That men pray] That is, for the blessings promised in this testimony of God. For, although God has provided them, yet he will not give them to such as will not pray. See the note on verse 1, the subject of which is here resumed.

Everywhere] ev panti topw? In every place. That they should always have a praying heart, and this will ever find a praying place. This may refer to a Jewish superstition. They thought, at first, that no prayer could be acceptable that was not offered at the temple at Jerusalem; afterward this was extended to the Holy Land; but, when they became dispersed among the nations, they built oratories or places of prayer, principally by rivers and by the seaside; and in these they were obliged to allow that public prayer might be legally offered, but nowhere else. In opposition to this, the apostle, by the authority of Christ, commands men to pray everywhere; that all places belong to God's dominions; and, as he fills every place, in every place he may be worshipped and glorified. As to ejaculatory prayer, they allowed that this might be performed standing, sitting, leaning, lying, walking by the way, and during their labour. Beracoth, fol. xi. 1. And yet in some other places they teach differently. See Schoettgen.

Lifting up holy hands] It was a common custom, not only among the Jews, but also among the heathens, to lift up or spread out their arms and hands in prayer. It is properly the action of entreaty and request; and seems to be an effort to embrace the assistance requested. But the apostle probably alludes to the Jewish custom of laying their hands on the head of the animal which they brought for a sin-offering, confessing their sins, and then giving up the life of the animal as an expiation for the sins thus confessed. And this very notion is conveyed in the original term epairontav, from airw to lift up, and epi, upon or over. This shows us how Christians should pray. They should come to the altar; set God before their eyes; humble themselves for their sins; bring as a sacrifice the Lamb of God; lay their hands on this sacrifice; and by faith offer it to God in their souls' behalf, expecting salvation through his meritorious death alone.

Without wrath] Having no vindictive feeling against any person; harbouring no unforgiving spirit, while they are imploring pardon for their own offenses.

The holy hands refer to the Jewish custom of washing their hands before prayer; this was done to signify that they had put away all sin, and purposed to live a holy life.

And doubting.] dialogismou or dialogismwn, as in many MSS., reasonings, dialogues. Such as are often felt by distressed penitents and timid believers; faith, hope, and unbelief appearing to hold a disputation and controversy in their own bosoms, in the issue of which unbelief ordinarily triumphs. The apostle therefore wills them to come, implicitly relying on the promises of God, and the sacrifice and mediation of Jesus Christ.

John Gill's Bible Commentary

They have also many rules concerning places of private prayer, as that care should be taken that it be not in a place where there is any filth; or any bad scent f27 . Lifting up holy hands ; lifting up of hands was a prayer gesture among the Heathens f28 , and so it was among the Jews f29 . R. Simeon lift up his hands in prayer to the blessed God, and prayed his prayer. Yea, they say, �it is forbidden a man to lift up his hands above, except in prayer, and in blessings to his Lord, and supplications, as it is said, ( Genesis 14:22) which is interpreted of lifting up of hands in prayer.�

And this was an emblem of the elevation of the heart in prayer to God, without which the former would be of little avail. It is an observation of the Jews f31 , we have found prayer without lifting up of hands, but we never found lifting up of hands without prayer. And these hands must be holy and pure; there must be purity of heart, and cleanness of hands, or a freedom from any governing sin, which renders prayer unacceptable unto God; (see Isaiah 1:15,16). The apostle alludes to a custom of the Jews, who always used to wash their hands before prayer; �Then Holofernes commanded his guard that they should not stay her: thus she abode in the camp three days, and went out in the night into the valley of Bethulia, and washed herself in a fountain of water by the camp. And when she came out, she besought the Lord God of Israel to direct her way to the raising up of the children of her people.� (Judith 12:7,8) So it is said of the Septuagint interpreters, that after the Jewish manner they washed their hands and prayed. The account Maimonides gives f33 , is this: �cleanness of hands, how is it done? a man must wash his hands up to the elbow, and after that pray; if a man is on a journey, and the time of prayer is come, and he has no water, if there is between him and water four miles, which are eight thousand cubits, he may go to the place of water, and wash, and after that pray. If there is between him more than that, he may rub his hands, and pray. But if the place of water is behind him, he is not obliged to go back but a mile; but if he has passed from the water more than that, he is not obliged to return, but he rubs his hands and prays; they do not make clean for prayer but the hands only, in the rest of prayers, except the morning prayer; but before the morning prayer a man washes his face, his hands and feet, and after that prays.�

But, alas! what does all this washing signify? Unless, as Philo the Jew f34 , expresses it, a man lifts up pure, and, as one may say, virgin hands, to heaven, and so prays. Without wrath and doubting ; or reasoning, or disputation in a contentious way: the former of these, some think, has reference to �murmuring�, as the Ethiopic version renders it, impatience and complaint against God in prayer, and the other to doubt and diffidence about being heard, and having the petitions answered; for prayer ought to be with praise to God, and faith in him: or rather �wrath� may intend an angry and unforgiving temper towards men, with whom prayer is made, which is very unbecoming; (see Matthew 5:23,24 6:10 1 Peter 3:7) and both that and doubting, or disputation, may have regard to those heats and contentions that were between the Jews and Gentiles, which the apostle would have laid aside, and they join together in prayer, and in other parts of public worship, in love and peace. Maimonides says, ``men may not stand praying, either with laughter, or with levity, nor with confabulation, �nor with contention, nor with anger�, but with the words of the law.�

And it is a saving of R. Chanina, �in a day of �wrath�, a man may not pray f36 .�

Matthew Henry Commentary

Greek Textus Receptus

Everywhere (en panti topw). Lit. in every place. Wherever Christian congregations assemble. Not every place indiscriminately.

Lifting up holy hands (epairontav osiouv ceirav). The phrase is unique in N.T. o LXX. Among Orientals the lifting up of the hands accompanied taking an oath, blessing, and prayer. The custom passed over into the primitive church, as may be seen from the mural paintings in the catacombs. See Clement, Ad Corinth. xxix, which may possibly be a reminiscence of this passage. The verb ejpairein to raise, twice in Paul, 2 Corinthians x. 5; xi. 20; but often in Luke. Osiouv holy, o P. See on Luke i. 75.

Without wrath and doubting (cwriv orghv kai dialogismwn). The combination only here. Orgh is used by Paul mostly of the righteous anger and the accompanying judgment of God against sin. As here, only in Eph. iv. 31; Col. iii. 8. Dialogismov in N.T. habitually in the plural, as here. The only exception is Luke ix. 46, 47. By Paul usually in the sense of disputatious reasoning. It may also mean sceptical questionings or criticisms as Philip. ii. 14. So probably here. Prayer, according to our writer, is to be without the element of sceptical criticism, whether of God's character and dealings, or of the character and behavior of those for whom prayer is offered.

Robertson's NT Word Studies