complete verse (1 Timothy 2:14)

Following are a number of back-translations of 1 Timothy 2:14:

  • Uma: “And it wasn’t Adam who was deceived by the King of Evil-ones. It was Hawa [emphatic] who was deceived, with the result that she transgressed God’s command.” (Source: Uma Back Translation)
  • Yakan: “And it was not Apu’ Adam (whom) the leader of demons deceived. But it was the woman who was deceived and she was the one who broke the law of God.” (Source: Yakan Back Translation)
  • Western Bukidnon Manobo: “And Adam was not the one Satan was able to deceive, rather it was Eve who was deceived, and because of that she disobeyed what was commanded them.” (Source: Western Bukidnon Manobo Back Translation)
  • Kankanaey: “And it was not Adan who was deceived but rather the woman, so she was the first (lit. went-ahead) to sin against God.” (Source: Kankanaey Back Translation)
  • Tagbanwa: “And it wasn’t Adan who was deceived by Satanas, but rather it was Eva. She’s the first one who sinned for she overstepped/went-beyond what was said by God.” (Source: Tagbanwa Back Translation)
  • Tenango Otomi: “Adam was not the one deceived by the devil, rather the woman was deceived by the devil. Having been deceived, the woman committed sin.” (Source: Tenango Otomi Back Translation)

Adam

The name that is transliterated as “Adam” in English means “earthy or red earth,” “of the ground,” “taken out of the red earth.” (Source: Cornwall / Smith 1997 )

In Finnish Sign Language it is translated with the sign signifying “rib” (referring to Genesis 2:21). (Source: Tarja Sandholm)


“Adam” in Finnish Sign Language (source )

In Spanish Sign Language it is a sign that combines apple/fruit + man. (Source: Steve Parkhurst)


“Adam” in Spanish Sign Language, source: Sociedad Bíblica de España

In Kenyan Sign Language it is a sign pointing to the Adam’s apple (laryngeal prominence). (Source )

For more information on translations of proper names with sign language see Sign Language Bible Translations Have Something to Say to Hearing Christians .

See also Eve.

Learn more on Bible Odyssey: Adam .

Translation commentary on 1 Timothy 2:13 – 2:14

These two verses give a theological reason for the position regarding women in the Christian community. The source of the information is the book of Genesis, particularly the second and third chapters, with verse 13 taken from Genesis 2, and verse 14 from Genesis 3. In particular, verse 13 is a reference to Gen 2.7, 18-24, where the man was not only created first, but becomes the source of the creation of the woman. Verse 14, on the other hand, is a summary statement of Gen 3.1-7, where the woman was tempted by the snake to eat of the forbidden fruit in the garden.

First, then, in the order of creation, it was Adam who was formed first before Eve, based on the information found in Gen 2.7, 18-24. The word for formed can also be generic (“to make”), but in a specific sense it means “to mold” (as, for example, clay), “to shape.” This is the same word used by the Septuagint translators in Gen 2.7 (Revised Standard Version “formed”) in the creation of man from dust, and Gen 2.19, in the creation of the animals. The superiority of men over women is grounded first of all on the fact that man was created before woman and that man becomes a source of the creation of woman. This kind of thinking may also be found in 1 Cor 11.3, 8-9. In languages that do not use the passive voice, one may translate this first sentence as “After all, God created (or formed, or made) Adam first, and then he made Eve” or “… after that he made Eve.”

The second thing mentioned is the sin of the woman. This is a reference to Gen 3.1-7, where the woman was tempted by the snake to eat of the forbidden fruit in the garden. By yielding to the temptation of the snake, the woman was deceived and thus became a transgressor. The word for deceived includes the idea of misleading someone into believing as true something that is not; hence “led astray” (New Jerusalem Bible). The verse emphatically states that Adam was not deceived, which means that his accepting the fruit from Eve did not constitute submitting to deception. But there are many passages in the New Testament where Adam is depicted as the first transgressor (see, for example, Rom 5.12-21; 1 Cor 15.21-22, 45-58). This apparently is a difficulty that some translators face, and therefore they have made adjustments in such a way as to show that it was Eve’s deception that led to other deceptions including Adam’s. (Compare Phillips “It was Eve and not Adam who was first deceived.”) Such adjustments, however, cannot be justified by the Greek text. And may also be expressed as “Furthermore” or “Also.” In many languages translators will need to identify the agent of the event deceived and say something like “Furthermore, it was not Adam whom the snake deceived.” In certain languages it will be helpful to reverse the order of the first two clauses in verse 14; for example, “Also, it was the woman (or, Eve) whom the snake deceived, not Adam. And so in this way Eve broke (or, disobeyed) God’s law.”

Transgressor describes someone who willfully acts contrary to established customs, rules, and laws. One who disobeys God’s law is not only a lawbreaker but a sinner; so Jerusalem Bible “fell into sin.”

These two verses reflect the belief that was prevalent since Old Testament times, that women were inferior to men because it was the woman who caused the downfall of the human race; it was by her disobedience that sin, evil, and judgment came into the world. An author in the second century B.C. had written, “From a woman sin had its beginning, and because of her we all die.” This belief that women are easily deceived was one of the main reasons for some people to exclude women from any leadership functions in the early church. This was not the exclusive practice of the early church, however, as in other places in the New Testament women are in positions of leadership and teaching men; for example, Priscilla in Acts 18.26, and Phoebe in Rom 16.1.

Alternative translation models for this verse are:
• For God created Adam first, and then he made Eve. Furthermore, it was not Adam whom the snake deceived. But it was Eve who was deceived and sinned (or, broke God’s law).

Or:
• … Also, it was the woman (or, Eve) whom the snake deceived, not Adam. And so in this way Eve broke God’s law.

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 .

SIL Translator's Notes on 1 Timothy 2:14

2:14a

And: Here Paul gave the second reason that women should not teach or rule men. He implied that it was often easier for the devil to deceive women than it was for him to deceive men. (The view that women tend to be more easily deceived than men has historically been the more popular view. Modern western ideas make this interpretation unpopular, but I have not seen any other convincing interpretation of what Paul says here. For example, some people understand verse 14 to imply that Eve’s problem was not that she was deceived, but that she ate the fruit without consulting Adam, and then, by offering the fruit for Adam to eat, was taking an improper role by, in a sense, “teaching” him. Stott, page 81, promotes this view and says, “the essence of Eve’s part in the fall was not that she was deceived, but that she took an improper initiative, usurped Adam’s authority and thus reversed their respective roles.” However, the focus in verse 14 is on deception, not teaching. Eve stands not as a type of Ephesian women who were teaching false doctrine, but as a type of Ephesian women who were being deceived by false doctrine. If it were Paul’s point in verse 14 that Eve should not have been teaching Adam, it is strange that he should leave teaching unmentioned and refer only to her deception!Kroeger and Kroeger’s interpretation that these statements are actually combating proto-Gnostic teachings is attractive, but speculative. They say that Paul was combating the proto-Gnostic teaching which said that Adam had been tricked into thinking that he was created before Eve, that the God who had made the material universe was the highest God of all, and that he should worship this God. For more details and interaction with other views see Schreiner in Women in the Church, pages 140–146.Keener, in Dictionary of Paul and His Letters, page 591, says that Paul’s argument from Eve’s deception is likely to be ad hoc: “It is far more likely that Paul instead uses Eve to illustrate the plight of the particular women he addresses in Ephesus, who are easily deceived because they are untrained. Paul elsewhere uses Eve for anyone who is deceived, not just women (2 Cor 11:3).” However, the point remains that Paul is specifically referring to women here. Furthermore, Paul sets the context by referring to all women, not just untaught women, in 2:11 and 2:12a. See the notes on 2:11.) He said that the behavior of Eve and Adam was proof of this. If a woman is deceived, she may not teach what is true.

This does not mean that woman should never teach. In Titus 2:3–5 Paul wrote that women could teach other women. In 2 Timothy 1:5 and 3:14–15 he wrote that women should teach their children. However here Paul was saying that women should not teach men.

it was not Adam who was deceived: Paul was referring to Genesis 3:1–13. These verses explain that Satan appeared to Eve as a snake. He tempted her to eat the only fruit that God had forbidden Adam and her to eat. The snake did not speak to Adam or deceive him. Adam chose to eat the fruit when Eve offered it to him.

2:14b

but the woman who was deceived: The snake tricked or deceived Eve by causing her to disbelieve what God had said about the fruit.

Paul’s point here was that Satan was able to deceive Eve more easily than he could deceive Adam.

2:14c

fell into transgression: The Greek phrase that the Berean Standard Bible translates as fell into transgression means “deliberately broke God’s law.” Eve did not obey God’s command. (Kroeger and Kroeger say that this combats Gnostic teaching which said that Eve actually did a good thing when she ate of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. They presume that people taught this in the time when Paul and Timothy lived.) She became a person who had disobeyed God.

General Comment on 2:11–14

Paul’s conclusion is in 2:12 and his reasons are in 2:13–14. However, in some languages, it is more natural to state reasons before the conclusion. If this is true in your language, you may need to combine and reorder the verses. One way to do this is:

11When men teach about God, women should learn by listening quietly and respectfully. 12–14For God made Adam before he made Eve. Also, Adam was not the one whom Satan deceived. Satan deceived Eve and she disobeyed God. Therefore, I do not allow women to teach or have authority over men.

General Comment on 2:14a–c

In some languages, it may be necessary to conclude 2:14 with a sentence to summarize what Paul was saying. For example, you could say:

Those are the reasons why women should not teach or have authority over men.

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All Scripture quotations in this publication, unless otherwise indicated, are from The Holy Bible, Berean Standard Bible. BSB is produced in cooperation with Bible Hub, Discovery Bible, OpenBible.com, and the Berean Bible Translation Committee.