1 Timothy 2:9-10

Conduct of Women

2:9 Likewise ¹  the women are to dress ²  in suitable apparel, with modesty and self-control. ³  Their adornment must not be ⁴  with braided hair and gold or pearls or expensive clothing, 2:10 but with good deeds, as is proper for women who profess reverence for God.

Titus 2:3-15

2:3 Older women likewise are to exhibit behavior fitting for those who are holy, not slandering, not slaves to excessive drinking, but teaching what is good. 2:4 In this way ⁵  they will train ⁶  the younger women to love their husbands, to love their children, 2:5 to be self-controlled, ⁷  pure, fulfilling their duties at home, ⁸  kind, being subject to their own husbands, so that the message ⁹  of God may not be discredited. ¹⁰  2:6 Encourage younger men likewise to be self-controlled, ¹¹  2:7 showing yourself to be an example of good works in every way. In your teaching show integrity, dignity, 2:8 and a sound message that cannot be criticized, so that any opponent will be at a loss, ¹²  because he has nothing evil to say about us. 2:9 Slaves ¹³  are to be subject to their own masters in everything, ¹⁴  to do what is wanted and not talk back, 2:10 not pilfering, but showing all good faith, ¹⁵  in order to bring credit to ¹⁶  the teaching of God our Savior in everything.

2:11 For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation to all people. ¹⁷  2:12 It trains us ¹⁸  to reject godless ways ¹⁹  and worldly desires and to live self-controlled, upright, and godly lives in the present age, 2:13 as we wait for the happy fulfillment of our hope in the glorious appearing ²⁰  of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ. ²¹  2:14 He ²²  gave himself for us to set us free from every kind of lawlessness and to purify for himself a people who are truly his, ²³  who are eager to do good. ²⁴  2:15 So communicate these things with the sort of exhortation or rebuke ²⁵  that carries full authority. ²⁶  Don’t let anyone look down ²⁷  on you.

Romans 12:2

12:2 Do not be conformed ²⁸  to this present world, ²⁹  but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may test and approve ³⁰  what is the will of God – what is good and well-pleasing and perfect.

[2:9]  ¹ tc ‡ Most witnesses have καὶ τάς (kai tas; so D¹ Ψ 1881 Ï) or simply καί (א² D* F G 6 365 1739 pc) after ὡσαύτως (Jwsautw"). A few important witnesses lack such words (א* A H P 33 81 1175 pc). The evidence is for the most part along “party” lines, with the shortest reading being found in the Alexandrian text, the conjunction in the Western, and the longest reading in the Byzantine tradition. Externally, the shortest reading is preferred. However, there is a good chance of homoiomeson or homoioteleuton in which case καί or καὶ τάς could have accidentally been omitted (note the αι [ai] and αι ας [ai as] in the word that follows, written here in uncial script): wsautwskaigunaikas/ wsautwskaitasgunaikas. Nevertheless, since both the καί and καὶ τάς are predictable variants, intended to fill out the meaning of the text, the shortest reading seems best able to explain the rise of the others. NA²⁷ has the καί in brackets, indicating doubts as to its authenticity.

[2:9]  ² tn Grk “to adorn themselves.” Grammatically the phrase “to adorn themselves” continues the author’s words in v. 8: “I want…likewise the women to adorn themselves.”

[2:9]  ³ tn This word and its cognates are used frequently in the Pastoral Epistles. It means “moderation,” “sobriety,” “decency,” “sensibleness,” or “sound judgment.”

[2:9]  ⁴ tn Literally a continuation of v. 9a, “not with braided hair…” Because of the length and complexity of the Greek sentence, a new sentence was started here in the translation.

[2:4]  ⁵ tn Grk “that they may train” (continuing the sentence of 2:3).

[2:4]  ⁶ tn This verb, σωφρονίζω (swfronizw), denotes teaching in the sense of bringing people to their senses, showing what sound thinking is.

[2:5]  ⁷ tn Or “sensible.”

[2:5]  ⁸ tn Grk “domestic,” “keeping house.”

[2:5]  ⁹ tn Or “word.”

[2:5]  ¹⁰ tn Or “slandered.”

[2:6]  ¹¹ tn Or “sensible.”

[2:8]  ¹² tn Or “put to shame.”

[2:9]  ¹³ tn See the note on the word “slave” in 1:1.

[2:9]  ¹⁴ tn Or “to be subject to their own masters, to do what is wanted in everything.”

[2:10]  ¹⁵ tn Or “showing that genuine faith is productive.” At issue between these two translations is the force of ἀγαθήν (agaqhn): Is it attributive (as the text has it) or predicate (as in this note)? A number of considerations point in the direction of a predicate ἀγαθήν (e.g., separation from the noun πίστιν (pistin) by the verb, the possibility that the construction is an object-complement, etc.), though is not usually seen as an option in either translations or commentaries. Cf. ExSyn 188-89, 312-13, for a discussion. Contextually, it makes an intriguing statement, for it suggests a synthetic or synonymous parallel: “‘Slaves should be wholly subject to their masters…demonstrating that all [genuine] faith is productive, with the result [ecbatic ἵνα] that they will completely adorn the doctrine of God.’ The point of the text, then, if this understanding is correct, is an exhortation to slaves to demonstrate that their faith is sincere and results in holy behavior. If taken this way, the text seems to support the idea that saving faith does not fail, but even results in good works” (ExSyn 312-13). The translation of ἀγαθήν as an attributive adjective, however, also makes good sense.

[2:10]  ¹⁶ tn Or “adorn,” “show the beauty of.”

[2:11]  ¹⁷ tn Grk “all men”; but ἀνθρώποις (anqrwpois) is generic here, referring to both men and women.

[2:12]  ¹⁸ tn Grk “training us” (as a continuation of the previous clause). Because of the length and complexity of the Greek sentence, a new sentence was started at the beginning of v. 12 by translating the participle παιδεύουσα (paideuousa) as a finite verb and supplying the pronoun “it” as subject.

[2:12]  ¹⁹ tn Grk “ungodliness.”

[2:13]  ²⁰ tn Grk “the blessed hope and glorious appearing.”

[2:13]  ²¹ tn The terms “God and Savior” both refer to the same person, Jesus Christ. This is one of the clearest statements in the NT concerning the deity of Christ. The construction in Greek is known as the Granville Sharp rule, named after the English philanthropist-linguist who first clearly articulated the rule in 1798. Sharp pointed out that in the construction article-noun-καί-noun (where καί [kai] = “and”), when two nouns are singular, personal, and common (i.e., not proper names), they always had the same referent. Illustrations such as “the friend and brother,” “the God and Father,” etc. abound in the NT to prove Sharp’s point. The only issue is whether terms such as “God” and “Savior” could be considered common nouns as opposed to proper names. Sharp and others who followed (such as T. F. Middleton in his masterful The Doctrine of the Greek Article) demonstrated that a proper name in Greek was one that could not be pluralized. Since both “God” (θεός, qeos) and “savior” (σωτήρ, swthr) were occasionally found in the plural, they did not constitute proper names, and hence, do fit Sharp’s rule. Although there have been 200 years of attempts to dislodge Sharp’s rule, all attempts have been futile. Sharp’s rule stands vindicated after all the dust has settled. For more information on Sharp’s rule see ExSyn 270-78, esp. 276. See also 2 Pet 1:1 and Jude 4.

[2:14]  ²² tn Grk “who” (as a continuation of the previous clause).

[2:14]  ²³ tn Or “a people who are his very own.”

[2:14]  ²⁴ tn Grk “for good works.”

[2:15]  ²⁵ tn Or “reproof,” “censure.” The Greek word ἐλέγχω (elencw) implies exposing someone’s sin in order to bring correction.

[2:15]  ²⁶ tn Grk “speak these things and exhort and rebuke with all authority.”

[2:15]  ²⁷ tn Or “let anyone despise you”; or “let anyone disregard you.”

[12:2]  ²⁸ tn Although συσχηματίζεσθε (suschmatizesqe) could be either a passive or middle, the passive is more likely since it would otherwise have to be a direct middle (“conform yourselves”) and, as such, would be quite rare for NT Greek. It is very telling that being “conformed” to the present world is viewed as a passive notion, for it may suggest that it happens, in part, subconsciously. At the same time, the passive could well be a “permissive passive,” suggesting that there may be some consciousness of the conformity taking place. Most likely, it is a combination of both.

[12:2]  ²⁹ tn Grk “to this age.”

[12:2]  ³⁰ sn The verb translated test and approve (δοκιμάζω, dokimazw) carries the sense of “test with a positive outcome,” “test so as to approve.”