2:1 So get rid of 1 all evil and all deceit and hypocrisy and envy and all slander.
4:17 So I say this, and insist 6 in the Lord, that you no longer live as the Gentiles do, in the futility 7 of their thinking. 8
3:8 This saying 20 is trustworthy, and I want you to insist on such truths, 21 so that those who have placed their faith in God may be intent on engaging in good works. These things are good and beneficial for all people.
1 tn Or “put away.”
2 tn Grk “those sent by him.”
3 tn Grk “for the punishment…and the praise.”
4 tn Grk “brothers.” See note on the phrase “brothers and sisters” in 1:13.
5 tn Grk “that we might bear fruit to God.”
6 tn On the translation of μαρτύρομαι (marturomai) as “insist” see BDAG 619 s.v. 2.
7 tn On the translation of ματαιότης (mataioth") as “futility” see BDAG 621 s.v.
8 tn Or “thoughts,” “mind.”
9 tn An alternative rendering for the infinitives in vv. 22-24 (“to lay aside… to be renewed… to put on”) is “that you have laid aside… that you are being renewed… that you have put on.” The three infinitives of vv. 22 (ἀποθέσθαι, apoqesqai), 23 (ἀνανεοῦσθαι, ananeousqai), and 24 (ἐνδύσασθαι, endusasqai), form part of an indirect discourse clause; they constitute the teaching given to the believers addressed in the letter. The problem in translation is that one cannot be absolutely certain whether they go back to indicatives in the original statement (i.e., “you have put off”) or imperatives (i.e., “put off!”). Every other occurrence of an aorist infinitive in indirect discourse in the NT goes back to an imperative, but in all of these examples the indirect discourse is introduced by a verb that implies a command. The verb διδάσκω (didaskw) in the corpus Paulinum may be used to relate the indicatives of the faith as well as the imperatives. This translation implies that the infinitives go back to imperatives, though the alternate view that they refer back to indicatives is also a plausible interpretation. For further discussion, see ExSyn 605.
10 tn Or “in God’s likeness.” Grk “according to God.” The preposition κατά used here denotes a measure of similarity or equality (BDAG 513 s.v. B.5.b.α).
11 tn Or “in righteousness and holiness which is based on truth” or “originated from truth.”
12 tn The genitive αὐτῶν (autwn) has been translated as a genitive of association because of its use with συμμέτοχοι (summetocoi) – a verb which implies association in the σύν- (sun-) prefix.
13 tn The verb “you are” is implied in the Greek text, but is supplied in the English translation to make it clear.
14 tn Grk “you also walked.” The verb περιπατέω (peripatew) is commonly used in the NT to refer to behavior or conduct of one’s life (L&N 41.11).
15 tn The Greek article with τὰ πάντα (ta panta) is anaphoric, referring to the previous list of vices, and has been translated here as “all such things.”
16 tn Verses 4-7 are set as poetry in NA26/NA27. These verses probably constitute the referent of the expression “this saying” in v. 8.
17 tn Or “on us richly.”
18 tn This is the conclusion of a single, skillfully composed sentence in Greek encompassing Titus 3:4-7. Showing the goal of God’s merciful salvation, v. 7 begins literally, “in order that, being justified…we might become heirs…”
19 tn Grk “heirs according to the hope of eternal life.”
20 sn This saying (Grk “the saying”) refers to the preceding citation (Titus 3:4-7). See 1 Tim 1:15; 3:1; 4:9; 2 Tim 2:11 for other occurrences of this phrase.
21 tn Grk “concerning these things.”