In the Greek, we is clearly emphatic. The pronoun may either be exclusive or inclusive. If the former, it refers primarily to Paul and can therefore be changed to a singular first person pronoun. If the latter, then it refers to Paul and Titus, and perhaps even to a wider audience, since the letter is expected to be read not only to Titus but to the assembled church as well. Since the inclusive pronoun is used both before and after this verse, it seems best to take the pronoun here in the inclusive sense as well.

Were once signals the state or condition being discussed as something in the past and as no longer true in the present. What is clearly being referred to is the pre-Christian stage, that is, before these people came to trust in Christ and acknowledge him as Savior and Lord. This may be more true of Titus because of his Greek background; Jews did believe in God and adhered to strict ethical and moral standards.

Once refers to a previous time before they became Christians. Other ways to render once are “at an earlier time,” “previously,” “used to be,” or even “before we became Christians.”

What follows is another list of vices, but this time focusing on the general condition of people who have not yet heard or responded to the gospel message. This list bears some semblance with other lists of this nature in the New Testament (for example, Rom 1.29-31; 1 Cor 6.9-11).

There are six matters included in the list, the first three being single ones, and the last three containing two items each. Furthermore, the list seems to be organized in such a way that there is a logical progression starting with spiritual insensitivity and disobedience to God, then being deceived by spiritual forces, then being controlled by various self-serving desires, then a negative attitude toward others, and finally hatred as the controlling factor of one’s life.

For foolish see 1 Tim 6.9, where the word is translated “senseless.” The idea in focus here is spiritual stupidity, that is, the unwillingness to use one’s mental faculties in order to understand things related to God.

Unwillingness to understand results in failure to obey; for disobedient see 2 Tim 3.2, where the word is used to describe unwillingness to obey one’s parents. Here the focus is on not obeying God.

Led astray is literally “deceived,” for which see 2 Tim 3.13. Perhaps the deceivers here are spiritual forces, as, for instance, those mentioned in 1 Tim 4.1.

Slaves to translates a Greek participle of the verb “to serve,” “to be a slave of.” It is possible to combine this with the previous verb, as, for example, Jerusalem Bible “misled and enslaved….” Most translations, however, take these separately.

For passions see 1 Tim 6.9, where the word is translated “desires.” Pleasures overlaps in meaning with the previous one, since it can refer also to desire for physical and sexual pleasure; in the present context, however, it is better to take it as referring to that which produces enjoyment and is therefore pleasurable, but in a negative sense; hence “dissipation” (New Jerusalem Bible), “pleasures of every kind” (Revised English Bible), “all sorts of desires and pleasures” (Contemporary English Version).

Being enslaved by these passions and pleasures means being completely under their control, resulting in bondage and lack of freedom. This is of course in stark contrast to being enslaved by Christ, which produces not bondage but real freedom.

For passing our days see 1 Tim 2.2, where it is translated “lead … life.” The verb occurs only in these two places in the whole New Testament.

Malice translates a comprehensive term for evil or wickedness; it is therefore possible that malice is not an accurate translation of the Greek term. What is needed is a more generic term for evil; for example, “wickedness.”

For envy see 1 Tim 6.4. It describes a negative attitude that people have against someone whom they view as being in a more advantageous position than they are. This attitude is characterized by a feeling of resentment and an eager desire to possess whatever the other person has.

Hated by men is literally “hateful,” which can be understood as a generic quality. The next part of the expression, hating one another, can be interpreted as an explanation of the generic. A possible restructuring, then, is “we were full of hate; we hated others, and others hated us in return.”

The idea of “hate” may be expressed as “detest,” “despise,” “wish evil toward,” “treat as an enemy,” or in certain languages as “not like to look at,” or even figuratively, “have a heart that is not warm toward.”

An alternative translation model for this verse is:

• For we ourselves, before we became Christians, were foolish, disobedient to God, and led astray by evil. We were as it were the slaves of all sorts of desires and pleasures. We were always evil and were jealous of other people. We were hateful people; everyone hated us and we hated them.

Quoted with permission from Arichea, Daniel C. and Hatton, Howard A. A Handbook on Paul’s Letter to Titus. (UBS Handbook Series). New York: UBS, 1995. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .

Titus 3.4-8a

Verses 4-7 are one sentence in the Greek. In them Paul explains God’s answer to the depraved human condition as outlined in the previous verse. The starting point, and to a certain extent the foundation of this response, is the nature of God as good, loving, and kind. The salvation that he bestows is not dependent on anything that people have done but is dependent solely on his loving kindness.

One further note: the UBS Greek New Testament indents verses 4-7 in such a way that they can be identified as poetic material. It is possible, therefore, to translate these verses as poetry, something which Contemporary English Version has done. For the purpose of doing this, the poem divides naturally into three stanzas. The first stanza consists of verses 4-5a, which describes the action of God. The second stanza is 5b, which describes the action of God’s Spirit. Finally, the third stanza consists of verses 6 and 7, which describes the action of Jesus Christ. For translating poetry see 1 Tim 3.16.

Quoted with permission from Arichea, Daniel C. and Hatton, Howard A. A Handbook on Paul’s Letter to Titus. (UBS Handbook Series). New York: UBS, 1995. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .

Many refers to certain Christians in Crete; it is quite clear from the context that what is being referred to are not people outside the church but people within the church. For insubordinate see Titus 1.6 of this chapter and “disobedient” in 1 Tim 1.9. The word can also mean “disobedient,” but in the present context the focus is on the unwillingness to be under the control of anyone or anything; hence “rebellious” (Good News Translation), “undisciplined” (Revised English Bible), “will not recognize authority” (Phillips), “out of all control” (New English Bible).

Empty talkers appears only here in the whole New Testament; it is derived from a verb that means “to engage in idle talk.” This may be a reference to their telling about legends, genealogies, and other false teachings similar to those mentioned in 1 Tim 1.3-7. One may also express this as “people who talk nonsense,” and in some languages there will be figurative expressions for such people; for example, “people who talk wind.” Deceivers also appears nowhere else in the New Testament; it is derived from a verb that means “to lead astray,” “to mislead,” “to deceive.” It is possible to take empty talkers and deceivers as a hendiadys with the sense “empty talkers who deceive others” (so Good News Translation “deceive others with their nonsense,” Jerusalem Bible “who talk nonsense and try to make others believe it,” Contemporary English Version “fool others by talking nonsense”).

A very significant part (especially) of this rebellious group comes from the circumcision party, which is a term used of the Jews in general but in this case refers to Jews who have become Christians. Good News Translation makes this information explicit, although the use of the word “converts” for Jewish Christians may be questionable, due to the fact that Christians do not form a new community but understand themselves to belong to the same covenant community to which Jews belong. Jews who become Christians do not leave the covenant community to enter another group; instead, they simply recognize the place of Jesus the Messiah within the covenant community. For this reason it is better to describe Jews who have become Christians as Jewish Christians. One probable reason why Paul refers to this group as the circumcision party is that some of them were teaching that Gentiles or non-Jews must be circumcised before they can become Christians. In other parts of the New Testament, there are references to Jewish Christians who insist on adherence to Jewish rules (including circumcision) as a requirement for non-Jews to become Christians. This may have been the same case in Crete as well. In cultures where talking explicitly about circumcision will simply confuse readers or may even be offensive, translators may say “especially the Jewish Christians.” However, if the rite of circumcision is well understood, one may translate “especially those Jewish Christians who teach that Gentiles must be circumcised before becoming Christians (or, before receiving baptism).”

An alternative translation model for this verse is:

• For there are many people who do not respect authority, and who talk nonsense and try to make others believe it. This is especially true of some Jews who have become Christians.

Quoted with permission from Arichea, Daniel C. and Hatton, Howard A. A Handbook on Paul’s Letter to Titus. (UBS Handbook Series). New York: UBS, 1995. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .

As is usual in New Testament letters (with a few exception, including 1 Timothy), there are final words of greetings and a benediction.

All who are with me refers to Christians who are with Paul at the time he was writing the letter. In some languages the plural All may be more appropriately translated as singular, that is, “everyone.” For send greetings and Greet see 2 Tim 4.19, 21.

Those who love us in the faith can be taken as an idiom referring specifically to Christians in Crete; hence “our dear Christian friends”; this is the position reflected in Good News Translation. If there is a desire to translate this not as an idiom but as a real description of the Christians in Crete, it will be necessary to determine whether us is exclusive or inclusive. If the latter, Paul is including Titus; if the former, Paul is using the plural first person pronoun to refer to himself. A further matter is how to translate in the faith (literally “in faith,” without the article). Several options are possible: (1) Interpret faith as “right belief”; hence “who love us and believe in the same way we do” or “… believe what we do.” (2) Interpret faith as trust in Christ; hence “… trust Christ as we do.” (3) Interpret faith as the Christian faith; hence “fellow Christians who love us,” “our dear friends in the church.” (4) Take faith as faithfulness; hence “those who love us faithfully,” “the Christians who truly love us.” The inclination in this Handbook is to treat this expression as an idiom, retaining the form; but if there is to be a choice between the various other alternatives as outlined above, it should be either the first or the third options.

For Grace be with you all, see 1 Tim 6.21 and 2 Tim 4.22, where the second person pronoun is used as well. The source of this Grace is most probably Jesus Christ, since this is the usual practice at the end of letters in the New Testament.

Alternative translation models for this verse are:

• Everyone here with me sends greetings to you, Titus. Tell our dear Christian friends there that we greet them (or, think kindly of them).
May Christ be merciful to you all.

Or:

• Everyone here with me sends greetings to you. Please give our greetings to all those who love us and believe in the same way we do.
I pray that Christ will be kind to all of you.

Or:

• … Please give greetings to all our fellow Christians who love us ….

Quoted with permission from Arichea, Daniel C. and Hatton, Howard A. A Handbook on Paul’s Letter to Titus. (UBS Handbook Series). New York: UBS, 1995. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .

As Revised Standard Version shows, this is still a part of the sentence that began with verse 7, and therefore it is a further description of Titus’ teaching. It is awkward, however, to use the verb show with sound speech unless it is recast in some way (for example, New International Version “In your teaching show … soundness of speech”). Another way of dealing with this problem is to start a new sentence at verse 8 and employ an appropriate verb (for example, Good News Translation “Use”; compare Revised English Bible “offer”).

The word for sound occurs only here in the New Testament but comes from the same root as “sound” in 1 Tim 1.10. It can mean “accurate,” “right,” “useful.” Speech is literally “word” but is used here to refer either to the content of what is uttered or to actual words used. Sound speech therefore means “accurate teaching” or “right doctrine” when used of content, and “useful words” or “proper words” when used of actual words that are spoken. Other ways to express this are “When you teach, always teach correct doctrine” or “… always use words that will help and encourage others.”

Cannot be censured translates a word that appears only here in the New Testament and means “above criticism,” “beyond condemnation,” “beyond reproach.” The implied agents are of course other people, Christians and non-Christians alike, and this can be made explicit in the translation; for example, “which no one can criticize.”

The purpose of all this (verses 7-8a, and not simply 8a) is to put to shame “the opponent,” which is what the Greek text has (literally “the one who is opposed,” only here in the whole New Testament; compare Phillips “your opponent”). Some have suggested that this term refers to a specific person, perhaps a pagan critic. It is of course possible, and in fact more likely, to take opponent here as a generic term for those who oppose Titus and the church (compare Jerusalem Bible “any opponent”), in which case it is more appropriate in some languages to use the plural form (compare Good News Translation “your enemies,” New International Version “those who oppose you”).

May be put to shame translates a verb that occurs only here in the Pastoral Letters. It is literally “to turn around, revert”; in a good sense it means “to turn toward (someone in respect)”; in a bad sense, as here, it means “to be put to shame.” The expression may be taken as reflexive; hence “may be ashamed of themselves” (compare Phillips “will feel ashamed”). The last part of the verse can be interpreted as the reason for their being ashamed: if Titus’ opponents find that they have no case against him and against the church, then they will look foolish indeed. It is also possible to take this last part as a result of their being ashamed: the opponents feel so ashamed that they cannot say anything bad at all against the Christians (compare Contemporary English Version “your enemies will be too ashamed to say anything against you”).

Us refers to Titus and all Christians in general and should therefore be translated as inclusive.

Alternative translation models for this verse are:

• When you teach, always teach correct doctrine so that no one can criticize you. If you do this, your enemies will not be able to say anything against us [inclusive] and so will be ashamed (or, lose face).

Or:

• When you teach, always use words that will help and encourage others so that no one….

Quoted with permission from Arichea, Daniel C. and Hatton, Howard A. A Handbook on Paul’s Letter to Titus. (UBS Handbook Series). New York: UBS, 1995. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .

The conjunction but accents and signals the contrast between the state of people before and after they have received God’s mercy and experienced God’s salvation. When translating this passage as prose, it will be necessary to retain this signal. However, when translating it as poetry, it is permissible to eliminate this signal, since it will not be natural in poetry to begin with a conjunction. It is possible, however, to retain but as an introduction to the intended poetic section.

Goodness is a quality that expresses itself in action, hence “kindness.” Loving kindness has a similar meaning in that it does not only refer to feeling or emotion but to positive acts of kindness toward others. The fact that these two are synonyms is clear from the various translation models, as for example goodness and loving kindness, “kindness and love” (Good News Translation), “how good and kind” (Contemporary English Version).

For God our Savior see 1 Tim 1.1.

For appeared see 2.11 and the related word in 2.13.

It may not be possible in some languages to talk about kindness or love appearing, in which case some restructuring will be necessary; for example, Good News Translation “was revealed.” It will also be possible to say “when God our Savior showed his love and kindness to us,” or even “when God our salvation giver became kind to us.”

Quoted with permission from Arichea, Daniel C. and Hatton, Howard A. A Handbook on Paul’s Letter to Titus. (UBS Handbook Series). New York: UBS, 1995. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .

Must is literally “it is necessary” (Good News Translation). Be silenced translates an infinitive of the verb that literally means “to put something over the mouth” and is used figuratively to refer to preventing someone from talking. They must be silenced may be misleading, since this expression is often used to refer to killing someone, which of course is not Paul’s intention at all. “You must stop them from talking” would be a more satisfactory way of expressing the meaning (compare Good News Translation “it is necessary to stop their talk,” Contemporary English Version “you must make them be quiet”). One may also say “You must stop them from talking this nonsense.”

The reason for stopping these rebellious people from talking is that they are upsetting whole families with their teaching. For families see the same term translated “house” in 1 Tim 3.4. Upsetting comes from a verb that refers to the act of causing problems with regard to someone’s faith or beliefs; hence “to undermine someone’s faith.” See further on 2 Tim 2.18. Here the damage is done not only to the faith of certain individuals but to the faith of whole families, which indicates that many families are involved, and the problem has affected every member of each one of these families. The problems may have included disunity and conflict in families where not all the members become believers. But primarily the problems are related to their faith; that is, these problems tend to undermine their loyalty to the Christian faith and its message. In this light, upsetting whole families may thus be expressed as “they are causing all the members of some families to stray from the true message” or “… to falter in their faith.”

The way they have done this is by teaching what they have no right to teach. This last expression conveys the idea that something has happened that should not have happened, so Good News Translation “teaching what they should not,” Phillips “teaching what they have no business to teach,” New International Version “teaching things they ought not to teach.” But they teach these things for base gain; for this last expression see Titus 1.7, where the Greek forms one word by joining these two, translated “greedy for gain.” The whole motivation for their actions is financial profit, as Good News Translation makes clear (“and all for the shameful purpose of making money”).

An alternative translation model for this verse is:

• You must make them stop talking such nonsense, because they teach things which they shouldn’t, and so cause all the members of some families to doubt the true doctrine. They do this simply for the shameful purpose of making money.

Quoted with permission from Arichea, Daniel C. and Hatton, Howard A. A Handbook on Paul’s Letter to Titus. (UBS Handbook Series). New York: UBS, 1995. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .

Bid is not in the Greek text, which simply contains the infinitive form for “to be submissive.” However, a verb is needed in order to signal that these are still instructions to Titus and not direct admonitions to slaves. Translations therefore supply what they believe to be the appropriate verb; for example, “teach” (New International Version), “tell” (New Revised Standard Version); compare Phillips “Slaves should be told.” Good News Translation avoids the problem by using a third-person imperative form, “Slaves are to submit….”

For slaves see discussion on “slavery” in 1 Tim 6.1. Submissive also occurs in Titus 2.5 of this chapter, for which see discussion there. The Greek here can be either passive (so New International Version “be subject”) or more likely middle, hence reflexive (so Good News Translation “to submit themselves”).

For masters see 1 Tim 6.1 and 6.2.

To give satisfaction is literally “to be pleasing” (compare Good News Translation “to please”). As in verses 6-7, in every respect (literally “in everything”) can go either with the verb “to submit,” as the UBS Greek text has it (compare New American Bible, Revised “under the control of their masters in all respects,” also Translator’s New Testament, New Jerusalem Bible “obedient to their masters in everything,” Revised English Bible “respect their masters’ authority in everything”), or with “to be pleasing” (in addition to Good News Translation, also Phillips “to give them satisfactory service in every way,” Jerusalem Bible “always do what they want”). It is of course possible to relate “submit” to “please,” with submission being a specific way of pleasing (compare Contemporary English Version “please their owners by obeying them in everything”).

Refractory translates a verb that means “to speak against someone,” “to talk in opposition to someone,” “to answer back.” It would be very difficult for slaves to keep their peace, especially when they feel they are being treated unjustly by cruel and harsh masters.

Quoted with permission from Arichea, Daniel C. and Hatton, Howard A. A Handbook on Paul’s Letter to Titus. (UBS Handbook Series). New York: UBS, 1995. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .