Paul tells Timothy not only that the congregation needs to pray; he also tells him for whom they should pray: “for all people.” Included in the “all people” would be those spreading error within the church. For them, the church ought to pray that God might grant them repentance (2 Tim. 2:25). But they must also pray for “all people,” which probably means all kinds of people, in light of the delineation that follows in 1 Tim. 2:2.

¹First of all, then, I urge that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for all people, ²for kings and all who are in high positions, that we may lead a peaceful and quiet life, godly and dignified in every way. ³This is good, and it is pleasing in the sight of God our Savior, ⁴who desires all people to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth. ⁵For there is one God, and there is one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus, ⁶who gave himself as a ransom for all, which is the testimony given at the proper time. ⁷For this I was appointed a preacher and an apostle (I am telling the truth, I am not lying), a teacher of the Gentiles in faith and truth.
—1 Timothy 2:1–7

First of All, Pray

Paul urges Timothy to lead the church to pray “first of all”—Paul wishes to give this exhortation first because of its great importance.

The word “then” simply means “therefore” and resumes the thought begun in 1:18: “Because I am entrusting you with the pastoral duty to oppose false teachers (1 Tim. 1:18), you therefore need to pray (1 Tim. 2:1).” Thus Paul views prayer as one of the ways in which the church combats false teaching.

Paul mentions four different types of prayers: supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings. He probably does not intend to give a precise delineation of different types of prayer but rather means simply to say that the church needs to offer all kinds of prayers for all people, and the type of prayer required will often be dictated by the need of the moment.

Paul tells Timothy not only that the congregation needs to pray; he also tells him for whom they should pray: “for all people.” Included in the “all people” would be those spreading error within the church. For them, the church ought to pray that God might grant them repentance (2 Tim. 2:25). But they must also pray for “all people,” which probably means all kinds of people, in light of the delineation that follows in 1 Tim. 2:2.¹

Paul specifies one type of people for whom he wants Timothy and his congregation to pray: “kings and all who are in high positions.” This phrase refers to the governing authorities in their Roman imperial context. “Kings” can include the emperors but may also refer to Roman client kings.² Paul directs Christians to pray for these rulers because kings and governors are empowered to enact laws and policies that either protect Christians or make them a target for unjust treatment. We must pray so “that we may lead a peaceful and quiet life, godly and dignified in every way.”

The term translated “peaceful” means quiet and tranquil, “untroubled from without.”³ Thus such prayer would ask for governing authorities to conduct themselves in a way that keeps Christian churches safe from mistreatment—the kind of suffering and persecution that tempts believers to be unfaithful to Christ. This peace and quiet is not an ultimate end but a penultimate one. The ultimate end is that the church might live “godly and dignified in every way.” Godliness describes the “awesome respect” that every person owes to God (BDAG, s.v. εὐσέβεια). Dignity “connotes moral earnestness, affecting outward demeanor as well as interior intention.”⁴ Thus godliness may indicate the Godward, reverential perspective while dignityrepresents the manward, ethical perspective. The former has in view the duty to honor God, while the latter focuses on the duty to honor God before one’s neighbor.

Prayer that pleads with God for a peaceful and quiet life is “good” and “pleasing” to God. The term translated “good” indicates that such prayer is morally praiseworthy. God commends such prayer in part because it is a prayer for God’s moral standards to be upheld—that is, for his people not to be mistreated but to be allowed to carry out obedience to him without interference. Likewise, such prayer is “pleasing” in the sense that it is “welcome” (BDAG, s.v. ἀπόδεκτος). God welcomes prayers for his people to be treated with equity and justice.

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