G831 authenteō (ow-then-TEH-o) — a rare verb: to domineer, to seize control. Not Paul's usual word for authority.
Word: αὐθεντέω; in 1 Timothy 2:12, αὐθεντεῖν (authentein) · verb · Strong's G831
In brief
Authenteō appears exactly once in the Bible, in 1 Timothy 2:12, and rarely anywhere in Greek before Paul's time. Paul's normal word for authority is exousia, which he uses dozens of times. Here he chose a different, unusual word. Most modern translations render it as ordinary, legitimate authority ("exercise authority"), which makes the verse a general rule against women leading. Older translations and many scholars read it as something harmful: domineering, or seizing control.
Where it appears
- 1 Timothy 2:12 — the only occurrence in the New Testament and the Greek Old Testament.
- Compare exousia (G1849) — Paul's ordinary word for authority, used about 30 times in his letters.
What the lexicons say
- Liddell–Scott (classical Greek): to have full power over.
- Louw–Nida (1988): to control in a domineering manner.
- BDAG: to assume a stance of independent authority, to give orders to, to dictate to.
The lexicons do not agree, which is itself the point: this is not a plain, everyday word for leading.
How translations render it
| Translation | 1 Timothy 2:12 |
|---|---|
| Latin Vulgate (about 400) | dominari, to dominate |
| KJV (1611) | "to usurp authority over the man" |
| NIV (2011) | "to assume authority over a man" |
| ESV | "to exercise authority over a man" |
| NRSV | "to have authority over a man" |
| CEB" | "to control her husband" |
For most of translation history, the verb carried a negative sense: dominate, usurp. The neutral "exercise authority" is a modern rendering.
Where scholars disagree
- Neutral or positive authority: Henry Scott Baldwin and Al Wolters argue the verb means to have or exercise authority, without a negative sense.
- Negative or abusive control: Linda Belleville (2005), Philip Payne (2009), and Cynthia Westfall (2016) argue it means to domineer or seize authority not properly given, harming the person on the receiving end.
On the negative reading, Paul is forbidding a woman to dominate a man, which would be forbidden to anyone. On the neutral reading, he is forbidding women to lead men at all. The choice of English word makes that decision for the reader.
See for yourself
- Paul uses exousia for authority throughout his letters. Why might he choose a rare word here?
- Read 1 Timothy 2:11–15 and 1:3–7. What problem in the Ephesian church is Paul responding to?
Related words
exousia (G1849, authority) · hēsychia (G2271, quietness) · anēr (G435)