TIT 1:12 Interlinear View

1. Greek word
2. Greek lemma
3. OET-LV words
4. OET-RV words
5. Strongs
6. Role/Morphology
7. OET Gloss
8. VLT Gloss
9. CAPS codes
10. Confidence
11. OET tags
12. OET word #
1. εἶπεν
2. legō
3. said
4. said
5. 30040
6. VIAA3··S
7. said
8. said
9. -
10. Y65
11. 140068
1. Δέ
2. de
3. -
4. -
5. 11610
6. C·······
7. and
8. and
9. S
10. -
11. 140069
1. Τὶς
2. tis
3. Someone
4. -
5. 51000
6. R····NMS
7. someone
8. someone
9. S
10. Y65
11. 140070
1. ἐξ
2. ek
3. of
4. their
5. 15370
6. P·······
7. of
8. of
9. -
10. Y65
11. 140071
1. αὐτῶν
2. autos
3. them
4. -
5. 8460
6. R···3GMP
7. them
8. them
9. -
10. Y65; R140076
11. 140072
1. ἴδιος
2. idios
3. +an own
4. -
5. 23980
6. R····NMS
7. ˓an˒ own
8. ˓an˒ own
9. -
10. Y65; R140076
11. 140073
1. αὐτῶν
2. autos
3. of them
4. -
5. 8460
6. R···3GMP
7. ˱of˲ them
8. ˱of˲ them
9. -
10. Y65
11. 140074
1. προφήτης
2. profētēs
3. prophet
4. prophets
5. 43960
6. N····NMS
7. prophet
8. prophet
9. -
10. Y65
11. 140075
1. Κρῆτες
2. krēs
3. ones from Kraʸtaʸ
4. Crete
5. 29120
6. N····NMP
7. \add >ones\add*_from_Kraʸtaʸ
8. Cretans
9. UR
10. Y65; F140072; F140073; F140095; F140100
11. 140076
1. ἀεί
2. aei
3. always are
4. -
5. 1040
6. D·······
7. always ‹are›
8. always ‹are›
9. -
10. Y65
11. 140077
1. ψεῦσται
2. pseustēs
3. liars
4. liars
5. 55830
6. N····NMP
7. liars
8. liars
9. -
10. Y65
11. 140078
1. κακά
2. kakos
3. evil
4. evil
5. 25560
6. A····NNP
7. evil
8. evil
9. -
10. Y65
11. 140079
1. θηρία
2. thērion
3. wild beasts
4. beasts
5. 23420
6. N····NNP
7. wild_animals
8. wild_beasts
9. -
10. Y65
11. 140080
1. γαστέρες
2. gastēr
3. bellies
4. -
5. 10640
6. N····NFP
7. bellies
8. bellies
9. -
10. Y65
11. 140081
1. ἀργαί
2. argos
3. idle
4. -
5. 6920
6. A····NFP
7. idle
8. idle
9. -
10. Y65
11. 140082

SIL Open Translator’s Notes:

Section 1:10–16: Paul told Titus to rebuke rebellious people

In this section Paul warned Titus about those in Crete who were opposing correct teaching. They were deceiving believers and ruining their faith. Paul called them liars. They claimed to know God but in reality they did not.

Here are some other ways to translate this heading:

Correct Whoever Teaches What Is Wrong (GW)

You^(sing) must rebuke those who are rebellious

1:12a

As one of their own prophets has said,

One of their own pagan prophets has said,
Long ago, one of the spokesmen of the gods whom the people of Crete worship said,

As one of their own prophets has said: The words has said here indicate that this prophet spoke the words of 1:12b–d some time before Paul wrote this letter to Titus. He probably spoke and wrote this several hundred years beforehand.1:12 The writer Callimachus, who lived three centuries before Christ, wrote in his Hymn to Zeus (line 8) that “Cretans are always liars.” He was quoting the Cretan poet Epimenides who lived three centuries earlier, who wrote, “The Cretans, always liars, evil beasts, idle bellies” in his poem Cretica. Use an appropriate way to indicate that. For example:

One of Crete’s own prophets said this long ago

one of their own prophets: This phrase indicates that this man was from, or lived in, the island of Crete.

prophets: Here the word prophets refers to people who spoke on behalf of one of the gods of Crete. The usual meaning of prophets in the New Testament refers to people who speak on behalf of God. Your translation should not indicate or imply that this person spoke on behalf of God. You may need to make it explicit that Paul was referring to spokesmen of the idols whom the people of Crete worshiped. For example:

spokesmen of their gods

pagan prophets

1:12b

“Cretans are always liars,

““The/Our/We people of Crete always lie/deceive,
“The people who live in Crete are certainly liars.

Cretans are always liars: This clause is an exaggeration. It means that the people who lived in Crete had the habit of telling lies.

The prophet who was speaking was himself a Cretan. But he was not saying that he was telling a lie. So in some languages it may be necessary to remove the exaggeration in order to convey the correct meaning. For example:

Cretans are habitual liars

We Cretans certainly tell many lies

Cretans: This word means “the people of Crete.”

1:12c

evil beasts,

and are like wicked wild animals,
They are wicked and wild.

evil beasts: The phrase “Cretans are” is implied from 1:12b. In some languages it is more natural to make this a clause. For example:

and they are evil brutes

This phrase compares Cretans to wild animals who do bad things. This is a figure of speech, a metaphor. It means that they acted without self-control or good morals. There are several ways to translate this figure of speech:

Keeping the metaphor. For example:
they are wicked wild animals
Using a simile. For example:
they are like wicked wild animals
Explaining the meaning of the figure of speech. For example:
they are wicked and unrestrained, like wild animals
Translate only the meaning of the metaphor. For example:
they are wicked and wild people If you do this, you may then want to give a literal translation of the Greek in a footnote. Here is an example footnote:
Literally, “wicked wild animals.”

Translate this figure of speech in the way that is most natural in your language and allows your readers to understand the correct meaning.

1:12d

lazy gluttons.”

lazy and greedy.”
They love to lie around and eat.”

lazy gluttons: The Greek phrase that the BSB translates as lazy gluttons is more literally “lazy/idle stomachs.” It refers to people who are focused on eating and drinking rather than working. Their lives are centered around eating and drinking.

Here are some other ways to translate this phrase:

lazy people who are always eating

too lazy to work but not too lazy to eat

They are lazy but love to eat.

They eat/consume a lot but do not work.

This phrase concludes the quotation from the Cretan prophet.

uW Translation Notes:

τις ἐξ αὐτῶν, ἴδιος αὐτῶν προφήτης

(Some words not found in SR-GNT: εἶπεν Τὶς ἐξ αὐτῶν ἴδιος αὐτῶν προφήτης Κρῆτες ἀεί ψεῦσται κακά θηρία γαστέρες ἀργαί)

Alternate translation: [A Cretan, one that they themselves consider to be a prophet]

Note 1 topic: figures-of-speech / hyperbole

Κρῆτες ἀεὶ ψεῦσται

Cretans (Some words not found in SR-GNT: εἶπεν Τὶς ἐξ αὐτῶν ἴδιος αὐτῶν προφήτης Κρῆτες ἀεί ψεῦσται κακά θηρία γαστέρες ἀργαί)

The word always here is an overstatement for emphasis. If it would be helpful in your language, you could use a different way to express the emphasis. Alternate translation: [Cretans have a reputation to be liars] or [Cretans tend to be liars]

Note 2 topic: figures-of-speech / metaphor

κακὰ θηρία

This metaphor is speaking of Cretans as if they were evil beasts. If it would be helpful in your language, you could state the meaning plainly. Alternate translation: [as dangerous as wild animals]

Note 3 topic: figures-of-speech / synecdoche

γαστέρες ἀργαί

bellies idle

Here the part of the body that stores food is used to represent the person who eats all the time. If it would be helpful in your language, you could use an equivalent expression from your culture or state the meaning plainly. Alternate translation: [lazy gluttons] or [lazy people who just want to eat]

OET-LV English word order (‘Reverse’ interlinear)

1. OET-LV words
2. OET-RV words
3. Strongs
4. Greek word
5. Greek lemma
6. Role/Morphology
7. OET Gloss
8. VLT Gloss
9. CAPS codes
10. Confidence
11. OET tags
12. OET word #
1. Someone
2. -
3. 51000
4. S
5. tis
6. R-····NMS
7. someone
8. someone
9. S
10. Y65
11. 140070
1. said
2. said
3. 30040
5. legō
6. V-IAA3··S
7. said
8. said
9. -
10. Y65
11. 140068
1. of
2. their
3. 15370
5. ek
6. P-·······
7. of
8. of
9. -
10. Y65
11. 140071
1. them
2. -
3. 8460
5. autos
6. R-···3GMP
7. them
8. them
9. -
10. Y65; R140076
11. 140072
1. +an own
2. -
3. 23980
5. idios
6. R-····NMS
7. ˓an˒ own
8. ˓an˒ own
9. -
10. Y65; R140076
11. 140073
1. prophet
2. prophets
3. 43960
5. profētēs
6. N-····NMS
7. prophet
8. prophet
9. -
10. Y65
11. 140075
1. of them
2. -
3. 8460
5. autos
6. R-···3GMP
7. ˱of˲ them
8. ˱of˲ them
9. -
10. Y65
11. 140074
1. ones from Kraʸtaʸ
2. Crete
3. 29120
4. UR
5. krēs
6. N-····NMP
7. \add >ones\add*_from_Kraʸtaʸ
8. Cretans
9. UR
10. Y65; F140072; F140073; F140095; F140100
11. 140076
1. always are
2. -
3. 1040
5. aei
6. D-·······
7. always ‹are›
8. always ‹are›
9. -
10. Y65
11. 140077
1. liars
2. liars
3. 55830
5. pseustēs
6. N-····NMP
7. liars
8. liars
9. -
10. Y65
11. 140078
1. evil
2. evil
3. 25560
5. kakos
6. A-····NNP
7. evil
8. evil
9. -
10. Y65
11. 140079
1. wild beasts
2. beasts
3. 23420
5. thērion
6. N-····NNP
7. wild_animals
8. wild_beasts
9. -
10. Y65
11. 140080
1. idle
2. -
3. 6920
5. argos
6. A-····NFP
7. idle
8. idle
9. -
10. Y65
11. 140082
1. bellies
2. -
3. 10640
5. gastēr
6. N-····NFP
7. bellies
8. bellies
9. -
10. Y65
11. 140081

Note: The OET-RV is still only a first draft, and so far only a few words have been (mostly automatically) matched to the Hebrew or Greek words that they’re translated from.

Acknowledgements: The SR Greek text, lemmas, morphology, and VLT gloss are all thanks to the CNTR.