1 Timothy 2:4

1 Timothy 2:4 in other versions

• King James Version (KJV)Who will have all men to be saved, and to come unto the knowledge of the truth.
• New International Version (NIV)who wants all people to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth.
• English Standard Version (ESV)who desires all people to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth.
• New King James Version (NKJV)who desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth.

Context of 1 Timothy 2:4

2even for kings and all who are in authority, that we may lead a peaceful and quiet life in all godliness and dignity. 3Such prayer for all is good and welcomed before God our Savior, since he wants all people to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth. 5For there is one God and one intermediary between God and humanity, Christ Jesus, himself human, 6who gave himself as a ransom for all, revealing God’s purpose at his appointed time.

1 Timothy 2:4 word by word

ὃς πάντας ἀνθρώπους θέλει σωθῆναι καὶ εἰς ἐπίγνωσιν ἀληθείας ἐλθεῖν.¶Read the interlinear

Words taken from the KJV.

• Whoὅςhos hē ho · whichG3739
• will haveθέλωthelō ethelō · to will/desireG2309
• allπᾶςpas · allG3956
• menἄνθρωποςanthrōpos · a humanG444
• to be savedσῴζωsōzō · to saveG4982
• andκαίkai · andG2532
• to comeἔρχομαιerchomai · to come/goG2064
• untoεἰςeis · towardG1519
• the knowledgeἐπίγνωσιςepignōsis · knowledgeG1922
• of the truthἀλήθειαalētheia · truthG225

Cross-references for 1 Timothy 2:4

• Isaiah 45:22Turn to me so you can be delivered, all you who live in the earth’s remote regions! For I am God, and I have no peer.
• Isaiah 49:6he says, “Is it too insignificant a task for you to be my servant, to reestablish the tribes of Jacob, and restore the remnant of Israel? I will make you a light to the nations, so you can bring my deliverance to the remote regions of the earth.”
• Isaiah 55:1“Hey, all who are thirsty, come to the water! You who have no money, come! Buy and eat! Come! Buy wine and milk without money and without cost!
• Ezekiel 18:23Do I actually delight in the death of the wicked, declares the sovereign Lord? Do I not prefer that he turn from his wicked conduct and live?
• Ezekiel 33:11Say to them, ‘As surely as I live, declares the sovereign Lord, I take no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but prefer that the wicked change his behavior and live. Turn back, turn back from your evil deeds! Why should you die, O house of Israel?’
• Luke 14:23So the master said to his slave, ‘Go out to the highways and country roads and urge people to come in, so that my house will be filled.
• John 3:15so that everyone who believes in him may have eternal life.”
• John 6:37Everyone whom the Father gives me will come to me, and the one who comes to me I will never send away.
• Romans 3:29Or is God the God of the Jews only? Is he not the God of the Gentiles too? Yes, of the Gentiles too!
• 2 Corinthians 5:17So then, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; what is old has passed away – look, what is new has come!
• 1 Thessalonians 2:15who killed both the Lord Jesus and the prophets and persecuted us severely. They are displeasing to God and are opposed to all people,
• 2 Peter 3:9The Lord is not slow concerning his promise, as some regard slowness, but is being patient toward you, because he does not wish for any to perish but for all to come to repentance.
• Matthew 28:19Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit,
• Mark 16:15He said to them, “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature.
• Luke 24:47and repentance for the forgiveness of sins would be proclaimed in his name to all nations, beginning from Jerusalem.
• Romans 10:12For there is no distinction between the Jew and the Greek, for the same Lord is Lord of all, who richly blesses all who call on him.

Commentaries on 1 Timothy 2:4

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 4Who will have all men to be saved - Because he wills the salvation of all men; therefore, he wills that all men should be prayed for. In the face of such a declaration, how can any Christian soul suppose that God ever unconditionally and eternally reprobated any man? Those who can believe so, one would suppose, can have little acquaintance either with the nature of God, or the bowels of Christ. And to come unto the knowledge of the truth - The truth - the…Read the comment
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 4Who will have all men to be saved - That is, it is in accordance with his nature, his feelings, his desires. The word “will” cannot be taken here in the absolute sense, denoting a decree like that by which he willed the creation of the world, for then it would certainly be done. But the word is often used to denote a desire, wish, or what is in accordance with the nature of anyone. Thus it may be said of God that he “wills” that his creatures may be happy…Read the comment
• Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 1-7Here, prayer focuses on the church’s mission. This suggests that false teachers damaged the church's reputation in society and hindered its mission to non-Jewish people (see 3:6–7; 6:1; Titus 2:5).Read the comment
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 44. "Imitate God." Since He wishes that all should be saved, do you also wish it; and if you wish it, pray for it. For prayer is the instrument of effecting such things [Chrysostom]. Paul does not say, "He wishes to save all"; for then he would have saved all in matter of fact; but "will have all men to be saved," implies the possibility of man's accepting it (through God's prevenient grace) or rejecting it (through man's own perversity). Our prayers ought…Read the comment

Topics related to 1 Timothy 2:4

• Gospel
• Minister, Christian
• Salvation
• Wisdom

In the dictionaries

• Lead
• Verity
• Love
• Mystery
• Regeneration
• Repentance
• Restoration
• Timothy, Epistles of Paul to

Commentaries on 1 Timothy 2

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
• Matthew Henry Concise Commentary
• Tyndale Open Study Notes
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary
• Calvin’s Commentaries
• John Wesley’s Notes
• Illustrated New Testament
• Burkitt’s Expository Notes
• Darby Translation Notes
• Family Bible Notes
• Geneva Bible Translation Notes
• Kingcomments
• Matthew Henry’s Complete Commentary
• Matthew Henry’s Modern English Commentary
• The People’s New Testament
• Robertson’s Word Pictures
• Scofield Reference Notes, 1917 Edition
• Original Douay–Rheims Annotations
• Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary
• EGW Writings