Παρακαλῶ οὖν, πρῶτον πάντων, ποιεῖσθαι δεήσεις, προσευχάς, ἐντεύξεις, εὐχαριστίας, ὑπὲρ πάντων ἀνθρώπων,
I exhort, therefore, first of all to make supplications, prayers, petitions, thanksgivings for all men.
Paraphrase: Now the first piece of instruction I would give you, Timothy, is this. Pray for everyone; don't leave anyone out. Make a point of sending up your petitions to God for everyone who crosses your path, and let your prayers be full of both requests and thanksgiving. (1Thess 1:2)
Comments:
ποιεῖσθαι is a complementary infinitive with παρακαλῶ.
ὑπὲρ βασιλέων καὶ πάντων τῶν ἐν ὑπεροχῇ ὄντων, ἵνα ἤρεμον καὶ ἡσύχιον βίον διάγωμεν, ἐν πάσῃ εὐσεβείᾳ καὶ σεμνότητι.
On behalf of kings and all those being in prominence, in order that quiet and tranquil lives we might pass in all godliness and dignity.
Paraphrase: Especially do not neglect those who are in positions of leadership and authority. They carry such a heavy responsibility as they seek to administer society in such a way that all the citizens can pass their lives in peace and security. What a great blessing it is when these leaders are able to give even we Christians the opportunity to practice our religion with dignity and without persecution from those who hates us.
Comments:
τοῦτο καλὸν καὶ ἀπόδεκτον ἐνώπιον τοῦ Σωτῆρος ἡμῶν, Θεοῦ,
This is good and acceptable before God our Savior...
Paraphrase: This kind of prayer pleases God and is part of His will which He has made known to us. These prayers show that we really do believe that God is the only One who can provide for us in this life and save us from eternal punishment in the life to come.
Comments:
The distinction between God's secret and revealed will is critical to a proper understanding of what follows; see Q54 here.
ὃς πάντας ἀνθρώπους θέλει σωθῆναι, καὶ εἰς ἐπίγνωσιν ἀληθείας ἐλθεῖν.
...whom all men He desires to save and to come to a knowledge of truth.
Paraphrase: Such prayers are also glorifying to God because He takes such delight in people coming to an understanding of the truth of the gospel. (Ps 147:11) The fact that God has not chosen everyone for salvation (Rom 11:7) should never obscure from our view that God takes pleasure in sinners repenting from their sin and turning to Him in faith. (Luke 15:22) In this sense, God desires the salvation of the entire human race. Recall what God said about His stiff-necked people: "Oh that they had such a heart in them, that they would fear Me and keep all My commandments always, that it may be well with them and with their sons forever! (Deut 5:29) Now if this is God's heart for sinners, should we not be motivated to pray for the many lost souls we encounter from day to day? Shouldn't we pray earnestly that God would call them out of their miserable darkness and bring them to Himself?
Comments:
Every interpreter who reads this passage and is not a universalist must put some limitation on either the θέλει or on the πάντας ἀνθρώπους. In this context, I would choose to understand God's will as His revealed will and not His secret will or His will of decree. This finds support in the fact that it is God's revealed will that is referenced in the previous verse. Turretin distinguishes between willing something in the sense of being pleased with it (God's revealed will) and willing something by intending it (God's secret will). Turretin, Elenctic Theology, 1:389.
Εἷς γὰρ Θεός, εἷς καὶ μεσίτης Θεοῦ καὶ ἀνθρώπων, ἄνθρωπος Χριστὸς Ἰησοῦς,
for there is one God and Mediator of God and men, the man Christ Jesus.
Paraphrase: There is another reason why you should pray for all men. You know that because of man's sin, God is angry and all mankind are under His curse. The gospel teaches us that God has lifted up one Mediator who stands between His offended justice and guilty sinners. (Jn 12:32) This is the only Mediator who is able to bring reconciliation between God and men. (Col 1:20) Now Jesus is this Mediator, and there is no other. If anyone is going to be saved, they can only be saved through Him. Neither does God make this offer to fallen angels. He calls all human persons everywhere to turn from their sin and to find forgiveness and reconciliation in this Mediator. Now if God has done all this for mankind lost, should we not be in prayer for those same people, praying that men and women everywhere would take refuge in this Mediator and be saved?
Comments:
ὁ δοὺς ἑαυτὸν ἀντίλυτρον ὑπὲρ πάντων, τὸ μαρτύριον καιροῖς ἰδίοις,
The one giving Himself a ransom for all, the testimony in its own times.
Paraphrase: This is the good news of the gospel which we preach; the gospel which has come in these times (Titus 1:1-3) with such power and proclaims death in Adam and now life in Jesus. (1Cor 15:22) Jesus is the great sin offering which is the price of our freedom by which we are set free from slavery and brought into the glorious liberty of the children of God. (Rom 8:21)
Comments:
On τὸ μαρτύριον καιροῖς ἰδίοις see Robertson §o here.
εἰς ὃ ἐτέθην ἐγὼ κῆρυξ καὶ ἀπόστολος— ἀλήθειαν λέγω· οὐ ψεύδομαι— διδάσκαλος ἐθνῶν, ἐν πίστει καὶ ἀληθείᾳ.
into which I was placed a herald and an apostle, I speak truth; I am not lying, a teacher of the Gentiles in faith and truth.
Paraphrase: Into the service of this Mediator, I was called as a herald and a missionary. I am telling you the truth; I am not lying. I was called to be a teacher to the Gentiles while standing on this faith for my own salvation and proclaiming this truth to the ends of the earth.
Comments:
Βούλομαι οὖν προσεύχεσθαι τοὺς ἄνδρας ἐν παντὶ τόπῳ, ἐπαίροντας ὁσίους χεῖρας, χωρὶς ὀργῆς καὶ διαλογισμοῦ.
Therefore, I want men to pray in all places, lifting up holy hands without wrath and doubting.
Paraphrase: Now in light of all these truths, my conclusion is simple. Pray! You all should pray in all places and at all times and for all people. Lift up your hands in prayer and be sure you are raising holy hands. Don't lift up hands that are stained with sins like anger and quarrelling. This is not pleasing to God. Neither is God pleased when a million doubts fill your soul and hinder you from praying in faith. (James 1:5-8)
Comments:
The verb βουλομαι here and θελω above are near synonyms. It is not wise to base anything of significance on the different nuances of these verbs. "The two terms mostly express the same thing." TDNT on θελω
Ὡσαύτως ‹καὶ› γυναῖκας, ἐν καταστολῇ κοσμίῳ, μετὰ αἰδοῦς καὶ σωφροσύνης, κοσμεῖν ἑαυτάς, μὴ ἐν πλέγμασιν, καὶ χρυσίῳ, ἢ μαργαρίταις, ἢ ἱματισμῷ πολυτελεῖ,
1Tim 2:10
ἀλλ’ ὃ πρέπει γυναιξὶν ἐπαγγελλομέναις θεοσέβειαν, δι’ ἔργων ἀγαθῶν.
1Tim 2:11
Γυνὴ ἐν ἡσυχίᾳ μανθανέτω ἐν πάσῃ ὑποταγῇ.
1Tim 2:12
διδάσκειν δὲ, γυναικὶ οὐκ ἐπιτρέπω, οὐδὲ αὐθεντεῖν ἀνδρός, ἀλλ’ εἶναι ἐν ἡσυχίᾳ.
1Tim 2:13
Ἀδὰμ γὰρ πρῶτος ἐπλάσθη, εἶτα Εὕα.
1Tim 2:14
καὶ Ἀδὰμ οὐκ ἠπατήθη· ἡ δὲ γυνὴ, ἐξαπατηθεῖσα, ἐν παραβάσει γέγονεν.
1Tim 2:15
σωθήσεται δὲ διὰ τῆς τεκνογονίας, ἐὰν μείνωσιν ἐν πίστει καὶ ἀγάπῃ καὶ ἁγιασμῷ, μετὰ σωφροσύνης.