Bible Strands
1 Timothy 2:12
I do not permit a woman to teach or to exercise authority over a man; she is to remain quiet.
Berean Standard Bible
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Study note
Setting — The epistle writer addresses Timothy with specific instructions regarding women's conduct in the assembly. The directive immediately follows a command for women to learn quietly and precedes an appeal to the creation order of Adam and Eve.
The words — αὐθεντεῖν (authentein) = to use authority over; διδάσκειν (didaskein) = to teach. The text explicitly denies permission for a woman to teach or exercise authority over a man.
The thread — The restriction on women speaking in the assembly runs parallel to 1 Corinthians 14:34. The instruction is anchored in the narrative sequence of creation found in 1 Timothy 2:13.
Why it lands — The text commands women to remain quiet and forbids them from teaching or exercising authority over men. A reader must apply this directive to the stated assembly context before considering any broader application.
Drafted by a language model from the text, its original words and its cross-references, then checked against them. It can still be wrong: open the verse in the app to report it.
The Greek words
King James Version
But I suffer not a woman to teach, nor to usurp authority over the man, but to be in silence.
Cross-references
- 1 Corinthians 14:34 Women are to be silent in the churches. They are not permitted to speak, but must be in submission, as the law says.