Titus 1:1

Salutation

1:1 From Paul, ¹  a slave ²  of God and apostle of Jesus Christ, to further the faith ³  of God’s chosen ones and the knowledge of the truth that is in keeping with godliness,

Titus 1:5

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.

Titus 1:7

1:7 For the overseer ⁴  must be blameless as one entrusted with God’s work, ⁵  not arrogant, not prone to anger, not a drunkard, not violent, not greedy for gain.

Titus 1:16

1:16 They profess to know God but with their deeds they deny him, since they are detestable, disobedient, and unfit for any good deed.

Titus 2:12

2:12 It trains us ⁶  to reject godless ways ⁷  and worldly desires and to live self-controlled, upright, and godly lives in the present age,

Titus 3:14

3:14 Here is another way that our people ⁸  can learn ⁹  to engage in good works to meet pressing needs and so not be unfruitful.

[1:1]  ¹ tn Grk “Paul.” The word “from” is not in the Greek text, but has been supplied to indicate the sender of the letter.

[1:1]  ² 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.

[1:1]  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.”

[1:1]  ³ tn Grk “for the faith,” possibly, “in accordance with the faith.”

[1:7]  ⁴ 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]  ⁵ tn Grk “as God’s steward.”

[2:12]  ⁶ tn Grk “training us” (as a continuation of the previous clause). Because of the length and complexity of the Greek sentence, a new sentence was started at the beginning of v. 12 by translating the participle παιδεύουσα (paideuousa) as a finite verb and supplying the pronoun “it” as subject.

[2:12]  ⁷ tn Grk “ungodliness.”

[3:14]  ⁸ tn Grk “that those who are ours” (referring to the Christians).

[3:14]  ⁹ tn Grk “and also let our people learn.”