[B-Greek] Arthur Way and 1 Tim 2:15

Daniel Buck bucksburg at yahoo.com
Thu Nov 18 14:12:07 EST 2010


 Iver Larsen wrote:
<<One famous passage where all English versions that I know off (except Way and 
an NLT and CEV footnote) have failed to understand the author is 1 Tim 2:15, and 
they therefore present non-sensical translations. The reason for their failure 
is the lack of awareness or recognition of metonymy (and synecdoche) which is 
much more common in NT Greek than it is in English. Some commentators, like D. 
Moo, have understood Paul, as quoted by the NET bible note: "“It is not through 
active teaching and ruling activities that Christian women will be saved, but 
through faithfulness to their proper role, exemplified in motherhood” (Moo, 71). 
In this view τεκνογονία [TEKNOGONIA] is seen as a synecdoche in which 
child-rearing and other activities of motherhood are involved."

Way translates: Yet through her motherhood shall woman be saved, if your women 
swerve not from faith and love and self-consecration, coupled with virtuous 
self-control.>>

The CEV footnote left no stone unturned: saved by having children: Or "brought 
safely through childbirth" or "saved by the birth of a child" (that is, by the 
birth of Jesus) or "saved by being good mothers."

Ironically, however, the Greek does not read "by the birth of A child", but "by 
the birth of THE child."  If Paul wanted to emphasize that it was motherhood in 
general--or, even less specifically, just traditional womanly behavior (so not 
to exclude motherless children from salvation)--how effectively could he expect 
to communicate that by putting the article THS in front of TEKNOGONIAS? 

Daniel Buck



      


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