2:2a
Older men are to be temperate, dignified, self-controlled: There is no verb in Greek at the beginning of this verse, but many English versions supply a verb. For example:
Teach
-or-
Instruct (Good News Bible)
Here are some other ways to translate this verse part:
Older men are to be temperate, dignified, sensible (New American Standard Bible)
-or-
The older men should be sober, dignified, and temperate (Revised English Bible)
-or-
Instruct the older men to be sober, sensible, and self-controlled (Good News Bible)
Older men: The Greek word refers in general to male believers who were older than 40 or 50. It is similar to, but not the same as, the word used for elders of the church.
temperate: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as temperate means “restrained” or “moderate.” It usually refers to not drinking too much alcohol but can also have the wider meaning of being restrained and moderate in conduct and behavior. See how you translated the same word at 1 Timothy 3.2c.
Here are some other ways to translate this word:
sober (Good News Bible)
or
sober-minded (English Standard Version)
-or-
calm
dignified: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as dignified describes someone who is respected by others and deserves to be so respected. This kind of respect was associated with the behavior of a serious and mature person.
Here are some other ways to translate this word:
worthy of respect (New International Version (2011 Revision))
-or-
respectable
self-controlled: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as self-controlled describes someone who is thoughtful and deliberate in his actions rather than impulsive. See how you translated it in 1:8c and translate it the same way in both places. For example:
They must control themselves. (New International Reader’s Version)
-or-
able to control themselves
2:2b
and sound in faith, love, and perseverance: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as sound is literally “healthy,” that is, health-giving or wholesome. Here it describes a man as being solid and firm in the way he trusts God, loves others, and endures hardship. It is the same word used in 2:1 to describe correct doctrine. If possible, translate it the same in both places.
The three phrases in faith, love, and perseverance list three areas in which the older men should be solid and firm. The word in connects the areas of behavior (faith, love, and perseverance) to the word sound . Consider how best to indicate this in your language. For example:
sound in faith, sound in love, sound in endurance
-or-
strong in faith, in love, and in patience (New Century Version)
-or-
Their faith, love, and patience must never fail. (Contemporary English Version)
-or-
They must have sound faith and be filled with love and patience. (New Living Translation (2004 Revision))
in faith: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as faith here refers to trust in God, trust that comes from Christian belief. The older men should trust in God completely for everything they need.
Here are some other ways to translate this phrase:
in the way they trust God
-or-
in their trust in God
love: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as love here refers to the affection and warm regard that one person shows to another person. The older men should be healthy in the way they show love to others. They should be selfless in service to other people.
Here is another way to translate this phrase:
in the way they love other people
and perseverance: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as perseverance refers to the ability to not give up in the face of difficulty. Paul wanted the older men to endure or bear hardship. They should be patient and not quit when they met difficulties.
Here are some other ways to translate this phrase:
and in the way they bear up during difficult times
-or-
and in patience
General Comment on 2:2a-b
These verse parts include four items in a list (“temperate, worthy of respect, self-controlled, sound”). The Berean Standard Bible follows English style by separating the first three items with a comma and supplying the word “and” between the last two. Each of the items describes a type of behavior that the older men should follow. The verb “to be” is therefore implied for each of them. Follow your language style for constructing such a list.
The Berean Standard Bible has translated 2:2a-b as one clause. In some languages it may be more natural to translate this verse as two or more clauses or sentences, with more than one imperative verb. For example:
2aTell older men to be sober. Tell them to be men of good character, to use good judgment, 2band to be well-grounded in faith, love, and endurance. (God’s Word)
-or-
2aTeach the older men to exercise self-control, to be worthy of respect, and to live wisely. 2bThey must have sound faith and be filled with love and patience. (New Living Translation (2004 Revision))
© 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 Committee.