1 Timothy 2.14-Christian Women Are Prohibited From Teaching Men And Exercising Authority Over Them Because Adam Was Not Deceived But Eve Was Totally Deceived
Wenstrom Bible Ministries
Pastor-Teacher Bill Wenstrom
Thursday April 7, 2011
1 Timothy: 1 Timothy 2:14-Christian Women Are Prohibited From Teaching Men And Exercising Authority Over Them Because Adam Was Not Deceived But Eve Was Totally Deceived
Lesson #49
Please turn in your Bibles to 1 Timothy 2:11.
In 1 Timothy 2:14, the apostle Paul presents the second reason for his command in verse 11 and his prohibition in verse 12.
1 Timothy 2:11 A woman must quietly receive instruction with entire submissiveness. 12 But I do not allow a woman to teach or exercise authority over a man, but to remain quiet. 13 For it was Adam who was first created, and then Eve. 14 And it was not Adam who was deceived, but the woman being deceived, fell into transgression. (NASU)
“And it was not Adam who was deceived” is composed of the conjunction kai (καί) (keh), “and” which is followed by the nominative masculine singular form of the noun Adam (Ἀδάμ) (ah-thahm), “Adam” and the emphatic negative adverb ou (οὐ) (oo), “not” and the third person singular aorist passive indicative form of the verb apatao (ἀπατάω) (ahpoe-tah-owe), “was deceived.”
The conjunction kai is used in an adjunctive sense meaning that it is introducing a statement that presents a reason for Paul’s command in verse 11 and prohibition in verse 12, which is “in addition to” the reason he presented in verse 13.
The verb apatao is in the passive and means “to be deceived” by someone.
The word’s meaning is emphatically negated by the emphatic negative adverb ou, which means “by no means.”
Thus with these two words Paul is saying that Adam was by no means deceived by the devil.
“But the woman being deceived” is composed of the conjunction de (δέ) (theh), “but” and the articular nominative feminine singular form of the noun gune (γυνή) (yee-nee), “the woman” and the nominative feminine singular aorist passive participle form of the verb exapatao (ἐξαπατάω) (exha-pah-tah-owe), “being deceived.”
The conjunction de is used in an adversative sense meaning that it is introducing a statement that stands in a mild contrast with the previous statement that Adam was by no means deceived in the Garden of Eden by the devil.
The verb exapatao is in the passive voice and means “to be thoroughly or completely deceived” and refers to Eve being thoroughly and completely deceived by the devil in the Garden of Eden so that she disobeyed the Lord’s prohibition to not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.
The participle form of the verb is a participle of cause indicating that “because” the woman, i.e. Eve was thoroughly and completely deceived by the devil, she entered into transgression and disobeyed the Lord’s prohibition.
“Fell into transgression” is composed of the third person singular perfect active indicative form of the verb ginomai (γίνομαι) (yee-no-meh) and the preposition en (ἐν), “into” and its object is the dative feminine singular form of the noun parabasis (παράβασις) (pah-dahvah-seese), “transgression.”
The verb ginomai refers to Eve entering into the state of disobedience by committing the act of disobeying the Lord’s prohibition to not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.
In 1 Timothy 2:14, the noun parabasis means “transgression” and refers to Eve disobeying the Lord’s prohibition to not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.
To summarize, 1 Timothy 2:14 presents the second reason for Paul’s command in verse 11 and his prohibition in verse 12 and cites Genesis 3 and is referring specifically to Genesis 3:16 as support for his command in verse 11 and prohibition in verse 12.
Genesis 3:16 To the woman He said, “I will greatly multiply your pain in childbirth, in pain you will bring forth children; Yet your desire will be for your husband, and he will rule over you.” (NASU)
“Rule over” is composed of the third person qal imperfect form of the verb mā∙šǎl (מָשַׁל), “rule” and the preposition be (בְּ) (beth), “over.”
The verb mā∙šǎl means “to govern, be in control, be in charge, i.e. have a person or entity exercise authority over persons or governments.”
Thus, the Lord is saying that because of Eve’s disobedience, which was the result of being deceived by the devil, Adam would “govern, be in charge” over her or in other words, he would exercise authority over her.
This verse clearly teaches that Adam would rule over Eve because she disobeyed the Lord’s prohibition to not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.
Paul does not cite Genesis 3:16 explicitly to support his command in verse 11 and prohibition in verse 12 but rather alludes to Eve’s being deceived which led to the Lord decreeing that Adam would rule over her.
This parallels his use of Genesis 2 in which he does not explicitly mention Genesis 2:7 and 21, which when compared reveal that Adam was formed first and then Eve and also he does not explicitly mention Genesis 2:18, which reveals that Eve was designed to be a helpmate for Adam.
Thus, in verse 13, Paul cites that Adam was formed first and then Eve (Genesis 2:7, 21), which presupposes that his readers know that this was because Eve was to be a helpmate for Adam (Genesis 2:18).
In verse 14, he teaches that Adam was not deceived but that Eve was totally deceived and thus entered into transgressing the Lord’s prohibition to not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.
This presupposes that his readers know that this resulted in the Lord issuing the judgment that Adam would rule over her because she was deceived into disobeying His prohibition.
In 1 Timothy 2:13 and 14, Paul is using a common rabbinic method of referring to the Old Testament, a method known as summary citation meaning that he uses a summary statement in 1 Timothy 2:13 to point the reader to the entire pericope describing the creation of man and woman (Gen 2:4–24).
In 1 Timothy 2:14 he referred back to the entire pericope detailing the Fall (Gen 3:1–25).
Paul was not limiting his focus to two specific, isolated thoughts; rather, he was drawing on two complete narratives.
An example of a single statement recalling an entire pericope is Luke 17:32, ‘Remember Lot’s wife.’
To understand Jesus’ implied warning, one must recall the circumstances that caused Sodom’s destruction (Gen 18:22–19:11), the flight of Lot and his family from the city (19:12–25), and the sin of Lot’s wife and its results (vv. 17, 26). (Bibliotheca Sacra 149:594; April 1992; page 205)
Therefore a comparison of Genesis 2:7, 18 and 21 with 1 Timothy 2:13 indicates that Christian women are to learn the Word of God silently with complete submission because the Lord’s original creation design was that Eve would be a helpmate for Adam.
It indicates that Christian women are prohibited from teaching men the Word of God in a public worship service in the local assembly and exercising authority over them but are to be in silence for the exact same reason.
Also, a comparison of Genesis 3:16 with 1 Timothy 2:14 indicates that Paul issued the command in verse 11 and the prohibition in verse 12 because Adam was not deceived by Satan in the Garden of Eden.
But rather Eve was totally deceived and entered into transgressing the Lord’s prohibition to not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.
The consequences of Eve being deceived and as a result disobeying this prohibition is that the Lord decreed that Adam would rule over her and this would be the case throughout history that men would rule over women.
Therefore, we can see that Paul issued the command in verse 11 and the prohibition in verse 12 for two reasons: (1) The Lord designed the women to be subordinate to the man as a helpmate. (2) The judgment from the Fall.
Thus, in 1 Timothy 2:13-14 Paul is teaching that Christian women are to learn the Word of God silently with complete submission and not teach men the Word of God nor exercise authority over them in the public assembly but be in silence because of creation and the fall.
1 Timothy 5:15 indicates that some Christian women in Ephesus were already following in the footsteps of Eve and were being deceived into following those who taught false doctrine in that city.
Satan was a false teacher and Eve fell victim to his false teaching and so Paul does not want the Christian women in Ephesus to follow Eve’s example and fall victim to the deception of those pastors in Ephesus teaching false doctrine.
The apostle Paul is no way suggesting that women are more easily deceived than men or that women are less intelligent since both Scripture and history witness repeatedly to the ease with which both men and women may be deceived, especially with regard to doctrine.
Romans 5:12-21 lays the blame for the fall at Adam’s feet and not his wife and 1 Timothy 2:14 makes clear that Adam knew what he was doing.
He was in effect choosing his relationship with Eve over his obedience to the Lord.
The fall took place because Adam did not exercise his authority since he could have stopped his wife but did not.
She should have followed his lead but did not and instead she listened to a stranger, the devil.
If she remained subordinate to Adam, she would have gone to him for protection from the serpent or asked her husband about him but she did not.
In Genesis 3:17, the Lord said to Adam that because he “obeyed” his wife, the earth was under a curse and he would physically die.
So there was a role reversal in the Garden of Eden and Paul in 1 Timothy 2:11-14 is seeking to prevent that from taking place with the church at Ephesus.
He wants the men to lead the church so as to protect the church from false doctrine.