The Greek in the referenced verses that is translated as “pray” or “prayer” in English is translated in the German translation by Fridolin Stier (1989) as “(offer) supplications” (Flehrufe (abhalten) / flehen).
pray / prayer
The Hebrew, Aramaic, Latin, Ge’ez, and Greek that is translated as “pray” (or “prayer”) in English is often translated as “talking with God” (Central Pame, Tzeltal, Chol, Chimborazo Highland Quichua, Shipibo-Conibo, Kaqchikel, Tepeuxila Cuicatec, Copainalá Zoque, Central Tarahumara).
Other solutions include:
- “beg” or “ask,” (full expression: “ask with one’s heart coming out,” which leaves out selfish praying, for asking with the heart out leaves no place for self to hide) (Tzotzil)
- “cause God to know” (Huichol)
- “raise up one’s words to God” (implying an element of worship, as well as communication) (Miskito, Lacandon) (source of this and all above: Bratcher / Nida)
- “speak to God” (Shilluk) (source: Nida 1964, p. 237)
- “talk together with Great Above One (=God)” (Mairasi) (source: Enggavoter, 2004)
- “call to one’s Father” (San Blas Kuna) (source: Claudio and Marvel Iglesias in The Bible Translator 1951, p. 85ff. )
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“beg” (waan) (Ik). Terrill Schrock (in Wycliffe Bible Translators 2016, p. 93) explains (click or tap here to read more):
What do begging and praying have to do with each other? Do you beg when you pray? Do I?
“The Ik word for ‘visitor’ is waanam, which means ‘begging person.’ Do you beg when you go visiting? The Ik do. Maybe you don’t beg, but maybe when you visit someone, you are looking for something. Maybe it’s just a listening ear.
When the Ik hear that [my wife] Amber and I are planning trip to this or that place for a certain amount of time, the letters and lists start coming. As the days dwindle before our departure, the little stack of guests grows. ‘Please, sir, remember me for the allowing: shoes, jacket (rainproof), watch, box, trousers, pens, and money for the children. Thank you, sir, for your assistance.’
“A few people come by just to greet us or spend bit of time with us. Another precious few will occasionally confide in us about their problems without asking for anything more than a listening ear. I love that.
“The other day I was in our spare bedroom praying my list of requests to God — a nice list covering most areas of my life, certainly all the points of anxiety. Then it hit me: Does God want my list, or does he want my relationship?
“I decided to try something. Instead of reading off my list of requests to God, I just talk to him about my issues without any expectation of how he should respond. I make it more about our relationship than my list, because if our personhood is like God’s personhood, then maybe God prefers our confidence and time to our lists, letters, and enumerations.”
In Luang it is translated with different shades of meaning (click or tap here to read more):
- For Acts 1:14, 20:36, 21:5: kola ttieru-yawur nehla — “hold the waist and hug the neck.” (“This is the more general term for prayer and often refers to worship in prayer as opposed to petition. The Luang people spend the majority of their prayers worshiping rather than petitioning, which explains why this term often is used generically for prayer.”)
- For Acts 28:9: sumbiani — “pray.” (“This term is also used generically for ‘prayer’. When praying is referred to several times in close proximity, it serves as a variation for kola ttieru-yawur nehla, in keeping with Luang discourse style. It is also used when a prayer is made up of many requests.”)
- For Acts 8:15, 12:5: polu-waka — “call-ask.” (“This is a term for petition that is used especially when the need is very intense.”)
Source: Kathy Taber in Notes on Translation 1/1999, p. 9-16.
See also Nehemiah’s prayer (image).
complete verse (1 Timothy 2:1)
Following are a number of back-translations of 1 Timothy 2:1:
- Uma: “First of all, I give orders that all followers of the Lord Yesus pray, bring-up pleas, requests and thank yous to God. We [must] pray for all people,” (Source: Uma Back Translation)
- Yakan: “This is my teaching. Firstly, we (incl.) who trust in Isa Almasi ought to pray to God and ask/petition and give-thanks to him. We (incl.) ought to pray for all mankind/humans;” (Source: Yakan Back Translation)
- Western Bukidnon Manobo: “The first thing I will beg you is: it is necessary that believers ask for what they need from God. They must pray for all people and thank God for his kindness to them.” (Source: Western Bukidnon Manobo Back Translation)
- Kankanaey: “Here is something-more that I will say to you (sing.). The first, we must pray for all people and request and thank God for them.” (Source: Kankanaey Back Translation)
- Tagbanwa: “The first-and-foremost thing which I am teaching you emphatically is, it is necessary for the believers to be praying always/often for their fellowman, giving thanks and asking-on-their-behalf for whatever help they need from God.” (Source: Tagbanwa Back Translation)
- Tenango Otomi: “First of all I tell you that you tell all the believers to pray to God for all people everywhere. They should pray that God will help the people. And they should thank God for the help he gives the people.” (Source: Tenango Otomi Back Translation)
Translation commentary on 1 Timothy 2:1
First of all signals that this is the beginning of a series, but more significantly, that what follows is of utmost importance. In many languages the expectation of the intended audience is that when there is a “first” there will be a second, a third, and so on. Since this is not the case here, translators will do well to restructure in such a way as to avoid this difficulty, as for example “Above all,” “Above everything else,” “More than anything else,” or “The most important thing (or, point) of all.”
Then connects the whole section to what precedes, namely, the instructions to restrain the false teachers from causing confusion in the community. The establishment of certain guidelines in the life of the church has for its primary purpose the correction and prevention of various kinds of abuses in the church. Another way to express the word then in some languages is to use the equivalent of “so” or “therefore” and say “Therefore, above everything else I urge…,” or one may restructure as follows: “In light of all this, more than anything else I urge…” or “In light of what I have just said….” This last model helps to connect this chapter with the preceding one, ensuring that the discourse in verse 1 of this chapter doesn’t begin too abruptly. When Paul wrote this letter there were no chapter divisions, so the original readers or hearers of the letter understood what then pointed back to. Translators should find the most natural way in the receptor language to connect this chapter to the preceding one.
Urge is the same word used in 1.3. The Greek verb can also mean “ask for earnestly” or “encourage,” but as in 1.3, the word here has an authoritative tone, thus practically transforming the instructions into commands. In this sense it may be translated as “exhort” or “strongly recommend.”
There are four words used here for prayer: supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings. The first word, supplications (Good News Translation “petitions”), is derived from a Greek verb that means “to ask with urgency based on presumed need,” “to plead,” “to beg.” Prayers is the more general word for prayer. Intercessions comes from a Greek verb that means “to speak to someone on behalf of another,” “to intercede.” Intercessions is used only here and in 4.5 in the whole New Testament; this fact indicates the importance of the community being involved in praying for all people. Finally thanksgivings comes from a verb that means “to express gratitude for blessings or benefits.” It can be seen from this brief summary that prayers is the generic word for prayer; thanksgivings is expressing gratitude and thanks to God; supplications is asking God to supply the needs of the Christian community; and intercessions is praying to God on behalf of other people, particularly those who are not yet members of the community of faith. Paul’s intention is not to make these terms exclusive of one another, as if one type of prayer was completely different from the other types, nor does he want to limit the prayer life of the community to these four types of prayers; rather, he wants to encourage and urge the Christian community to offer to God prayers of all kinds for all people. For all men is better translated “for all people” (Good News Translation), especially since in the Greek text the word for men is generic and therefore includes both men and women. In many languages the goal of these various verbs will need to be made explicit; for example, “I urge that the Christian men earnestly ask God to supply the needs of everyone, that they pray for others, that they pray on behalf of all people, and that they thank God for what he has done for everyone.”
Be made (Good News Translation “be offered”) has God as the implicit goal, since the prayers of the community are directed to God. Furthermore it is most probable that these prayers are offered during the public worship of the congregation. It is also very probable that in the light of verse 8 it is the men who are asked to offer these prayers. It may be necessary to supply this information; however, in languages that have the passive form, the translators may decide not to be specific at this point.
An alternative translation model for this verse is:
• Therefore (or, In the light of what I have said,) I exhort (or, strongly recommend) that you (or, the men among you) earnestly ask God to supply the needs of everyone, that you pray for others, that you pray on behalf of all people, and that you thank God for what he has done for everyone.
Quoted with permission from Arichea, Daniel C. and Hatton, Howard A. A Handbook on Paul’s First Letter to Timothy. (UBS Handbook Series). New York: UBS, 1995. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .
Commentaire sur la traduction de 1 Timothée 2.1
La vie de l’Église (2.1–3.15)
Le texte de 1 Tim 2.1 à 1 Tim 3.15 contient des directives pour la communauté chrétienne, surtout concernant le culte et les qualifications des différents responsables. Certains voient une section qui va de 1 Tim 2.1 à 1 Tim 4.16 comme suit :
La vie de l’Église
1. Adoration 1 Tim 2.1
a. Comment prier ( 1 Tim 2.1)
b. Comment agir dans le culte ( 1 Tim 2.8)
2. Les responsables 1 Tim 3.1
a. Évêques ( 1 Tim 3.1)
b. Diacres ( 1 Tim 3.8)
3. Paul résume son but et déclare un mystère ( 1 Tim 3.14)
4. Paul définit le comportement de Timothée comme leader d’église ( 1 Tim 4.1)
a. Avertissements contre les faux enseignants ( 1 Tim 4.1)
b. Comportement approprié pour un leader d’église ( 1 Tim 4.6)
Adoration (2.1-15)
Certaines versions, dont la Bible en français courant considère 2.1-15 comme une seule section, mais la division de la Traduction œcuménique de la Bible ( 1 Tim 2.1, 1 Tim 2.8) semble préférable. Plusieurs versions adoptent cette même présentation (Parole de Vie, Nouvelle Bible Segond).
2.1-7
Les sujets traités dans cette section de la lettre ne sont pas homogènes. Paul semble sauter d’une idée à une autre. Dans 1 Tim 2.1 il encourage Timothée à prier et mener une vie calme. Dans 1 Tim 2.3 il explique comment Dieu veut que tous soient sauvés grâce au sacrifice de Jésus Christ. En 1 Tim 2.7 il présente un résumé et revient sur son rôle comme apôtre aux non-Juifs.
La Traduction œcuménique de la Bible et la Bible de Jérusalem mettent « La prière liturgique », mais un titre plus général pourrait être « Pour qui prier ? » (Parole de Vie) ou « Prier pour tous » (Nouvelle Bible Segond). La Nouvelle Français courant propose « Instructions au sujet de la prière ».
Je recommande, donc avant tout : la présence de la conjonction οὖν oun, donc, semble indiquer une conclusion plutôt que le début d’une nouvelle section. Les traducteurs devraient décider comment diviser ce texte. Pour recommande, voir 1 Tim 1.3. On pourrait aussi dire « J’encourage » (Nouvelle Bible Segond). Les traducteurs devraient s’assurer que le verbe choisi soit assez fort. Certains anciens manuscrits attestent un impératif comme en 1 Tim 5.1 et 1 Tim 6.2, « Encouragez/recommandez avant tout à prier… ». Mais la majorité des versions modernes suivent le texte je recommande.
La conjonction οὖν oun, donc lie les thèmes de ce qui suit à ce qui précède. On pourrait dire « À la lumière de ce que je viens de dire… » Plusieurs versions préfèrent omettre la conjonction et mettre l’expression comme « avant toutes choses » en début de phrase.
Le mot grec πρῶτος prôtos veut dire « premier » et est utilisé ici pour souligner ce qui important. Certains optent pour un sens légèrement temporel : avant tout (Traduction œcuménique de la Bible, Parole de Vie) D’autres traductions suggèrent une autre nuance, « de toute première importance » : « en tout premier lieu » (Nouvelle Français courant, La Bible du Semeur, Nouvelle Bible Segond). La prière est le premier élément mentionné dans une série de recommandations, et ainsi Paul semble en faire une vraie priorité.
que l’on fasse des demandes, des prières… est littéralement « que soient faites des demandes, des prières… », avec le verbe à l’infinitif présent passif. Bien que Paul ne spécifie pas qui doit prier ni à qui, certains ajoutent ces éléments : « que l’on adresse à Dieu des demandes… » (Bible en français courant, La Bible du Semeur). Les traducteurs devraient considérer comment rendre ce passif dans leur langue, par exemple, en utilisant d’autres tournures, « il faut faire des demandes… » (Parole de Vie) ou même des impératifs : « Je vous exhorte. Faites des demandes, des prières… » Paul ne précise pas s’il s’agit de prières individuelles ou collectives.
des demandes, des prières, des supplications, des actions de grâce : Paul emploie quatre expressions renvoyant à la prière, avec de légères différences.
demandes : ailleurs ce mot veut dire « prière » dans le sens de « requête », par exemple, la prière de Zacharie et sa femme Élisabeth qui demandent un enfant à Dieu. Dans certaines versions le mot est parfois rendu par « intercession » (Éph 6.18, « intercession pour tous les saints », Traduction œcuménique de la Bible) ou simplement « prière » (Phil 1.4 Traduction œcuménique de la Bible). Voir aussi 2 Tim 1.3.
prières est une expression générale qui pourrait comprendre les trois autres termes. En Actes le mot renvoie souvent à des prières en commun, que ce soit chez les chrétiens ou les Juifs (1 Tim 1.14 ; 1 Tim 2.42 ; 1 Tim 3.1). En 1 Tim 5.5 les mots rendus demandes et prières figurent ensemble.
supplications rend un mot grec qui ne se trouve qu’ici et en 1 Tim 4.5. La racine apparentée veut dire « rencontrer », c’est-à-dire « échanger avec ». En dehors de la Bible, ce mot a souvent le sens d’une pétition. Le verbe correspondant s’emploie en Rom 8.27,34.
Les actions de grâce, en grec εὐχαριστία eucharistia, d’où « eucharistie » en français, renvoie plutôt à des prières de « remerciements » (Bible en français courant, La Bible du Semeur). Voir aussi 1 Tim 4.3, 1 Tim 4.4 où la même expression est attesté.
Pour toute cette liste, la Parole de Vie emploie des expressions verbales : « il faut faire des demandes à Dieu, le prier, le supplier et le remercier… » Dans les langues qui ne possèdent pas quatre expressions distinctes, on peut combiner et parler de « des prières de toutes sortes » ou citer seulement certaines formes parmi les quatre, par exemple, « prier Dieu, pour lui demander ce qui est nécessaire et le remercier de ses dons ».
pour tous les hommes : ὑπέρ huper, pour, signifie « en faveur de », et non pas « à la place de ». Le terme grec ἄνθρωπος anthrôpos n’est pas bien rendu dans la Traduction œcuménique de la Bible, car le mot n’exclut pas les femmes. Ainsi on pourrait parler de :
• « tous les êtres humains » (Bible en français courant, Parole de Vie) ou
• « tous les humains » (Nouvelle Bible Segond).
Source: Zogbo, Lynell & Ellingworth, Paul La première lettre à Timothée – Manuel de traduction – Commentaire linguistique et exégétique de la Bible. Alliance biblique universelle, 2021.
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