3:6a

This is the Spirit He poured out on us abundantly: In Greek the sentence continues here using a pronoun that refers to the Holy Spirit. In some languages it may be natural to make this reference explicit and begin a new sentence here, as does the Berean Standard Bible. More examples:

God poured out the Spirit generously
-or-
God caused this Holy Spirit to descend upon us in abundance/fullness/richness

He poured out: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as poured out is a figure of speech that describes the way God gave the Holy Spirit to his people. This same figure of speech is used in Acts 2:17–18, 33. To “pour out” something is to let it flow or come down. This figure of speech indicates that God caused the Holy Spirit to come down, descend, upon his people.

abundantly: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as abundantly means “richly, in full measure.” In this context it indicates that God gave the Holy Spirit to believers without holding back, that is, fully or completely. Here are some other ways to translate this:

in God’s great generosity
-or-
generously
-or-
completely

3:6b

through Jesus Christ our Savior: This “pouring out” of the Holy Spirit (3:6a) was done through Jesus Christ our Savior. Commentators understand this in two ways:

(1) The life and death of Jesus saved us and made it possible for God to pour out the Holy Spirit. For example:

He generously poured out the Spirit upon us because of what Jesus Christ our Savior did. (New Living Translation (2004 Revision))

(2) God sent Jesus to give us his Spirit. For example:

God sent Jesus Christ to give us his Spirit. (Contemporary English Version)

Both of these statements are true. Paul may have had either or both in mind. If you must choose between them, it is recommended that you choose interpretation (1), since Paul referred to Jesus Christ as our Savior.

General Comment on 3:6a-b

In some languages it may be necessary to reorder these parts. For example:

^6bBecause Jesus Christ died to become our Savior, ^6aGod has caused the Holy Spirit to come down upon us in full/generous measure.

© 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.

2:5a

to be self-controlled: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as self-controlled refers to someone who is thoughtful about how they act, is not impulsive and avoids extremes. See how you translated it in 1:8c and 2:2a. Try to translate it in the same way in all three places.

pure: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as pure means “ritually clean, free from contamination.” In this context it means moral purity, especially sexual purity. Paul was describing wives and mothers, so in this context it does not refer to celibacy (no sexual activity) but to faithfulness in marriage. It describes virtuous wives, that is, women who refrain from all sexual activity outside of their marriage.

Here are some other ways to translate this word:

morally pure (God’s Word)

or

chaste (New American Bible, Revised Edition)
-or-
virtuous women

2:5b

managers of their households: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as managers of their households describes a woman who works hard at home and manages the household well. She takes care of the needs of her family and fulfills all her responsibilities in her home.

Here are some other ways to translate this word:

to be homemakers (God’s Word)
-or-
good managers of their household (New Revised Standard Version)

or

fulfilling their duties at home (NET Bible)

kind: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as kind can also be translated as “good.” There are two ways to understand this word in this context:

(1) It refers to a separate quality, that of goodness in the sense of kindness. For example:

to be kind (God’s Word)

(Berean Standard Bible, New International Version (2011 Revision), NET Bible, English Standard Version, New American Standard Bible, New Revised Standard Version, New Jerusalem Bible, Revised English Bible, New Living Translation (2004 Revision), Contemporary English Version, New Century Version, God’s Word, King James Version)

(2) It modifies the preceding quality in the list. For example:

to be good housewives (Good News Bible)

(Good News Bible, New American Bible, Revised Edition)

It is recommended that you follow option (1) as do the great majority of English versions.

2:5c

submissive to their own husbands: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as submissive to describes someone who accepts the authority of someone else and takes a position subordinate to (under) that person. In the context of a marriage relationship, it can be understood as an attitude of respect, cooperation, and a willingness to serve. Try to use an expression that is natural in your language for an admirable attitude in married women.

Here are some other ways to translate this word:

to be subject to their husbands (New International Version (2011 Revision))

or

respecting the authority of their husbands (Revised English Bible)
-or-
accepting the authority/leadership of their husbands
-or-
to place themselves under their husbands’ authority (God’s Word)

their own husbands: The women were not to be subject to all men but only to their own husbands in their own families.

2:5d

so that: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as so that here introduces a purpose clause. Paul gives his purpose in saying what he had just said about how younger women should behave. Paul’s purpose in giving these instructions was that no one would be able to speak evil of God’s gospel message.

the word of God will not be discredited: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as be discredited means “to speak evil of.” If believing women did not behave in the way Paul described, people would likely blame their Christian faith and say bad things about the gospel message.

Here are some other ways to translate this clause:

no one will malign the word of God (New International Version (2011 Revision))
-or-
no one can speak evil of God’s word (God’s Word)

or

no one can say insulting things about God’s message (Contemporary English Version)

the word of God: This phrase refers to the message that God gave Paul to preach and teach to the nations.

Here are some other ways to translate this phrase:

the message of God (NET Bible)

or

the teaching that God gave us

© 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.

Paragraph 2:6–8

2:6

In the same way: This phrase indicates that Paul’s next comments are similar to what he just said. In Greek it is the same word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as “likewise” in 2:3.

Here are some other ways to translate it:

Likewise (New Revised Standard Version)

or

Similarly (New International Version (2011 Revision))

urge the younger men to be self-controlled: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as urge means to convince someone to think or behave in a particular way. See how you translated it in 1:9 and translate it the same way in both places.

Here are some other ways to translate this clause:

urge the young men to be sensible (New American Standard Bible)
-or-
urge the younger men to control themselves (Revised Standard Version)
-or-
Encourage young men to use good judgment (God’s Word)

the younger men: This phrase probably refers to men between 20 and 40 years old.

to be self-controlled: This Greek word refers to someone who is thoughtful about how he behaves, is not impulsive and avoids extremes. See how you translated it in 1:8, 2:2 and 2:5 and translate it the same in all four places.

© 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.

2:7a

In everything: There are two ways to understand the phrase that the Berean Standard Bible translates as In everything:

(1) It belongs with the instruction that follows, that Titus set a good example. For example:

in all things show yourself to be an example (New American Standard Bible)

(Berean Standard Bible, New International Version (2011 Revision), Revised Standard Version/New Revised Standard Version, Good News Bible, King James Version, New American Standard Bible, New Century Version, God’s Word, NET Bible, English Standard Version, New American Bible, Revised Edition)

(2) It belongs with the instruction in 2:6 that young men be “self-controlled.” For example:

⁶Similarly, urge younger men to be moderate in everything that they do, ⁷and you yourself set an example of good works (New Jerusalem Bible)

(Contemporary English Version, Revised English Bible, New Jerusalem Bible, New Revised Standard Version, Updated Edition)

Either interpretation is acceptable and has scholarly support. You may wish to follow the interpretation in the major language version in your area.

2:7b

show yourself to be an example: The Greek phrase that the Berean Standard Bible translates as show yourself to be an example is more literally “showing yourself as an example.” Paul wanted Titus to act in a good way so that he could be a model for the other young men to follow.

Here are some other ways to translate this phrase:

set them an example (New International Version (2011 Revision))

or

act as a model

by doing good works: The Greek phrase that the Berean Standard Bible translates by doing good works is more literally “of good works.” It refers to actions that please God and help other people.

Here are some other ways to translate this phrase:

of good works (English Standard Version)

or

of good behavior (Good News Bible)

2:7c

In your teaching: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as teaching here probably refers both to the actual work of teaching and to its content.

In some languages it may be natural to translate this phrase as a dependent clause. It may also be necessary to supply an object and indicate whom Titus was to teach. For example:

When you are teaching (New Jerusalem Bible)
-or-
When you teach the believers (Easy English Bible)

show integrity: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as integrity means “soundness” or “without corruption.” Titus should teach things that he knew to be true, because he knew them to be true. He should not say things for selfish reasons or say what he did not really believe.

Here are some other ways to translate this word:

do it with honesty (New Century Version)

or

be sincere (Contemporary English Version)

dignity: This Greek word is similar to the one in 2:2b that the Berean Standard Bible translated as “dignified.” Both Titus’ behavior while teaching and the content of what he taught should not be silly or lightweight. He should teach in a way that was worthy of respect.

Here are some other ways to translate this word:

seriousness (New International Version (2011 Revision))

or

gravity (New Revised Standard Version)

General Comment on 2:7c

In some languages it may be natural to reorder the phrases in this verse part. For example:

Be sincere and serious when you teach. (Contemporary English Version)

© 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.

2:8a

wholesome speech: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as wholesome means “healthy” or “correct.” It is related to the words in 2:1 and 2:2b that are translated “sound” by the Berean Standard Bible. Here it describes the Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as speech, which means “word” or “message.”

Here are some other ways to translate this phrase:

sound words (Good News Bible)

or

a sound message (NET Bible)

that is above reproach: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as above reproach often describes someone who is accused of a crime but is innocent. Titus should speak what is true so that any criticism someone might make of his teaching will have no basis.

Here are some other ways to translate this phrase:

that cannot be condemned (New International Version (2011 Revision))

or

that no one can criticize (Contemporary English Version)

2:8b

so that anyone who opposes us will be ashamed: This is a purpose clause. It indicates Paul’s purpose in telling Titus to teach in a serious and sincere way.

anyone who opposes us: The Greek phrase that the Berean Standard Bible translates as anyone who opposes us is more literally, “the opponent.” Paul probably did not have any one person in mind, but was referring in general to anyone who opposed Titus during his time of ministry on Crete. You may translate it using either a singular or plural form, whichever is most natural in your language. For example:

any opponent (New Revised Standard Version)

or

your enemies (Good News Bible)

us: This word is not in the Greek. Some versions add it or the word “you” in order to have an object for the verb “oppose.” If it is more natural in your language to say who “the opponent” is opposing, you may add either “us” to refer to Paul, Titus, and others who are working to promote the gospel message, or “you” or “your” to refer to Titus. For example:

those who oppose you (New International Version (2011 Revision))

or

your enemies (Good News Bible)

will be ashamed: The Greek verb that the Berean Standard Bible translates as will be ashamed is in the passive. There are at least two ways to translate it:

• Using a passive verb. For example:

they may be put to shame (English Standard Version)

• Using an active verb. For example:

will feel shame

2:8c

having nothing bad to say about us: This clause probably indicates the reason why Titus’ opponents would be ashamed. They would not be able to think of any good reason to criticize Titus and his teaching. If Titus spoke truthfully and acted with integrity, his enemies would end up being ashamed and silent.

Here some other ways to translate this clause:

having nothing evil to say of us (New Revised Standard Version)
-or-
because there is nothing bad to say about us (New Century Version)

General Comment on 2:7c-8c

The Berean Standard Bible has translated these verse parts as one long sentence. In some languages it may be more natural to translate them as two or more shorter sentences. For example:

^7cWhen you teach, do it with honesty and seriousness. ^8aSpeak the truth so that you cannot be criticized. ^8bThen those who are against you will be ashamed ^8cbecause there is nothing bad to say about us. (New Century Version)

Section 3:1–11
Christians should live good lives among unbelievers

This section contains the last major theme in this letter. In 2:1–14, Paul had discussed relationships between Christians. Now in 3:1–11, he wrote about relationships that Christians have with non-Christians. He once more gave Titus instructions to pass on to the believers: they must submit to government authorities, be kind to other people, and not participate in useless arguments. God has given them new life because of what Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit have done, and they should live in peace and be generous to others.

Paragraph 3:1–2

In this paragraph, Paul told the believers to obey the laws of the government officers. He also gave general instructions about living peacefully and in a humble and kind way with other people.

These two verses form one long sentence in Greek and contain seven instructions for Titus to pass on to the believers on Crete. In some languages it may be natural to divide these verses into several shorter sentences. For example:

¹Remind your people to submit to rulers and authorities, to obey them, and to be ready to do good in every way. ²Tell them not to speak evil of anyone, but to be peaceful and friendly, and always to show a gentle attitude toward everyone. (Good News Bible)
-or-

^1aRemind the believers to submit to the government and its officers. They should be obedient, always ready to do what is good. ^2aThey must not slander anyone and must avoid quarreling. Instead, they should be gentle and show true humility to everyone. (New Living Translation (2004 Revision))

3:1a

Remind the believers to submit to rulers and authorities: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as Remind here indicates that Paul wanted Titus to tell the people to remember something that they already knew.

Here are some other ways to translate this:

Remind your people to submit to rulers and authorities (Good News Bible)
-or-
Remind believers to willingly place themselves under the authority of government officials. (God’s Word)
-or-
You(sing) should tell the people there to remember to respect the authority of the various government officials and leaders.

to submit to: The Greek word the Berean Standard Bible translates as submit to means “to be subject to, respect the authority of.” Paul told Titus that Christians must respect the authority of the local (secular) leaders.

rulers and authorities: The Greek phrase that the Berean Standard Bible translates as rulers and authorities is more literally “rulers, authorities.” The two nouns basically mean the same thing. They refer to government rulers, not church leaders. They include people like the king or president, district officials, village chiefs—anyone who has been appointed or elected as a leader of the community. In some languages it may be natural to translate the two terms rulers and authorities using just one term. For example:

all those who rule
-or-
the various government leaders
-or-
the authority of government officials (God’s Word)

to be obedient: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as to be obedient here indicates that Paul wanted Titus to tell the people to obey their secular rulers. They should do as they were instructed. This word is very similar in meaning to the Greek word translated as “to submit to” in the previous clause.

Here are some other ways to translate this:

to obey them (God’s Word)
-or-
Believers should obey them. (God’s Word)

General Comment on 3:1a

In some languages it may be natural to combine the commands “submit” and “be obedient.” For example:

^1aDiligently obey the commands of those who have authority over you.

3:1b

ready for every good work: Paul told Titus to tell the Christians that they must be willing or prepared to do anything that was good and helpful.

Here are some other ways to translate this:

and to be ready to do good in every way (Good News Bible)
-or-
always ready to what is good (New Living Translation (2004 R

Paragraph 3:3–7

3:3a

For: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as For is a word that links this paragraph (3:3-7) back to the last paragraph (3:1-2). Paul had just told Titus (in 3:1–2) how the believers should behave and now (3:3–8) he gave the reasons why they should behave in that way, namely that God had been kind and loving to the believers while they were still evil, so now they should likewise be kind and loving to others.

Here is another way to translate this transition word:

Because (T4T)

Some English versions do not translate this word. Do whatever is most natural in your own language.

at one time: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as at one time refers to an indefinite time in the past. In this context it means “the time before we became Christians” or “before we believed.” Here are some other ways to translate this word:

In the past (New Century Version)
-or-
Once (New Living Translation (2004 Revision))

we too were foolish: The Greek word the Berean Standard Bible translated as foolish means “stupid” or “without understanding.” In this context, it indicates that all these people did not understand spiritual matters.

Here are some other ways to translate this:

we also were foolish (New Century Version)
-or-
we, like them, had no understanding of God’s ways

we: The Greek pronoun the Berean Standard Bible translates as we here is inclusive: Paul included himself and Titus and the believers in Crete. He was as foolish as the Christians in Crete had been.

too: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as too here means “also, as well.” Paul and Titus, and the other believers, were all once ignorant of the gospel, just like the pagans among whom they lived, the “everyone” of 3:2c.

disobedient: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as disobedient here indicates that these people did not obey instructions. See note on 1:16c where the same word is used.

Paul did not make explicit whose instructions these people failed to obey. Scholars suggest two options:

(1) It refers specifically to disobeying God.

(2) It means more general disobedience—disobeying both God and human authorities.

Most English versions leave this ambiguous. You should do the same if that is possible in your language. If, however, in your language you must say whom they were disobeying, it is recommended that you supply “God”:

disobedient to God
-or-
did not obey God

misled: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as misled is passive in form. Paul probably meant that before the Christians believed in Jesus, other people, or perhaps Satan, lied to them or deceived them to discourage them from believing. There are at least two ways to translate this:

• Using a passive verb. For example:

we were misled
-or-
we ourselves were…led astray (New Revised Standard Version)

• Using an active verb and supplying a subject. For example:

people lied to us
-or-

Satan deceived us

3:3b

and enslaved to all sorts of desires and pleasures: This verse part indicates that these people used to be slaves to desires and pleasures, that is, they were controlled by them. They were not free to behave in a different way.

This is a passive clause and there are at least two ways to translate it:

• using a passive verb. For example:

enslaved to various lusts and pleasures (New American Standard Bible)

• using an active verb. For example:

and became slaves to many lusts and pleasures (New Living Translation (2004 Revision))

Translate this using the verb form that is most natural in your language. In some languages it may be natural to leave the verb implied:

slaves to various passions and pleasures

all sorts of desires and pleasures: The Greek adjective that the Berean Standard Bible translates as all sorts of means “various.” It refers to both desires and pleasures. These desires and pleasures affected not just one area of life but many areas of life.

desires: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as desires implies a desire to do something evil or immoral, so it can also be translated “passions” or “lust.”

pleasures: This word is similar in meaning to “desires.” It refers to all kinds of enjoyable activities, illegal or immoral as well as legal and moral, whatever gives pleasure.

3:3c

living in malice and envy: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as living in means “passing our lives” or “spending our time.” Paul was saying that before people became Christians, they spent their time doing malicious and envious things. Here are some other ways to translate this:

spending our life in malice and envy (New American Standard Bible)
-or-
We spent our lives doing evil and being jealous. (New Century Version)
-or-
Our lives were full of evil and envy. (New Living Translation (2004 Revision))

malice: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as malice is a general word referring to evil or wickedness.

envy: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as envy refers to the desire to possess something that someone else has, that is, the desire for your own well-being rather than that of the other person. This is the action forbidden by the Tenth Commandment, “You shall not covet.”

3:3d

being hated and hating one another: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible has translated as being hated is an adjective that describes something as worthy of hate, that is, hateful. There are several ways to translate it:

• As a verb. For example:

others hated us and we hated them (Good News Bible)

• As an adjective. For example:

hateful (New American Standard Bible)
-or-
despicable (New Revised Standard Version)

Here is another way to translate this verse part:

We behaved in a way that caused people to hate us, and we hated one another.

© 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.

3:4–7

After writing about the way that they used to live before they became Christians, Paul now reminded Titus that things had changed because of what God had done for them. He emphasized that God did not save them because of the good deeds they had done. He saved them because he was merciful.

Verses 3:4–7 are one sentence in Greek, but probably you will need to use several sentences in your translation. See the General Comment at the end of 3:7.

3:4

But: What Paul was now going to say contrasts with 3:3. Before people became Christians, their state was as Paul had described it in 3:3. Now since God had saved them everything had changed for them. In English this contrast is shown by the use of But. Use whatever word or structure you use in your language to indicate this sort of contrast.

when the kindness of God our Savior and His love for mankind appeared: Most commentators think that Paul was referring here to God sending Jesus to earth. God showed his kindness and love to people by sending Jesus. In some languages it may not be possible to talk about abstract concepts like kindness and love appearing. In those languages it may be more natural to say that they were revealed, or that God showed them to us. For example:

when God our Savior revealed his kindness and love (New Living Translation (2004 Revision))
-or-
when the kindness and love of God our Savior for humanity were revealed (New Jerusalem Bible)
-or-
when the kindness and love of God our Savior was shown to us
-or-
God our Savior showed us how good and kind he is (Contemporary English Version)

kindness of God our Savior and His love for mankind: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as kindness means “goodness, generosity.” The Greek word translated as love has a similar meaning and refers to the love God has for people. In some languages it may be natural to translate both these abstract nouns as adjectives. For example:

that he/God is kind and loving
-or-
how good and kind he is (Contemporary English Version)

God our Savior: This phrase refers to God as the one who saves/rescues us from sin and God’s wrath.

© 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.