Prayer
Introduction
and particularly so as we contemplate him as the Savior who desires all sorts of people to be saved (v. 4). That God would have all sorts of people be saved is a necessary corollary of the truth of monotheism and of the provision of only one mediator, the man Christ Jesus (v. 5), and of the extent of the provision of the mediator’s ransom, which is for all sorts of people (v. 6). Paul’s own career in proclaiming this gospel to Gentiles (not just to Jews) bears out that the “all” (πάντες, vv. 1, 4, 6) encompasses all sorts of people (v. 7). Since all these things are true, people in every place should pray with a godliness in accord with such a gospel (v. 8).
2:1 Paul begins with παρακαλέω (see 1:3) and uses it with the sensitivity of which he speaks in 5:1b. Using the word οὖν, “then,” in the sense of “consequent command or exhortation” (MGM, 1104), he exhorts prayer (for a thoughtful treatment of οὖν, see, in addition to BAGD, Dana-Mantey, Grammar, 254–57).
“First of all” (πρῶτον) may mean either first in sequence or first in importance. The predominant usage of Paul elsewhere is that of sequence or time, although there are possible exceptions (e.g., Rom. 3:2; perhaps 1:8 [similar to our text]; according to BAGD also Rom. 1:16; 2:9f.; 2 Cor. 8:5, and our text). In the light of Paul’s predominant usage, we should probably understand the word in a sequential sense here, but with the qualification that what is placed first in sequence may be so placed because it is also considered first in importance. This perspective is strengthened by the qualification of πρῶτον by the inclusive genitive plural παντῶν (the only occurrence of this combination in the NT and the LXX) so that what is “first” is “first of all” the matters about which he will exhort his readers in the body of the letter. In this particular situation and perhaps in any situation this is the first item of concern, though Paul’s other letters do not begin their hortatory sections with exhortation to prayer. But Paul does offer prayer and thanksgiving as one of the first and most important items at the beginnings of his letters (see O’Brien, Introductory Thanksgivings; πρῶτον introduces thanksgiving in Rom. 1:8ff., but only there does it do so).
That which Paul urges is expressed by ποιεῖσθαι followed by four words for prayer in the accusative plural and then a prepositional phrase indicating on whose behalf prayers are to be made. The four words for prayer may be synonyms, repeated to give emphasis to the request, or, more likely, they may represent distinguishable nuances that Paul wanted to specify (the last term is certainly different from the others). All but one (ἐντεύξεις) occur elsewhere in Paul and the NT with some frequency and often in lists, as here (e.g., Phil. 4:6, where δέησις, προσευχή, and εὐχαριστία are also found; δέησις and προσευχή together in Eph. 6:18 and 1 Tim. 5:5 and in the LXX, e.g., Pss. 6:9; 17:1; 39:12; the classic treatment of these terms in relation to each other is Trench, Synonyms §li; for a more recent study with bibliography, see H. Schönweiss, C. Brown, and G. T. D. Angel, NIDNTT II, 855–85).
δέησις (in the NT only in reference to God) is the more specific word of the first two and indicates an “entreaty” (BAGD) for a particular benefit (Trench) or need (Ridderbos and Spicq, the latter with reference to the related verb δέομαι; cf. also H. Greeven, TDNT II, 40f.).
προσευχή is the more general word for prayer (cf. Greeven, TDNT II, 802: “with no narrower indication of its content”), although it can also be more focused when additional terms are added to it. It is most often found in contexts of petition, as here (cf. again O’Brien, Introductory Thanksgivings, 29f. n. 50), and may (cf. εὔχομαι, “I wish,” “I pray”) give emphasis to the desire to come to God, and in our context, to bring those for whom one is praying before God for his general blessing and care, whereas δεήσις would seem to focus on asking for some special need in that one’s life.
ἔντευξις** (here and 4:5) means here “petition” or more appropriately “appeal” (BAGD; cf. ἐντυγχάνω in Paul, Rom. 8:27, 34; 11:2), with a note of both urgency and boldness of access (Trench). Prayers must manifest concern for others and perhaps particularly for their plight or difficulty. With ἔντευξις the image is that of one who comes to a king and appeals for the king’s favorable response, here on behalf of “all” (for usage in the papyri see Spicq; BAGD; Deissmann, Bible Studies, 121, 146).
εὐχαριστία refers to “thanksgiving” or expressions of gratitude, here “thankfulness” or “gratitude” to God on behalf of all. The verb εὐχαριστέω is found in the introductory sections of all of Paul’s letters except for Galatians and the PE (in 1 and 2 Timothy replaced by χάριν ἔχω). εὐχαριστία is included in his instructions about prayer in Phil. 4:6; Col. 4:2, as here (cf. also Eph. 5:20; Col. 3:15–17; 1 Thes. 5:18), to draw attention to the fact that requests are made always in the context of conscious expressions of thankfulness.
In summary, these four terms delineate aspects of what should mark prayers: δεήσεις, making requests for specific needs; προσευχάς, bringing those in view before God; ἐντεύξεις, appealing boldly on their behalf; and εὐχαριστίας, thankfulness for them. That the four words are plural points to more than one expression of prayer and suggests the involvement of a number of those in the congregation, as does plural τοὺς ἄνδρας in v. 8.
Paul desires that such prayers should be made “on behalf of all people” (ἄνθρωπος used here in the sense of human beings, not of males in contrast to females). ὑπέρ is often used in the sense of “for,” “in behalf of,” “for the sake of” (with the genitive, as here), especially after words for request or prayer (see BAGD s.v. ὑπέρ 1a α; s.v. δέησις; s.v. προσευχή).
What does “all people” (πάντες ἄνθρωποι, Acts 22:15; Rom. 5:12a, 18a, b; 12:17, 18; 1 Cor. 7:7; 15:19; 2 Cor. 3:2; Phil. 4:5; 1 Thes. 2:15; 1 Tim. 2:4; 4:10; Tit. 2:11; 3:2) mean? The repetition of ὑπέρ and further specification, as a subgroup, of civil rulers (v. 2) points in the direction of it meaning all kinds of people. This meaning would fit in the other occurrences of the phrase in 1 Timothy and Titus (especially Tit. 3:2) and would appear to be the understanding of the term when it was first presented to Paul as the perspective for his ministry (Acts 22:15). It is also the most natural understanding in a number of the Pauline passages where an absolute universalism is a virtual impossibility and a reference to all kinds of individuals is more likely (cf. Rom. 12:17, 18; 2 Cor. 3:2; Phil. 4:5; perhaps 1 Thes. 2:15; cf. also εἰς πάντας in Rom. 10:12; an absolute universalism for πάντες ἄνθρωποι is demanded only where the sin of “all people” is spoken of, Rom. 5:12a, 18a). That this is the significance of πάντες ἄνθρωποι here is also borne out by Paul’s use of πάντες elsewhere to include different named categories of mankind (Gal. 3:28; Col. 3:11).
Does Paul request prayer for all kinds of people to counteract a narrowness on the part of the false teachers or because it is inherently part of the theology of one God and one mediator? Actually, this is not an either/or matter. In view of Paul’s insistence on including “all” groups in the body of Christ (Gal. 3:28; Col. 3:11), it would appear that the primary reason for this directive is theological and only secondarily the need to deal with trends in the opposite direction. But these trends may have been the occasion for the “all” being emphasized in this letter after references to the false teachers (here and vv. 4, 6 after chapter 1; 4:10 after 4:1–7). Paul’s insistence that his message comes exclusively from God (Gal. 1:11, 12) would indicate that his teaching first unfolds truth and then corrects perceived error, rather than being simply a reaction to another view, even if that view may have served to call forth a clearer articulation of the truth.
2:2 The preposition ὑπέρ is repeated to specify one of the kinds of people, namely, civil authorities. They are singled out because of Paul’s concern for God’s ordained order in society (cf. Rom. 13:1–7) and more pragmatically in this text because (as the ἵνα clause indicates) the lives of all people, including Christians in their concern to proclaim the gospel and live a godly life, are affected by civil authorities. βασιλεύς is used in the NT generally in its strict sense of one who is a “king” or “monarch,” but also sometimes in a figurative sense of the possessor of the highest power (see BAGD). Since the programmatic words of Acts 9:15 addressed to Paul (“to bear my name before the Gentiles and kings and the sons of Israel”) are heard when Paul is before Agrippa (addressed as king) and finally before Caesar, the implication is that Paul understood Caesar and others, such as Agrippa, to be included in this term. Thus, with the anarthrous pl. βασιλεῖς Paul is referring to a category of supreme rulers.
He adds the inclusive statement, καὶ πάντων τῶν ἐν ὑπεροχῇ ὄντων, to make plain that his concern is for those in civil authority generally. πάντων is followed by the definite article τῶν, which indicates that a particular group is in view, which is then specified by ἐν ὑπεροχῇ ὄντων. ὑπεροχή** (here and 1 Cor. 2:1), literally “projection” or “prominence,” is used in the NT only in figurative senses, here for a place of authority (cf. the use of ὑπερέχω in analogous contexts in Rom. 13:2; 1 Pet. 2:13).
Prayers for civil authorities have a very practical and significant purpose, which is indicated by the ἵνα clause. That purpose has to do with life itself (βίον διάγωμεν) in both proximate (“tranquil and quiet life”) and ultimate (“in all godliness and dignity”) goals. διάγω** (here and Tit. 3:3) is common in Greek and Jewish (e.g., 2 Maccabees 12:38; 3 Maccabees 4:8; Josephus, Ap. 2.229) writers both with and without βίον with the meaning “spend one’s life, live” (BAGD). βίος (PE* 2x) refers here, as the correlation with διάγω also indicates, to earthly life in its various functions (BAGD; cf. 2 Tim. 2:4; Lk. 8:14). The first person plural verb διάγωμεν (others are in 1:8; 4:10; 6:8) probably has in view the entire Christian community, because of the reference to εὐσέβεια, a general term for Christian piety. The plural also probably reaches out to include all kinds of men and women, for whom the church is praying and for whom they desire, as does God (v. 4), salvation and godly living.
ἤρεμος** (hapax) means “quiet,” “tranquil” (BAGD) in the sense of “untroubled from without” (Simpson and Ellicott). But as Buck observes (Dictionary, 840), even though a “state of rest” is the basic notion of this word, its “range” and “dominant application” differ. ἡσύχιος** (here and 1 Pet. 3:4) also means “quiet.” An evaluation of Paul’s own life leads one to realize that this “quiet” does not mean a sheltered life but rather freedom from the turmoil that threatened to thwart his ministry. A good example is the disquiet of the riot in the very city that he was writing to, Ephesus (Acts 19:23–41), which the rulers finally quieted. After this quiet came, Paul was able to gather and exhort the disciples (20:1; cf. also the case at Corinth, 18:12–18). But often the disquietude of riot and persecution would mean that Paul and his companions had to leave both church and city (Acts 13:50, 51; 14:5, 6, 19; 16:19–21, 39, 40; 17:8–10, 13, 14), and it was only the intervention of the Roman government that provided a measure of peace and tranquility for him to minister in Jerusalem and Rome (cf. 21:27–40 and the subsequent chapters, e.g., 28:16, 23ff., 30, 31, and the evidence of the Prison and Pastoral Epistles, e.g., Phil. 1:12, 13). Perhaps Paul has in mind the words of Je. 29:7 (LXX 36:7): “Seek the welfare of the city where I have sent you into exile, and pray to the Lord on its behalf; for in its welfare you will have welfare.”
A tranquil life is to be prayed for as a setting in which the ultimate goal, πάση εὐσέβεια καὶ σεμνότης, may be accomplished. εὐσέβεια** (Acts 3:12; 1 Tim. 2:2; 3:16; 4:7, 8; 6:3, 5, 6, 11; Tit. 1:1; 2 Tim. 3:5; 2 Pet. 1:3, 6, 7; 3:11) is aptly rendered by “religion,” “piety,” “godliness” (BAGD, cf. NASB, RSV, NEB, TEV, NIV) and has intrinsically the same range of meaning and application as do the English terms. The dynamic force and reality for a true εὐσέβεια is none other than Christ Jesus and his saving work in the hearts of believers (3:16; cf. 2 Pet. 1:3), without which any profession is merely a form lacking this power (2 Tim. 3:5; 1 Tim. 6:5). Just as earlier Paul spoke of one working out one’s salvation with fear and trembling because God is at work within (Phil. 2:12, 13), so also εὐσέβεια is used to express the Christian’s religion in action.
The word group that includes εὐσέβεια is well known in the LXX and in secular Greek (see BAGD and Spicq), and it is used by Luke as an appropriate term in reference to Peter and the Christians of Jerusalem (Acts 3:12) and Cornelius (10:2, 7). It is strange, therefore, that outside Acts it appears in the NT only in the PE and 2 Peter.
Fear of (or reverence toward) the Lord is a core concept of the OT (e.g., Ps. 103:17; in Pr. 1:7 the LXX uses εὐσέβεια) and appears, though infrequently, in Pauline theology (φοβέομαι and φόβος: Rom. 3:18; 2 Cor. 5:11; Eph. 5:21; Phil. 2:12; Col. 3:22; cf. also Acts 9:31). “God-fearers,” i.e., “worshippers of God” (σεβόμενοι τὸν θεόν), was the common term for Gentiles who embraced the ethical monotheism of Judaism and is also used in Acts of those who became Christians (13:43; 16:14; 17:4, 17; 18:7). As more and more Christians came from a Gentile background and were therefore σεβόμενοι τὸν θεόν, Paul was increasingly involved in a culture where the related term εὐσέβεια was used more commonly. Finally, Luke may have influenced Paul in use of εὐσέβεια (Paul and Luke prefer εὐ-words more than other NT writers [Morgenthaler, Statistik, 162]). It is plausible to think that the PE reflects this combination of factors in its use of εὐσέβεια (and related words). Furthermore, if 2 Peter has been influenced by the PE, or at least by 1 Timothy (cf. especially 2 Pet. 3:15), then the use of εὐσέβεια in Acts (Luke), the PE, and 2 Peter finds a most satisfactory solution. (On εὐσέβεια see Knight, Faithful Sayings, 68–73; W. Foerster, TDNT VII, 175–85; idem, “Εὐσέβεια,” and the literature cited in all three).
Paul emphasizes his concern for εὐσέβεια with the addition of πᾶς, which indicates that he wants godliness to come to full expression (a thought to which he returns in 4:7–10; cf. BAGD s.v. πᾶς 1a δ). πᾶς probably applies to σεμνότης as well.
σεμνότης** (1 Tim. 2:2; 3:4; Tit. 2:7; cf. σεμνός**: Phil. 4:8; 1 Tim. 3:8, 11; Tit. 2:2) means “dignity,” “seriousness” and “connotes moral earnestness, affecting outward demeanour as well as interior intention” (Kelly). Lock puts it well by saying that ἐν εὐσεβείᾳ καὶ σεμνότητι is “an interesting Hellenic counterpart to the Hebraic ἐν ὁσιότητι καὶ δικαιοσύνῃ” in Lk. 1:75. The two terms may well provide, as Bernard and Lock suggest, the more Godward and reverential perspective and the more manward and ethical perspective respectively.
Dibelius-Conzelmann assert that this “ideal of Christian citizenship … differs greatly from Paul’s understanding of existence” in which he “lives in the tension between this world and God’s world.” They illustrate this difference by referring to Paul’s statements concerning “his life’s difficulties and dangers” in 2 Cor. 11:23–33. But Ridderbos points out that Rom. 13:1–7 (especially vv. 3 and 4) points to the same kind of “Christian citizenship” and is combined, in a way Dibelius-Conzelmann seem to think is impossible, with the awareness of “tension” expressed in 13:11–14. Furthermore, 2 Cor. 11:23–33 is also paralleled in the PE in 2 Tim. 4:6ff., 17ff.
2:3 Prayers are further encouraged by stating that they are pleasing to God, who is appealed to as “Savior” and particularly in terms of his desire that “all people be saved” (πάντας ἀνθρώπους θέλει σωθῆναι). “All people” echoes the designation of those for whom Christians are to pray (v. 1). The logic is that since God desires all to be saved, it must be good and acceptable to him that we pray for all, for we can surely use God as our model for concern in this area (cf. for the same argument Tit. 3:1–7). The logical connection is made explicit by γάρ after τοῦτο in most cursive manuscripts (though not in the oldest uncials), probably added to make explicit what is implicit, so that a scribe might do so almost automatically.
When Paul says “this is good,” he probably means that it is so not only “before God,” but also because of all that is involved in such prayer, such as concern for all people, and (as he implies in vv. 3ff.) for their salvation, as well as concern for civil government, tranquility, quiet, and a greater opportunity to live a life of Christian piety (cf. 2 Cor. 8:21). ἀπόδεκτος** (1 Tim. 2:3; 5:4, both with ἐνώπιον θεοῦ) means “acceptable” in the sense of pleasing (see BAGD). Spicq calls our attention to the formula “good and acceptable” before God in the LXX (Dt. 12:25, 28; 13:18; 21:9—where, however, ἀρεστός is used rather than ἀπόδεκτος).
ἐνώπιον (neuter used as a preposition with the genitive; cf. MHT IV, 92) means simply “before.” For our passage and for most of those in which θεός or κύριος are in view, BAGD indicates that the word has the nuance of “in the opinion or judgment of.” That we pray for all people pleases God. As at the beginning of the letter, Paul is drawn to refer to God as σωτήρ (1:1, which see for notes on this word), since it is only when we remember that God is the Savior of all that we will be adequately urged to pray for all, sinners as they are. Paul adds ἡμῶν (as in nine of the ten occurrences of σωτήρ in the PE*: 1 Tim. 1:1; 2:3; Tit. 1:3, 4; 2:10, 13; 3:4, 6; 2 Tim. 1:10, but not in 1 Tim. 4:10) to remind those whom he urges to pray of their own salvation through God’s mercy.
2:4 πάντες ἄνθρωποι is picked up from v. 1 to correlate God’s attitude toward “all people” with the request that we pray for all. As in v. 1 Paul means by the phrase all kinds of people, all sorts of people, including civil authorities (cf. for a similar thought Tit. 3:1–7; note also Rom. 11:32, where the second “all” embraces Jew and Gentile, but not every person, cf. 9:6ff.; cf. again Gal. 3:28; Col. 3:11; 1 Cor. 12:12; Acts 22:15). “[God] wishes all people to be saved” expresses the truth for which Paul continually contended, especially against Jews and Judaizers, and that he and the other apostles were agreed on (see Galatians, especially chapter 2; Acts 10:34–36; 11:17, 18, where Peter expresses this same truth against the background of his vision of 10:9–23; 1 Tim. 2:7: “teacher of the Gentiles”; cf. for OT background Ezk. 18:23; 33:11; and especially the Abrahamic covenant, Gen. 12:3, reflected throughout Isaiah; G. Schrenk, TDNT III, 47f.).
σωθῆναι (see data at 1:15), as aorist passive, “to be saved,” communicates, with the verb θέλει, that God wishes people to experience that which he would do for them, i.e., save them. The two focuses of this statement come to expression in two other uses of σῴζω in the PE: First, “And come to the knowledge of the truth” is reflected in 4:10, where from the human side those from “all kinds of people” who are saved are described simply as “believers” (cf. Romans 9–11; Gal. 3:28; Col. 2:11; 1 Cor. 12:13). Second, those who are saved are, from the Godward side, those “called” “according to [God’s] purpose and grace, which was granted to us in Christ Jesus from all eternity” (2 Tim. 1:9; cf. Romans 9–11; Ephesians 1–2). These two focuses coalesce in the perspective of 2 Tim. 1:8–10, especially v. 10, where this eternal purpose is said to be brought about “through the gospel” (cf. Eph. 1:8–10).
καὶ εἰς ἐπίγνωσιν ἀληθείας ἐλθεῖν stresses the necessary noetic aspect of salvation, most simply put, knowledge of the person and work of Christ (cf. Rom. 10:12–14). Although ἐπίγνωσις ἀληθείας is found in Paul only in the PE (here, Tit. 1:1; 2 Tim. 2:25; 3:7 [all the occurrences of ἐπίγνωσις in the PE]; the phrase elsewhere in the NT only in Heb. 10:26), its component parts are found in Paul’s earlier letters in the same sense. The phrase as used here indicates the process of coming to know and acknowledge the truth of the gospel (ἐπίγνωσις with genitive of the thing known). “ ‘Recognition’ (ἐπίγνωσις) designates not only rational comprehension but also acknowledgment, just as ‘truth’ (ἀλήθεια) is not merely a fact to be grasped theoretically, but also a state of affairs to be actualized. The phrase as a whole is a technical term for conversion” (Dibelius-Conzelmann; cf. Heb. 10:26; cf. further Dibelius, “Ἐπίγνωσις ἀλήθειας”).
This meaning for the phrase is borne out in the usage of the two words separately elsewhere in Paul. Bultmann asserts that “ἐπίγνωσις has become almost a technical term for the decisive knowledge of God which is implied in conversion to the Christian faith” (TDNT I, 707). Col. 2:2 (εἰς ἐπίγνωσιν τοῦ μυστηρίου τοῦ θεοῦ) is the most nearly parallel to our passage, although the experiential aspect is also evident in most of the other Pauline references, e.g., Eph. 1:17; 4:13; Phil. 1:9; Col. 1:9, 10; 3:10. ἀλήθεια means “true teaching or faith” and is used of the gospel in the earlier Pauline letters and probably here as well (cf. 2 Cor. 4:2; Gal. 5:7; 2 Cor. 6:7; Col. 1:5; Eph. 1:13; 2 Thes. 2:10–12; 2 Cor. 13:8; cf. 2 Jn. 1; 1 Pet. 1:22; Bultmann, TDNT I, 244; cf. also BAGD s.v. 2b, which gives the nuance here and elsewhere in the NT as “the content of Christianity as the absolute truth”). ἐλθεῖν, “to come,” speaks of the personal and experiential response (see also 2 Tim. 3:7, the only other NT occurrence of εἰς ἐπίγνωσιν ἔρχεσθαι).
2:5 The basis for the preceding argument, as indicated here by γάρ and that which follows it, are the twin truths that there is one God (εἷς θεός) and one mediator (εἷς μεσίτης). Paul does not spell out why this provides a basis for his preceding argument, especially v. 4, but simply states it as being self-evidently the basis, which would be understood by Timothy and the church at Ephesus, probably because he has used it before (e.g., Rom. 3:30; 1 Cor. 8:4–6 [12:9, 13]; Gal. 3:20; Eph. 4:5, 6; cf. Jas. 2:19). That there is one God means that there are not other gods for non-Jews alongside the God of the Jews (cf. Acts 17:23–31; Rom. 3:30; 1 Cor. 8:6). God’s concern for all was expressed in the Abrahamic covenant in the statement that “all the families of the earth shall be blessed” (Gen. 12:3). That covenantal promise has come to fruition in Christ (see Gal. 3:8–29, especially vv. 8, 14, 28). God’s concern is further evidenced by his providing onse mediator, with one sufficient ransom (1 Tim. 2:6), to be proclaimed to all people everywhere (cf. Paul’s commission, v. 7; see also Gal. 2:7–9; Acts 9:15; 22:21; 26:16–18), through whom alone, by faith alone, people may be saved (1 Tim. 1:6; Rom. 3:21–30; Gal. 2:15, 16; 3:8, 14; cf. Acts 4:12; Jn. 14:6). So step-by-step from monotheism to the gospel itself Paul has argued that it is self-evident that God desires all people, Jew and Gentile, slave and free, ruled and ruler, etc., to be saved, and that such a perspective should elicit our prayers for all people.
Just as there is only one God, so there is only one mediator (μεσίτης; cf. εἷς with Christ: 1 Cor. 8:6; Eph. 4:5; most tellingly in Gal. 3:16, 28). μεσίτης is used here with the genitive of those between whom he mediates (for the nuances of the word see A. Oepke, TDNT IV, 598–624). The one God has provided one mediator between himself (θεοῦ) and humans (ἀνθρώπων, plural), who is himself human (ἄνθρωπος), namely, Christ Jesus (for Χριστὸς Ἰησοῦς see 1:1, 15). The humanity of the mediator is specified to emphasize his identity with those whom he represents as mediator (cf. “all people,” πάντες ἄνθρωποι, vv. 1, 4; cf. also A. Oepke, TDNT IV, 619; for Paul’s emphasis on the humanity of Christ see also 1 Cor. 15:21ff., 45–49; Rom. 5:15–21; Phil. 2:7, 8—note that these passages speak of Christ’s humanity in contexts where his deity is either implied, alluded to, or stated).
2:6 ὁ δοὺς ἑαυτὸν ἀντίλυτρον ὑπὲρ πάντων specifies the way in which Christ served as the mediator, namely, by giving up his life for all. The aorist substantival participle ὁ δούς (from δίδωμι) signifies a definite past action and may be rendered “the one who gave” or simply “who gave.” It is related to the preceding nominative Χριστὸς Ἰησοῦς. The use of ἑαυτόν (in reference to Christ, as here, in Tit. 2:14a, which is almost identical, 14b; 2 Tim. 2:13), “himself,” where τὴν ψυχὴν αὐτοῦ is found in Jesus’ words (Mt. 20:28 par. Mk. 10:45, with δίδωμι) is what one would expect in a transposition of Jesus’ statement about himself into a statement about Jesus (especially when the dynamics of the meaning of ψυχή in that setting are borne in mind; see BAGD s.v. ψυχή 1a β; E. Schweizer, TDNT IX, 637f.; MHT I, 87, 105; see also Gal. 1:4 [ἑαυτόν with δίδωμι, as here]; 2:20; Eph. 5:2, 25 [παραδίδωμι with ἑαυτόν in all three]; Lk. 22:19).
ἀντίλυτρον** is a NT hapax found in pre-Christian literature (but see Field’s note and conjecture on Ps. 48:9 in his edition of Origen’s Hexapla, II, 170). It is a compound of ἀντί and λύτρον,** the latter of which appears 19x in the LXX and twice in the NT, both in the statement of Jesus noted in the previous paragraph (Mt. 20:28 par. Mk. 10:45: δοῦναι τὴν ψυχὴν αὐτοῦ λύτρον ἀντὶ πολλῶν). ἀντίλυτρον represents a price paid to free captives and thus means “ransom,” or more appropriately, “substitute-ransom,” as L. Morris renders it, noting the emphasis on the thought of substitution in the preposition (Apostolic Preaching, 51; cf. also F. Büchsel, TDNT IV, 349). “The addition of the prep[osition] anti, ‘instead of,’ is significant in view of the prep[osition] huper, ‘in behalf of’, used after it. Christ is conceived of as an ‘exchange price’ …” (Guthrie). On the prepositions see M. J. Harris, “Prepositions and Theology in the Greek New Testament,” NIDNTT III, 1171–1215, for ἀντί, 1179f.
There are negative and positive aspects in NT contexts where λυτρ- words are used in connection with the death of Jesus and that which necessitated his death, i.e., human sins (e.g., Mt. 26:28; 1 Cor. 15:14). The concept is used negatively of redemption or ransom from sin (cf. Tit. 2:14), and this then brings into perspective the other aspects or consequences from which mankind in sin needs to be ransomed, namely death (both spiritual in the present, e.g., Rom. 6:1ff., and eternal, e.g., Rom. 6:23) and the wrath of God (e.g., Rom. 2:5; Col. 3:6; 1 Thes. 5:9; Gal. 3:10–14). The concept is used positively of ransom to God (e.g., Tit. 2:14; Eph. 1:14; 1 Cor. 6:20), and this brings into perspective that it is a ransom that results in life (e.g., Rom. 6:23), obedience (e.g., Romans 6 and 8, especially 8:2, 4), and sonship (e.g., Gal. 4:1–7, especially vv. 3 and 5). For the use of λυτρ- words outside the NT for manumission of slaves see BAGD; F. Büchsel, TDNT IV, 340ff.; Morris, Apostolic Preaching, 11–64.
ὑπέρ means, when expressing something that accrues to the person, as here, either “on behalf of” (representation) or “in the place of” (substitution). Since “on behalf of” or even the meaning “for the sake of” will fit in all three occurrences in close proximity (vv. 1, 2, 6), it is probably best to understand the preposition in that sense here. Thus we are to pray for all (ὑπὲρ πάντων) because this is in accord with the one mediator, himself a man, acting for the one God, who gave himself a ransom for all (ὑπὲρ πάντων). (On ὑπέρ see M. J. Harris, NIDNTT III, 1196f. and the literature referred to there; see also Robertson, Grammar, 630f.).
πάντων continues and concludes the emphasis of the passage on “all” kinds of people (cf. again Rom. 3:21–30, where ἀπολυτρώσεως τῆς ἐν Χριστῷ Ἰησοῦ, v. 24, is provided by the one God for both Jew and Gentile, vv. 29, 30). On the relationship of πάντων here to πολλῶν in Mt. 20:28 par. Mk. 10:45 see C. Brown, NIDNTT III, 197f. and the literature cited there; Jeremias, “Lösegeld,” 260; idem, TDNT VI, 543f. If Jeremias is right in saying that πολλῶν reflects a Semitic background and means “all,” this may help explain the consistent use of πάντων by Paul. It may also mean that the term on the lips of Jesus, as in Paul, points not to an absolute universalism (which Jeremias seems to think: TDNT VI, 543), but to a universalism including Gentile and Jew, etc., which would also seem to be the more natural understanding of the OT, Jesus, and Paul.
The question of πάντων and πολλῶν raises again the larger question of the relationship of the entire verse to the saying of Jesus in Mt. 20:28 par. Mk. 10:45. Paul knows of Jesus’ life (e.g., Rom. 1:1–5; Philippians 2; 1 Tim. 6:13; 2 Tim. 2:8), quotes his sayings (e.g., 1 Cor. 7:10, 11), relates the specific words used in the institution of the Lord’s Supper (1 Cor. 11:23ff.), and speaks elsewhere of Jesus’ ministry and death in a manner like that of Jesus and the general apostolic kerygma (cf. Dodd, According to the Scriptures; idem, Apostolic Preaching), and his words here are as identical to the Gospel accounts as a restated objectification of a personal statement can be. These are compelling reasons to believe that this statement reflects that of Jesus. The answer to this question is beclouded, however, by the question whether vv. 5–6 are a “saying” in existence in the Christian community, which Paul here quotes, or words composed by Paul. Certainly the former is possible (cf. the faithful sayings, 1:15; 3:1; 4:9; Tit. 3:8; 2 Tim. 2:11; and also 1 Tim. 3:16) and, if so, would make the question of probability in regard to Paul’s knowing Jesus’ statement of almost no significance.
There is not a fully adequate basis to solve this last question, except to say that since each of the component parts of Paul’s statement are an integral part of his argument, it is more likely that the parts, and the whole, were written by Paul. Furthermore, this kind of argument, or parts of it with the same or similar terms, is used elsewhere by Paul where a citation is less likely (cf. Rom. 3:21–30; Gal. 1:4; 2:20; Eph. 5:2, 25; Tit. 2:14a). That we do not know precisely how Paul knows the saying of Jesus that is behind our verse does not alter the fact that he does appear to know it and that he has manifested knowledge of other aspects of Jesus’ person, work, and words.
On whether Paul’s statement here implies that he believed that Jesus understood and spoke of his death in terms of the Suffering Servant of Is. 52:13–53:12 see the commentaries and other literature on Mt. 20:28 par. Mk. 10:45 and other passages (especially Lk. 24:25–27). If he did, it is possible that Paul’s argument here receives further emphasis from his own commission and activity being based on the gospel of Jesus’ death for all kinds of people interpreted according to Isaiah’s—and Jesus’—perspective. This would be in accord with Paul’s explicit use of Is. 52:13–53:12 elsewhere, always in the context of the free offer of the gospel to all people (for this connection, even if the specific words are missing, cf. Rom. 15:14–21, especially vv. 16, 20, 21, with Is. 52:13; Rom. 10:11–20, v. 11 with Is. 28:16, v. 15 with Is. 52:7, v. 16 with Is. 53:1, and note v. 12: “no distinction between Jew and Greek, for the same Lord is Lord of all, abounding in riches for all who call on him”).
τὸ μαρτύριον is nominative or accusative absolute in apposition to the preceding clause (cf. τὸ ἀδύνατον in Rom. 8:3 and τὴν λατρείαν in 12:1; cf. Robertson). The question that arises is whether the giving of Christ himself is the testimony (so, e.g., Dibelius-Conzelmann, Jeremias, Ridderbos, Schlatter, Spicq), or whether the thought of a testimony being borne to that event is being introduced (so, e.g., Bouma, Wohlenberg, H. Strathmann, TDNT IV, 504). μαρτύριον is used by Paul in both senses.
καιρός means “time, i.e., point of time as well as period of time” (BAGD; see Barr, Biblical Words). Is plural καιροῖς ἰδίοις “only an idiomatic usage, practically equivalent to the singular” (cf. Jer. 50:26[LXX 27:26], 31; χρόνοι in Lk. 20:9; 23:8; γάμοι in Lk. 12:36), “or is the plural to be pressed?” (Lock on Tit. 1:3, who favors the latter view, though he provides evidence for the former). The usage of the plural phrase in 1 Tim. 6:15 and Tit. 1:3 (the only other occurrence of the two words together in the NT is singular in Gal. 6:9), both referring to the appearing of Jesus as a single event, would seem to warrant the understanding that it is “practically equivalent to the singular.” A period of time, rather than a point of time, would seem to be in view when the reference is to Jesus’ first coming, since Paul seems to regard the time from Christ’s coming onward as part of the same time period (cf. the use of νῦν as the time indicator in 2 Tim. 1:10, where it encompasses both Christ’s ministry on earth and the subsequent proclamation of that event). This comprehensive use of καιροῖς ἰδίοις best fits our text. ἴδιος has the general meaning of “one’s own” and here is best rendered as “proper” (“the proper time,” see BAGD, so RSV, NASB, NIV, cf. NEB: “the fitting time”).
Who or what bears the testimony? (D* G and a few other manuscripts [see the NA26 textual apparatus] remedied the obscurity by adding οὗ and ἐδόθη.) There are pointers to a possible, even if not certain, solution. First, the definite article with μαρτύριον would seem best understood as referring to Christ’s giving of himself as “the testimony.” Second, the idea of Christ’s death as a demonstration of God’s concern for humans is the argument of Rom. 3:21–30, which also uses the concept of one God for Jew and Gentile (= all people; cf. vv. 21, 25, 26). Third, though the two preceding considerations point to the self-giving of Christ as an act that itself bears testimony, the reference to Paul as having been appointed for this (εἰς ὅ ἐτέθην ἐγώ) would seem to understand the testimony as that borne by Paul (and others). The solution is probably to be found in a both-and rather than in an either-or understanding (in accord with the same correlation stated in Tit. 1:2, 3): The act of Jesus’ self-giving for all bears witness to the desire of the one God that all be saved (cf. Jn. 3:16), and Paul was appointed to continue to bear testimony to this act (cf. 2 Tim. 1:9, 10, 11, the “purpose and grace” of God “now revealed by the appearing” of Jesus, who “brought life and immortality to light through the gospel, for which I was appointed …” [the basic structure and vocabulary of v. 11 is the same as our text]). On this understanding, the temporal dative καιροῖς ἰδίοις refers not only to the time of Christ’s ministry but also to the time since, characterized as the era in which such a testimony can be borne (cf. the similar evaluation of οἰκονομία in 1:4).
2:7 As is Paul’s practice elsewhere, having mentioned the person and work of Christ, he adds the fact that he was appointed to minister for Christ (twice already, 1 Tim. 1:11, 12; also 2 Cor. 5:18, 20; 6:1; Eph. 3:7, 8; Col. 1:25). Here the reference also carries with it the supportive evidence that his ministry brings to the argument. What he has just argued about “all people,” he has proclaimed and taught as an apostle to the ἔθνη and as one appointed for that very task (Acts 9:15; 22:15 [cf. the very phrase πρὸς πάντας ἀνθρώπους], 21; 26:15–18—all but 22:15 with the word ἔθνος; so also Gal. 1:15, 16; 2:7–9; Rom. 15:15ff.). And he has taught the Gentiles about (ἐν) the very things God has desired for all (v. 4), namely “faith and truth.”
εἰς ὅ refers to that “for which” Paul was appointed (the only other Pauline occurrences of εἰς ὅ are in Phil. 3:16; Col. 1:29; 2 Thes. 1:11; 2:14; 2 Tim. 1:11, the last virtually identical to what follows here). Here, as in 2 Tim. 1:9, the word in question, here the “testimony,” there the “gospel,” is seen from two perspectives, namely, that which Christ did and that which Paul does. In 2 Tim. 1:9 Christ works through the gospel and Paul is appointed to it; here Christ bears the testimony, and it is for that task that Paul is appointed, i.e., to proclaim that same testimony (cf. 1 Tim. 3:16, where μυστήριον includes both Christ revealed and Christ proclaimed).
τίθημι (PE* 3x, here, 1:12; 2 Tim. 1:11; the passive has God or Christ in view, cf. 1:12) has the general meaning of “put” or “place” and is used here in the sense of “appoint,” with the aorist tense indicating that the appointing was accomplished at a specific point in the past (cf. C. Maurer, TDNT VIII, 157; note that Paul applies Is. 49:6 to himself in Acts 13:46, 47). With the personal pronoun ἐγώ, “I,” Paul makes the statement about his appointment quite emphatic (cf. the other PE occurrences: 1 Tim. 1:11, 15; 2:7; Tit. 1:3, 5; 2 Tim. 1:11; 4:6, all but the second and the last referring to Paul’s appointment to ministry).
The three terms κῆρυξ, ἀπόστολος, and διδάσκαλος (all nominatives with the passive verb, “I was appointed”) describe different, but not mutually exclusive or completely distinct, aspects of Paul’s ministry. They do not represent different offices, since Paul elsewhere sees his office of apostle as encompassing the tasks of proclamation and teaching (only here and in 2 Tim. 1:11 does he refer to himself with all three terms together, though in the other letters he does use all three of himself).
κῆρυξ** (1 Tim. 2:7; 2 Tim. 1:11; 2 Pet. 2:5) signifies the “herald” or “proclaimer,” and is known to Paul and his readers from the culture of the day in both secular and religious senses (see BAGD, MM). The word is known in the LXX (5x), and the proclaimer is an OT concept (e.g., Jon. 1:2; 3:2; Is. 40:1–6, though this word is not used in either passage; cf. also John the Baptist). Paul may use the word because of the interaction of these factors and as a consequence of his use (and that of the NT community) of the related words κήρυγμα and κηρύσσω. Perhaps the word occurs so infrequently because the NT so rarely speaks of the proclaimer and of the proclamation (κήρυγμα is also rare) but rather describes that which is proclaimed (thus the more frequent use of κηρύσσω). Only when Paul feels constrained to briefly crystallize his task with a noun, as here and in 2 Tim. 1:11, does he use κῆρυξ (much the same could be said of his use of κήρυγμα; cf. also G. Friedrich, TDNT III, 696; L. Coenen, NIDNTT III, 52).
Paul then calls himself an “apostle” (see 1:1 for the data and fuller discussion) in the special sense of one sent with the authority of Christ to be Christ’s official spokesman (cf. Acts 11:14, 15; 26:16–18; 1 Cor. 15:8–10; Galatians 1). He immediately adds the note, ἀλήθειαν λέγω, οὐ ψεύδομαι (for speaking the truth in Paul cf. especially Rom. 9:1; Eph. 4:25; 2 Cor. 12:6, the first two in contrast with lying as here and Rom. 9:1 almost identical to our passage; ψεύδομαι, Pl.* 5x: Rom. 9:1; 2 Cor. 11:31; Gal. 1:20; Col. 3:9, and here; for textual variants see UBSGNT; TCGNT). Paul adds this comment over against those who might doubt or challenge his apostleship on the grounds that apostleship should be restricted to those who were apostles with Jesus during his early ministry or because they wanted to discredit Paul (cf. Galatians 1 and 2). Paul’s apostleship was challenged in Galatia and continued to be challenged even where he had labored for some time, such as Corinth (cf. 1 Cor. 9:1, 2; 2 Cor. 11:5; 12:11, 12). Since he begins nearly every letter affirming his apostleship, we need not be surprised that he does so in 1 Timothy or that he insists on his truthfulness on the matter here, as in other letters (cf. Gal. 1:20; 2 Cor. 11:30). Spicq thinks Paul insists on his truthfulness in reference to his claim to be the “teacher of the Gentiles” and especially with reference to the word “Gentiles.” Although this is a possibility and its plausibility is enhanced in this context by the word ἐθνῶν, on the whole this seems less likely in view of insistence on truthfulness elsewhere with reference to Paul’s apostleship. The insistence on truthfulness places a break between ἀπόστολος and διδάσκαλος, which may explain why Paul writes διδάσκαλος without the intervening καί found between κῆρυξ and ἀπόστολος.
Paul applies διδάσκαλος to himself only here and in 2 Tim. 1:11. Elsewhere he either includes διδάσκαλοι in lists in such a way that they are distinguished from ἀπόστολοι (1 Cor. 12:28, 29; Eph. 4:11) or uses the word in a derogatory sense (Rom. 2:20; 2 Tim. 4:3). What has been observed above about κῆρυξ/κηρύσσω can also be applied to διδάσκαλος/διδάσκω, although to a considerably lesser degree. With the verb διδάσκω Paul says of himself “I teach everywhere in every church” (1 Cor. 4:17), which implies that he is a διδάσκαλος (but even this is a comparative statement, which in its fuller form emphasizes not so much Paul’s identity as a teacher but the content of the teaching and the work of Timothy; cf., however, Col. 1:28; 2:7; Eph. 4:21; 2 Thes. 2:15; and διδαχή in Rom. 16:17). Perhaps Paul uses κῆρυξ and διδάσκαλος of himself in the two letters to Timothy because he wanted to refer to himself as a model with which Timothy could identify: Paul urges Timothy to “preach the word” (κηρύσσω, 2 Tim. 4:2), to “teach” (διδάσκω, 1 Tim. 4:11; 6:2), and to commit the teachings to “faithful men who will be able to teach others also” (διδάσκω, 2 Tim. 2:2). This explanation is strengthened by the fact that Paul has already expressly indicated that he is a model in 1:16, 18 and by the fact that this idea is present at the other occurrence of διδάσκαλος in the PE (2 Tim. 1:11; cf. 1:8, 13, 14; 2:1–3; 4:1–8).
The first and third of the three terms that Paul applies to himself (κῆρυξ and διδάσκαλος) seem to emphasize evangelism and exhortation on the one hand and instruction on the other, not only because these are the activities associated with these terms in the NT, but also because these activities are observable in connection with these terms in the PE (cf. the use of δίδασκε in 4:11; 6:2 and of κήρυξον in 2 Tim. 4:2). In addition to being evangelist and exhorter on the one hand and instructor on the other, Paul is Christ’s authoritative eyewitness and spokesman (ἀπόστολος). Thus the three terms emphasize different aspects of Paul’s ministry to “all people.”
ἐθνῶν (without an article and thus probably qualitative; PE* 3[4]x: here; 3:16; 2 Tim. 1:11 [variant reading]; 4:17, all plural) is genitive to indicate to whom Paul’s ministry is directed. Plural ἔθνη, which means “nation” in the singular, is not usually used by Paul to mean “nations” (although this nuance may possibly explain the occurrence in 3:16 and is in fact found in Rom. 15:11 and in Gal. 3:8, where πάντα is added), but rather, and especially when it is anarthrous as here, as the designation for non-Jews, the “Gentiles” (cf. K. L. Schmidt, TDNT II, 370: “some 100” passages in the NT; H. Bietenhard, NIDNTT II, 793–95; this understanding equates ἔθνη with Hebrew gôyim, as in the LXX; cf. Is. 49:6; Acts 13:46, 47, and the OT passages cited in Rom. 15:8–19; in addition to “Gentiles” BAGD suggest “pagans,” “heathen,” the latter of which Schmidt feels is possible [370 n. 19]). When Paul describes his ministry in relation to ἔθνη in earlier letters, it is to non-Jews in distinction from Jews (Rom. 11:13; 15:16; Gal. 2:7–9; Eph. 3:1, 7), so that this is probably the meaning here. Although ἐθνῶν most evidently goes with διδάσκαλος, the nearest word, it is likely that it qualifies the other two words, first, because Paul elsewhere sees his apostleship particularly in terms of the ἔθνη (Rom. 11:13; Gal. 2:7–9; cf. also Rom. 15:16; Eph. 3:1, 7), and second, because the particular point of referring to his ministry here is that the entire ministry, described by whatever terms, has been to ἔθνη, which here is virtually equivalent to πάντες (here the ambivalence of ἔθνη as “Gentiles/heathens” or as “nations” is significant because the term connotes on either view concern for “all people”).
ἐν πίστει (see 1:2, 4, 5) καὶ ἀληθείᾳ (see v. 4) indicates that in which Paul instructs the ἔθνη; with the use of these two key words he says that his ministry seeks to accomplish what God desires for all people. πίστις corresponds to σωθῆναι (v. 4; cf. 1:14–16; Rom. 10:9ff.), and ἀλήθεια corresponds to ἐπίγνωσις ἀληθείας (v. 4; cf. Tit. 1:1; 2 Thes. 2:13).