PRESERVED THRU CHILDBIRTH

 

“But she [the wife] will be preserved through childbirth—if they [the wife and husband] continue in faith, love, and sanctity, with moderation.” (1 Timothy 2:15)

One of the more confusing verses in the Bible – at first. Some have thought the “preserved” (sōzō) means “salvation” and refers to the eternal soul of women. That would be an unprecedented and unsupported idea, running afoul of all Christian and Jewish doctrines about salvation. The word sōzō can mean salvation in terms of being saved from enemies or death or disaster (e.g., Acts 27:20, 21). Here the word would refer to being saved from the dangers of childbirth, which could bring death. Therefore, “preserved” is a better translation of sōzō.

In this passage, Paul tells a young couple that the wife will be preserved through the dangers of childbirth if the couple continues in their Faith. The implication is that the young wife was bullying her husband by some deceptive teaching contrary to the Christian Faith. Significantly, the first wife recorded in the Bible was deceived, became a wrongdoer, resulting in greater pain in childbirth (Genesis 3:16), BUT helped EVE give birth (Genesis 4:1). Eve was preserved through the pains of childbirth by God. This is why Paul cites the Genesis 3-5 story to solve the domestic squabble of 1 Timothy 2:15, attempting to heal the relationship.