Titus 1:11

1:11 turning whole families away: This also happened in Ephesus (cp. 1 Tim 4:3; 2 Tim 2:18; 3:6). • only for money: Elders must not have this characteristic (Titus 1:7; see also 1 Tim 6:5-10; 2 Cor 2:17; 1 Pet 5:2).

Tyndale Open Study Notes — © Tyndale Open Resources, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Text via the HelloAO Bible API.

Tit 1:11. Ἐπιστομίζειν) to stop the mouth; to reduce to silence by the power of the Spirit, as the unruly deserve.—ὅλους οἴκους, whole houses) A great loss to Paul. [But in the present day what takes place as regards whole streets? What is done regarding country hamlets and cities?—V. g.]—ἀνατρέπουσι, they subvert) as deceivers.—διδάσκοντες ἃ μὴ δεῖ, teaching things which they ought not) as vain-talkers.—αἰσχροῦ κέρδους χάριν, for the sake of filthy lucre) Construed with, they subvert. Baseness is seen most of all in (vile) contemptible gain; Eze 13:19. [1Ti 6:5.]

Bengel's Gnomon of the New Testament — English translation (T&T Clark, Edinburgh, 1860) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

Tit_1:11. Οὓς δεῖ ἐπιστομίζειν] goes back to the end of Tit_1:9.

ἐπιστομίζειν (ἅπ. λεγ.) is from ἐπιστόμιον, which denotes both the bridle-bit and the muzzle, and is equivalent either to freno compescere, coercere (synonymous with τοὺς χαλινοὺς εἰς τὰ στόματα βάλλειν, Jam_3:3), or to os obturare (= φιμοῦν, Mat_22:34). The latter signification is more usual (see Elsner, p. 332): put to silence. Theophylact: ἐλέγχειν σφοδρῶς, ὥστε ἀποκλείειν αὐτοῖς τὰ στόματα.

οἵτινες (= quippe qui, and giving the reason for οὓς δεῖ) ὅλους οἴκους ἀνατρέπουσι] The chief emphasis is laid on ὅλους: not merely individuals, but also whole families are misled by them into unbelief.

Ἀνατρέπειν] see 2Ti_2:18; the figure is here used in keeping with οἴκους (Wiesinger).

διδασκοντες ἃ μὴ δεῖ] teaching what should not be taught; this shows the means by which they exercise so destructive an influence; ἃ μὴ δεῖ, equivalent to τὰ μὴ δέοντα, 1Ti_5:13.

This refers to ΜΑΤΑΙΌΛΟΓΟΙ, just as ἈΝΑΤΡΈΠΟΥΣΙ does to ΦΡΕΝΑΠΆΤΑΙ.

The purpose is briefly set forth by ΑἸΣΧΡΟῦ ΚΈΡΔΟΥς ΧΆΡΙΝ. The disgrace of their gain consists in the means they employ for acquiring it. The apostle adds these words to point out the selfish conduct of the heretics, who work only for their own profit.

Meyer — Critical and Exegetical Commentary on the New Testament — English translation by Peter Christie, edited by Frederick Crombie (T&T Clark, 1880) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

Tit 1:11 . οὓς δεῖ ἐπιστομίζειν : quos oportet redargui, whose mouths must be stopped by the unanswerable arguments of the orthodox controversialist. This is the result hoped for from the “conviction,” of Tit 1:9 .

ὅλους οἴκους ἀνατρέπουσιν : pervert whole families (Alf.); Moulton and Milligan give an apt illustration from a papyrus of second cent. B.C., τῆς πατρικῆς οἰκίας … ἔτι ἔνπροσθεν ἄρδην [ ἀ ] νατετραμμένης διʼ ἀσ [ ω ] τίας ( Expositor , vii., 1:269). This suggests the rendering upset . The whole family would be upset by the perversion of one member of it.

ἃ μὴ δεῖ : Normally, οὐ is used in relative sentences with the indicative. Other exceptions will be found in 2Pe 1:9 , 1Jn 4:3 (T.R.). It is possible that the force of μή here is given by translating, which ( we think ) they ought not . If the teaching had been absolutely indefensible by any one, he would have said, ἃ οὐ δεῖ . See Blass, Grammar , p. 254.

αἰσχροῦ κέρδους χάριν : The three reff. on αἰσχροῦ , the only other occurrences in N.T. of this adj., are instances of the phrase αἰσχρόν ἐστι . The reference is to the claim to support made by itinerating or vagrant prophets and apostles such as are referred to in the Didache , cc. 11, 12, and alluded to in 2Co 11:9-13 . All such abuses would exist in an aggravated form in Crete, the natives of which had an evil reputation for αἰσχροκέρδεια , according to Polybius, ὥστε παρὰ μόνοις Κρηταιεῦσι τῶν ἁπάντων ἀνθρώπων μηδέν αἰσχρὸν νομίζεσθαι κέρδος . ( Hist . vi. 46. 3, cited by Ell.). They get a bad character also from Livy (xliv. 45), and Plutarch ( Paul. Aemil . 23). The Cretans, Cappadocians, and Cilicians were τρία κάππα κάκιστα .

The Expositor's Greek Testament, edited by W. Robertson Nicoll (1897–1910) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

mouths . . . stopped--literally, "muzzled," "bridled" as an unruly beast (compare Psa 32:9).

who--Greek, "(seeing that they are) such men as"; or "inasmuch as they" [ELLICOTT].

subvert . . . houses--"overthrowing" their "faith" (Ti2 2:18). "They are the devil's levers by which he subverts the houses of God" [THEOPHYLACT].

for filthy lucre-- (Ti1 3:3, Ti1 3:8; Ti1 6:5).

Jamieson, Fausset & Brown — Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.

Verse 11. Whose mouths must be stopped] Unmask them at once; exhibit them to the people; make manifest their ignorance and hypocrisy; and let them be confounded before the people whom they are endeavouring to seduce.

Subvert whole houses] Turn whole Christian families from the faith, attributing to the broad way what belongs only to the strait gate; ministering to disorderly passions, and promising salvation to their proselytes, though not saved from their sins.

Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible (1810–1826) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.

11 Whose mouth must be stopped A good pastor ought therefore to be on the watch, so as not to give silent permission to wicked and dangerous doctrines to make gradual progress, or to allow wicked men an opportunity of spreading them. But it may be asked, “How is it possible for a bishop to constrain obstinate and self-willed men to be silent? For such persons, even though they are vanquished in argument, still do not hold their peace; and it frequently happens that, the more manifestly they are refuted and vanquished, they become the more insolent; for not only is their malice strengthened and inflamed, but they give themselves up to indolence.” I reply, when they have been smitten down by the sword of God’s word, and overwhelmed by the force of the truth, the Church may command them to be silent; and if they persevere, they may at least be banished from the society of believers, so that they shall have no opportunity of doing harm. Yet by “shutting the mouth” Paul simply means — “to refute their vain talking,” even though they should not cease to make a noise; for he who is convicted by the word of God, however he may chatter, has nothing to say.

Who overturn whole houses. If the faith of one individual were in danger of being overturned, (for we are speaking of the perdition of a single soul redeemed by the blood of Christ) the pastor should immediately gird himself for the combat; how much less tolerable is it to see whole houses overturned?

Teaching things which they ought not. The manner in which they were overturned is described in these words. Hence we may infer how dangerous it is to make even the smallest departure from sound doctrine; for he does not say that the doctrines, by which they overturned the faith of many, were openly wicked; but we may understand by this designation every kind of corruptions, when there is a turning aside from the desire of edification. Thus it is in reality, that, amidst so great weakness of the flesh, we are exceedingly prone to fall; and hence it arises, that Satan easily and speedily destroys, by his ministers, what godly teachers had reared with great and long-continued toil.

He next points out the source of the evil, a desire of dishonest gain; by which he reminds us how destructive a plague avarice is in teachers; for, as soon as they give themselves up to the pursuit of gain, they must labor to obtain the favor and countenance of men. This is quickly followed by the corruption of pure doctrine.

John Calvin's Commentaries (1540-1563) — public domain. Text from the Calvin Translation Society English edition (1840s-50s) via the Christian Classics Ethereal Library (ccel.org). Calvin's coverage is partial (roughly two-thirds of the Bible); uncommented books and verses are honest gaps, never fabricated. The 19th-century editor's footnotes and remarks are omitted so the notes are faithfully Calvin's own voice.

(11)Whose mouths must be stopped, who subvert whole houses.—The translation should run here, seeing they subvert, &c. There was, indeed, grave cause why these men should be put to silence; the mischief they were doing in Crete to the Christian cause was incalculable. It was no longer individuals that their poisonous teaching affected, but they were undermining the faith of whole families. For an example how Titus and his presbyters were to stop the mouths of these teachers of what was false, compare Mat_22:34-46, where the Lord, by His wise, powerful, yet gentle words, first put the Sadducees to silence, and then so answered the Pharisees that “neither durst any man from that day forth ask Him any more questions.”

Teaching things which they ought not, for filthy lucre’s sake.—Here St. Paul goes to the root of the evil, when he shows what was the end and aim of these “teachers” life. It was a mean and sordid ambition, after all—merely base gain. When this is the main object of a religious teacher’s life, his teaching naturally accommodates itself to men’s tastes. He forgets the Divine Giver of his commission, and in his thirst for the popularity which brings with it gold, his true work, as the faithful watchman of the house of Israel, is forgotten and ignored.

A Bible Commentary for English Readers, edited by Charles John Ellicott (1878–1897) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

11. whose mouths must be stopped] The verb is so used in classical Greek often; the ‘stopping’ must have reference to the ‘convict’ of Tit_1:9; Tit_1:13. Compare the use of ‘to muzzle’ in the Gospels, e.g. Mar_4:39, ‘Peace, be still,’ and 1Pe_2:15, where the ‘ignorance of foolish men’ is ‘to be muzzled’ by ‘well-doing.’

who subvert whole houses] As R.V. men who, the compound relative implying the class to which they belong, and so the conduct for which they should be silenced; hence almost, ‘seeing that they.’ Cf. 1Ti_1:4, ‘the which.’ Render subvert whole households. Why should the Revisers give up the Latin word ‘subvert,’ which the A.V. has rendered familiar, and which gives the metaphorical overthrow more clearly?

teaching things which they ought not] The negative used implies the general class of wrong teachings rather than any definite and specific facts or views. The effect is a less positive statement than if the other negative had been used; and the rendering ‘things which they ought not to teach and which they know they ought not’ is impossible. It should be ‘things of a class which I think improper to be taught.’

for filthy lucre’s sake] Rather, for the sake of unfair gains, see Tit_1:7. Bp Ellicott quotes a striking passage from Polybius, Hist. vi. 46. 3, with respect to the Cretan character; ‘and generally their character as to unfair gains and covetousness is of this kind—they are the only nation in the world among whom no sort of gain is thought unfair.’

The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges (gen. ed. J. J. S. Perowne; Cambridge University Press, 1878–1918) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

Whose mouths must be stopped,.... Or they be silenced, by reasons and arguments fetched out of the word of God; as were the Sadducees and Pharisees by Christ, so that they durst ask him no more questions; and as the Jews at Damascus were by Saul, who confounded them, proving in the clearest and strongest manner, that Jesus was the very Christ:

who subvert whole houses; into which they creep; that is, whole families, whose principles they corrupt, whose faith they overthrow, and carry them away with their own errors; and therefore, since this was the case not of a single person, or of a few, but of whole families, it was high time to attempt to convince them, and stop their mouths, that they might proceed no further:

teaching things which they ought not; which were not agreeable to the perfections of God, to the Scriptures of truth, to sound doctrine, and which were hurtful and pernicious to the souls of men: and that only

for filthy lucre's sake; having no regard to the glory of God, the honour and interest of Christ, or the good of immortal souls; only seeking to gain popular applause and honour from men, and to gather and increase worldly substance. Covetousness was a sin which the Cretians were remarkably guilty of (l).

(l) Cornel. Nepos, l. 23. c. 9.

John Gill's Exposition of the Whole Bible (1746–1763) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.

11 Whose mouths must be stopped, who subvert whole houses, teaching things which they ought not, for filthy lucre’s sake.

Ver. 11. Whose mouths must be stopped] Gr. επιστομιζειν, muzzled, as bandogs are. Frogs, they say, will leave croaking if but a light be hanged over the lake wherein they are. Let but the truth come clearly in place, and heretics will be soon silenced. But if they will not, another course must be taken with them.

John Trapp, A Commentary or Exposition upon All the Books of the Old and New Testament (1647–1656) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

Whose mouths must be stopped - The word here rendered stopped - ἐπιστομιζειν epistomizein - occurs nowhere else in the New Testament. It means, properly, to check, or curb, as with a bridle; to restrain, or bridle in; and then, to put to silence. It is, of course, implied here that this was to be done in a proper way, and in accordance with the spirit of the gospel. The apostle gives Timothy no civil power to do it, nor does he direct him to call in the aid of the civil arm. All the agency which he specifies as proper for this, is that of argument and exhortation. These are the proper means of silencing the advocates of error; and the history of the church shows that the ministers of religion can be safely entrusted with no other; compare Psa 32:8-9.

Who subvert whole houses - Whole families; compare Mat 23:14; 2Ti 3:6. That is, they turn them aside from the faith.

Teaching things which they ought not, for filthy lucre’s sake - For gain. That is, they inculcate such doctrines as will make themselves popular, and as will give them access to the confidence of the people. They make it their first object to acquire influence as ministers of religion, and then abuse that in order to obtain money from the people. This they would doubtless do under many pretences; such as that it was needful for the support of the gospel, or for the relief of the poor, or perhaps for the assistance of distant Christians in persecution. Religion is the most powerful principle that ever governs the mind; and if a man has the control of that, it is no difficult thing to induce men to give up their worldly possessions. In all ages, there have been impostors who have taken advantage of the powerful principle of religion to obtain money from their deluded followers. No people can be too vigilant in regard to pretended religious teachers; and while it is undoubtedly their duty to contribute liberally for the support of the gospel, and the promotion of every good cause, it is no less their duty to examine with care every proposed object of benevolence, and to watch with an eagle eye those who have the disbursement of the charities of the church. It is very rare that ministers ought to have much to do with disposing of the funds given for benevolent purposes; and when they do, they should in all cases be associated with their lay brethren; see Paley’s Horae Paulinae, chap. iv., No. 1, 3, note; compare 1Co 16:3. On the phrase “filthy lucre,” see the notes at 1Ti 3:3.

Albert Barnes' Notes on the Bible (1834–1885) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.

Whole houses.[8]]

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[BIBLIOGRAPHY]

Universas domos, Greek: olous oikous.

George Leo Haydock (1774–1849), Haydock's Catholic Family Bible and Commentary, 1859 edition — public domain. Excludes Psalms (Douay-Rheims chapter numbering differs from Protestant) and Deuterocanonical books (Catholic canon only).

Whose mouths must be stopped; the word is active; such ministers ought to be placed in cities as shall be able and fit to stop such persons’ mouths, by sound doctrine and arguments fit to convince them: or, thou oughtest to stop their mouths by silencing them; though I do not see how this was practicable in a pagan country, otherwise than by persuading Christians not to hear them.

Who subvert whole houses; who, as to the foundation of faith and its building, overturn whole families of Christians.

Teaching things which they ought not; infusing false doctrine into them.

For filthy lucre’s sake; and all for filthy gain: and all gain is so, that is got by deceiving and ruining of people’s souls, as to their faith and salvation.

Matthew Poole's English Annotations on the Holy Bible (1683–1685) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.

11. Mouths must be stopped—Not by physical force, nor usually by pure ecclesiastical authority. Yet, while church authority is less peremptory as to what private members believe, it is rightly exerted over what the minister whom it authorizes shall preach. In the present verse the meaning is, that the gainsayers shall be silenced by the ability of the elder to convince. Tit_1:9. Who not only seduce individuals, but subvert, that is, overthrow, (a Greek word physically expressive of overthrowing a building,) whole houses, or families. St. Paul, doubtless, speaks from memory here, of houses like that of the Philippian jailer, all baptized, (Act_16:33;) or like that of Stephanas, baptized by himself, (1Co_1:16;) or like that of Onesiphorus, administering to and sustaining him, (2Ti_1:16;) but houses unlike those in being subverted and drawn from the Church into the Jewish or Gnostic fold.

Daniel D. Whedon (gen. ed.), Commentary on the Old and New Testaments (1874–1909) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

Men who overthrow for who subvert, A.V Whose mouths must be stopped (ouv dei epistomizein); here only in the New Testament, not found in the LXX, but common in classical Greek. "To curb". (comp. Psa_32:9 Jam_3:2, Jam_3:3) The meaning is nearly the same as that of calinagwgew in Jam_1:26; some, however, assign to it the sense of "to muzzle" (Olshausen, etc.) or "stop the mouth," which Bishop Ellicott thinks is "perhaps the most common" and "the most suitable." So also Huther. It often means simply "to silence" (see Stephan, "Thesaur."), and is applied to wind instruments. Overthrow (anatrepousi); as 2Ti_2:18, which shows the kind of overthrow here meant, that viz. of the faith of whole families, well expressed in the A.V by "subvert." The phrase, oikiav anatrepein , of the literal overthrow of houses, occurs in Plato (Alford). For filthy lucre"s sake; contrary to the apostolic precept to bishops and deacons. (1Ti_3:3, 1Ti_3:8, and above, ver. 7) Polybius has a striking passage on the aiscrokerdeia Of the Cretans, quoted by Bishop Ellicott ("Hist.," 6:146.3).

The Pulpit Commentary (1880–1919), ed. H.D.M. Spence-Jones & Joseph S. Exell — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

Stopped - The word properly means, to put a bit into the mouth of an unruly horse.

John Wesley, Explanatory Notes Upon the Whole Bible (1754–1765) — public domain. Text via the GEBible commentary corpus.

11. Whose mouths must be stopped. Muzzled. The way to stop them is for the churches to refuse to hear them. All false teachers, or bad men, should now be stopped from preaching in the same way. Subvert whole houses. Subvert their faith. For filthy lucre's sake. For base gain.

B. W. Johnson's The People's New Testament with Notes (1889–1891) — public domain. Electronic text from the Christian Classics Ethereal Library (CCEL) ThML edition.

11. After χάριν the cursive 109 inserts the gloss τὰ τέκνα οἱ τοὺς ἱδίους γονεῖς ὑβρίζοντες ἥ τύπτοντες ἐπιστόμιζε καὶ ἔλεγχε καὶ νουθέτει ὡς πατὴρ τέκνα, which has no apparent relation to the context. It was probably a gloss about the duties of children, originally appended to Tit 1:8 of the next chapter, as advice on the management of children would come in appropriately after the discussion of the duties of wives and before the consideration of the duties of slaves (as in Ephesians 5, 6).

11. οὓς δεῖ ἐπιστομίζειν, whose mouths must be stopped, the felicitous translation of Tyndale, followed by A.V. and R.V. ἐπιστομίζειν does not occur elsewhere in the true text of the N.T. (or the LXX.), but it is the reading at Luk 11:53 of three cursive manuscripts (for ἀποστοματίζειν), and was the reading followed by Jerome at that place and rendered by him os eius opprimere.

οἴτινες, inasmuch as they, ‘quippe qui’; cp. 1Ti 1:4.

ὅλους οἴκους ἀνατρέπουσιν, subvert whole households. For ἀνατρέπειν see on 2Ti 2:18, and for οἷκος used as equivalent to ‘household’ cp. 1Ti 3:4; 2Ti 2:16.

διδάσκοντες ἅ μὴ δεῖ, teaching things which they ought not. In the N.T. we generally have οὐ in relative sentences with the indicative, even where the classical language would require μή; this verse is an exception to the general rule[512].

[512] See Blass, Grammar of N. T. Greek, § 75. 3.

αἰσχροῦ κέρδους χάριν, for sake of base gains. Tyndale’s “filthy lucre,” which has been followed in all our English versions, does not seem to bring out the exact point here, which is not that money is a despicable thing in itself, but that to teach ἃ μὴ δεῖ for the sake of money is disgraceful and dishonourable, a prostitution of the high gifts of a teacher, and that all ‘gain’ so acquired is ‘base.’ See 1Ti 3:8 for αἰσχροκερδής.

In like manner the heretical teachers of 1Ti 6:5 ‘suppose that godliness is a way of gain’: and no doubt greed for his wages is a mark of the hireling shepherd always (Joh 10:12). But there may have been special reason for mentioning it in a letter to the Chief Pastor of Crete. Livy (XLIV. 45) speaks of “Cretenses spem pecuniae secuti,” and Plutarch (Paul. Aemil. 23) and Polybius (VI. 46) bear similar testimony to their love of money.

Cambridge Greek Testament for Schools and Colleges (Cambridge University Press, 1896; 21 vols, various authors incl. Carr, Maclear, Plummer, Farrar, Lumby, Moule, M. R. James, Simcox) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

11. ἐπιστομίζειν] (here only in N.T., though in some cursives of 11:53), perhaps anticipating κακὰ θήρια 12: either “to bridle,” “to guide aright,” “refrenari” (Jerome), cf. Jas 3:3; or more probably “to muzzle, to silence”: “redargui” (Vulg.), “silentium indici” (Jerome). This is more analogous to its classical usage; cf. illustrations in Wetstein and in M.M s.v.

ὅλους οἴκους] Where order and discipline need such careful guidance; cf. 6, 2:1-10.

ἀνατρέπουσι] “upset their faith”; cf. 2Ti 2:18 ἀνατρ. τήν τινων πίστιν, “pervert” (Tynd., Coverdale), or “upset their peace and harmony,” “subvert,” A.V.; contrast the teaching of 2:1-10.

αἰσχροῦ κέρδους] cf. 7 note, hoping for greater gifts from their hearers; cf. 1Ti 5:17, 1Ti 5:18, 1Ti 5:6:5, 2Co 12:14-18. For this tendency at Crete, cf. Polybius, vi. 46, 3, ὁ περὶ τὴν αἰσχροκέρδειαν καὶ πλεονεξίαν τρόπος οὕτως ἐπιχωριάζει ὥστε παρὰ μόνοις Κρηταιεῦσι τῶν ἁπάντων ἀνθρώπων μηδὲν αἰσχρὸν νομίζεσθαι κέρδος.

International Critical Commentary — older volumes (1896–1929), various authors — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

Whose mouths must be stopped [ους δει επιστομιζειν] . Lit. whom it is necessary to silence. Epistomizein, N. T. o. o LXX Originally, to put something into the mouth, as a bit into a horse 's mouth. Epistomion is the stop of a water - pipe or of a hydraulic organ. Comp. fimoun 1Ti 5:18.

Who subvert [οιτινες ανατρεπουσιν] . The double relative is explanatory of must; in as much as they, etc. For subvert rend. overthrow. See on 2Ti 2:18.

Houses [οικους] . Families.

Marvin R. Vincent, Word Studies in the New Testament (1887–1900) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.