Bibelkommentare

Titus 2:1-8 Directions given to Titus both for his doctrine and life.

Titus 2:9,10 The duty of servants.

Titus 2:11-15 The gospel teacheth all men to renounce wickedness,

and to lead sober, righteous, and godly lives.

That is, preach those things which agree with that doctrine which is sound, and which tendeth to make others sound in the faith, and in a holy life. Be not thou led by the example of those triflers in preaching, but let the subjects of thy discourse be what may tend to edifying; nor is there any more effectual way to stop the mouths of those fablers. Dagon will fall down before the ark of God.

That the aged men be sober: by the word presbutav seems here to be signified elders in age; he would have Timothy preach that these should be nhfalioi, sober, both as to body and mind: we met with the word before, 1 Timothy 3:2,11.

Grave; of a modest, composed behaviour, not light and airy.

Temperate; that is, able to govern their passions and inclinations.

Sound in faith; we have met with the phrase before, Titus 1:13; see the notes; neither rotten through error, nor sick through fluctuation or scepticism.

In charity, that is, love.

In patience; a patient bearing of evils.

The aged women likewise; that is, do thou also teach the women that in age exceed others.

That they be in behaviour as becometh holiness; en katasthmati ieroprepeiv to be in their habit becoming holiness. The word is of a very large signification, it signifies state, gesture, and habit; we have well translated it by as general a word,

behaviour; it signifies clothes, converse, one’s whole carriage.

Not false accusers; not devils. That name is given to the devil, because he is

the accuser of the brethren, and he was a liar from the beginning; it is applied to any persons that charge others falsely.

Not given to much wine: Greek, not serving much wine; for those that frequent the tap too much, are ordinarily enslaved to it.

Teachers of good things; privately instructing others in what is good, both by their discourse and example.

That they may teach the young women to be sober: young women, especially conversing amongst heathens, are prone to be light and airy, and over frolicsome, following the heat of their youthful temper, and forming their converse after the manner of others; which is a behaviour, though it may suit their youth, yet if they be Christians it will not suit their profession, which calls to them for more gravity: speak to them that are aged to mind them to be sober.

To love their husbands, to love their children: it being natural for young women to love their husbands and children, these precepts seem not so much to concern the things, as the manner of it, to love them as they ought to love them.

To be discreet; swfronav the word signifies temperate, and imports an ability to govern all our affections and passions. Discretion is but one piece of the fruit.

Chaste; the word signifieth pure as well as chaste, and chastity only as it is a species of purity.

Keepers at home; house-wives, not spending their time in gadding abroad, but in looking to the affairs of their own families.

Obedient to their own husbands: the same is required of wives, Ephesians 5:22, and is due from them to their husbands, as being their head.

That the word of God be not blasphemed: as for the discharge of their duty towards God, so for the credit and reputation of the gospel, that for their carriage contrary to the rules of nature and morality, as well as of religion, the gospel may not be evil spoken of, as if from that they had learned their ill and indecent behaviour.

The word signifieth to be temperate, sober, wise, discreet, to govern their passions; an exhortation more specially necessary for young men, whose natural heat inclineth them to passion and rashness.

In all things showing thyself a pattern of good works: he is an ill teacher of others who teacheth them not by his own example, as well as by his doctrine; for that physician proves ordinarily little valued in his prescriptions to his patients, whom they know to be in the same danger, and sick of the same disease, and yet refuseth himself to use what he prescribeth others: the patients will surely say to him:

Physician, heal thyself. The apostle therefore requires of Titus that he should be himself a pattern of holiness; and those ministers who are not so, vainly persuade others to be such. People (let ministers say what they will) will believe little danger to be in those courses in which their leader himself walks.

In doctrine showing uncorruptness; preaching not rotten, but sound doctrine; and doing it with authority, and

gravity, and

sincerity; the word is afyarsian, incorruptibility. It is not read in many copies, nor translated by many interpreters; and is much of the same sense with adiafyorian, which is the first word, by our translation interpreted uncorruptness.

Sound speech, that cannot be condemned: Paul (as yet) seemeth to be directing Titus as a minister, and the rest of the ministers in Crete, how to behave themselves in the ministry, for the last word being plural, you, signifieth either the ministry, or else is put for thee; he would have Titus not only preach sound doctrine, not corrupt, and do it gravely, but also preach profitable doctrine, tending to make the souls of others sound and healthy; unless perhaps by logon be here meant his style and phrase, which he would have such as none could justly condemn. What was said of Caesar’s wife, that she ought not only to be chaste, but so to behave herself as not to be suspected otherwise, is applicable to ministers; their doctrine, and phrase used in their ministry, ought not only to be sound and grave, but such as none should judge or censure for other.

That he that is of the contrary part may be ashamed; that the adversaries of the truth may be ashamed of their aspersing them or it.

Having no evil thing to say of you; and may have no evil thing to charge them with.