εἴ τίς ἐστιν ἀνέγκλητος, μιᾶς γυναικὸς ἀνήρ, τέκνα ἔχων πιστά, μὴ ἐν κατηγορίᾳ ἀσωτίας ἢ ἀνυπότακτα.
6someone who is blameless, married only once, whose children are believers, not accused of debauchery and not rebellious.
The Greek that is translated as “blameless” or “guiltless” or similar in English is translated in Huautla Mazatec as ni̱jme jìn kjoa̱ xi chꞌao tjín koansjaitꞌain or “do not find any ugly / bad matter for them.” Jean Paul Gotopo Maldonado who is participating in the work on a new translation explains: “In Huautla Mazatec there is no term to indicate the irreproachable character of a person, therefore this concept is described with a phrase.”
See also blameless (amemptos).
Following are a number of back-translations of Titus 1:6:
Translations of the Greek pistis and its various forms that are typically translated as “faith” in English (itself deriving from Latin “fides,” meaning “trust, faith, confidence, reliance, credence”) and “believe” (from Old English belyfan: “to have faith or confidence in a person”) cover a wide range of approaches.
“Since belief or faith is so essentially an intimate psychological experience, it is not strange that so many terms denoting faith should be highly figurative and represent an almost unlimited range of emotional ‘centers’ and descriptions of relationships, e.g. ‘steadfast his heart’ (Chol), ‘to arrive on the inside’ (Chicahuaxtla Triqui), ‘to conform with the heart’ (Uab Meto), ‘to join the word to the body’ (Uduk), ‘to hear in the insides’ (or ‘to hear within one’s self and not let go’ – Nida 1952) (Laka), ‘to make the mind big for something’ (Sapo), ‘to make the heart straight about’ (Mitla Zapotec), ‘to cause a word to enter the insides’ (Lacandon), ‘to leave one’s heart with’ (Baniwa), ‘to catch in the mind’ (Ngäbere), ‘that which one leans on’ (Vai), ‘to be strong on’ (Shipibo-Conibo), ‘to have no doubts’ (San Blas Kuna), ‘to hear and take into the insides’ (Kare), ‘to accept’ (Pamona).”
“[The missionary translator] Lancelot Threlkeld learned that Awabakal, like many Australian languages, made no distinction between knowing and believing. Of course the distinction only needs to be made where there are rival systems of knowing. The Awabakal language expressed a seamless world. But as the stress on ‘belief’ itself suggests, Christianity has always existed in pluralist settings. Conversion involves deep conviction, not just intellectual assent or understanding. (…) Translating such texts posed a great challenge in Australia. Threlkeld and [his indigenous colleague] Biraban debated the possibilities at length. In the end they opted not to introduce a new term for belief, but to use the Awabakal ngurruliko, meaning ‘to know, to perceive by the ear,’ as distinct from knowing by sight or by touch.”
What does losing feathers have to do with faith? [The translator] explained that there is a species of bird in his area that, upon hatching its eggs, loses its feathers. During this molting phase, the mother bird is no longer able to fly away from the nest and look for food for her hungry hatchlings. She has to remain in the nest where she and her babies are completely dependent upon the male bird to bring them food. Without the diligent, dependable work of the male bird, the mother and babies would all die. This scenario was the basis for the word for faith in his language.
“Luba-Katanga word for ‘Faith’ in its New Testament connotation is Twi tabilo. This word means ‘echo,’ and the way in which it came to be adapted to the New Testament meaning gives a very good idea of the way in which the translator goes to work. One day a missionary was on a journey through wild and mountainous country. At midday he called his African porters to halt, and as they lay resting in the shade from the merciless heat of the sun. an African picked up a stone and sent it ricocheting down the mountain-side into the ravine below. After some seconds the hollow silence was broken by a plunging, splashing sound from the depths of the dark river-bed. As the echo died away the African said in a wondering whisper ‘Twi tabilo, listen to it.’ So was a precious word captured for the service of the Gospel in its Luba Christian form. Twi tabilo — ‘faith which is the echo of God’s voice in the depths of human sinful hearts, awakened by God Himself, the answer to his own importunate call.’ The faith that is called into being by the divine initiative, God’s own gift to the responsive heart! (Source: Wilfred Bradnock in The Bible Translator 1953, p. 49ff. )
The Venda term u tenda, lutendo. This term corresponds to the terms ho dumela (Southern Sotho), and ku pfumela (Tsonga) that have been used in these translations of the Bible, and means “to assent,” “to agree to a suggestion.” It is important to understand this term in the context of the character of the people who use it.
The way in which the Venda use this term reveals much about the priority of interpersonal relationships among them. They place a much higher priority on responding in the way they think they are expected to respond than on telling the truth. Smooth interpersonal relationships, especially with a dominant individual or group, take precedence over everything else.
It is therefore regarded as bad form to refuse directly when asked for something one does not in fact intend to give. The correct way is to agree, u tenda, and then forget about it or find some excuse for not keeping to the agreement. Thus u tenda does not necessarily convey the information that one means what one says. One can tenda verbally while heartily disagreeing with the statement made or having no intention whatsoever to carry out what one has just promised to do. This is not regarded as dishonesty, but is a matter of politeness.
The term u sokou tenda, “to consent reluctantly,” is often used for expressing the fatalistic attitude of the Venda in the face of misfortune or force which he is unable to resist.
The form lutendo was introduced by missionaries to express “faith.”
According to the rules of derivations and their meanings in the lu-class, it should mean “the habit of readily consenting to everything.” But since it is a coined word which does not have a clearly defined set of meanings in everyday speech, it has acquired in church language a meaning of “steadfastness in the Christian life.” Una lutendo means something like “he is steadfast in the face of persecution.” It is quite clear that the term u tenda has no element of “trust” in it. (…)
In “The Christian Minister” of July 1969 we find the following statement about faith by Albert N. Martin: “We must never forget that one of the great issues which the Reformers brought into focus was that faith was something more than an ‘assensus,’ a mere nodding of the head to the body of truth presented by the church as ‘the faith.’ The Reformers set forth the biblical concept that faith was ‘fiducia.’ They made plain that saving faith involved trust, commitment, a trust and commitment involving the whole man with the truth which was believed and with the Christ who was the focus of that truth. The time has come when we need to spell this out clearly in categorical statements so that people will realize that a mere nodding of assent to the doctrines that they are exposed to is not the essence of saving faith. They need to be brought to the understanding that saving faith involves the commitment of the whole man to the whole Christ, as Prophet, Priest and King as he is set forth in the gospel.”
We quote at length from this article because what Martin says of the current concept of faith in the Church is even to a greater extent true of the Venda Church, and because the terms used for communicating that concept in the Venda Bible cannot be expected to communicate anything more than “a mere nodding of assent”. I have during many years of evangelistic work hardly ever come across a Venda who, when confronted with the gospel, would not say, Ndi khou tenda, “I admit the truth of what you say.” What they really mean when saying this amounts to, “I believe that God exists, and I have no objection to the fact that he exists. I suppose that the rest of what you are talking about is also true.” They would often add, Ndi sa tendi hani-hani? “Just imagine my not believing such an obvious fact!” To the experienced evangelist this is a clear indication that his message is rejected in so far as it has been understood at all! To get a negative answer, one would have to press on for a promise that the “convert” will attend the baptism class and come to church on Sundays, and even then he will most probably just tenda in order to get rid of the evangelist, whether he intends to come or not. Isn’t that what u tenda means? So when an inexperienced and gullible white man ventures out on an evangelistic campaign with great enthusiasm, and with great rejoicing returns with a list of hundreds of names of persons who “believed”, he should not afterwards blame the Venda when only one tenth of those who were supposed to be converts actually turn up for baptismal instruction.
Moreover, it is not surprising at all that one often comes across church members of many years’ standing who do not have any assurance of their salvation or even realise that it is possible to have that assurance. They are vhatendi, “consenters.” They have consented to a new way of life, to abandoning (some of) the old customs. Lutendo means to them at most some steadfastness in that new way of life.
The concept of faith in religion is strange to Africa. It is an essential part of a religion of revelation such as Christianity or Islam, but not of a naturalistic religion such as Venda religion, in which not faith and belief are important, but ritual, and not so much the content of the word as the power of it.
The terms employed in the Venda Bible for this vital Christian concept have done nothing to effect a change in the approach of the Venda to religion.
It is a pity that not only in the Venda translation has this been the case, but in all the other Southern Bantu languages. In the Nguni languages the term ukukholwa, “to believe a fact,” has been used for pisteuo, and ukholo, the deverbative of ukukholwa, for pistis. In some of the older Protestant translations in Zulu, but not in the new translation, the term ithemba, “trust”, has been used.
Some languages, including Santali, have two terms — like English (see above) — to differentiate a noun from a verb form. Biswạs is used for faith, whereas pạtiạu for “believe.” R.M. Macphail (in The Bible Translator 1961, p. 36ff. ) explains this choice: “While there is little difference between the meaning and use of the two in everyday Santali, in which any word may be used as a verb, we felt that in this way we enriched the translation while making a useful distinction, roughly corresponding to that between ‘faith’ and ‘to believe’ in English.”
Likewise, in Noongar, koort-karni or “heart truth” is used for the noun (“faith”) and djinang-karni or “see true” for the verb (“believe”) (source: Warda-Kwabba Luke-Ang).
See also this devotion on YouVersion .
Learn more on Bible Odyssey: Faith (Word Study) .
This verse begins with if any man (better “if anyone”). It makes no sense to translate the Greek literally here, since what comes out is somewhat ungrammatical, if not unclear, as Revised Standard Version shows. In fact what the text seems to be saying is that Titus can appoint people to be elders if they have the qualifications as stated. Most translations therefore restructure the text along these lines.
The list of qualifications is quite similar to that which is contained in 1 Timothy, particularly in the section on bishops (1 Tim 3.1-6). The similarities between these two parts have led some scholars to conclude that “bishops” and “elders” are two designations of the same office or function; this contention gains added support by the appearance of the word “bishop” (Greek episkopos, singular) in Titus 1.7. There are some, however, who hold that both of these passages are dependent on an already established list of qualifications for church officials. At any rate, it is profitable to put these two passages in parallel columns in order to make the similarities clear and to ensure that these are translated in a consistent and accurate manner.
For blameless see comment in 1 Tim 3.10. The similar term used in 1 Tim 3.2 (“above reproach”) stresses the kind of life that no one can criticize.
The word for believers is the same word translated “faithful” elsewhere, but in this context it has the same meaning as in 1 Tim 6.2, namely, Christians.
For open to the charge see “charge” and comments in 1 Tim 5.19. Good News Translation‘s “not have the reputation” is a good translation model. The word for profligate appears as “loose” in Luke 15.13 in its adverbial form to describe the way of life of the prodigal son; it has the same meaning here, namely, senseless and reckless and excessively riotous behavior with no concern at all for the consequences of such action (so Jerusalem Bible “uncontrollable,” New International Version “wild,” New Jerusalem Bible “disorderly conduct,” New American Bible, Revised “licentiousness”). In most languages there will be specific vocabulary to describe children who act in this way. For insubordinate see “disobedient” and comments in 1 Tim 1.9. Some ways of translating this are “open to any charge of indiscipline” (Revised English Bible), “disobedient” (New International Version).
An alternative translation model for this verse is:
• A church leader must be without fault (or, have a good reputation) and have only one wife. His children must be believers in Christ. They should not be known for wild behavior or for being disobedient.
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 .
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
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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
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