1:6–9
In these verses, Paul lists several qualities that elders should have. His purpose in listing these qualities was to tell Titus what kind of people he should choose to be church leaders. They should be godly men whom others respected.
Paul used the singular: “An elder…he…he….” But what Paul was saying was true for everyone who wanted to become an elder. If it is more natural in your language to use a plural, you could translate like this: “Men/People whom you choose to be elders should be….They should be…” Once you have decided whether you should use singular or plural, be consistent throughout 1:6–9.
Here is an example of an English version that uses plural forms in these verses:
6they must have a good reputation and be faithful in marriage. Their children must be followers of the Lord and not have a reputation for being wild and disobedient.
7Church officials are in charge of God’s work, and so they must also have a good reputation. They must not be bossy, quick-tempered, heavy drinkers, bullies, or dishonest in business. 8Instead, they must be friendly to strangers and enjoy doing good things. They must also be sensible, fair, pure, and self-controlled. 9They must stick to the true message they were taught, so their good teaching can help others and correct everyone who opposes it. (Contemporary English Version)
1:6a
An elder must be blameless: The list of qualities for elders starts with a Greek clause which more literally says “if anyone is blameless.” In Greek this sentence is not complete, but Paul meant “If someone is blameless, then you may appoint him as an elder.”
Here are some other ways to translate this clause:
It is necessary for an elder to be blameless.
-or-
Appoint as elders men like this: a man whom no one can rightly accuse of doing wrong. (SSA)
-or-
Appoint as elders only those who are blameless.
blameless: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as blameless means “without fault, beyond reproach.” A church leader must be someone who has always behaved in a moral and honest way so that no one has a reason to accuse him of doing wrong.
Here are some other ways to translate this word:
without fault (Good News Bible)
-or-
have a good reputation (God’s Word)
-or-
not be guilty of doing wrong
1:6b
the husband of but one wife: The Greek phrase that the Berean Standard Bible translates as the husband of but one wife is literally “of one woman/wife a man/husband.” There are several ways to interpret this phrase:
(1) It means that a church leader must be faithful to his wife (no adultery). For example:
Faithful in marriage (Contemporary English Version)
(Contemporary English Version, New Living Translation (2004 Revision), New International Version (2011 Revision))
(2) It means that a church leader must not have more than one wife at a time (no polygamy). For example:
the husband of one wife (NET Bible)
(Berean Standard Bible, English Standard Version, God’s Word, Good News Bible, King James Version, New American Standard Bible, New Century Version, NET Bible, Revised Standard Version, Revised English Bible, New Jerusalem Bible, New International Version (1984 Revision))
(3) It means that a church leader must not be someone who has remarried after the death of his spouse or their divorce (no remarriage ). For example:
married only once (New American Bible, Revised Edition)
(New American Bible, Revised Edition, New Revised Standard Version)
Option (1) is supported by many commentaries, although it is followed by only a few English versions. It is possible that Paul had both ideas (1) and (2) in mind, that is, that he thought of a man “of one woman” as one who did not take either a lover or a second wife but had intimate relations with only one woman. Option (3) is less likely. Paul approved of remarriage for widows (1 Corinthians 7:8-9) and did not indicate that he would have given different advice to widowers. In New Testament times it was not uncommon for a young woman to die in childbirth and many Christian men must have remarried. So in your translation, it is good to translate in as literal a way as possible and allow for both options (1) and (2).
This verse part is probably not teaching that an elder must be a married man, although it is assumed that this will normally be the case.
Here are some other ways to translate this phrase:
faithful in marriage (Contemporary English Version)
-or-
faithful to his wife (New Living Translation (2004 Revision))
Paul wanted the church leaders to live in such a way that no one would have any reason to criticize them or the church by saying that an elder was not faithful to his wife.
This phrase also occurs in 1 Timothy 3:2 and 1 Timothy 3:12.
1:6c
having children who are believers: The Greek text is more literally “having faithful/believing children.” Paul directed that the children of each elder must believe in Jesus and follow him. In other words, someone whose children do not believe should not become an elder. Paul was probably not saying that people without children should not become elders.
Here are some other ways to translate this clause:
and have children who are believers (God’s Word)
-or-
His/Their children must be followers of the Lord.
1:6d
and who are not open to accusation of indiscretion or insubordination: This continues the description of the children of elders. They should not act in a way that would allow people to accuse them of indiscretion or insubordination.
Here are some other ways to translate this clause:
and do not have the reputation of being wild or disobedient
-or-
His children shouldn’t be known for having wild lifestyles or being rebellious. (God’s Word)
-or-
not accused of indecent behavior or rebellion (New American Standard Bible)
open to accusation of: The Greek phrase that the Berean Standard Bible translates as open to accusation of means “can be accused of,” that is, can be truly or rightfully accused of something.
indiscretion: The word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as indiscretion means “self-indulgent, unrestrained.” It refers to doing whatever you want and enjoying yourself in an uncontrolled way. This may include things like getting drunk, fighting, going to wild parties, or having sex outside of marriage.
Here is another way to translate this word:
living in a way that is not controlled
-or-
indecent behavior (New American Standard Bible)
This word is also used in Ephesians 5:18 and 1 Peter 4:4 (in which cases the Berean Standard Bible translates it as “reckless indiscretion”).
insubordination: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as insubordination describes someone who is unruly or disobedient. Here it refers to people who refuse to obey their parents or anybody else in authority.
Here is another way to translate this word:
rebelling against those in authority
-or-
rebellious
© 2000 by SIL International®
Made available under the terms of a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License (CC BY-SA) creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0
All Scripture quotations in this publication, unless otherwise indicated, are from The Holy Bible, Berean Standard Bible. BSB is produced in cooperation with Bible Hub, Discovery Bible, OpenBible.com, and the Berean Bible Translation Commit