1 Timothy 2

1 Timothy · Chapter 2

1 Timothy 2:6

1I exhort therefore, that, first of all, supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks, be made for all men;2For kings, and for all that are in authority; that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and honesty.3For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Saviour;4Who will have all men to be saved, and to come unto the knowledge of the truth.5For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus;6Who gave himself a ransom for all, to be testified in due time.7Whereunto I am ordained a preacher, and an apostle, (I speak the truth in Christ, and lie not;) a teacher of the Gentiles in faith and verity.8I will therefore that men pray every where, lifting up holy hands, without wrath and doubting.9In like manner also, that women adorn themselves in modest apparel, with shamefacedness and sobriety; not with broided hair, or gold, or pearls, or costly array;10But (which becometh women professing godliness) with good works.11Let the woman learn in silence with all subjection.12But I suffer not a woman to teach, nor to usurp authority over the man, but to be in silence.13For Adam was first formed, then Eve.14And Adam was not deceived, but the woman being deceived was in the transgression.15Notwithstanding she shall be saved in childbearing, if they continue in faith and charity and holiness with sobriety.

King James Version (1769)

Other translations

VerseKJVBSBASV
6Who gave himself a ransom for all, to be testified in due time.who gave Himself as a ransom for all—the testimony that was given at just the right time.who gave himself a ransom for all; the testimony to be borne in its own times;

In context

AI-assisted, sourced

Paul has just urged prayer for all people, including rulers, because God wants all people to be saved (2:1-4). Verses 5-6 give the reason: there is one God and one mediator, Christ Jesus, who gave himself as a ransom for all. Verse 7 adds that Paul was appointed to preach this message to the Gentiles. 1 Timothy 2:11 Timothy 2:21 Timothy 2:41 Timothy 2:51 Timothy 2:61 Timothy 2:7

SpeakingPaul the apostle, who names himself at the start of the letter. Many critical scholars think a follower wrote it in his name. 1 Timothy overview

ToTimothy, Paul's younger co-worker, whom Paul left to lead the church at Ephesus. 1 Timothy overview

Also involved"All" people, the same "all men" the church is told to pray for and whom God wills to be saved. 1 Timothy 2:11 Timothy 2:41 Timothy 2:6

The verse says Christ Jesus gave himself as a ransom, a price paid to set people free, on behalf of all. This act is the testimony, or witness, that was made known at God's chosen time. 1 Timothy 2:6Strong's G0487Strong's G5228Strong's G3142Strong's G2540

The letter was sent to Ephesus, a wealthy port city and capital of the Roman province of Asia. Where it was written from is not stated, though Paul had gone on to Macedonia. 1 Timothy overview

ACHAIAASIAGALATIAAegean SeaEphesusLaodiceaMiletusPhilippiThessalonicaCorinth

The eventsThe verse looks back to Christ giving himself, which other passages tie to his death. It says this was made known "in due time," which the Greek puts as "in its own proper times." 1 Timothy 2:61 Peter 3:18Strong's G2540Strong's G2398Galatians 4:4

WrittenTraditional view: about AD 62-64, between Paul's two Roman imprisonments. Scholarly view: many critical scholars date it around AD 80-110, though others defend the earlier date. 1 Timothy overview

HereThe verse explains why Christians should pray for everyone, rulers included. Since Christ gave himself for all, no group is outside the church's prayers. 1 Timothy 2:11 Timothy 2:21 Timothy 2:31 Timothy 2:6

In the whole of ScriptureIt sits in a section on prayer and conduct in worship, and it supports a central theme of the letter: God desires all people to be saved. It also grounds Paul's own calling as a teacher of the Gentiles. 1 Timothy overview1 Timothy 2:41 Timothy 2:7

For readersReaders are reminded that Christ's self-giving is the basis for praying for and reaching out to all kinds of people. Jesus used similar words of himself, giving "his life a ransom for many." 1 Timothy 2:11 Timothy 2:6Matthew 20:28

Christians read this differently

Many traditions read "for all" as every person without exception, pointing to 2:4 and to 1 John 2:2, "the whole world." Reformed (Calvinist) readers often take "all" as all kinds of people, kings and common folk, Jews and Gentiles, in line with 2:1-2 and Matthew 20:28's "many." Christians also differ on whether a ransom for all means all will finally be saved; the passage itself also stresses coming to "the knowledge of the truth." 1 Timothy 2:11 Timothy 2:21 Timothy 2:41 Timothy 2:61 Timothy 2:71 John 2:2Matthew 20:28

  • ransomἀντίλυτρον
    Greek · antilutron · G0487

    The Greek word means a ransom, a price paid to free someone. The lexicon lists this verse as its only New Testament use. It presents Christ's death as a costly act that frees people. Strong's G0487

  • forὑπέρ
    Greek · huper · G5228

    This word means "on behalf of." It is used especially of Christ giving his life for people's redemption, so the ransom is paid for their benefit. Strong's G5228

  • allπᾶς
    Greek · pas · G3956

    The word means all or every. It echoes the "all men" of verses 1 and 4 and links Christ's ransom to the call to pray for everyone. Strong's G39561 Timothy 2:11 Timothy 2:4

  • to be testifiedμαρτύριον
    Greek · marturion · G3142

    The Greek is a noun meaning testimony, witness, or proof. Paul goes on to say he was appointed a preacher of this message (2:7). Strong's G31421 Timothy 2:7

  • due timeκαιρός
    Greek · kairos · G2540

    Kairos means a fixed, fitting season. Together with "its own," it says the witness came at the time God appointed. Strong's G2540Strong's G2398

Takeaway

This verse is the reason behind the call to pray for everyone: Christ Jesus gave himself as a ransom on behalf of all. It is the message Paul says he was appointed to preach. 1 Timothy 2:11 Timothy 2:61 Timothy 2:7

Drafted by AI from the Scripture and data shown under “Show sources,” then checked automatically and by a second AI pass. Updated 2026-10-22.

The world around the text

About AD 62-64. Roman emperor: Nero (AD 54-68). Where Timothy was when Paul wrote. A port city on the west coast of today's Turkey and the greatest market of the province of Asia.

Who ruled
  • Roman emperorNeroAD 54-68

    Emperor over the whole Roman world, including Ephesus, Macedonia and Judea. When Paul appealed to Caesar as a Roman citizen, the Caesar was Nero. Paul tells Timothy to have prayers made "for kings, and for all that are in authority." Acts 25:10-12Acts 28:161 Timothy 2:1-2Suetonius, NeroTacitus, Annals 13-16

  • Governor of the province where Ephesus stoodThe proconsul of AsiaOne-year terms

    Asia was governed by a proconsul, a former consul appointed by the Senate for a year at a time, who heard cases in the province's leading cities. During the riot in Ephesus the town clerk reminded the crowd that "the law is open, and there are deputies" (proconsuls). Acts 19:38-39Strabo, Geography 17.3.25

  • Jewish client kingHerod Agrippa IIc. AD 50-90s

    Ruled territories north and east of Galilee under Rome and had the right to appoint the high priest in Jerusalem. He heard Paul's defense with Festus and told him, "Almost thou persuadest me to be a Christian." Acts 25:13Acts 26:28Josephus, Antiquities 20.179, 20.203

  • Roman governors of JudeaFestus, Albinus and Florusc. AD 59-66

    Porcius Festus sent Paul to Rome and died in office around AD 62. Lucceius Albinus (62-64) and Gessius Florus (64-66) followed; Josephus blames Florus's greed and brutality for pushing Judea into revolt. Acts 24:27Acts 25:12Josephus, Antiquities 20.197-203, 20.252-258Josephus, Jewish War 2.271-308

  • King of ParthiaVologases Ic. AD 51-78

    Ruler of the Parthian empire east of the Euphrates, Rome's one great rival. He fought Rome over Armenia until a settlement in AD 63 let his brother Tiridates rule Armenia as Rome's client. Tacitus, Annals 15.1-17, 15.24-31Cassius Dio, Roman History 62.19-23

What was happening, AD 58 to AD 68
  1. AD 58-63
    WarRome and Parthia fight over Armenia

    Roman armies under Corbulo took the Armenian capitals Artaxata and Tigranocerta. In AD 62 a second Roman army under Paetus surrendered at Rhandeia, and in AD 63 the two empires made peace. Tacitus, Annals 13.34-41, 14.23-26, 15.1-17, 15.24-31

  2. AD 60
    DisasterEarthquake destroys Laodicea

    Laodicea, about 150 km (95 miles) east of Ephesus in the same province, was ruined by an earthquake and rebuilt from its own wealth without help from Rome. Paul's letters mention the church there, and Revelation later quotes the city's boast, "I am rich." Tacitus, Annals 14.27Colossians 4:13-16Revelation 3:17

  3. AD 60-61
    WarBoudica's revolt in Britain

    Boudica, queen of the Iceni, led a rising that burned Camulodunum (Colchester), Londinium (London) and Verulamium before the Roman governor Suetonius Paulinus defeated her. Tacitus, Annals 14.29-39

  4. c. AD 60-62
    The churchPaul under guard in Rome

    Paul lived two whole years in Rome under house arrest, receiving visitors and preaching openly. The traditional date for 1 Timothy places it soon after his release. Acts 28:16Acts 28:30-31

  5. c. AD 61-63
    DiscoveryNero's expedition up the Nile

    Nero sent a party of soldiers to find the source of the Nile. They travelled far beyond Egypt and reached vast marshes they could not cross, likely the Sudd in today's South Sudan. The date is approximate. Seneca, Natural Questions 6.8.3-4Pliny, Natural History 6.181

  6. AD 62
    The churchJames, the Lord's brother, is killed in Jerusalem

    Festus died in office. Before the next governor arrived, the high priest Ananus had "James, the brother of Jesus who was called Christ" and others stoned. Ananus was removed after three months. Josephus, Antiquities 20.197-203Galatians 1:19Acts 15:13

  7. AD 62 or 63
    DisasterEarthquake hits Pompeii

    An earthquake badly damaged Pompeii and Herculaneum in Italy, seventeen years before Vesuvius buried them. Seneca dates it to AD 62; Tacitus to AD 63. Seneca, Natural Questions 6.1Tacitus, Annals 15.22

  8. c. AD 62
    DiscoveryHero of Alexandria's machines

    The engineer Hero of Alexandria, whose work is dated by an eclipse of AD 62 he describes, wrote up a steam-spun sphere (the aeolipile) and a coin-operated machine that dispensed water in temples. Hero, Pneumatics 1.21, 2.11Hero, Dioptra 35

  9. c. AD 63-64
    BuildingJerusalem's temple is finished

    Work on the temple Herod began around 20 BC was completed under Albinus, leaving some 18,000 workers without jobs. Six years later Roman armies destroyed it, as Jesus had foretold. Josephus, Antiquities 20.219-222John 2:20Luke 21:5-6

  10. July AD 64
    DisasterThe Great Fire of Rome

    Fire burned for days. Of Rome's fourteen districts, three were destroyed and seven badly damaged. Nero then built his vast Golden House on the cleared land. Tacitus, Annals 15.38-43Suetonius, Nero 31, 38

  11. AD 64
    The churchNero blames and kills Christians

    To end rumours that he had started the fire, Nero blamed the Christians of Rome. Tacitus records a "vast multitude" put to death, some torn by dogs and some burned as torches. Tacitus, Annals 15.44Suetonius, Nero 16.2

  12. AD 65
    RulersA plot against Nero fails

    The Pisonian conspiracy to kill Nero was betrayed. Among those forced to take their own lives was Seneca, Nero's former tutor and the brother of Gallio, the governor who dismissed the case against Paul in Corinth. Tacitus, Annals 15.48-74Acts 18:12-17

  13. AD 66
    WarThe Jewish revolt begins

    After Florus seized money from the temple treasury, Jerusalem rose against Rome and the daily sacrifice offered for the emperor was stopped. The war ended with Jerusalem and its temple destroyed in AD 70. Josephus, Jewish War 2.293-308, 2.409-410Luke 21:20-24

  14. AD 66-67
    BuildingNero tours Greece and starts a canal at Corinth

    Nero competed in the Greek games and broke ground for a canal across the Isthmus of Corinth. The work stopped after his death; the canal was finally cut in 1893. Suetonius, Nero 19, 22-24

  15. c. AD 67
    The churchPaul's death in Rome

    In his last letter Paul writes from prison that "the time of my departure is at hand." Early Christian tradition says he was beheaded in Rome under Nero. 2 Timothy 4:6-8Eusebius, Church History 2.25

  16. June AD 68
    RulersNero dies

    Facing revolt in the provinces and declared an enemy by the Senate, Nero took his own life. Four emperors ruled in turn during the following year before Vespasian took power. Suetonius, Nero 47-49Tacitus, Histories 1.2

The full picture: places, culture and daily life. Scripture first, then the ancient historians who wrote about these years (Tacitus, Suetonius, Josephus, Seneca, Pliny the Elder, Strabo, Cassius Dio). Dates are as those writers give them; approximate dates say so. Drafted by Claude and not yet reviewed by a person.

Original Greek words

EnglishGreekSay itStrong'sMeaning
having givenδοὺςdousG1325
to give

δίδωμι (didōmi) δίδωμι, [in LXX chiefly for נָתַן (53 words in all) ;] to give—in various senses, accusative to context—bestow, grant, supply, deliver, commit, yield: absol., Act.20:35; with accusative of thing(s) and dative of person(s), Mat.4:9 5:31, Jhn.1:12, al. mult.; with dative of person(s), before ἐκ, Mat.25:8; id. with genitive part.. Rev.2:17; with accusative of person(s), Jhn.3:16, Rev.20:13, al.; δεξιάς, Gal.2:9; φίλημα, Luk.7:45; γνῶσιν, Luk.1:77; κρίσιν, Jhn.5:22; of seed yielding fruit, Mrk.4:7, 8; ἐργασίαν (Deiss., LAE, 117f.), Luk.12:58; with inf. fin., Mat.27:34, Mrk.5:43, Luk.8:55, Jhn.6: …

Himselfἑαυτὸνhe'autonG1438
/him/herself

αὑτοῦ (ahutou) αὑτοῦ, -ῆς, -οῦ = ἑαυτοῦ (which see), Mat.6:34, Luk.12:17, al. (MM, see word) (AS)

[as] a ransomἀντίλυτρονantilutronG0487
ransom

ἀντίλυτρον (antilutron) ἀντί-λυτρον, -ου, τό [in Al.: Psa.49:9 * ;] a ransom: 1Ti.2:6 (see CGT, in l; and cf. λύτρον).† (AS)

forὑπὲρhuperG5228
above/for

ὑπέρ (huper) ὑπέρ (when following subst.—poët.—ὕπερ; so as adv., 2Co.11:23), prep. with genitive, accusative I. C. genitive, primarily of place (rest or motion), over, above, across, beyond, hence, metaphorically, 1. for, on behalf of: of prayer, Mat.5:44, Act.8:24, Rom.10:1, Jas.5:16, al.; of laying down life, Jhn.10:11, Rom.9:3, al.; esp. of Christ giving his life for man's redemption, Mrk.14:24, Jhn.10:15, Act.21:13, Rom.5:6-8, al.; opposite to κατά, Mrk.9:40, Luk.9:50, Rom.8:31. …

all,πάντων,pantōnG3956
all

πᾶς (pas) πᾶς, πᾶσα, πᾶν, genitive, παντός, πάσης, παντός, [in LXX chiefly for כֹּל ;] all, every. I. As adj., 1. with subst. anarth., all, every, of every kind: Mat.3:10 4:23, Mrk.9:49, Luk.4:37, Jhn.2:1o, Act.27:20, Rom.7:8, Rev.18:17, al. mult.; pl., all, Act.22:15, Rom.5:12, Heb.1:6, al.; of the highest degree, π. ἐξουσία (προθυμία, χαρά), Mat.28:18, Act.17:11, Phi 2:29, al.; also the whole (though in this sense more frequently with art.), Mat.2:3, Act.2:36, Rom.11:26. …

testimonyμαρτύριονmarturionG3142
testimony

μαρτύριον (marturion) μαρτύριον, -ου, τό (μάρτυρ) [in LXX chiefly for מוֹעֵד, also for עֵדָה, עֵדוּת and cogn. forms ;] a testimony, witness, proof (Hdt., Thuc., al.): with genitive subj., 2Co.1:12, 2Th.1:10; with genitive obj., Act.4:33, 1Co.1:6 2:1 (WH, txt., R, txt., μυστήριον; 2Ti.1:8; εἰς μ., Mat.8:4 10:18 Mat.24:14, Mrk.1:44 6:11 13:9, Luk.5:14 9:5 21:13, Heb.3:5, Jas.5:3; τὸ μ. καιροῖς ἰδίοις (CGT, in l), 1Ti.2:6; ἡ σκηνὴ τοῦ μ. (LXX for מוֹעֵד אֹהֶל), Act.7:44, Rev.15:5.† (AS)

proper timesκαιροῖςkairoisG2540
time/right time

καιρός (kairos) καιρός, -οῦ, ὁ [in LXX chiefly for עֵת, also for מוֹעֵד, etc. ;] 1. due measure, fitness, proportion (Eur., Xen., al.). 2. Of Time (cl. also) in the sense of a fixed and definite period, time, season (Kennedy, Sources, 153): Mat.11:25, Mrk.1:15, Luk.21:8, Rom.13:11, Eph.6:18, Heb.11:15, 1Pe.1:5 1:11 Rev.1:3, al.; with genitive, πειρασμοῦ Luk.8:13; τ. καρπῶν, Mat.21:34; σύκων, Mrk.11:13; pl., Mat.21:41; χρόνοι ἢ (καὶ) κ., Act.1:7, 1Th.5:1; ἐθνῶν, Luk.21:24; of opportune or seasonable time, Act.24:25, Gal.6:10, Eph.5:16, Col.4:5; with inf., Heb.11:15; ὁ κ. οὗτος, Mrk.10:30, Luk.18:30; ὁ νῦν κ …

in [their] own,ἰδίοις,idioisG2398
one's own/private

ἴδιος (idios) ἴδιος, -α, -ον (in Attic usually -ος, -ον), [in LXX chiefly for of person(s) suff., also for לָהֶם, etc.; (τὰ ἴ.) בֵּיתוֹ ;] 1. one's own; (a) of that which is private and personal (in cl. opposite to κοινός, δημόσιος; cf. infr. 3); …

Words and meanings from STEPBible data (Tyndale House, Cambridge, CC BY 4.0). The capitalized syllable is the stressed one.