TEXT [Commentary]

  E.   Public Demeanor in Worship Corrected (2:8-10)

8 In every place of worship, I want men to pray with holy hands lifted up to God, free from anger and controversy.

9 And I want women to be modest in their appearance.[*] They should wear decent and appropriate clothing and not draw attention to themselves by the way they fix their hair or by wearing gold or pearls or expensive clothes. 10 For women who claim to be devoted to God should make themselves attractive by the good things they do.

NOTES

2:8 In every place of worship. Lit., “in every place” (en panti topō [TG3956/5117, ZG4246/5536]) probably refers to multiple house churches. As the community of believers in a particular locale grew too large to meet in one house, other house churches were formed.

I want. This does not simply denote wishing that something were so. It includes the expectation that it will indeed happen: “I will it” (boulomai [TG1014, ZG1089]).

holy hands. In Greek, words with the stem hosi- pertain to the service or worship owed by human beings to God. When used to describe a person, hosios [TG3741, ZG4008] means “pious,” “devout,” or “religious.”

lifted up to God. The words “to God” are implied by the context.

controversy. The Greek term dialogismos [TG1261, ZG1369] has to do with family squabbles rather than church intrigue.

2:9 to be modest in their appearance. The rendering provided in the NLT mg (“to pray in modest apparel”) better fits the grammar of vv. 8-9. Paul similarly mentions women praying in 1 Cor 11:5, referring to every woman who “prays or prophesies.” His only qualification is that women and men behave in ways that do not give offense to God or to outsiders (1 Cor 11:13, 16). The Greek en katastolē kosmiō [TG2689/2887, ZG2950/3177] can refer to “proper behavior” or “proper dress.”

wear. The Greek term kosmein [TG2885, ZG3175] can mean “to dress” (from which the English word “cosmetics” is derived) or “to behave.”

decent. The Greek word aidous [TG127, ZG133], found only here in the NT, has to do with a modest and unassuming demeanor. See L&N.

appropriate. The Greek term sōphrosunēs [TG4997, ZG5408] has to do with the ability to restrain either impulses (self-control, moderation) or intellect. “Sensibleness” or “reasonableness” are closer to the mark (cf. Acts 26:25). The ending –osunē defines the character or “–ness” of someone or something, as for example in hagiōsunē [TG42, ZG43] (holiness) and dikaiosunē [TG1343, ZG1466] (righteousness). Modesty and good judgment were virtues that applied to both men and women in the culture of the day (TLNT 1.41-42).

by the way they fix their hair or by wearing gold. Lit, “with braided hair and gold.” The NLT obscures the fact that in Greek one preposition followed by two nouns connected by the word and expresses a single idea: “with gold-braided hair.” By contrast, the next two nouns are separated by or, which distinguishes two different ideas: “gold-braided hair, or pearls, or costly garments.” For a discussion of first-century hairstyles, see van Bremen 1983:231-233; C. Thompson 1988:99-115; Gill 1990:251.

2:10 should make themselves attractive. This translates the Greek term prepei [TG4241, ZG4560]—to behave in a morally “fitting” or “right” way (L&N 66.1).

COMMENTARY [Text]

Paul’s second directive has to do with the demeanor of worship leaders. Whereas his instructions in verses 1-7 are inclusive, those in verses 8-15 are framed along gender lines. In verse 8 he corrects the men (anēr [TG435, ZG467]) of the congregation, and in verses 9-15 he corrects the women (gunē [TG1135, ZG1222]). This is not, however, because men and women sat in separate sections. Elsewhere Paul notes that men and women worshiped and ministered side by side (e.g., 1 Cor 11:4-5; Phil 4:2-3). It is likely that the women and men at Ephesus were at odds with one another. There were signs of friction. The men were praying in an angry tone of voice (2:8); the women were learning (and perhaps teaching) in a belligerent manner (2:11-12). Paul calls twice for peace and calm (hēsuchia [TG2271, ZG2484], 2:11-12) and twice for moderation (sōphrosunēs [TG4997, ZG5408]; 2:9, 15).

The setting is public worship. This is clear from the opening “therefore” (NLT omits), which ties verses 8-15 with what comes before. God wants all people to be saved (2:4-5), and Christ offered himself as a ransom to this end (2:6). Therefore men and women need to start behaving in public worship in a manner consonant with these theological truths. Also, “to pray” is repeated (2:1, 8). Paul set out the duty of the entire congregation to pray for all people—especially public officials (2:1-7); then, he offered specific corrections along gender lines. Paul begins with a virtual command: “I will it.” This is quite unusual. Paul’s typical pastoral approach is that of request: “I urge” (parakaleō [TG3870, ZG4151]), or “I ask” (deomai [TG1189, ZG1289]). He commands only as a last resort—as he did with the Thessalonian church “in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ,” when their idleness increased (instead of decreasing) after his first missive (2 Thess 3:6). To interject his apostolic authority in this way indicates that there was a need for decisive intervention.

Instructions for the Men (2:8). Men “in every place” are ordered “to pray with holy hands lifted up to God, free from anger and controversy” (2:8). “In every place” indicates that the community of believers in Ephesus had become large enough to require multiple house churches (cf. Rom 16:3-5; 1 Cor 16:19; Col 4:15). “Hands” outstretched and “lifted up” in prayer with palms turned upwards was a long-standing custom both of Jews and Gentiles and of men and women (1 Kgs 8:22; Ezra 9:5; Pss 28:2; 63:4; 134:2; 141:2; Lam 2:19; 3:41). The early Christians continued this practice.

Posture alone does not make a prayer acceptable to God. The attitude with which it is offered must be “holy.” The Greek term (hosios [TG3741, ZG4008]) is used of those who live devout, dedicated lives before God (Titus 1:8), and by way of synecdoche, it speaks of pious hands lifted in prayer (2:8). The idea is one of devotion, rather than purity. “Devout hands” captures the thought. Paul was concerned that the men put off anger toward one another and give God his rightful place of primacy in prayer. Devout hands are “free from anger” toward one another. “Anger” (orgēs [TG3709, ZG3973]) can be righteous. For example, “God shows his anger from heaven against all sinful, wicked people” (Rom 1:18). Or anger can be unrighteous. For instance, Paul commands Ephesus and the Lycus Valley churches to “get rid of all bitterness, rage, anger, and harsh words” (Eph 4:31; cf. NLT mg at Eph 1:1). The addition of “controversy” (dialogismos [TG1261, ZG1369]) makes it anger of the latter sort (2:8). While “controversy” can be something principled or theological in nature, here it is more along the lines of a family squabble—“wrangling” might be a better translation. A divisive spirit was impeding worship at Ephesus. In fact, worship of God is a congregational impossibility under such circumstances. This goes back to Jesus’ teaching: “If you are presenting a sacrifice at the altar in the Temple and you suddenly remember that someone has something against you . . . go and be reconciled to that person. Then come and offer your sacrifice to God” (Matt 5:23-24). And “if you refuse to forgive others, your Father will not forgive your sins” (Matt 6:15).

Instructions for the Women (2:9-10). Paul corrected the women by telling them to exhibit two highly lauded Greco-Roman virtues. They were to act in a “decent” and “appropriate” way, which is suitable “for women who claim to be devoted to God” (2:9-10). “Decent” has the sense of “respectable,” rather than modest. The Greek term, aidous [TG127, ZG133], found only here in the New Testament but common in extrabiblical writings, has to do with honorable conduct or feelings (see note on 2:9). Women were to behave as upstanding and respectable citizens. The second virtue they were to exhibit in worship is sound judgment (sōphrosunē [TG4997, ZG5408]; NLT, “appropriate”; see note on 2:9). Paul claimed this virtue before the Judean governor, when he replied, “I am not insane, Most Excellent Festus. What I am saying is the sober truth” (Acts 26:25).

So, while Paul’s language in verse 9a could be understood in terms of modest attire (NLT, “I want women to be modest in their appearance. They should wear decent and appropriate clothing”), well-considered demeanor better fits the context. The sense of verse 9 would then be “I want women to behave with respectability and sound judgment.” Paul here was not concerned with the first-century equivalent of plunging necklines, tight-fitting clothes, and short skirts. The issue was flaunting one’s wealth in public. The well-to-do came to worship with gold-braided hair, pearls, and expensive clothes (2:9b). In so doing, they drew attention to themselves (2:9) and distracted from worship of God.

By contrast, to do good deeds (NLT, “good things”) draws attention to God (2:10). The expression “good deeds” belongs to Paul’s special ethical vocabulary and is thematic to the Pastorals, occurring 14 times (2:10; 3:1; 5:10 [2x], 25; 6:18; 2 Tim 2:21; 3:17; Titus 1:16; 2:7, 14; 3:1, 8, 14). It describes what is winsome and attractive and so draws people to God. Good deeds in that day would have included caring for orphans, visiting shut-ins, providing food and lodging for traveling believers, and visiting and caring for those in prison (cf. 5:10). “Pure and genuine religion,” James similarly maintains, “means caring for orphans and widows” (Jas 1:27). Caring for the socially needy has its roots in the Old Testament command to look after foreigners, orphans, and widows (Exod 22:22; Deut 10:18; 14:29; 16:11, 14; 24:17-21; 26:12-15; Isa 1:17, 23; 9:17; 10:2; Jer 5:28; 7:6; 22:3; 49:11; Ezek 22:7; Hos 14:3; Zech 7:10). Faith accompanied by good deeds is a common New Testament theme. It was certainly a mandate of Jesus’ teaching. The test of true discipleship is found in this expression: “I was hungry, and you fed me. I was thirsty, and you gave me a drink. I was a stranger, and you invited me into your home. I was naked, and you gave me clothing. I was sick, and you cared for me. I was in prison, and you visited me” (Matt 25:35-36). James puts it even more bluntly, when he states that “faith is dead without good works” (Jas 2:17, 26).

Paul’s definition of the winsome woman differs from the standards of a Miss America Pageant. Then as now, good looks had to do in large part with what is fashionable. Particular fashions change, but being in fashion remains desirable. Hair styles, precious stones, and beautiful clothes define what is in vogue. The standard of good looks in Paul’s day included gold-braided hair, pearls, and expensive clothes (2:9). Today it is much the same, perhaps with the addition of diamonds and a fur coat. The expression “by the way they fix their hair or by wearing gold” had to do with the contemporary fashion of braiding the hair with gold ribbon. The typical hairstyle for upper-class Greek and Roman women (as portraits show) involved twisting the hair into a roll at the top of the head and then looping it to form a raised ridge. The addition of gold ribbon in the braiding was a sign of wealth (van Bremen 1983:223-242).

Using and misusing wealth is a major theme of 1 Timothy. Yet by no means does Paul thereby denounce wealth. He affirms that God “richly gives us all we need for our enjoyment” (6:17). He does, however, take issue with the attitudes that wealth commonly generates. Those to whom God has entrusted the world’s wealth are held accountable for its use: “Tell them to use their money to do good” (6:18). Doing good includes giving generously to those in need and always being ready to share with others whatever God has given. Wealth is power. Paul wanted to make sure that the Ephesians’ wealth was a source of spiritual (“good deeds”) and not material (“good looks”) power.

But do these verses have anything to do with the overall topic of public prayer? Some translations treat verses 9-10 as the start of a new thought and topic: the Christian Dress Code. The CEV, for instance, begins a new paragraph with the words: “I would like for women to wear modest and sensible clothes. . . .” Yet, there is nothing in the context or the grammar to indicate that Paul was moving on to something new. Others narrow down Paul’s concern to that of married women. But while the Greek word (gunē [TG1135, ZG1222]) can be translated either “wife” or “woman,” there is nothing in the description that is specific to married women. After 10 years of counseling widowed, never-married, and divorced women not to marry (1 Cor 7), it is highly likely that a significant percentage of the women in Paul’s congregations were single.

The Greek of verses 9-10 lacks a subject and a main verb, thereby tying these verses with what precedes. The text is literally: “I want to pray—the men . . . likewise the women.” This type of shorthand is common in the New Testament, where an author treats a series of matters related to a general topic (e.g., Eph 5:21-33; 1 Pet 2:13-17). When it occurs, the missing grammatical pieces are to be supplied from what precedes. Here, the missing grammatical pieces can be found in verse 8: “I want men in every place to pray with holy hands. . . . Likewise [I want] women [in every place to pray] with respectable conduct. . . .” What follows spells out the manner in which they are to pray—not to draw attention to themselves but to God. The paragraph division should therefore come at verse 8 following current Greek editions and most contemporary translations.

Was Paul suggesting that only wealthy women were lifting their hands in prayer? “Likewise the women” seems to be a broader audience than merely “the haves.” While the specifics fit a well-to-do clientele, social standing tended to dictate both clothing and hairstyles in the Roman world. Women of diverse social standing aped the latest fashions (much as they do today). Mock pearls, bargain-basement look-alike fashions, and fake diamonds they may be, but the desire to appear wealthy and look expensive is timeless.

The specific customs mentioned in verses 8-10 are cultural (not universal). Men praying with raised hands is an ancient religious phenomenon. A gold-braided hairstyle for women is also specific to Greco-Roman culture. Yet the principle here is decidedly transcultural. Proper demeanor of a worship leader is a theological concern. It is always wrong for a worship leader to flaunt wealth (even pretend wealth). It is also theologically improper to behave in a way that distracts from worshiping God. The better “look” in Paul’s opinion is doing good (2:10)—especially deeds of charity (5:10; 6:18; Titus 2:14; 3:8, 14). Such deeds were required of the church as a whole (Titus 2:14; 3:8, 14) but even more so of church leaders (Titus 2:7), the well-to-do (6:18), and widows (5:10).

Women and men leading the congregation in prayer is by no means a novel occurrence. Women are elsewhere affirmed in just such an activity. They were visible in the worship life of the early church. “When you meet together,” states Paul, “one will sing, another will teach, another will tell some special revelation . . . one will speak in tongues and another will interpret” (1 Cor 14:26). Paul assumed that both men and women were leading in prayer. When the Corinthian believers gather for worship, it is “every man who prays . . . every woman who prays” (1 Cor 11:4-5, my translation). This makes worship in the New Testament period a cooperative enterprise of the whole, and not the job of professionals as one sees in many churches today.