1 TIM 2:5 Interlinear View

SIL Open Translator’s Notes:

Section 2:1–15: Paul told Timothy that it was important that believers should pray

In this section Paul told Timothy some things that the believers should do when they met together regularly to worship God. They should pray for everybody. The men should pray in holiness and without anger, and the women should dress and behave modestly and appropriately.

Paragraph 2:1–7

When believers gather together, they should pray for everybody. They should pray that God would help their government officials to govern well so that believers can worship God peacefully. They should also pray for everybody else because God wants to save everybody.

Everything that Paul wrote in this paragraph (2:1–7) was to help Timothy communicate the gospel to everyone.

One reason that Paul emphasized that the gospel was for everyone was probably because the false teachers were doing exactly the opposite. They were encouraging their followers to consider themselves as better than other people and as part of a small, elite group that excluded other people.Fee, pages 61 and 62, says, “…what might be the place of this first paragraph in the argument? The frequent answer is that the point lies in verse 2, that prayer be made for rulers so that the church may enjoy a peaceful existence. It has even been suggested that a correct Christian attitude toward the state is what is in view. Verses 4–7, then, are seen as nearly irrelevant to that point, but go back to elaborate on a secondary point made in verse 1 (prayer be made for everyone). However, it seems much more likely that precisely the opposite is the case. The one clear concern that runs through the whole paragraph has to do with the gospel as for everyone (‘all people,’ vv. 1, 4–6, and 7). In this view, the phrase this is good in verse 3 refers to prayer for everyone in verse 1, thus seeing verse 2 as something of a digression —albeit as before (1:12–17), a meaningful one. The best explanation for this emphasis lies with the false teachers, who either through the esoteric, highly speculative nature of their teaching (1:4–6) or through its ‘Jewishness’ (1:7) or ascetic character (4:3) are promoting an elitist or exclusivist mentality among their followers. The whole paragraph attacks that narrowness.”

2:5–6

These verses were probably a special saying that believers recited together when they met to worship God. It is not clear where the saying ends.

2:5a

For there is one God,

For there is only one God
We^(incl) believe that there is one true God

For: Paul used the Greek word that the BSB translates as For to introduce verses 2:5–6. Paul could have used this Greek word gar in one of two ways in this verse:

To loosely connect two thoughtsBAGD says that for (γάρ) in this verse expresses “continuation or connection (in later Gk. writers, where more recent users of the texts, not finding the causal force they expect, would often prefer to see it replaced by δέ…) yes, indeed; certainly…” See also Zerwick, paragraph 473. Dibelius and Conzelmann on page 41 say, “These verses are not easy to connect with what precedes. The contrast is not “one God and not many” (as in 1 Cor 8:6), but rather, looking back to “all men” (πάντες), “since there is one God, all shall be saved” (related to this are Rom 3:30 and Eph 4:6). However this connection seems secondary and the phrase is perhaps best explained by the assumption that the author concludes the thought with a solemn formula.”
To introduce a reason for the previous verses. This is the more normal use of gar in Greek.

However, 2:5 says that there is one God (2:5a) and one mediator (2:5b). It does not give the reason why God wants to save everybody. Therefore, it is best to translate the word For here in a way that shows that 2:5 is loosely connected with what Paul had said in 2:4.

there is one God: One of the most important beliefs of the Bible is that there is only one God. Even before New Testament times Jewish people repeated the words of Deuteronomy 6:4 every day to remind themselves of this truth. These words say, “Hear, O Israel: the Lord our God, the Lord is one.”This confession is called the Shema. M. R. Wilson in International Standard Bible Encyclopedia (volume 4, page 469) says, “The practice of reciting the Shema daily is firmly established in the Mishnah (ca. A.D. 200), which underscores the Shema’s importance in Jewish religious experience by its opening words: ‘From what time in the evening may the Shema’ be recited?’ (Berakoth i.1). But there is also evidence of the Shema’s use during and even before the NT era…”

2:5b

and there is one mediator between God and men,

and there is only one person who can make peace between God and people.

one mediator between God and men: At the time when Paul wrote this letter, some Jewish people thought that Moses was the mediator between God and humanity. Other people thought that angels were mediators. Paul was making it clear here that there is only one person who can mediate between God and people.

mediator: The Greek word that the BSB translates as mediator refers to a person who helps two people or groups of people resolve a dispute.

In 2:6a Paul explained the way in which Christ was the mediator between God and people. After Jesus died on the cross, he began to mediate between God and sinful people, so that God could accept them.

men: The word that the BSB translates as men here does not only refer to males. It includes all human beings: men, women, and children.

2:5c

the man Christ Jesus,

That person is Christ Jesus.

the man Christ Jesus: Jesus was both God and human. That means that he is a good mediator because he can represent both God and people. When Paul said here that Christ, the mediator, was a man, he was emphasizing that Christ was not only God, but also fully human.

The Greek word that the BSB translates as man does not emphasize that Christ was male instead of female. Instead, it emphasizes that he is a person, a human being.

Notice that Paul said the name of the mediator, Christ Jesus, only after he had talked about him. By waiting until after he had talked about him to say his name, Paul emphasized the identity of the mediator. In your language it may be necessary to show this emphasis in another way.

Christ Jesus: Notice that in this verse Paul referred to Jesus as Christ Jesus instead of “Jesus Christ.” The names “Christ Jesus” and “Jesus Christ” refer to the same person.Some people, however, think that when Paul used the word Christ before the word Jesus, as in Christ Jesus, he was emphasizing that Jesus was the Messiah.

In most English versions “Jesus Christ” and “Christ Jesus” are translated in the same order as they occur in the Greek manuscripts. It is recommended that you do the same thing.

However, it is possible that, in some languages, people may be confused to see the names in two different orders. They may even think that Paul was referring to two different people. If this is true in your language, it may be necessary to translate Christ Jesus as “Jesus Christ.” This is the more usual word order in the New Testament.

Christ: The word Christ is used in two ways in the New Testament. In the Gospels, Christ is a title for Jesus. It means “the anointed one.” But later, by the time that Paul and others wrote letters to individuals and churches, the word Christ was used as another name for Jesus. It was no longer used as a title. So here and in other New Testament letters you should spell Christ according to the rules of your language.

uW Translation Notes:

Note 1 topic: grammar-connect-logic-result

γὰρ

(Some words not found in SR-GNT: εἱς Γάρ Θεός εἱς καί μεσίτης Θεοῦ καί ἀνθρώπων ἄνθρωπος Χριστός Ἰησοῦς)

Here, the word For introduces a basis for Paul’s claim in the previous verse that God desires all people to be saved and to know the truth. If it would be helpful in your language, you could use a different word or phrase that introduces a basis for a claim. Alternate translation: [We know that because] or [That claim is supported by this:]

Note 2 topic: figures-of-speech / possession

εἷς καὶ μεσίτης Θεοῦ καὶ ἀνθρώπων

(Some words not found in SR-GNT: εἱς Γάρ Θεός εἱς καί μεσίτης Θεοῦ καί ἀνθρώπων ἄνθρωπος Χριστός Ἰησοῦς)

Here, Paul is using the possessive form to describe a mediator who mediates between God and men. If this is not clear in your language, you could express the idea in another way. Alternate translation: [and one who mediates between God and men]

Note 3 topic: figures-of-speech / gendernotations

ἀνθρώπων

humans

Although the term men is masculine, Paul is using the word in a generic sense that includes both men and women. If it would be helpful in your language, you could use a phrase that makes this clear. Alternate translation: [of people]

Note 4 topic: figures-of-speech / explicit

ἄνθρωπος Χριστὸς Ἰησοῦς

˓the˒_human (Some words not found in SR-GNT: εἱς Γάρ Θεός εἱς καί μεσίτης Θεοῦ καί ἀνθρώπων ἄνθρωπος Χριστός Ἰησοῦς)

Here Paul uses the word man to emphasize that Christ Jesus is human, just like the men for whom he functions as a mediator. If it would be helpful in your language, you could make that idea more explicit. Alternate translation: [Christ Jesus, who also is human]

OET-LV English word order (‘Reverse’ interlinear)

Note: The OET-RV is still only a first draft, and so far only a few words have been (mostly automatically) matched to the Hebrew or Greek words that they’re translated from.

Acknowledgements: The SR Greek text, lemmas, morphology, and VLT gloss are all thanks to the CNTR.

OET interlinear 1 TIM 2:5

SR Greek word order

Section 2:1–15: Paul told Timothy that it was important that believers should pray

Paragraph 2:1–7

2:5–6

2:5a

2:5b

2:5c

OET-LV English word order (‘Reverse’ interlinear)

OET interlinear 1 TIM 2:5

SR Greek word order

Section 2:1–15: Paul told Timothy that it was important that believers should pray

Paragraph 2:1–7

2:5–6

2:5a

2:5b

2:5c

OET-LV English word order (‘Reverse’ interlinear)

OET interlinear 1 TIM 2:5