teach

The Greek that is translated as a form of “teach” is translated with some figurative phrases such as “to engrave the mind” (Ngäbere) or “to cause others to imitate” (Huichol). (Source: Bratcher / Nida)

In Noongar it is translated as karni-waangki or “truth saying” (source: Warda-Kwabba Luke-Ang).

silence (verb)

The now commonly-used German idiom Maul stopfen, which now either refers to gluttonous eating or to silencing someone by proving or showing that despite them being big-mouthed (“großmäulig”) about something thatthey were wrong after all (literally “stuff one’s (animal-like) mouth”), was made popular in 1534 in the German Bible translation by Martin Luther. (Source: Günther 2017, p. 89)

For other idioms or terms in German that were coined by Bible translation, see here.

complete verse (Titus 1:11)

Following are a number of back-translations of Titus 1:11:

  • Uma: “People like that must be forbidden/made-to-stop, don’t you let them teach! Because many houses of people have become confused hearing their teachings that are not fitting. And their purpose in teaching is just to get salary. Character like that is not good.” (Source: Uma Back Translation)
  • Yakan: “You ought to forbid/prevent them because many families are troubled because of their teaching which they should not teach. And they only teach so that they will receive money.” (Source: Yakan Back Translation)
  • Western Bukidnon Manobo: “It’s necessary that you have them stop their teaching, for if there is one whose mind is led astray by believing this teaching of theirs, it disturbs his relationship to others in his family. The only reason they are teaching that which is not proper to teach is so that they might make money.” (Source: Western Bukidnon Manobo Back Translation)
  • Kankanaey: “They must be stopped, because they are turning-astray the faith of many people and even all the members of some families by-means-of their teaching what has no right to be taught. Their purpose/motive in doing that is shameful, because it’s mere money that they are grabbing-after.” (Source: Kankanaey Back Translation)
  • Tagbanwa: “It’s essential that you silence/leave-with-nothing-to-say those people, because through that false teaching of theirs, they are destroying the believing/obeying of not just a few persons, but rather there are households now where really all of them have been led astray. And well, as-was-already-said, the motive in their minds is, they’re using their teaching as a way to make money.” (Source: Tagbanwa Back Translation)
  • Tenango Otomi: “It is necessary that they be stopped from speaking their words. Because it is not the true word which they teach. They only want to take away money from the people. And there are some houses where they have turned around the hearts of the people who live in them.” (Source: Tenango Otomi Back Translation)

Translation commentary on Titus 1:11

Must is literally “it is necessary” (Good News Translation). Be silenced translates an infinitive of the verb that literally means “to put something over the mouth” and is used figuratively to refer to preventing someone from talking. They must be silenced may be misleading, since this expression is often used to refer to killing someone, which of course is not Paul’s intention at all. “You must stop them from talking” would be a more satisfactory way of expressing the meaning (compare Good News Translation “it is necessary to stop their talk,” Contemporary English Version “you must make them be quiet”). One may also say “You must stop them from talking this nonsense.”

The reason for stopping these rebellious people from talking is that they are upsetting whole families with their teaching. For families see the same term translated “house” in 1 Tim 3.4. Upsetting comes from a verb that refers to the act of causing problems with regard to someone’s faith or beliefs; hence “to undermine someone’s faith.” See further on 2 Tim 2.18. Here the damage is done not only to the faith of certain individuals but to the faith of whole families, which indicates that many families are involved, and the problem has affected every member of each one of these families. The problems may have included disunity and conflict in families where not all the members become believers. But primarily the problems are related to their faith; that is, these problems tend to undermine their loyalty to the Christian faith and its message. In this light, upsetting whole families may thus be expressed as “they are causing all the members of some families to stray from the true message” or “… to falter in their faith.”

The way they have done this is by teaching what they have no right to teach. This last expression conveys the idea that something has happened that should not have happened, so Good News Translation “teaching what they should not,” Phillips “teaching what they have no business to teach,” New International Version “teaching things they ought not to teach.” But they teach these things for base gain; for this last expression see Titus 1.7, where the Greek forms one word by joining these two, translated “greedy for gain.” The whole motivation for their actions is financial profit, as Good News Translation makes clear (“and all for the shameful purpose of making money”).

An alternative translation model for this verse is:

• You must make them stop talking such nonsense, because they teach things which they shouldn’t, and so cause all the members of some families to doubt the true doctrine. They do this simply for the shameful purpose of making money.

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 .

SIL Translator's Notes on Titus 1:11

1:11a

who must be silenced: The Greek is more literally “it is necessary to put something over their mouths.” It indicates that someone should stop or prevent these rebellious people from talking rebellion, nonsense, and lies (1:10a–b). Somebody, probably Titus, must make them stop this kind of talk. In your translation, avoid implying that these people must stop talking completely.

Here are some other ways to translate this clause:

you must make them be quiet (Contemporary English Version)
-or-
It is necessary to stop their talk (Good News Bible)
-or-
It is necessary that they be stopped from saying those things

In the Greek text, the fact that the following clauses give the reason for Paul’s command in 1:11a is implicit. Some translations supply a conjunction in order to introduce the reason why someone should silence the rebellious people. You also may want to do this to make this relationship explicit if that is natural in your language. For example:

They must be silenced because for the sake of dishonest gain, they are disrupting whole households

1:11b

For the sake of dishonorable gain: The Greek phrase that the Berean Standard Bible translates as dishonorable gain is more literally “shameful gain.” It refers to obtaining money by shameful means, that is, dishonest means. These people were trying to make money by teaching lies.

Here are some other ways to translate this phrase:

For shameful gain
-or-
In order to make a profit by lying
-or-
This is the shameful way they make money. (Contemporary English Version)

For the sake of: This phrase means “For the purpose of.”

1:11c

they undermine entire households: The Greek verb that the Berean Standard Bible translates as they undermine means that the rebellious people were causing entire families to be upset and distressed. They were distressed because the teachings of these rebellious people conflicted with the teachings of the gospel of Jesus.

Here are some other ways to translate this clause:

they are causing great turmoil in whole households
-or-
they are upsetting whole families (New American Standard Bible)
-or-
they are breaking the peace of entire families

entire households: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as households refers to people living in one house. In Paul’s time this usually consisted of one extended family and their servants.

1:11d

and teach things they should not: This phrase introduces the way in which these rebellious people disrupted whole households. They did so by teaching what was false. You may be able to make this clear by saying:

They do this by teaching what they should not teach
-or-
in that they teach things that they should not

General Comment on 1:11c-d d-b

In some languages it may be natural to order the information in 1:11b-d as it is in Greek. The Greek is more literally, “who overturn entire households, teaching what they should not for the sake of dishonest gain.” “Dishonest gain” was the purpose of the false teachers in teaching “things they should not.”

Here are some other ways to translate these Greek words:

because they are ruining whole families by teaching what they shouldn’t teach. This is the shameful way they make money. (God’s Word)
-or-
They undermine entire households for the sake of dishonest gain by teaching things that they must not teach.
-or-
because they mislead whole families by teaching for dishonest gain what ought not to be taught. (NET Bible)

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