2 Timotius 2:24-25

2:24 And the Lord’s slave ¹  must not engage in heated disputes ²  but be kind toward all, an apt teacher, patient, 2:25 correcting ³  opponents with gentleness. Perhaps God will grant them repentance and then knowledge of the truth ⁴ 

Ezra 7:10

7:10 Now Ezra had dedicated himself ⁵  to the study of the law of the Lord, to its observance, and to teaching ⁶  its statutes and judgments in Israel.

Ezra 7:25

7:25 “Now you, Ezra, in keeping with the wisdom of your God which you possess, ⁷  appoint judges ⁸  and court officials who can arbitrate cases on behalf of all the people who are in Trans-Euphrates who know the laws of your God. Those who do not know this law should be taught.

Maleakhi 2:7

2:7 For the lips of a priest should preserve knowledge of sacred things, and people should seek instruction from him ⁹  because he is the messenger of the Lord who rules over all.

Matius 13:52

13:52 Then he said to them, “Therefore every expert in the law ¹⁰  who has been trained for the kingdom of heaven is like the owner of a house who brings out of his treasure what is new and old.”

Matius 13:1

The Parable of the Sower

13:1 On that day after Jesus went out of the house, he sat by the lake.

Titus 3:2-9

3:2 They must not slander ¹¹  anyone, but be peaceable, gentle, showing complete courtesy to all people. 3:3 For we too were once foolish, disobedient, misled, enslaved to various passions and desires, spending our lives in evil and envy, hateful and hating one another. 3:4 ¹²  But “when the kindness of God our Savior and his love for mankind appeared, 3:5 he saved us not by works of righteousness that we have done but on the basis of his mercy, through the washing of the new birth and the renewing of the Holy Spirit, 3:6 whom he poured out on us in full measure ¹³  through Jesus Christ our Savior. 3:7 And so, ¹⁴  since we have been justified by his grace, we become heirs with the confident expectation of eternal life.” ¹⁵ 

Summary of the Letter

3:8 This saying ¹⁶  is trustworthy, and I want you to insist on such truths, ¹⁷  so that those who have placed their faith in God may be intent on engaging in good works. These things are good and beneficial for all people. 3:9 But avoid foolish controversies, genealogies, ¹⁸  quarrels, and fights about the law, ¹⁹  because they are useless and empty.

Titus 1:6

1:6 An elder must be blameless, ²⁰  the husband of one wife, ²¹  with faithful children ²²  who cannot be charged with dissipation or rebellion.

Titus 1:5-9

Titus’ Task on Crete

1:5 The reason I left you in Crete was to set in order the remaining matters and to appoint elders in every town, as I directed you. 1:6 An elder must be blameless, ²³  the husband of one wife, ²⁴  with faithful children ²⁵  who cannot be charged with dissipation or rebellion. 1:7 For the overseer ²⁶  must be blameless as one entrusted with God’s work, ²⁷  not arrogant, not prone to anger, not a drunkard, not violent, not greedy for gain. 1:8 Instead he must be hospitable, devoted to what is good, sensible, upright, devout, and self-controlled. 1:9 He must hold firmly to the faithful message as it has been taught, ²⁸  so that he will be able to give exhortation in such healthy teaching ²⁹  and correct those who speak against it.

[2:24]  ¹ tn Traditionally, “servant” or “bondservant.” Though δοῦλος (doulos) is normally translated “servant,” the word does not bear the connotation of a free individual serving another. BDAG notes that “‘servant’ for ‘slave’ is largely confined to Biblical transl. and early American times…in normal usage at the present time the two words are carefully distinguished” (BDAG 260 s.v.). The most accurate translation is “bondservant” (sometimes found in the ASV for δοῦλος), in that it often indicates one who sells himself into slavery to another. But as this is archaic, few today understand its force.

[2:24]  sn Undoubtedly the background for the concept of being the Lord’s slave or servant is to be found in the Old Testament scriptures. For a Jew this concept did not connote drudgery, but honor and privilege. It was used of national Israel at times (Isa 43:10), but was especially associated with famous OT personalities, including such great men as Moses (Josh 14:7), David (Ps 89:3; cf. 2 Sam 7:5, 8) and Elijah (2 Kgs 10:10); all these men were “servants (or slaves) of the Lord.”

[2:24]  ² tn Grk “must not fight” or “must not quarrel.” The Greek verb is related to the noun translated “infighting” in v. 23.

[2:25]  ³ sn Correcting is the word for “child-training” or “discipline.” It is often positive (training, educating) but here denotes the negative side (correcting, disciplining).

[2:25]  ⁴ tn Grk “repentance unto knowledge of the truth.”

[7:10]  ⁵ tn Heb “established his heart.”

[7:10]  ⁶ tn Heb “to do and to teach.” The expression may be a hendiadys, in which case it would have the sense of “effectively teaching.”

[7:25]  ⁷ tn Aram “in your hand.”

[7:25]  ⁸ tc For the MT reading שָׁפְטִין (shoftim, “judges”) the LXX uses the noun γραμματεῖς (grammatei", “scribes”).

[2:7]  ⁹ tn Heb “from his mouth” (so NAB, NASB, NRSV).

[13:52]  ¹⁰ tn Or “every scribe.” See the note on the phrase “experts in the law” in 2:4. It is possible that the term translated “expert in the law” (traditionally, “scribe”) here is a self-description used by the author, Matthew, to represent his role in conveying the traditions about Jesus to his intended audience. See David E. Orton, The Understanding Scribe [JSNTSup].

[3:2]  ¹¹ tn Or “discredit,” “damage the reputation of.”

[3:4]  ¹² tn Verses 4-7 are set as poetry in NA²⁶/NA²⁷. These verses probably constitute the referent of the expression “this saying” in v. 8.

[3:6]  ¹³ tn Or “on us richly.”

[3:7]  ¹⁴ tn This is the conclusion of a single, skillfully composed sentence in Greek encompassing Titus 3:4-7. Showing the goal of God’s merciful salvation, v. 7 begins literally, “in order that, being justified…we might become heirs…”

[3:7]  ¹⁵ tn Grk “heirs according to the hope of eternal life.”

[3:8]  ¹⁶ sn This saying (Grk “the saying”) refers to the preceding citation (Titus 3:4-7). See 1 Tim 1:15; 3:1; 4:9; 2 Tim 2:11 for other occurrences of this phrase.

[3:8]  ¹⁷ tn Grk “concerning these things.”

[3:9]  ¹⁸ tn Cf. 1 Tim 1:4.

[3:9]  ¹⁹ sn Fights about the law were characteristic of the false teachers in Ephesus as well as in Crete (cf. 1 Tim 1:3-7; Titus 1:10, 14).

[1:6]  ²⁰ tn Grk “if anyone is blameless…” as a continuation of v. 5b, beginning to describe the elder’s character.

[1:6]  ²¹ tn Or “married only once,” “devoted solely to his wife.” See the note on “wife” in 1 Tim 3:2; also 1 Tim 3:12; 5:9.

[1:6]  ²² tn Or “believing children.” The phrase could be translated “believing children,” but the parallel with 1 Tim 3:4 (“keeping his children in control”) argues for the sense given in the translation.

[1:6]  ²³ tn Grk “if anyone is blameless…” as a continuation of v. 5b, beginning to describe the elder’s character.

[1:6]  ²⁴ tn Or “married only once,” “devoted solely to his wife.” See the note on “wife” in 1 Tim 3:2; also 1 Tim 3:12; 5:9.

[1:6]  ²⁵ tn Or “believing children.” The phrase could be translated “believing children,” but the parallel with 1 Tim 3:4 (“keeping his children in control”) argues for the sense given in the translation.

[1:7]  ²⁶ sn The overseer is another term for the same official position of leadership as the “elder.” This is seen in the interchange of the two terms in this passage and in Acts 20:17, 28, as well as in the parallels between these verses and 1 Tim 3:1-7.

[1:7]  ²⁷ tn Grk “as God’s steward.”

[1:9]  ²⁸ tn Grk “the faithful message in accordance with the teaching” (referring to apostolic teaching).

[1:9]  ²⁹ tn Grk “the healthy teaching” (referring to what was just mentioned).