Texts in Conversation
Baruch tells the exiles to pray for Nebuchadnezzar and his son Belshazzar so their rule will last, highlighting a practice of praying for foreign leaders. 1 Timothy follows this tradition by urging prayer for rulers so people can live in peace.
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2500 BCE
1000+ CE
Baruch 1:11
Deuterocanon
10 And they said: Behold, we have sent you money; therefore buy with the money burnt offerings, sin offerings, and incense, and prepare an oblation, and offer upon the altar of the Lord our God; 11 and pray for the life of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, and for the life of Belshazzar his son, that their days may be as the days of heaven above the earth. 12 The Lord will give us strength and light to our eyes. We will live under the shadow of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon and under the shadow of Belshazzar his son, and we shall serve them many days, and find favor in their sight. 13 Pray for us also to the Lord our God, for we have sinned against the Lord our God. To this day the wrath of the Lord and his indignation is not turned from us. 14 You shall read this book which we have sent to you, to make confession in the house of the Lord upon the day of the feast and on the days of the solemn assembly.
Date: 200–50 BCE (based on scholarly estimates)
1 Timothy 2:2
New Testament
1 First of all, then, I urge that requests, prayers, intercessions, and thanks be offered on behalf of all people, 2 even for kings and all who are in authority, that we may lead a peaceful and quiet life in all godliness and dignity. 3 Such prayer for all is good and welcomed before God our Savior, 4 since he wants all people to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth. 5 For there is one God and one intermediary between God and humanity, Christ Jesus, himself human,
Date: 90–100 CE (based on scholarly estimates)
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Notes and References
"... The primary emphasis could be on verse 2. Prayers for the prosperity of secular leaders were common in Judaism (Ezra 6:9–10; Baruch 1:11; 1 Maccabees 7:33; Letter of Aristeas 44–45; Pirke Avot 3.2; compare Jeremiah 29:7; Philo, Against Flaccus 524; Legatio ad Gaium 157, 317; Josephus Jewish Wars 2.17.1) ... and were encouraged by Paul (Titus 3:1; Romans 13:1) and others (1 Peter 2:14, 17). This practice becomes even more significant when it is remembered that Nero (A.D. 54–68) was emperor (assuming Pauline authorship) ..."
William D. Mounce, Word Biblical Commentary: Pastoral Epistles (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2009), 80.
* The use of references are not endorsements of their contents. Please read the entirety of the provided reference(s) to understand the author's full intentions regarding the use of these texts.
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