
meaning of the words used here, and it is not essential. They all relate
to prayer, and refer only to the different parts of prayer, or to
distinct classes of thought and desire which come before the mind in
pleading for others. On the difference between the words
supplications and prayers, See Barnes "Hebrews 5:7".
Intercessions. The noun used occurs only in this place and in
1 Timothy 4:5, of this epistle. The verb, however (\~entugcanw\~) occurs in
Acts 25:24; Romans 8:27,34; 11:2; Hebrews 7:25. See the meaning explained in the
See Barnes "Romans 8:26"; See Barnes "Hebrews 7:25". There is one great
Intercessor between God and man, who pleads for our salvation on the
ground of what he himself has done, but we are permitted to intercede
for others, not on the ground of any merit which they or we possess, but
on the ground of the merit of the great Advocate and Intercessor. It is
an inestimable privilege to be permitted to plead for the salvation of
our fellow-men.
Giving of thanks. That is, in behalf of others. We ought to give
thanks for the mercy of God to ourselves; it is right and proper also
that we should give thanks for the goodness of God to others. We should
render praise that there is a way of salvation provided; that no one is
excluded from the offer of mercy; and that God is using so many means to
call lost sinners to himself.
For all men. Prayers should be made for all men--for all need the
grace and mercy of God; thanks should be rendered for all, for all
may be saved. Does not this direction imply that Christ died for
all mankind? How could we give thanks in their behalf if there
were no mercy for them, and no way had been provided by which
they could be saved? It may be observed here, that the direction
to pray and to give thanks for all men, showed the large and
catholic nature of Christianity. It was opposed entirely to the
narrow and bigoted feelings of the Jews, who regarded the whole
Gentile world as excluded from covenant mercies, and as having
no offer of life. Christianity threw down all these barriers, and all
men are on a level; and since Christ has died for all, there is ample
ground for thanksgiving and praise in behalf of the whole human
race.
{1} "exhort" "desire"
Verse 2. For kings. On the respect due to rulers,
See Barnes "Romans 13:1-7". The meaning here is, that while all men
should be the subjects of prayer, those should be particularly
remembered before the throne of grace who are in authority. The reason
is, that so much depends on their character and plans; that the security
of life, liberty, and property, depends so much on them. God has
power to influence their hearts, and to incline them to what is just
and equal; and hence we should pray that a Divine influence may
descend upon them. The salvation of a king is of itself of no more
importance than that of a peasant or a slave; but the welfare of
thousands may depend on him, and hence he should be made the special
subject of prayer.
All that are in authority. Marg., "or, eminent place." This does
not necessarily mean those who hold office, but refers to any of
elevated rank. The happiness of all who are under their control depends
greatly on them, and hence we should pray for them that they may be
converted men, and inclined to do that which is right.
That we may lead a quiet and peaceable life. That their hearts may
be so inclined to what is right that they may protect us in the
enjoyment of religion, and that we may not be opposed or harassed by
persecution. This does not mean that their protection would dispose us
to lead quiet and peaceful lives, but that under their protection we may
be saved from oppression on account of our religion. Christians are
disposed of themselves to be peaceful and orderly; they ask of their
rulers only that they may not be harassed in the enjoyment of their
rights.
In all godliness and honesty. In the practice of all our duties
towards God, and of all the duties which we owe to men. The word
godliness here denotes piety--or the duty which we owe to God; the word
honesty refers to our duties to our fellow-men. The Christian asks from
civil rulers such protection that he may be enabled quietly to perform
both these classes of duties.
{a} "kings" Romans 13:1
{2} "that are in authority" "eminent places"
Verse 3. For this is good and acceptable. That is, it is good and
acceptable to God that we should pray for all men. The reason is, that
he desires their salvation, and hence it is agreeable to him that we
should pray for it. If there were no provision made for their
salvation, or if he were unwilling that they should be saved, it
could not be agreeable to him that we should offer prayer for them.
Verse 4. Who will have all men to be saved. That is, it is in
accordance with his nature, his feelings, his desires. The word will
cannot be taken here in the absolute sense, denoting a decree like that
by which he willed the creation of the world, for then it would
certainly be done. But the word is often used to denote a desire,
wish, or what is in accordance with the nature of any one. Thus
it may be said of God that he "wills" that his creatures may be
happy--because it is in accordance with his nature, and because he
has made abundant provision for their happiness--though it is not
true that he wills it in the sense that he exerts his absolute power to
make them happy. God wills that sickness should be relieved,
and sorrow mitigated, and that the oppressed should go free, because it
is agreeable to his nature; though it is not true that he wills it in
the sense that he exerts his absolute power to produce it. A parent
wills the welfare of his child. It is in accordance with his nature, his
feelings, his desires; and he makes every needful arrangement for it. If
the child is not virtuous and happy, it is his own fault. So God wills
that all men should be saved. It would be in accordance with his
benevolent nature. He has made ample provision for it. He uses all
proper means to secure their salvation. He uses no positive means to
prevent it, and if they are not saved it will be their own fault. For
places in the New Testament where the word here translated "will"
(\~yelw\~) means to desire or wish, Luke 8:20; 23:8; John 16:19;
Galatians 4:20; Mark 7:24; 1 Corinthians 7:7; 11:3; 14:5; Matthew 15:28. This passage cannot
mean, as many have supposed, that God wills that all kinds of men should
be saved, or that some sinners of every rank and class may be saved,
because
(1.) the natural and obvious interpretation of the language is opposed
to such a sense. The language expresses the desire that "all men" should
be saved, and we should not depart from the obvious sense of a passage
unless necessity requires it.
(2.) Prayer and thanksgiving 1 Timothy 2:1 are directed to be offered,
not for some of all ranks and conditions, but for all mankind. No
exception is made, and no direction is given that we should exclude any
of the race from the expressions of our sympathy, and from an interest
in our supplications. The reason given here for that prayer is, that God
desires that all men should be saved. But how could this be a reason for
praying for all, if it means that God desired only the salvation of
some of all ranks?
(3.) In 1 Timothy 2:5,6, the apostle gives reasons showing that God
wished the salvation of all men, and those reasons are such as to
prove that the language here is to be taken in the most unlimited
sense. Those reasons are,
(a) that there is one God over all, and one Mediator between God and
men--showing that God is the Father of all, and has the same interest in
all; and
(b) that Christ gave himself a ransom for all--showing that God desired
their salvation. This verse proves
(1.) that salvation is provided for all --for if God wished all men to
be saved, he would undoubtedly make provision for their salvation; and
if he had not made such provision, it could not be said that he desired
their salvation, since no one can doubt that he has power to provide
for the salvation of all;
(2.) that salvation should be offered to all men--for if God desires it,
it is right for his ministers to announce that desire, and if he desires
it, it is not proper for them to announce anything contrary to this;
(3.) that men are to blame if they are not saved. If God did not wish
their salvation, and if he had made no provision for it, they could not
be to blame if they rejected the gospel. If God wishes it, and has made
provision for it, and they are not saved, the sin must be their own--and
it is a great sin, for there is no greater crime which a man can
commit than to destroy his own soul, and to make himself the eternal
enemy of his Maker.
And to come unto the knowledge of the truth. The truth which God has
revealed: the "truth as it is in Jesus." See Barnes "Ephesians 4:21".
{b} "Who will have" John 3:15,16; 2 Peter 3:9
Verse 5. For there is one God. This is a reason for offering prayer
for all men, and for the declaration 1 Timothy 2:4 that God desires that
all men should be saved. The reason is founded in the fact that he is
the common Father of all the race, and that he must have the same desire
for the welfare of all his children. He has made them of one blood,
Acts 17:26, and he must have the same interest in the happiness of
all. Comp. See Barnes " :"; See Barnes "Romans 3:30".
And one Mediator between God and men.
See Barnes "Galatians 3:19", See Barnes "Galatians 3:20";
See Barnes "Hebrews 9:15". This also is given as a reason why prayer
should be offered for all, and a proof that God desires their salvation.
The argument is, that there is the same Mediator between God and all
men. He is not the Mediator between God and a part of the human race,
but between "God and men," implying that he desired the salvation of the
race. Whatever love there was in giving the Mediator at all, was love
for all the race: whatever can be argued from that about the interest
which God has in man, is proof of his interest in the race at large. It
is proper, therefore, to pray for all. It may be remarked here that
there is but one Mediator. There is not one for kings and another for
their subjects; one for the rich and another for the poor; one for the
master and another for the slave. All are on the same level, and the
servant may feel that, in the gift of a Mediator, God regarded him with
the same interest that he did his master. It may be added, also, that
the doctrine of the Papists, that the saints or the Virgin Mary may
act as mediators to procure blessings for us, is false. There is but
"one Mediator;" and but one is necessary. Prayer offered to the
"saints," or to the "Virgin," is idolatry; and, at the same time,
removes the one great Mediator from the office which he alone holds,
of making intercession with God.
The man Christ Jesus. Jesus was truly and properly a man, having a
perfect human body and soul, and is often called a man in the New
Testament. But this does not prove that he was not also divine--any more
than his being called God, John 1:1; 20:28; Romans 9:5; 1 John 5:20
\\Heb 1:8\\, proves that he was not also a man. The use of the word
man here was probably designed to intimate that, though he was
divine, it was in his human nature that we are to consider him as
discharging the office. Doddridge.
{a} "one God" Romans 3:30
{b} "one mediator" Hebrews 9:15
Verse 6. Who gave himself a ransom for all. This also is stated as a
reason why prayer should be offered for all, and a proof that God
desires the salvation of all. The argument is, that as Christ died
for all, it is proper to pray for all; and that the fact that he died
for all, is proof that God desired the salvation of all. Whatever proof
of his desire for their salvation can be derived from this, in relation
to any of the race, is proof in relation to all. On the meaning of
the phrase "he gave himself a ransom," See Barnes "Matthew 20:28";
See Barnes "Romans 3:26". On the fact that it was for "all,"
See Barnes "2 Corinthians 5:14".
To be testified in due time. Marg., a testimony. The Greek
is, "the testimony in its own times," or in proper times-- \~to marturion\~
\~kairoiv idioiv\~. There have been very different explanations of this phrase.
The common interpretation, and that which seems to me to be correct, is, that
"the testimony of this will be furnished in the proper time; that is, in the
proper time it shall be made known through all the world." See
Rosenmuller. Paul affirms it as a great and important truth that Christ
gave himself a ransom for all mankind--for Jews and gentiles; for all
classes and conditions of men alike. This truth had not always been
understood. The Jews had supposed that salvation was designed
exclusively for their nation, and denied that it could be extended to
others, unless they became Jews. According to them, salvation was not
provided for, or offered to heathens as such, but only on condition
that they became Jews. In opposition to this, Paul says that
it was a doctrine of revelation that redemption was to be provided
for all men, and that it was intended that the testimony to this
should be afforded at the proper time. It was not fully made known
under the ancient dispensation, but now the period had come when
it should be communicated to all. See Barnes "Romans 5:6",
See Barnes "Galatians 4:4".
{c} "ransom for all" Matthew 20:28
{1} "be testified" "a testimony"
Verse 7. Whereunto. Gr., "Unto which;" that is, to the bearing of
which testimony I am appointed.
I am ordained. Gr., "I am placed or constituted" \~eteyhn\~. The word
"ordain" has now acquired a technical signification, meaning to set
apart solemnly to a sacred office by the imposition of hands; but it has
not that meaning here. It does not refer to the manner in which he was
set apart, or to any act of others in consecrating him to this work,
but merely to the fact that he had been placed in this office, or
appointed to it. He refers, doubtless, to the fact that the Lord Jesus
had designated him to this work.
A preacher and an apostle. See Barnes "1 Corinthians 9:1", and following.
See Barnes "Galatians 1:11", also See Barnes "Galatians 1:12".
I speak the truth in Christ, and lie not. That is, by Christ; or I
solemnly appeal to Christ--a form of an oath. See Barnes "Romans 9:1".
Paul makes a solemn declaration similar to this in regard to his call to
the apostleship, in Galatians 1:20. For the reasons why he did it,
See Barnes "Galatians 1:20". It is probable that there were those in
Ephesus who denied that he could be an apostle, and hence his solemn
declaration affirming it.
A teacher of the Gentiles. Specially appointed to carry the gospel
to the gentiles or the heathen. See Barnes "Romans 11:13";
See Barnes "Galatians 2:7".
In faith and verity. These words mean that he was appointed to
instruct the Gentiles in faith and the knowledge of the truth.
Verse 8. I will therefore. The Greek word here \~boulomai\~ is
different from the word rendered will \~yelw\~ 1 Timothy 2:4. The
distinction is, that the word there used--\~yelw\~--denotes an active
volition or purpose; the word here used--\~boulomai\~--a mere passive
desire, propensity, willingness. Rob. Lex. The meaning here is, "It is
my will"--expressing his wishes in the case, or giving direction--
though using a milder word than that which is commonly employed to
denote an act of will.
That men pray everywhere. Not merely in the temple, or in other
sacred places, but in all places. The Jews supposed that there was
special efficacy in prayers offered at the temple in Jerusalem; the
heathen also had the same view in regard to their temples--for both
seemed to suppose that they came nearer to God by approaching his sacred
abode. Christianity teaches that God may be worshipped in any place, and
that we are at all times equally near him. See Barnes " :" and
following. See Barnes "Acts 17:25". The direction here given that men
should pray in contradistinction from the, duties of women, specified in
the next verse, may be intended to imply that men should conduct the
exercises of public worship. The duties of women pertain to a different
sphere. Comp. 1 Timothy 2:11,12.
Lifting up holy hands. To lift up the hands denotes supplication, as
it was a common attitude of prayer to spread abroad the hands towards
heaven. Comp. Psalms 68:31; Exodus 9:29,33; 1 Kings 8:22; 2 Chronicles 6:12,13; Isaiah 1:16.
See also Horace Odes, III. xxii. 1; Ovid, M. ix. 701; Livy, v. 21;
Seneca, Ep. 21. "Holy hands" here mean hands that are not defiled by
sin, and thai have not been employed for any purpose of iniquity. The
idea is, that when men approach God they should do it in a pure and holy
manner.
Without wrath. That is, without the intermingling of any evil
passion; with a calm, peaceful, benevolent mind. There should be nothing
of the spirit of contention; there should be no anger towards others;
the suppliant should be at peace with all men. It is impossible for a
man to pray with comfort, or to suppose that his prayers will be heard,
if he cherishes anger. The following exquisite and oft-quoted passage
from Jeremy Taylor, is a more beautiful and striking illustration of the
effect of anger in causing our prayers to return unanswered than was
probably ever penned by any one else. Nothing could be more true,
beautiful, and graphic. "Anger sets the house on fire, and all the
spirits are busy upon trouble, and intend propulsion, defence,
displeasure, or revenge. It is a short madness, and an eternal enemy to
discourse and a fair conversation; it intends its own object with all
the earnestness of perception or activity of design, and a quicker
motion of a too warm and distempered blood; it is a fever in the heart,
and a calenture in the head, and a fire in the face, and a sword in the
hand, and a fury all over; and therefore can never suffer a man to be in
a disposition to pray. For prayer is the peace of our spirit, the
stillness of our thoughts, the evenness of recollection, the seat of
meditation, the rest of our cares, and the calm of our tempest; prayer
is the issue of a quiet mind, of untroubled thoughts; it is the daughter
of charity and the sister of meekness; and he that prays to God with an
angry, that is, with a troubled and discomposed spirit, is like him that
retires into a battle to meditate, and sets up his closet in the
out-quarters of an army, and chooses a frontier garrison to be wise in.
Anger is a perfect alienation of the mind from prayer, and therefore is
contrary to that attention which presents our prayers in a right line to
God. For so have I seen a lark rising from his bed of grass, and
soaring upwards, and singing as he rises, and hopes to get to heaven
and rise above the clouds; but the poor bird was beaten back with
the loud sighings of an eastern wind, and his motion made irregular
and inconsistent. Descending more at every breath of the tempest
than it could recover by the libation and frequent weighing of its
wings, till the little creature was forced to sit down and pant, and
stay till the storm was over; and then it made a prosperous flight,
and did rise and sing, as if it had learned music and motion from
an angel." The Return of Prayers, Works vol. i. 638. Ed. Lond.
1835.
And doubting. This. word, as used here, does not mean, as
our translation would seem to imply, that we are to come before
God without any doubts of our own piety, or in the exercise of perfect
faith. The word used (\~dialogismov\~) means, properly, computation,
adjustment of accounts; then reflection, thought; then reasoning,
opinion; then debate, contention, strife. Luke 9:46; Mark 9:33,34;
Philippians 2:14. This is the sense evidently in this place. They
were not to approach God in prayer in the midst of clamorous
disputings and angry contentions. They were not to come When the mind
was heated with debate, and irritated by strife for victory. Prayer was
to be offered in a calm, serious, sober state of mind, and they who
engage in polemical strife, or in warm contention of any kind, are
little fitted to unite in the solemn act of addressing God. How often
are theologians, when assembled together, so heated by debate, and so
anxious for party victory, that they are in no suitable state of mind
to pray! How often do even good men, holding different views on the
disputed points of religious doctrine, suffer their minds to become
so excited, and their temper so ruffled, that they are conscious they
are in an unfit state of mind to approach the throne of grace together!
That theological debate has gone too far; that strife for victory has
become too warm, when the disputants are in such a state of mind that
they cannot unite in prayer; when they could not cease their
contentions, and with a calm and proper spirit, bow together before the
throne of grace.
{a} "pray everywhere" John 4:21
{b} "holy hands" Hebrews 10:22
Verse 9. In like manner also. That is, with the same propriety; with
the same regard to what religion demands. The apostle had stated
particularly the duty of men in public worship, 1 Timothy 2:8, and he now
proceeds to state the duty of women. All the directions here evidently
refer to the proper manner of conducting public worship, and not to
private duties; and the object here is to state the way in which he
would have the different sexes appear. He had said that he would have
prayers offered for all men, 1 Thessalonians 2:1, seq., and that in offering
such petitions he would have the men on whom devolved the duty of
conducting public devotion, do it with holy hands, and without any
intermingling of passion, and with entire freedom from the spirit of
contention. In reference to the duty of females in attendance on public
worship, he says that he would have them appear in apparel suitable to
the place and the occasion; adorned not after the manner of the world,
but with the zeal and love in the cause of the Redeemer which became
Christians. He would not have a woman become a public teacher,
1 Timothy 2:12, but would wish her ever to occupy the place in society
for which she was designed, 1 Timothy 2:11, and to which she had shown
that she was adapted, 1 Timothy 2:13,14. The direction in
1 Timothy 2:9-12, therefore, is to be understood particularly of the
proper deportment of females in the duties of public worship. At the
same time, the principles laid down are doubtless such as were intended
to apply to them in the other situations in life, for if modest apparel
is appropriate in the sanctuary, it is appropriate everywhere. If what
is here prohibited in dress is wrong there, it would be difficult to
show that it is right elsewhere.
That women adorn themselves. The words "I will," are to be
understood here as repeated from 1 Timothy 2:8. The apostle, by the use
of the word adorn, \~kosmein\~ shows that he is not opposed to
ornament or adorning, provided it be of the right kind. The world,
as God has made it, is full of beauty, and he has shown in each flower
that he is not opposed to true ornament. There are multitudes of things
which so far as we can see, appear to be designed for mere ornament,
or are made merely because they are beautiful. Religion does not
forbid true adorning. It differs from the world only on the question
what is true ornament, or what it becomes us, all things considered, to
do in the situation in which we are placed, the character which we
sustain, the duties which we have to perform, and the profession which
we make. It may be that there are ornaments in heaven which would be
anything but appropriate for the condition of a poor, lost, dying sinner
on earth.
In modest apparel. The word here rendered modest, \~kosmiov\~,
properly relates to ornament or decoration, and means that which is
well-ordered, decorous, becoming. It does not, properly, mean
modest, in the sense of being opposed to that which is immodest,
or which tends to excite improper passions and desires, but that which
is becoming or appropriate. The apostle does not positively specify what
this would be, but he mentions some things which are to be excluded from
it, and which, in his view, are inconsistent with the true adorning of
Christian females --" broidered hair, gold, pearls, costly array." The
sense here is, that the apparel of females should be such as becomes
them, or is appropriate to them. The word here used, \~kosmiov\~ shows
that there should be due attention that it may be truly neat,
fit, decorous. There is no religion in a negligent mode of apparel,
or in inattention to personal appearance- any more than there
is in wearing gold and pearls; and a female may as truly violate
the precepts of her religion by neglecting her personal appearance,
as by excessive attention to it. The true idea here is, that her
attention to her appearance should be such that she will be offensive
to no class of persons; such as to show that her mind is supremely
fixed on higher and more important things, and such as to interfere
with no duty which she owes, and no good which she can do, either
by spending her time needlessly in personal adorning, or by lavishing
that money for dress which might do good to others, or by neglecting the
proprieties of her station, and making herself offensive to others.
With shame-facedness. With modesty of appearance and manner--an
eminent female virtue, whether in the sanctuary or at home.
And sobriety. The word here used means properly, sanity; then
sober-mindedness, moderation of the desires and passions. It is opposed
to all that is frivolous, and to all undue excitement of the passions.
The idea is, that in their apparel and deportment they should not
entrench on the strictest decorum. Doddridge.
Not with broidered hair. Marg., plaited. Females in the east pay
much more attention to the hair than is commonly done with us. It is
plaited with great care, and arranged in various forms, according to the
prevailing fashion, and often ornamented with spangles, or with silver
wire, or tissue interwoven. See Barnes "Isaiah 3:24". The sense here
is, that Christian females are not to imitate those of the world in
their careful attention to the ornaments of the head. It cannot be
supposed that the mere braiding of the hair is forbidden, but only
that careful attention to the manner of doing it, and to the ornaments
usually worn in it, which characterized worldly females.
Or gold, or pearls. It is not to be supposed that all use of gold or
pearls, as articles of dress, is here forbidden; but the idea is, that
the Christian female is not to seek these as the adorning which she
desires, or is not to imitate the world in these personal decorations.
It may be a difficult question to settle how much ornament is allowable,
and when the true line is passed. But though this cannot be settled by
any exact rules, since much must depend on age, and on the relative rank
in life, and the means which one may possess, yet there is one general
rule which is applicable to all, and which might regulate all. It
is, that the true line is passed when more is thought of this
external adorning, than of the ornament of the heart. Any external
decoration which occupies the mind more than the virtues of the
heart, and which engrosses the time and attention more, we may
be certain is wrong. The apparel should be such as not to attract
attention; such as becomes our situation; such as will not be
particularly singular; such as shall leave the impression that the heart
is not fixed on it. It is a poor ambition to decorate a dying body
with gold and pearls. It should not be forgotten that the body
thus adorned will soon need other habiliments, and will occupy a
position where gold and pearls would be a mockery. When the
heart is right; when there is true and supreme love for religion, it
is usually not difficult to regulate the subject of dress.
Costly array. Expensive dress. This is forbidden, for it is foolish;
and the money thus employed may be much more profitably used in
doing good. "Costly array" includes that which can be ill afforded, and
that which is inconsistent with the feeling that the principal ornament
is that of the heart.
{1} "broidered" "plaited" 1 Peter 3:3
Verse 10. But (which becometh women professing godliness) with good
works. That is, it is not appropriate for women who profess to be
the followers of the Saviour, to seek to be distinguished for personal,
external decorations. If they are Christians, they have seen the vanity
of these things, and have fixed the heart on more substantial realities.
They are professed followers of Him "who went about doing good," and the
performance of good works especially becomes them. They profess to have
fixed the affections on God their Saviour, and to be living for heaven;
and it is not becoming in them to seek such ornaments as would indicate
that the heart is supremely attached to worldly things. There is great
beauty in this direction. Good works, or deeds of benevolence, eminently
become a Christian female. The nature of woman seems to be adapted to
the performance of all deeds demanding kindness, tenderness, and
gentleness of feeling; of all that proceeds from pity, sympathy, and
affection; and we feel, instinctively, that while acts of hardy
enterprise and daring in a good cause peculiarly become a Christian man,
there is something exquisitely appropriate to the female character in
deeds of humble and unobtrusive sympathy and benevolence. God seems to
have formed her mind for just such things, and in such things it
occupies its appropriate sphere, rather than in seeking external
adorning.
Verse 11. Let the woman learn in silence. Listen attentively to
instruction, without attempting to teach in public.
See Barnes "1 Corinthians 14:35".
With all subjection. With due subjection to those who are in
authority, and who are appointed to minister in holy things
See Barnes "1 Corinthians 14:34".
{a} "woman learn" 1 Corinthians 14:34
Verse 12. But I suffer not a woman to teach.
See Barnes "1 Corinthians 14:34".
Nor to usurp authority over the man. See Barnes "1 Corinthians 11:3".
Verse 13. For Adam was first formed, then Eve. The apostle in this
verse, and, the following, gives reasons why a woman should occupy
a subordinate situation, and not usurp authority. The first is, that
she was second in the act of creation, or was made subsequent to
man. The reason here assigned cannot be understood to be merely
that of priority of existence--for then it would give every old
person authority over a younger one; but it must refer to the
circumstances of the case as detailed in the history of the creation,
Genesis chapters 1 and 2. Man was made as the Lord, of this lower
creation, and placed in the garden, and then the woman was made of a rib
taken from his side, and given to him, not as a lord, but as a
companion. All the circumstances combine to show the subordinate nature
of her rank, and to prove that she was not designed to exert authority
over the man. See Barnes "1 Corinthians 11:8,9".
Verse 14. And Adam was not deceived. This is the second reason why
the woman should occupy a subordinate rank in all things. It is
that in the most important situation in which she was ever placed,
she had shown that she was not qualified to take the lead. She
had evinced a readiness to yield to temptation; a feebleness of
resistance; a pliancy of character, which showed that she was not
adapted to the situation of headship, and which made it proper
that she should ever afterwards occupy a subordinate situation. It
is not meant here that Adam did not sin, nor even that he was not
deceived by the Tempter, but that the woman opposed a feebler
resistance to the temptation than he would have done, and that
the temptation as actually applied to her would have been
ineffectual on him. To tempt and seduce him to fall, there were
needed all the soft persuasions, the entreaties, and the example of his
wife. Satan understood this, and approached man not with the specious
argument of the serpent, but through the allurements of his wife.
It is undoubtedly implied here that man, in general, has a power of
resisting certain kinds of temptation, superior to that possessed
by woman, and hence that the headship properly belongs to him.
This is, undoubtedly, the general truth, though there may be many
exceptions, and many noble cases to the honour of the female sex,
in which they evince a power of resistance to temptation superior
to man. In many traits of character, and among them those which
are most lovely, woman is superior to man; yet it is undoubtedly
true that, as a general thing, temptation will make a stronger
impression on her than on him. When it is said that "Adam was not
deceived," it is not meant that when he partook actually of the
fruit he was under no deception, but that he was not deceived by
the serpent; he was not first deceived, or first in the transgression.
The woman should remember that sin began with her, and she should
therefore be willing to occupy an humble and subordinate situation.
But the woman being deceived. She was made to suppose that the fruit
would not injure her, but would make her wise, and that God would not
fulfil his threatening of death. Sin, from the beginning, has been a
process of delusion. Every man or woman who violates the law of God is
deceived as to the happiness which is expected from the violation, and
as to the consequences which will follow it.
pgreek
Verse 15. Notwithstanding she shall be saved. The promise in this
verse is designed to alleviate the apparent severity of the remarks just
made about the condition of woman, and of the allusion to the
painful facts of her early history. What the apostle had just said
would carry the mind back to the period in which woman introduced sin
into the world, and by an obvious and easy association, to the sentence
which had been passed on her in consequence of her transgression, and to
the burden of sorrows which she was doomed to bear. By the remark in
this verse, however, Paul shows that it was not his intention to
overwhelm her with anguish. He did not design to harrow up her feelings
by an unkind allusion to a melancholy fact in her history. It was
necessary for him to state, and for her to know, that her place was
secondary and subordinate, and he wished this truth ever to be kept in
memory among Christians. It was not unkind or improper, also, to state
the reasons for this opinion, and to show that her own history had
demonstrated that she was not designed for headship. But she was not
to be regarded as degraded and abandoned. She was not to be overwhelmed
by the recollection of what "the mother of all living" had done.
There were consolations in her case. There was a special Divine
interposition which she might look for, evincing tender care on the
part of God in those deep sorrows which had come upon her in
consequence of her transgression; and instead of being crushed
and broken-hearted on account of her condition, she should remember that
the everlasting arms of God would sustain her in her condition of sorrow
and pain. Paul, then, would speak to her the language of consolation,
and while he would have her occupy her proper place, he would have her
feel that God was her Friend. In regard to the nature of the
consolation referred to here, there has been a considerable variety of
opinion. Some have held, that by the expression "she shall be saved in
child-bearing," the apostle designs to include all the duties of the
maternal relation, meaning that she should be saved through the faithful
performance of her duties as a mother. Robinson, Lex. Rosenmuller
regards the word rendered "child-bearing" (\~teknogonia\~,) as synonymous
with education, and supposes that the meaning is, that a woman, by
the proper training of her children, can obtain salvation as well as her
husband, and that her appropriate duty is not public teaching, but
the training of her family. Wetstein supposes that it means, "she
shall be saved from the arts of impostors, and from the luxury and
vice of the age, if, instead of wandering about, she remains at home,
cultivates modesty, is subject to her husband, and engages carefully
in the training of her children." This sense agrees well with the
connexion. Calvin supposes that the apostle designs to console the
woman by the assurance that, if she bears the trials of her condition
of sorrow with a proper spirit, abiding in faith and holiness, she will
be saved. She is not to regard herself as cut off from the hope
of heaven. Doddridge, Macknight, Clarke, and others, suppose that
it refers to the promise in Genesis 3:15, and means that the woman
shall be saved through, or by means of bearing a child, to wit, the
Messiah; and that the apostle means to sustain the woman in her
sorrows, and in her state of subordination and inferiority, by referring
to the honour which has been put upon her by the fact that a woman gave
birth to the Messiah. It is supposed also that he means to say that
special honour is thus conferred on her over the man, inasmuch as the
Messiah had no human father. Doddridge. The objections to this
interpretation, however, though it is sustained by most respectable
names, seem to me to be insuperable. They are such as these:
(1.) The interpretation is too refined and abstruse. It is not that
which is obvious. It depends for its point on the fact that the Messiah
had no human father, and if the apostle had intended to refer to that,
and to build an argument on it, it may be doubted whether he would have
done it in so obscure a manner. But it may reasonably be questioned
whether he would have made that fact a point on which his argument would
turn. There would be a species of refinement about such an argument,
such as we should not look for in the writings of Paul.
(2.) It is not the obvious meaning of the word "child-bearing." There is
nothing in the word which requires that it should have any reference
to the birth of the Messiah. The word is of a general character,
and properly refers to child-bearing in general.
(3.) It is not true that woman would be "saved" merely by having given
birth to the Messiah. She will be saved, as man will be, as a
consequence of his having been born; but there is no evidence that the
mere fact that woman gave birth to him, and that he had no human
father, did anything to save Mary herself, or any one else of her
sex. If, therefore, the word refers to the "bearing" of the Messiah,
or to the fact that he was born, it would be no more proper to say
that this was connected with the salvation of woman than that of
man. The true meaning, it seems to me, has been suggested By
Calvin, and may be seen by the following remarks.
(1.) The apostle designed to comfort woman, or to alleviate the sadness
of the picture which he had drawn respecting her condition.
(2.) He had referred, incidentally, as a proof of the subordinate
character of her station, to the first apostasy. This naturally
suggested the sentence which was passed on her, and the condition of
sorrow to which she was doomed, particularly in child-birth. That
was the standing demonstration of her guilt; that the condition in which
she suffered most; that the situation in which she was in greatest
peril.
(3.) Paul assures her, therefore, that though she must thus suffer, yet
that she ought not to regard herself in her deep sorrows and dangers,
though on account of sin, as necessarily under the Divine displeasure,
or as excluded from the hope of heaven. The way of salvation was open
to her as well as to men, and was to be entered in the same manner.
If she had faith and holiness, even in her condition of sorrow brought
on by guilt, she might as well hope for eternal life as man. The object
of the apostle seems to be to guard against a possible construction which
might be put on his words, that he did not regard the woman as in
circumstances as favourable for salvation as those of man, or as if
he taught that salvation for her was more difficult, or perhaps that
she could not be saved at all. The general sentiments of the Jews
in regard to the salvation.of the female sex, and their exclusion
from the religious privileges which men enjoy; the views of the
Mohammedans in reference to the inferiority of the sex; and the
prevalent feelings in the heathen world, degrading the sex, and
making their condition, in regard to salvation, far inferior to that
of man, show the propriety of what the apostle here says, and the
fitness that he should so guard himself that his language could not
possibly be construed so as to give countenance to such a sentiment.
According to the interpretation of the passage here proposed, tho
apostle does not mean to teach that a Christian female would be
certainly saved from death in child-birth--for this would not be
true, and the proper construction of the passage does not require
us to understand him as affirming this. Religion is not designed
to make any immediate and direct change in the laws of our physical
being. It does not of itself guard us from the pestilence; it does not
arrest the progress of disease; it does not save us from death; and, as
a matter of fact, woman, by the highest degree of piety, is not
necessarily saved from the perils of that condition to which she has
been subjected in consequence of the apostasy. The apostle means to show
this--that in all her pain and sorrow; amidst all the evidence of
apostasy, and all that reminds her that she was "first" in the
transgression, she may look up to God as her Friend and Strength, and
may hope for acceptance and salvation.
If they continue. If woman continues--it being not uncommon
to change the singular form to the plural, especially if the subject
spoken of have the character of a noun of multitude. Many have
understood this of children, as teaching that if the mother were
faithful, so that her children continued in faith, she would be
saved. But this is not a necessary or probable interpretation.
The apostle says nothing of children, and it is not reasonable to
suppose that he would make the prospect of her salvation depend
on their being pious. This would be to add a hard condition of
salvation, and one nowhere else suggested in the New Testament.
The object of the apostle evidently is, to show that woman must
continue in the faithful service of God if she would be saved--a
doctrine everywhere insisted on in the New Testament in reference
to all persons. She must not imitate the example of the mother
of mankind, but she must faithfully yield obedience to the laws of
God till death.
Faith. Faith in the Redeemer and in Divine truth, or a life of
fidelity in the service of God.
Charity. Love to all. See Barnes " :".
Holiness. She must be truly religious.
With sobriety. All these things must be united with a becoming
soberness or seriousness of deportment. See Barnes "1 Timothy 2:9".
In such a life, woman may look to a world where she will be for ever
free from all the sadnesses and sorrows of her condition here; where, by
unequalled pain, she will be no more reminded of the time when
----------"her rash hand in evil hour
Forth reaching to tile fruit, she pluck'd, she ate;"
and when before the throne she shall be admitted to full equality
with all the redeemed of the Lord. Religion meets all the sadnesses of
her condition here; pours consolation into the cup of her many woes;
speaks kindly to her in her distresses; utters the language of
forgiveness to her heart when crushed with the remembrance of sin--for
"she loves much," Luke 7:37-48; and conducts her to immortal glory in
that world where all sorrow shall be unknown.
{*} "in childbearing" "through"
{+} "sobriety" "sober mindedness"
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