Titus 3
Remind them to be subject to rulers and authorities, to obey, to be ready for every good work, to blaspheme no one, to show gentleness to all — for we too were once foolish, led astray, slaves to desires, hating one another. But when the kindness and love of men of God our saviour appeared, he saved us not from righteous works we did but by his own mercy, through a washing of regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit poured out richly through Jesus Christ, that justified by grace we might become heirs in hope of eternal life. Faithful is the word — let those who have believed God take the lead in good works. Avoid foolish inquiries, genealogies and fights about the law; refuse the sect-making man after two admonitions. When Artemas or Tychicus comes, come to Nicopolis, where Paul has judged to winter; send Zenas and Apollos on hastily, and let our people learn to take the lead in good works so as not to be fruitless. Grace be with you all.
Why this rendering
Titus.3.2 Observation
Syntactic observation
Ὑπομίμνῃσκε αὐτοὺς ἀρχαῖς ἐξουσίαις ὑποτάσσεσθαι πειθαρχεῖν, πρὸς πᾶν ἔργον ἀγαθὸν ἑτοίμους εἶναι, μηδένα βλασφημεῖν, ἀμάχους εἶναι, ἐπιεικεῖς, πᾶσαν ἐνδεικνυμένους πραΰτητα πρὸς πάντας ἀνθρώπους — Remind them to be subject to rulers, to authorities, to obey, to be ready for every good work, to blaspheme no one, to be not quarrelsome, forbearing, showing all gentleness toward all men. Ὑπομίμνῃσκε αὐτούς ‘Remind them’ — 2 Tim 2:14 ‘remind them of these things’ · ‘them’ the assembly of ch. 2 · ⸀ἀρχαῖς ἐξουσίαις ‘to rulers, to authorities’ — the two words of Luke 12:11 ‘the rulers and the authorities’ · the base text has the two without a conjunction (the Received Text adds ‘and’) · the site of human rulers (Eph 6:12 ‘rule’ is the site of powers) · ὑποτάσσεσθαι πειθαρχεῖν ‘to be subject, to obey’ — 2:5·9 ‘be subject’ · Acts 5:29 ‘obey’ (four places in the New Testament — three in Acts and here) · two infinitives without a conjunction · πρὸς πᾶν ἔργον ἀγαθὸν ἑτοίμους εἶναι ‘to be ready for every good work’ — 2 Tim 2:21 ‘made ready for every good work’ · 2 Tim 3:17 · the opposite of 1:16 ‘unapproved for every good work’ · μηδένα βλασφημεῖν ‘to blaspheme no one’ — 1 Tim 1:20 ‘blaspheme’ (active) · ἀμάχους ‘not quarrelsome’ — 1 Tim 3:3 · ἐπιεικεῖς ‘forbearing’ — 1 Tim 3:3 (two requirements of the overseer now for all) · πᾶσαν ἐνδεικνυμένους πραΰτητα πρὸς πάντας ἀνθρώπους ‘showing all gentleness toward all men’ — the construction of 2:10 ‘showing all good faith’ · Col 3:12 ‘gentleness’ · ‘all’ twice.
Rendering options · 3
Basis The site-rule of Luke 12:11 ‘before the rulers and the authorities’ — human rulers · kept apart from Eph 1:21 ‘rule’ (powers) · the two kept without ‘and’.
Basis The familiar rendering.
Rejected Turns human rulers into the site of powers.
Basis The verb of ‘we must obey God rather than men’ — shares ‘obey’ with ὑπακούω (recorded).
Lost in translation
ἀρχαῖς ἐξουσίαις (v.1) — two without a conjunction. ‘To rulers, to authorities’ keeps it.
ἑτοίμους πρὸς πᾶν ἔργον ἀγαθόν (v.1) / 1:16 ἀδόκιμοι — ‘every good work’ marks the two kinds of men in one letter.
ἀμάχους · ἐπιεικεῖς (v.2) / 1 Tim 3:3 — two of the overseer’s requirements, now for all. ‘Not quarrelsome · forbearing’ kept.
πᾶσαν … πρὸς πάντας (v.2) — ‘all’ twice. Kept.
πειθαρχεῖν (v.1) — ‘obey’ shared with ὑπακούω. Recorded loss.
ἐνδεικνυμένους (v.2) / 2:10 — ‘showing’ keeps the construction · faith · gentleness.
Why this rendering
Titus.3.7 Observation
Syntactic observation
ἦμεν γάρ ποτε καὶ ἡμεῖς ἀνόητοι, ἀπειθεῖς, πλανώμενοι, δουλεύοντες ἐπιθυμίαις καὶ ἡδοναῖς ποικίλαις, ἐν κακίᾳ καὶ φθόνῳ διάγοντες, στυγητοί, μισοῦντες ἀλλήλους. ὅτε δὲ ἡ χρηστότης καὶ ἡ φιλανθρωπία ἐπεφάνη τοῦ σωτῆρος ἡμῶν θεοῦ, οὐκ ἐξ ἔργων τῶν ἐν δικαιοσύνῃ ἃ ἐποιήσαμεν ἡμεῖς ἀλλὰ κατὰ τὸ αὐτοῦ ἔλεος ἔσωσεν ἡμᾶς διὰ λουτροῦ παλιγγενεσίας καὶ ἀνακαινώσεως πνεύματος ἁγίου, οὗ ἐξέχεεν ἐφ’ ἡμᾶς πλουσίως διὰ Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ τοῦ σωτῆρος ἡμῶν, ἵνα δικαιωθέντες τῇ ἐκείνου χάριτι κληρονόμοι γενηθῶμεν κατ’ ἐλπίδα ζωῆς αἰωνίου — For we also were once foolish, disobedient, led astray, serving as slaves to various desires and pleasures, living in wickedness and envy, hateful, hating one another. But when the kindness and love of men of God our saviour appeared, not from works that we did in righteousness but according to his own mercy he saved us, through a washing of regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit, which he poured out upon us richly through Jesus Christ our saviour, so that, having been justified by that one’s grace, we might become heirs according to hope of eternal life. ἦμεν γάρ ποτε καὶ ἡμεῖς ‘For we also were once’ — Rom 7:9 ‘once’ · ‘we also’ — the writer set beside v.2’s ‘all men’ · seven without conjunctions — ἀνόητοι ‘foolish’ (1 Tim 6:9) · ἀπειθεῖς ‘disobedient’ (1:16) · πλανώμενοι ‘led astray’ (the passive of 2 Tim 3:13) · δουλεύοντες ἐπιθυμίαις καὶ ἡδοναῖς ποικίλαις ‘serving as slaves to various desires and pleasures’ (a different verb from 2:3 ‘enslaved’ — 1 Tim 6:2 ‘serve as slaves’ · Luke 8:14 ‘pleasures’ · 2 Tim 3:6 ‘various desires’) · ἐν κακίᾳ καὶ φθόνῳ διάγοντες ‘living in wickedness and envy’ (Acts 8:22 ‘wickedness’ · 1 Tim 6:4 ‘envy’ · 1 Tim 2:2 ‘lead a life’ — two places in the New Testament) · στυγητοί ‘hateful’ (once in the New Testament) · μισοῦντες ἀλλήλους ‘hating one another’ — ‘hateful … hating’ a pair. ὅτε δὲ ἡ χρηστότης καὶ ἡ φιλανθρωπία ἐπεφάνη ‘But when the kindness and love of men … appeared’ — the verb of 2:11 ‘the grace … appeared’ · Rom 2:4 ‘kindness’ (God’s) · Acts 28:2 ‘love of men’ (two places — there the barbarians’, here God’s) · two articles, one singular verb · τοῦ σωτῆρος ἡμῶν θεοῦ ‘God our saviour’ — 1:3 · 2:10 · paired with v.6 ‘Jesus Christ our saviour’ · οὐκ ἐξ ἔργων τῶν ἐν δικαιοσύνῃ ⸀ἃ ἐποιήσαμεν ἡμεῖς ‘not from works that we did in righteousness’ — 2 Tim 1:9 ‘not according to our works’ · Rom 9:12 ‘not from works’ · ἡμεῖς expressed · the Received Text another relative · ἀλλὰ κατὰ ⸂τὸ αὐτοῦ ἔλεος⸃ ἔσωσεν ἡμᾶς ‘but according to his own mercy he saved us’ — 2 Tim 1:9 ‘who saved us’ · Eph 2:4 ‘mercy’ · the Received Text another form of the word · διὰ λουτροῦ παλιγγενεσίας καὶ ἀνακαινώσεως πνεύματος ἁγίου ‘through a washing of regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit’ — Eph 5:26 ‘the washing of the water’ (two places) · Matt 19:28 ‘the regeneration’ (two places — there of the world, here of a person) · Rom 12:2 ‘the renewal of the mind’ (two places) · whether ‘of the Holy Spirit’ belongs to ‘renewal’ only or to ‘washing’ too is left open · οὗ ἐξέχεεν ἐφ’ ἡμᾶς πλουσίως ‘which he poured out upon us richly’ — the verb of Acts 2:17 ‘I will pour out from my Spirit’ · 1 Tim 6:17 ‘richly’ · διὰ Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ τοῦ σωτῆρος ἡμῶν ‘through Jesus Christ our saviour’ · ἵνα δικαιωθέντες τῇ ἐκείνου χάριτι ‘so that, having been justified by that one’s grace’ — Rom 2:13 ‘be justified’ · ἐκείνου ‘that one’ — God or Christ, left open · κληρονόμοι ⸀γενηθῶμεν κατ’ ἐλπίδα ζωῆς αἰωνίου ‘we might become heirs according to hope of eternal life’ — Rom 8:17 ‘heirs’ · taking up 1:2 ‘hope of eternal life’ · the Received Text another form.
Rendering options · 4
Basis Matt 19:28 ‘regeneration’ as fixed — only πάλιν + γένεσις · not ‘new birth’ (the site of John 3:3 ἄνωθεν).
Basis The familiar rendering.
Rejected Cuts the thread to Matt 19:28 and imports the word of John 3:3.
Basis Acts 28:2 ‘a love of men not of the ordinary kind’ as fixed — the barbarians’ word now God’s · ‘loving-kindness’ would lose the pairing.
Basis God or Christ, unsettled — the same step as 2 Tim 2:26 ‘that one’.
Lost in translation
στυγητοί / μισοῦντες (v.3) — hateful · hating. ‘Hateful / hating’ keep the pair.
φιλανθρωπία (v.4) / Acts 28:2 — the barbarians and God. ‘Love of men’ twice keeps the word.
πνεύματος ἁγίου (v.5) — with ‘renewal’ only or with ‘washing’ too. ‘Renewal of the Holy Spirit’ leaves it readable both ways.
ἐκείνου (v.7) — God or Christ. ‘That one’ leaves it open.
σωτῆρος (vv.4 · 6) — God and Jesus Christ. ‘Saviour’ twice keeps it.
ἐποιήσαμεν ἡμεῖς (v.5) — ἡμεῖς expressed. ‘We did’ cannot show the emphasis; the pronoun is obligatory.
Why this rendering
Titus.3.11 Observation
Syntactic observation
Πιστὸς ὁ λόγος, καὶ περὶ τούτων βούλομαί σε διαβεβαιοῦσθαι, ἵνα φροντίζωσιν καλῶν ἔργων προΐστασθαι οἱ πεπιστευκότες θεῷ. ταῦτά ἐστιν καλὰ καὶ ὠφέλιμα τοῖς ἀνθρώποις· μωρὰς δὲ ζητήσεις καὶ γενεαλογίας καὶ ἔρεις καὶ μάχας νομικὰς περιΐστασο, εἰσὶν γὰρ ἀνωφελεῖς καὶ μάταιοι. αἱρετικὸν ἄνθρωπον μετὰ μίαν καὶ δευτέραν νουθεσίαν παραιτοῦ, εἰδὼς ὅτι ἐξέστραπται ὁ τοιοῦτος καὶ ἁμαρτάνει, ὢν αὐτοκατάκριτος — Faithful is the word; and concerning these things I want you to confidently affirm, so that those who have believed God may take care to take the lead in good works. These things are good and profitable for men; but avoid foolish inquiries and genealogies and strifes and fights about the law, for they are unprofitable and futile. A sect-making man, after a first and a second admonition, refuse — knowing that such a one is twisted and sins, being self-condemned. Πιστὸς ὁ λόγος ‘Faithful is the word’ — the last of the Pastoral formula’s five (1 Tim 1:15 · 3:1 · 4:9 · 2 Tim 2:11) · read as closing vv.3-7, though the text does not settle it · βούλομαί σε διαβεβαιοῦσθαι ‘I want you to confidently affirm’ — 1 Tim 1:7 ‘confidently affirm’ (two places in the New Testament — there the teachers of law) · ἵνα φροντίζωσιν καλῶν ἔργων προΐστασθαι ‘may take care to take the lead in good works’ — φροντίζω once in the New Testament · the verb of 1 Tim 3:4 ‘preside over a house’ (again at v.14) · οἱ πεπιστευκότες θεῷ ‘those who have believed God’ — perfect participle · dative · ταῦτά ⸀ἐστιν καλὰ καὶ ὠφέλιμα ‘These things are good and profitable’ — 1 Tim 4:8 ‘profitable’ · whether ‘these things’ are the teaching above or the good works is left open · the Received Text adds the article · μωρὰς δὲ ζητήσεις καὶ γενεαλογίας καὶ ⸀ἔρεις καὶ μάχας νομικάς ‘foolish inquiries and genealogies and strifes and fights about the law’ — 2 Tim 2:23 ‘foolish … inquiries’ · 1 Tim 1:4 ‘genealogies’ (two places) · 1 Tim 6:4 ‘strife’ (the Received Text singular) · 2 Tim 2:23 ‘fights’ · νομικός ‘about the law’ — the word of v.13 ‘lawyer’ as an adjective · περιΐστασο ‘avoid’ — 2 Tim 2:16 ‘avoid’ · ἀνωφελεῖς καὶ μάταιοι ‘unprofitable and futile’ — the negation of v.8 ‘profitable’ (with Hebrews 7 the two in the New Testament) · the adjective of 1 Tim 1:6 ‘futile talk’ · αἱρετικὸν ἄνθρωπον ‘A sect-making man’ — once in the New Testament · the adjective of Acts 5:17 αἵρεσις ‘sect’ · not raised to ‘heretic’ · μετὰ μίαν καὶ δευτέραν νουθεσίαν ‘after a first and a second admonition’ — Eph 6:4 ‘admonition’ · the grain of Matt 18:15-17’s steps, though the words differ · παραιτοῦ ‘refuse’ — 1 Tim 4:7 · 5:11 · 2 Tim 2:23 ‘refuse’ · εἰδὼς ὅτι ἐξέστραπται ὁ τοιοῦτος ‘knowing that such a one is twisted’ — ἐκστρέφομαι once (perfect passive — ‘turned inside out’) · καὶ ἁμαρτάνει ‘and sins’ · ὢν αὐτοκατάκριτος ‘being self-condemned’ — once · Rom 2:1 κατακρίνω ‘condemn’ with the ‘self’ prefix.
Rendering options · 4
Basis Acts 5:17 · Gal 5:20 ‘sect’ as fixed — ‘heretic’ is a later hardened sense not in the text · already noted at Gal 5:20.
Basis The familiar rendering.
Rejected Imports a judgement the text’s ‘sect’ does not carry.
Basis 1 Tim 3:4 ‘preside over a house’ · 5:17 ‘preside well’ as fixed — ‘devote themselves’ would lose the root · ‘take the lead in’ for works, ‘preside over’ for a house (site-rule).
Basis Perfect passive ἐξέστραπται — the state of having been turned out · not ‘is perverted’ as a moral verdict.
Lost in translation
ὠφέλιμα (v.8) / ἀνωφελεῖς (v.9) — profitable · unprofitable. ‘Profitable / unprofitable’ keep the pair.
νομικάς (v.9) / νομικόν (v.13) — adjective and person. ‘About the law / lawyer’ keep ‘law’.
αἱρετικόν (v.10) / Acts 5:17 αἵρεσις — ‘sect-making / sect’ keep the root.
αὐτοκατάκριτος (v.11) / Rom 2:1 κατακρίνω — ‘self-condemned / condemn’ keep the root.
πιστὸς ὁ λόγος (v.8) — attaching backward or forward. The semicolon leaves it open.
ταῦτα (v.8) — the teaching or the good works. ‘These things’ leaves it open.
Why this rendering
Titus.3.15 Observation
Syntactic observation
Ὅταν πέμψω Ἀρτεμᾶν πρὸς σὲ ἢ Τυχικόν, σπούδασον ἐλθεῖν πρός με εἰς Νικόπολιν, ἐκεῖ γὰρ κέκρικα παραχειμάσαι. ζηνᾶν τὸν νομικὸν καὶ Ἀπολλῶν σπουδαίως πρόπεμψον, ἵνα μηδὲν αὐτοῖς λείπῃ. μανθανέτωσαν δὲ καὶ οἱ ἡμέτεροι καλῶν ἔργων προΐστασθαι εἰς τὰς ἀναγκαίας χρείας, ἵνα μὴ ὦσιν ἄκαρποι. Ἀσπάζονταί σε οἱ μετ’ ἐμοῦ πάντες. ἄσπασαι τοὺς φιλοῦντας ἡμᾶς ἐν πίστει. ἡ χάρις μετὰ πάντων ὑμῶν — When I send Artemas to you, or Tychicus, be diligent to come to me at Nicopolis, for there I have judged to winter. Zenas the lawyer and Apollos send hastily on their way, so that nothing may be lacking to them. And let our people also learn to take the lead in good works for the necessary needs, so that they may not be fruitless. All who are with me greet you. Greet those who love us in faith. Grace be with you all. Ὅταν πέμψω Ἀρτεμᾶν πρὸς σὲ ἢ Τυχικόν ‘When I send Artemas to you, or Tychicus’ — Artemas once in the New Testament · Tychicus, 2 Tim 4:12 ‘I sent to Ephesus’ · σπούδασον ἐλθεῖν πρός με ‘be diligent to come to me’ — the sentence of 2 Tim 4:9 · εἰς Νικόπολιν ‘at Nicopolis’ — once · ἐκεῖ γὰρ κέκρικα παραχειμάσαι ‘for there I have judged to winter’ — the construction of Acts 20:16 ‘judged to’ (perfect) · Acts 27:12 ‘winter’ · Ζηνᾶν τὸν νομικόν ‘Zenas the lawyer’ — Zenas once · Luke 7:30 ‘lawyers’ · the word of v.9 ‘fights about the law’ as a person · ⸀Ἀπολλῶν ‘Apollos’ — the Apollos of Acts 18:24 · 1 Cor 1:12 (the Received Text another form) · σπουδαίως πρόπεμψον ‘send hastily on their way’ — the positive of Phil 2:28 ‘the more hastily’ · Acts 15:3 ‘sent on their way’ · ἵνα μηδὲν αὐτοῖς λείπῃ ‘so that nothing may be lacking to them’ — the verb of 1:5 ‘the things lacking’ · μανθανέτωσαν δὲ καὶ οἱ ἡμέτεροι ‘And let our people also learn’ — the ‘our’ of 2 Tim 4:15 ‘our words’ · καλῶν ἔργων προΐστασθαι ‘to take the lead in good works’ — as v.8 · εἰς τὰς ἀναγκαίας χρείας ‘for the necessary needs’ — 1 Cor 12:22 ‘necessary’ · 1 Thess 4:12 ‘need’ · ἵνα μὴ ὦσιν ἄκαρποι ‘so that they may not be fruitless’ — Matt 13:22 ‘fruitless’ · Eph 5:11 ‘fruitless works’. Ἀσπάζονταί σε οἱ μετ’ ἐμοῦ πάντες ‘All who are with me greet you’ — no names (2 Timothy named four) · ἄσπασαι τοὺς φιλοῦντας ἡμᾶς ἐν πίστει ‘Greet those who love us in faith’ — φιλέω · the site-rule of 1 Cor 16:22 ‘if anyone does not love the Lord’ (no contrast with ἀγαπάω) · ἡ χάρις μετὰ πάντων ⸀ὑμῶν ‘Grace be with you all’ — plural as 1 Tim 6:21 · 2 Tim 4:22 · ‘all’ added · the Received Text adds Amen · all three Pastoral letters close on ‘you all’.
Rendering options · 4
Basis Acts 20:16 ‘judged to sail past’ · 1 Cor 2:2 ‘judged not to know’ — ‘decided’ would cut the family of ‘judge’.
Basis The familiar rendering.
Rejected Cuts the family of κρίνω.
Basis Luke 7:4 ‘earnestly’ (begged) · 2 Tim 1:17 ‘earnestly’ (sought) are sites of the heart · sending men on, here the positive of Phil 2:28 ‘the more hastily’ (site-rule).
Basis John 21:15 ‘hold dear’ is the site set against ἀγαπάω · no contrast here, so 1 Cor 16:22 ‘love’.
Lost in translation
λείπῃ (v.13) / 1:5 λείποντα — ‘lacking’ twice ties the letter’s beginning and end.
φιλοῦντας (v.15) — φιλέω. ‘Love’ shared with ἀγαπάω (no contrast here; recorded only).
προΐστασθαι (vv.8 · 14) — ‘take the lead in’ twice keeps the phrase.
κέκρικα (v.12) — perfect. ‘I have judged’ carries it.
πάντων ὑμῶν (v.15) — plural with ‘all’. ‘You all’ carries it.
οἱ ἡμέτεροι (v.14) — ‘our people’. The noun-less ‘ours’ is filled with ‘people’.