Titus 2
‘But you’ — speak what fits the healthy teaching: old men sober, old women in demeanour befitting the holy, making the young women sound-minded to love husbands and children, keep the house and be subject; the younger men of a right mind. Titus himself is to be a pattern of good works, with uncorrupt, dignified, faultless speech that shames the one on the opposing side. Slaves are to be subject, keep nothing back, and adorn the teaching of God our saviour. The reason is grace — God’s grace appeared, saving for all, instructing us to deny impiety and worldly desires and live sound-mindedly, justly and piously while waiting for the appearing of the glory of the great God and our saviour Jesus Christ, who gave himself to redeem us from lawlessness and cleanse a people of his own, zealous for good works. Speak these things with all command — let no one disregard you.
Why this rendering
Titus.2.5 Observation
Syntactic observation
Σὺ δὲ λάλει ἃ πρέπει τῇ ὑγιαινούσῃ διδασκαλίᾳ. πρεσβύτας νηφαλίους εἶναι, σεμνούς, σώφρονας, ὑγιαίνοντας τῇ πίστει, τῇ ἀγάπῃ, τῇ ὑπομονῇ. Πρεσβύτιδας ὡσαύτως ἐν καταστήματι ἱεροπρεπεῖς, μὴ διαβόλους μηδὲ οἴνῳ πολλῷ δεδουλωμένας, καλοδιδασκάλους, ἵνα σωφρονίζωσι τὰς νέας φιλάνδρους εἶναι, φιλοτέκνους, σώφρονας, ἁγνάς, οἰκουργούς, ἀγαθάς, ὑποτασσομένας τοῖς ἰδίοις ἀνδράσιν, ἵνα μὴ ὁ λόγος τοῦ θεοῦ βλασφημῆται — But you, speak the things that are fitting for the healthy teaching: that old men be sober, dignified, sound-minded, healthy in faith, in love, in endurance; old women likewise, in demeanour as befits the holy, not slanderers, not enslaved to much wine, teachers of what is good — so that they may make the young women sound-minded, to be lovers of their husbands, lovers of their children, sound-minded, pure, workers at home, good, being subject to their own husbands, so that the word of God may not be blasphemed. Σὺ δέ ‘But you’ — the opening of 2 Tim 3:10·14 · set against the people of 1:10-16 · ἃ πρέπει τῇ ὑγιαινούσῃ διδασκαλίᾳ ‘the things that are fitting for the healthy teaching’ — 1 Tim 2:10 ‘fitting’ · 1:9 ‘healthy teaching’ · ‘healthy’ three times in this chapter (vv.1 · 2 · 8) · πρεσβύτας ‘old men’ — the word of Luke 1:18 ‘I am old’ (again in Philemon) · a different word from 1 Tim 5:1 ‘older man’ (πρεσβύτερος) · not ‘elders’ · νηφαλίους ‘sober’ (1 Tim 3:2) · σεμνούς ‘dignified’ (1 Tim 3:8) · σώφρονας ‘sound-minded’ (1 Tim 3:2 · the ‘sound mind’ family five times in this chapter) · ὑγιαίνοντας τῇ πίστει, τῇ ἀγάπῃ, τῇ ὑπομονῇ ‘healthy in faith, in love, in endurance’ — three datives · three from the list of 1 Tim 6:11 · πρεσβύτιδας ‘old women’ (once in the New Testament) · ὡσαύτως ‘likewise’ (1 Tim 2:9) · ἐν καταστήματι ἱεροπρεπεῖς ‘in demeanour as befits the holy’ — κατάστημα once (one root, ‘stand’, with 1 Tim 2:9 καταστολή ‘apparel’) · ἱεροπρεπής once (1:9 ἱερός ‘holy’ + πρέπω ‘be fitting’) · μὴ διαβόλους ‘not slanderers’ — said of women at 1 Tim 3:11 · ⸀μηδὲ οἴνῳ πολλῷ δεδουλωμένας ‘not enslaved to much wine’ — 1 Tim 3:8 ‘much wine’ · Gal 4:3 ‘be enslaved’ (perfect passive) · the Received Text μή · καλοδιδασκάλους ‘teachers of what is good’ (once — καλός + διδάσκαλος · a different word from 1 Tim 3:2 ‘able to teach’) · ἵνα ⸀σωφρονίζωσι τὰς νέας ‘so that they may make the young women sound-minded’ — σωφρονίζω once (the verb of 2 Tim 1:7 ‘sound-mindedness’ · the Received Text another form) · a list of seven for the young women without conjunctions — φιλάνδρους ‘lovers of their husbands’ (once) · φιλοτέκνους ‘lovers of their children’ (once) · σώφρονας · ἁγνάς ‘pure’ (2 Cor 11:2) · ⸀οἰκουργούς ‘workers at home’ (once — the Received Text ‘keepers at home’) · ἀγαθάς ‘good’ · ὑποτασσομένας τοῖς ἰδίοις ἀνδράσιν ‘being subject to their own husbands’ — Col 3:18 ‘be subject to your husbands’ · ἵνα μὴ ὁ λόγος τοῦ θεοῦ βλασφημῆται ‘so that the word of God may not be blasphemed’ — the phrase of 1 Tim 6:1 ‘the name of God and the teaching may not be blasphemed’.
Rendering options · 4
Basis 1 Tim 5:1 ‘older man’ is the site of πρεσβύτερος · a different word here, so Luke 1:18 ‘old’ · not ‘elders’.
Basis The grain of 1 Tim 5:1.
Rejected Gives the rendering of πρεσβύτερος to another word.
Basis The verb of 2 Tim 1:7 σωφρονισμός ‘sound-mindedness’ — ‘teach’ or ‘urge’ would cut the family · σώφρων three times · σωφρόνως · σωφρονέω stand with it in this chapter.
Basis The base text ‘home-workers’ (ἔργον) · the Received Text ‘home-keepers’ — the Received Text not rendered.
Lost in translation
σώφρονας (vv.2 · 5) · σωφρονίζωσι (v.4) · σωφρονεῖν (v.6) · σωφρόνως (v.12) — one family, five times. ‘Sound-minded’ four times and ‘of a right mind’ once split it.
ὑγιαινούσῃ · ὑγιαίνοντας (vv.1-2) · ὑγιῆ (v.8) — ‘healthy’ of teaching, of men, of a word. All kept.
ἱεροπρεπεῖς (v.3) — ἱερός + πρέπω. ‘As befits the holy’ carries both pieces.
φιλάνδρους · φιλοτέκνους (v.4) — the φίλος piece twice. ‘Lovers of’ twice keeps it.
πρεσβύτας (v.2) / 1 Tim 5:1 πρεσβυτέρῳ — two words. ‘Old / older’ keep them apart by one syllable.
βλασφημῆται (v.5) / 1 Tim 6:1 — ‘be blasphemed’ keeps the phrase.
Why this rendering
Titus.2.8 Observation
Syntactic observation
Τοὺς νεωτέρους ὡσαύτως παρακάλει σωφρονεῖν· περὶ πάντα σεαυτὸν παρεχόμενος τύπον καλῶν ἔργων, ἐν τῇ διδασκαλίᾳ ἀφθορίαν, σεμνότητα, λόγον ὑγιῆ ἀκατάγνωστον, ἵνα ὁ ἐξ ἐναντίας ἐντραπῇ μηδὲν ἔχων λέγειν περὶ ἡμῶν φαῦλον — The younger men likewise exhort to be of a right mind — in all things holding yourself out as a pattern of good works, in the teaching uncorruptness, dignity, a healthy word beyond fault, so that the one on the opposing side may be shamed, having nothing bad to say about us. Τοὺς νεωτέρους ‘The younger men’ — the comparative of 1 Tim 5:1 ‘younger men’ · the pair of v.2 ‘old’ · παρακάλει σωφρονεῖν ‘exhort to be of a right mind’ — Rom 12:3 · 2 Cor 5:13 ‘be of a right mind’ · the ‘sound mind’ family of this chapter · περὶ πάντα σεαυτὸν παρεχόμενος τύπον καλῶν ἔργων ‘in all things holding yourself out as a pattern of good works’ — middle παρέχω (the verb of Luke 7:4 ‘provide’ · Acts 16:16 ‘bring’, here of oneself) · 1 Tim 4:12 ‘a pattern for the believers’ · 2 Thess 3:9 ‘ourselves as a pattern’ · Titus himself enters the list · ἐν τῇ διδασκαλίᾳ ⸀ἀφθορίαν, ⸀σεμνότητα ‘in the teaching uncorruptness, dignity’ — ἀφθορία once in the New Testament (the negated noun of 2 Cor 11:3 φθείρω ‘be corrupted’ · a different word from 2 Tim 1:10 ἀφθαρσία ‘imperishability’, so ‘uncorruptness’ · the Received Text another form plus ‘imperishability’) · σεμνότητα ‘dignity’ (1 Tim 2:2) · λόγον ὑγιῆ ἀκατάγνωστον ‘a healthy word beyond fault’ — Acts 4:10 ‘healthy’ (ὑγιής) · ἀκατάγνωστος once (the negation of Gal 2:11 καταγινώσκω ‘be at fault’) · ‘holding out’ governs v.7 and v.8 · ἵνα ὁ ἐξ ἐναντίας ἐντραπῇ ‘so that the one on the opposing side may be shamed’ — the phrase of Mark 15:39 ‘facing him’ (ἐξ ἐναντίας), here of a person · 2 Thess 3:14 ‘be shamed’ (passive) · μηδὲν ἔχων ⸂λέγειν περὶ ἡμῶν⸃ φαῦλον ‘having nothing bad to say about us’ — Rom 9:11 ‘bad’ (φαῦλος) · ‘us’ — not Titus alone · the Received Text the other order.
Rendering options · 4
Basis A different word from 2 Tim 1:10 ἀφθαρσία ‘imperishability’ (the opposite of death) — here the purity of teaching · the negation of ‘corruption’ (φθορά).
Basis The familiar rendering.
Rejected Loses the piece ‘corrupt’.
Basis A third site beside Luke 7:4 ‘provide’ · Acts 16:16 ‘bring’ — offering oneself as a pattern · kept apart from ἐνδείκνυμι ‘show’ (v.10).
Basis The phrase of Mark 15:39 ‘standing facing him’ — not ‘the opponent’ as a noun.
Lost in translation
ἀκατάγνωστον (v.8) / Gal 2:11 κατεγνωσμένος — ‘beyond fault / at fault’ keep the root.
ἀφθορίαν (v.7) / 2 Tim 1:10 ἀφθαρσίαν — two words. ‘Uncorruptness / imperishability’ keep them apart.
νεωτέρους (v.6) / πρεσβύτας (v.2) — younger · old. The pair shows.
παρεχόμενος (v.7) — governs v.7 and v.8. ‘Holding out’ placed once, carrying both.
περὶ ἡμῶν (v.8) — ‘us’. Not Titus alone; kept.
ὑγιῆ (v.8) / ὑγιαίνω (vv.1-2) — adjective and verb. ‘Healthy’ keeps the piece.
Why this rendering
Titus.2.10 Observation
Syntactic observation
Δούλους ἰδίοις δεσπόταις ὑποτάσσεσθαι ἐν πᾶσιν, εὐαρέστους εἶναι, μὴ ἀντιλέγοντας, μὴ νοσφιζομένους, ἀλλὰ πᾶσαν πίστιν ἐνδεικνυμένους ἀγαθήν, ἵνα τὴν διδασκαλίαν τὴν τοῦ σωτῆρος ἡμῶν θεοῦ κοσμῶσιν ἐν πᾶσιν — Slaves are to be subject to their own masters in all things, to be well-pleasing, not speaking against, not keeping back for themselves, but showing all good faith, so that they may adorn the teaching of God our saviour in all things. Δούλους ἰδίοις δεσπόταις ‘Slaves … to their own masters’ — the two words of 1 Tim 6:1 ‘slaves … their own masters’ · three infinitives hang on v.1 ‘speak’ · ὑποτάσσεσθαι ἐν πᾶσιν ‘be subject in all things’ — one verb with the wives’ ‘subject’ of v.5 · ‘in all things’ twice, ending v.9 and v.10 · εὐαρέστους εἶναι ‘to be well-pleasing’ — the word of Rom 12:1 ‘well-pleasing’, here toward human masters · μὴ ἀντιλέγοντας ‘not speaking against’ — 1:9 ‘those who speak against’ · μὴ νοσφιζομένους ‘not keeping back for themselves’ — the verb of Ananias at Acts 5:2-3 (three places in the New Testament) · ἀλλὰ ⸂πᾶσαν πίστιν⸃ ἐνδεικνυμένους ἀγαθήν ‘but showing all good faith’ — 2 Tim 4:14 ‘show’ · ‘faith’ also reads as faithfulness (open) · the Received Text the other order · ἵνα τὴν διδασκαλίαν ⸀τὴν τοῦ σωτῆρος ἡμῶν θεοῦ κοσμῶσιν ‘so that they may adorn the teaching of God our saviour’ — 1 Tim 2:9 ‘adorn themselves’ · Matt 12:44 ‘adorn’ · the teaching adorned like a garment · the reversed pair of v.5 ‘the word of God may not be blasphemed’ · ‘God our saviour’ (1:3) — the Received Text without the article.
Rendering options · 4
Basis Matt 12:44 · 1 Tim 2:9 ‘adorn’ as fixed — a clothing word applied to the teaching · not ‘bring credit to’.
Basis Ananias’s verb as fixed — not the word of κλέπτω ‘steal’.
Basis The familiar rendering.
Rejected That is the site of κλέπτω.
Basis The word of Rom 12:1 ‘well-pleasing to God’ applied to human masters — the same English, the Korean drops the honorific.
Lost in translation
ὑποτάσσεσθαι (v.9) / ὑποτασσομένας (v.5) — one verb for slaves and wives. ‘Subject’ twice keeps it.
κοσμῶσιν (v.10) / βλασφημῆται (v.5) — adorn · be blasphemed. The reversed pair shows in both.
πίστιν ἀγαθήν (v.10) — faith or faithfulness. ‘Faith’ leaves ‘good faith’ readable both ways.
νοσφιζομένους (v.10) / Acts 5:2 ἐνοσφίσατο — ‘keeping back for themselves’ keeps the verb.
ἐν πᾶσιν (vv.9 · 10) — ‘in all things’ twice. Kept.
δεσπόταις (v.9) / 1 Tim 6:1 — ‘masters’ keeps the word.
Why this rendering
Titus.2.15 Observation
Syntactic observation
Ἐπεφάνη γὰρ ἡ χάρις τοῦ θεοῦ σωτήριος πᾶσιν ἀνθρώποις παιδεύουσα ἡμᾶς, ἵνα ἀρνησάμενοι τὴν ἀσέβειαν καὶ τὰς κοσμικὰς ἐπιθυμίας σωφρόνως καὶ δικαίως καὶ εὐσεβῶς ζήσωμεν ἐν τῷ νῦν αἰῶνι, προσδεχόμενοι τὴν μακαρίαν ἐλπίδα καὶ ἐπιφάνειαν τῆς δόξης τοῦ μεγάλου θεοῦ καὶ σωτῆρος ἡμῶν Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ, ὃς ἔδωκεν ἑαυτὸν ὑπὲρ ἡμῶν ἵνα λυτρώσηται ἡμᾶς ἀπὸ πάσης ἀνομίας καὶ καθαρίσῃ ἑαυτῷ λαὸν περιούσιον, ζηλωτὴν καλῶν ἔργων. Ταῦτα λάλει καὶ παρακάλει καὶ ἔλεγχε μετὰ πάσης ἐπιταγῆς· μηδείς σου περιφρονείτω — For the grace of God appeared, saving for all men, instructing us, so that, having denied impiety and worldly desires, we may live sound-mindedly and justly and piously in the present age, waiting for the blessed hope and appearing of the glory of the great God and our saviour Jesus Christ, who gave himself for us, that he might redeem us from all lawlessness and cleanse for himself a people of his own possession, zealous for good works. Speak these things, and exhort, and expose, with all command. Let no one disregard you. Ἐπεφάνη γὰρ ἡ χάρις τοῦ ⸀θεοῦ σωτήριος πᾶσιν ἀνθρώποις ‘For the grace of God appeared, saving for all men’ — Acts 27:20 ‘appear’ (ἐπιφαίνω · again at 3:4) · one root with v.13 ‘appearing’ (ἐπιφάνεια) — the appearing of grace and the appearing of glory · σωτήριος ‘saving’ — the word of Luke 2:30 ‘salvation’ (τὸ σωτήριον) as an adjective · the Received Text adds the article, ‘the saving grace’ · whether ‘for all men’ goes with ‘appeared’ or with ‘saving’ is left open · παιδεύουσα ἡμᾶς ‘instructing us’ — 2 Tim 2:25 ‘instruct’ · 3:16 ‘discipline’ · grace instructs · ἵνα ἀρνησάμενοι τὴν ἀσέβειαν καὶ τὰς κοσμικὰς ἐπιθυμίας ‘having denied impiety and worldly desires’ — 1:16 ‘deny’ · 2 Tim 2:16 ‘impiety’ · κοσμικός (with Hebrews 9 the two in the New Testament — the adjective of κόσμος ‘world’) · σωφρόνως καὶ δικαίως καὶ εὐσεβῶς ζήσωμεν ‘we may live sound-mindedly and justly and piously’ — three adverbs (σωφρόνως once in the New Testament · 1 Thess 2:10 ‘justly’ · 2 Tim 3:12 ‘piously’) · ἐν τῷ νῦν αἰῶνι ‘in the present age’ — 1 Tim 6:17 · προσδεχόμενοι τὴν μακαρίαν ἐλπίδα καὶ ἐπιφάνειαν τῆς δόξης ‘waiting for the blessed hope and appearing of the glory’ — the verb of Luke 2:25 ‘waiting for the consolation of Israel’ · one article over ‘hope’ and ‘appearing’ · τοῦ μεγάλου θεοῦ καὶ σωτῆρος ἡμῶν ⸂Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ⸃ ‘of the great God and our saviour Jesus Christ’ — one article, two names · whether ‘the great God’ and ‘saviour’ are one person (Jesus Christ) or two the text does not settle — the same openness as 2 Thess 1:12 · not closed with ‘who is’ · the Received Text the other order · ὃς ἔδωκεν ἑαυτὸν ὑπὲρ ἡμῶν ‘who gave himself for us’ — Gal 1:4 ‘who gave himself for our sins’ · 1 Tim 2:6 ‘gave himself as a ransom for all’ · ἵνα λυτρώσηται ἡμᾶς ἀπὸ πάσης ἀνομίας ‘that he might redeem us from all lawlessness’ — the verb of Luke 24:21 ‘redeem Israel’ (three places in the New Testament) · Rom 6:19 ‘lawlessness’ · καθαρίσῃ ἑαυτῷ λαὸν περιούσιον ‘cleanse for himself a people of his own possession’ — Mark 7:19 ‘cleanse’ · περιούσιος once (the word of the Septuagint at Exodus 19:5 ‘a people of possession’) · ζηλωτὴν καλῶν ἔργων ‘zealous for good works’ — Acts 21:20 ‘zealous’ · ‘good works’ (καλός) four times in this letter (2:7 · 2:14 · 3:8 · 3:14 — 1:16 · 3:1 have ἀγαθός). Ταῦτα λάλει καὶ παρακάλει καὶ ἔλεγχε ‘Speak these things, and exhort, and expose’ — taking up v.1 ‘speak’ · the grain of 1 Tim 6:2 ‘teach and exhort these things’ · μετὰ πάσης ἐπιταγῆς ‘with all command’ — 1:3 ‘command’ · μηδείς σου περιφρονείτω ‘Let no one disregard you’ — περιφρονέω once · a different word from 1 Tim 4:12 ‘let no one despise your youth’ (καταφρονέω), kept apart as ‘disregard’.
Rendering options · 4
Basis The site-rule of 2 Thess 1:12 — closed neither as ‘our great God and saviour, Jesus Christ’ (one) nor as two persons · ‘and’ does not exclude the one-person reading.
Basis The one-article reading as one person.
Rejected Closes what the text leaves open · recorded here.
Basis The word of Luke 2:30 · Acts 28:28 ‘salvation’ (neuter noun) here qualifies grace (the Received Text adds the article to make it attributive) · ‘saving’ keeps it adjectival.
Basis Luke 24:21 ‘redeem Israel’ as fixed — shares the root with 1 Tim 2:6 ἀντίλυτρον ‘ransom’.
Lost in translation
τοῦ μεγάλου θεοῦ καὶ σωτῆρος (v.13) — one article, two names. ‘The great God and our saviour’ keeps both readings.
Ἐπεφάνη (v.11) / ἐπιφάνειαν (v.13) — verb and noun. ‘Appeared / appearing’ keep the root.
λυτρώσηται (v.14) / 1 Tim 2:6 ἀντίλυτρον — ‘redeem / ransom’ are cut.
πᾶσιν ἀνθρώποις (v.11) — with ‘appeared’ or with ‘saving’. The comma leaves it open.
περιφρονείτω (v.15) / 1 Tim 4:12 καταφρονείτω — two words. ‘Disregard / despise’ keep them apart.
σωφρόνως · δικαίως · εὐσεβῶς (v.12) — three adverbs. ‘Sound-mindedly and justly and piously’ keep them parallel.