Titus 1:9-11 (CSB) with CSB Study Bible Notes

9 [Elders-overseers are to be] holding to the faithful message as taught, so that he will be able both to encourage with sound teaching and to refute those who contradict it. 10 For there are also many rebellious people, full of empty talk and deception, especially those from Judaism. 11 It is necessary to silence them; they overthrow whole households by teaching what they shouldn’t in order to get money dishonestly. 12 One of their very own prophets said,Cretans are always liars, evil beasts, lazy gluttons. 13 This testimony is true. So, rebuke them sharply, that they may be sound in the faith 14 and may not pay attention to Jewish myths and the commands of men who reject the truth. 15 To the pure, everything is pure, but to those who are defiled and unbelieving nothing is pure; in fact, both their mind and conscience are defiled. 16 They profess to know God, but they deny Him by their works. They are detestable, disobedient, and disqualified for any good work.


CSB Study Bible Notes:

1:9 It was common for ancient authors to emphasize one item in a list by placing it at the beginning or end and then giving it significantly longer treatment than the other items. This is what Paul does here. While he spent only a few words on the items in verses 6-9, his treatment of this last subject is both long and grammatically complex. By this means he emphasized the importance of an "overseer" (v. 7) being able to teach. The reason for this is clear from what follows (vv. 10-16).

1:12 Crete was known in the ancient world for its moral decadence. The ancient historian Polybius wrote that it was "almost impossible to find... personal conduct more treacherous or public policy more unjust than in Crete" (Histories, 6.47). Cicero also stated, "Moral principles are so divergent that the Cretans... consider highway robbery honorable" (Republic, 3.9.15).

1:14 On myths, see note at 1Tim 1:4 (directly below). The specific content of the "myths" and command Paul had in mind in the present verse is unstated, but the false teaching in Titus is more explicitly tied to a Jewish background (v. 10) than that referenced in 1 and 2 Timothy.

(Note from 1 Timothy 1:4): Myths is a negative term used to characterize something as fanciful or untrue. Thus it is used here (and elsewhere in the Pastoral Epistles; 2Tim 4:4; Titus 1:14) to critique false teaching as the stuff of "fairy tales."

1:15 This statement echoes Jesus' teaching (Lk 11:41) and Paul's earlier writing (Rm 14:20). In light of the Jewish origin of the false teaching and contexts of the earlier use of similar wording by Jesus and Paul, the issue here was probably Jewish food laws. The false teachers seemed to be concerned with this ritual purity, but were nevertheless defiled by their own unbelief and sin.

1:16 The actions (works) of these people proved conclusively that they were unbelievers, although they claimed to know God. Paul was not hesitant to make such a judgment. The three descriptors at the end of the verse summarize the behavior that proved they did not know God.