1 Timothy 2:8 (KJV)

Passage

I will therefore that men pray every where, lifting up holy hands, without wrath and doubting.

Nearby Context

1 Timothy 2:6 Who gave himself a ransom for all, to be testified in due time.

1 Timothy 2:7 Whereunto I am ordained a preacher, and an apostle, (I speak the truth in Christ, and lie not;) a teacher of the Gentiles in faith and verity.

1 Timothy 2:8 I will therefore that men pray every where, lifting up holy hands, without wrath and doubting.

1 Timothy 2:9 In like manner also, that women adorn themselves in modest apparel, with shamefacedness and sobriety; not with broided hair, or gold, or pearls, or costly array;

1 Timothy 2:10 But (which becometh women professing godliness) with good works.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "therefore", "pray", "where", "lifting", "holy", "hands", "without", and "wrath". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "therefore" and "pray", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 7's "Whereunto I am ordained a preacher and..." into verse 9's "In like manner also that women adorn...", so "therefore" and "pray" belong inside that flow. In 1 Timothy context, the local focus is Christ, faith, and discipleship.

A plain takeaway is to answer the verse's own emphasis on "therefore" and "pray" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.