Don

Scholars are not sure WHAT to make of the change from singular to plural, this is not expected. I do not see why the mixture of singular and plural forms PROHIBITS it being a group, assuming the singular is being used as a description, which is one of the options according to Wallace. Just because something sounds wrong in English does not mean it is wrong in Greek.

What MIGHT be happening is Paul is discussing the members of a group as each individual making her choices as an individual, that is, each stands or falls based on their own choices, which is as it should be, the group does not stand or fall as a group.

It also MIGHT be one woman, for example, just because I say “All men wearing red hats step forward.” does not mean there are men wearing red hats, perhaps there are men, perhaps there is a man, perhaps there are no men that qualify. We can discard the latter case for 1 Tim 2, as at least ONE qualified, but I do not see how we can be SURE about more than this.

As you might surmise, I do not believe in the perspicuity of ALL Scripture, at least for me today. I do believe Timothy knew what Paul wanted, but we are not Timothy, in many ways.