1 Timothy 2:11–12
Bible Verses. Also called 1 Timothy 2:11-12, 1 Tim 2:11-12, Let the woman learn in silence, I suffer not a woman to teach.
11 Let the woman learn in silence with all subjection.
12 But I suffer not a woman to teach, nor to usurp authority over the man, but to be in silence.
Scripture quotation from the King James Version (KJV). Read this chapter
1 Timothy 2:11–12 is the passage that reads, "Let the woman learn in silence with all subjection. … But I suffer not a woman to teach, nor to usurp authority over the man." It is a central text in the debate over the ordination of women and the role of women in the church, and denominations have reached differing conclusions about it.
About this articleAI draft from a Korean source. No sources listed. Not yet reviewed by a person.
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Drafted by AI from the Korean church.wiki article, then translated and adapted for English readers on 5 November 2026.
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Context
1 Timothy is a letter to Timothy instructing him to correct the false teaching that had spread in the church at Ephesus (1:3–7). Verses 2:8–15 address the conduct of men and women in worship. Paul instructs the men to pray without wrath or quarreling, and the women to adorn themselves modestly and to learn quietly. In verses 13–14 he appeals to the Genesis account that Adam was formed first and that Eve was deceived, and in verse 15 he concludes with the difficult statement "she shall be saved in childbearing."
Interpretation
- Complementarian reading: Because verse 13 appeals to the order of creation, this instruction is understood not as a response to the circumstances of a particular church but as a principle that applies to the church in every age. Men and women are equal, but the offices of teaching and governing in the church (pastor and elder) are understood to have been entrusted to men.
- Egalitarian reading: The instruction is seen as arising from a situation in which false teachers at Ephesus had spread their influence among women (compare 2 Timothy 3:6–7). The Greek word rendered "usurp authority," authenteō, is a rare word that occurs only here in the New Testament, and it may refer not to the ordinary exercise of authority but to wielding authority in an abusive or domineering way. Proponents also note that the command "let the woman learn" itself went beyond the customs of the time, which restricted the education of women.
- Other passages cited in support: Egalitarians point to Galatians 3:28, Phoebe and Junia in Romans 16, and Priscilla in Acts 18:26; complementarians point to 1 Corinthians 14:34–35 and the qualifications for a bishop in 1 Timothy 3:2.
Debate and Issues
The interpretation of this passage bears directly on the question of the ordination of women. Among Korean Protestant denominations, the Korean Methodist Church began ordaining women as pastors at an early date, the Presbyterian Church of Korea (Tonghap) permitted the practice in the 1990s, and Pentecostal denominations, including those in the Full Gospel tradition, also have women pastors. By contrast, the Presbyterian Church in Korea (Hapdong), the Presbyterian Church in Korea (Kosin), and others are reported not to permit the ordination of women as pastors or elders, citing this passage among others. Discussion continues even within individual denominations.
Related Passages
See also 6
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