1 Timothy 2:8 - Exposition

Desire for will , A.V.; the men for men , A.V.; in every place for everywhere , A.V.; disputing for doubting , A.V. I desire , etc. He takes up the subject again which he had opened in 1 Timothy 2:1 , but had somewhat digressed from in 1 Timothy 2:4-7 , and gives further directions as to the persons who are to make the prayers spoken of in 1 Timothy 2:1 , viz. men ( τοὺς ἄνδρας ), not women, as it follows more at large in 1 Timothy 2:9-15 . The stress is clearly upon "men" (or, "the men"—it makes no difference); and there is no force in Alford's remark that in that case it would have been τοὺς ἄνδρας προσεύχεσθαι . The prayers had been already ordered in 1 Timothy 2:1 ; the additional detail, that they were to be offered by men, is now added. In every place; not, as Chrysostom thinks, in contrast to the Jewish worship, which was confined to the temple at Jerusalem, but merely meaning wherever a Christian congregation is assembled. Lifting up holy hands. Alford quotes Clem. Ram. 'To the Corinthians,' Ephesians 1:1-23 . 1 Timothy 29: προσέλθωμεν .. ἐν ὁσιότητι ψυχῆς ἁγνὰς καὶ ἀμιάντους χεῖρας αἴρουντες πρὸς αὐτόν (camp. Psalms 26:6 ; Psalms 28:2 ; Psalms 43:1-5 :20; Psalms 63:4 ; 2 Chronicles 6:12 , 2 Chronicles 6:13 ). Without wrath. It appears from several passages in Chrysostom that the habit of praying angry prayers was not unknown in his day. " Do you pray against your brother? But your prayer is not against him, but against yourself. You provoke God by uttering those impious words, 'Show him the same;' 'So do to him;' 'Smite him;' 'Recompense him;' and much more to the same effect" ('Hom.' 6.). In 'Hom.' 8. his comment on this passage is: "Without bearing malice.... Let no one approach each God in enmity, or in an unsalable temper." And disputing ( διαλογισμοῦ ). The exact meaning of διαλογισμός is perhaps best seen in Luke 5:21 , Luke 5:22 , where both the verb and the substantive are used. The διαλογισμοὶ are carillings , questionings proceeding from a captious, unbelieving spirit. They are διαλογισμοὶ πονηροὶ ( Matthew 15:19 ). The word is always used in a bad sense in the New Testament. Forms of prayer were not yet established in the Church, but these cautious show the need of them.