Paul instructed women to “adorn themselves in modest apparel” (1 Timothy 2:9). While this teaching was directed to women, we need to recognize that the need to dress modestly also applies to men. In the previous verse, instructions were given to men about prayer. Can women also pray? Of course, they ought to; but it is particularly important for men to heed these instructions about prayer since they have a more public role in lifting up prayers. So the instruction here regarding prayer is directed to the men. In the same way, the teaching about the need to dress modestly is addressed to women. This is not because men do not have a responsibility to heed this command, but because women are noticed more for their modesty (or in particular, their lack thereof). So both men and women are expected to dress in “modest apparel.”
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