gengwall

It’s a slow day, so….

We have covered this ground countless times but it is worth going over again for Jay’s benefit.

Here is an edited 1 Timothy 2:11-15 using phrases from different translations that come closest to the true Greek meaning. I have inserted the bible version in parenthesis when a specific translation was used, or “common” if all translations carry the same meaning with only slight word variations.

11 Let a woman learn in peace (Complete Jewish Bible) and all humility (Good News Translation) 12 But I do not allow a woman to teach (common) or to rule a husband (Young’s Literal Translation); she is to remain at peace (CJB). 13 For Adam was formed first, then Eve (common) 14 And Adam was not deceived (common), but the woman, being deceived, has fallen into disobedience (Hebrew Names Version). And she shall be saved through the child-bearing (YLT) if she and her husband (Weymouth NT) continue in faith, love, and holiness with self control (common).

I have italicized three important phrases that are almost universally incorrectly translated.

The first is in verses 11 and 12 and is usually translated “silence” (utterly wrong) or “quietness” (right if you take it the right way). This Greek word hesychia actually deals with your demeanor in a situation, of which verbal expression may or may not be an element. The word is what we might use wishfully when talking about people with ADD and refers to a calm or quiet disposition. The Complete Jewish Bible is the only one that captures the meaning of this Greek word unequivocally correctly with their translation of “in/at peace”. What is important to learn from this specific issue is that the passage has nothing directly (and maybe nothing at all) to do with women speaking (or speaking out/up) in formal church services. Put simply, it does not at all mean verbal “silence”.

The second key translation is of the Greek verb ginomai (“to become”) in verse 14. The verb is in the perfect tense but is almost always translated as if it were English past tense (typically, “became” in bible versions). But the perfect tense in Greek conveys past action with continuing results. The transgression that is spoken of regarding “the woman” is current and ongoing. Therefore, the woman in view in this verse can not be Eve (although her deception and its result mirror Eve’s). Note also that in the Greek the definite article is present with “woman”, dictating that it is a specific individual, not a generic representative of all women. This passage is speaking about a specific Ephesian woman, not Eve and definitely not all women. Only three versions get the correct tense of the verb in this phrase – The Hebrew Names Version as listed, the American Standard Version, and the World English Bible.

The third and final key translation is regarding the “child bearing” spoken of in verse 15. Every translation except 2 translate this as the child bearing activity of the woman, or even worse, all women. Only Young’s Literal Translation and God’s Word Translation correctly note the use of the definite article and translate it “the child-bearing” (although the GWD mysteriously pulls all women into the translation through a parenthetical addition). So, the salvation spoken of in this verse is not some works based salvation for the woman (or all women) but comes through the birth of The Child – Jesus. Another note is that the salvation is yet to come, confirming that “the woman” can not be Eve.

There are, of course, other translational problems with this passage depending on the version being reviewed, but these are the main three. I also have taken some liberty with the few translations that refer specifically to husband and wife because, although it is not literally stated (and can not be in Greek where there were no separate words for husband and wife), there are plenty of hints that a husband and wife are in view (as opposed to the completely unsupported idea that all women and all men are the object of this teaching).

If I were to single out one of these translational issues to focus on, it is the fact that verses 14 and 15 refer to an individual woman, it is a specific woman, and it can not possibly be Eve because it is a living woman who is still in transgression and whose salvation (or restoration) is in the future. That leaves only one possible choice: a specific living woman in Ephesus. Since it is universally accepted that verses 11-15 are all tied together, the only logical conclusion is that this woman was engaged in false teaching and domineering behavior toward a man (most likely her husband) and it was that specific circumstance, not some global “church” problem, that Paul’s instruction to Timothy is regarding.