Titus 1:5–9, King James Version
Italic words were supplied in the English translation for clarity.
Titus 1:5–9
Titus Must Appoint Blameless, Hospitable, Teachable Leaders
Elders are stewards of God's house, not local strongmen
Paul left Titus in Crete to set in order what remained and to appoint elders in every city, as directed. The job is unfinished congregations, not a personality cult around Titus. The men to be named must be above reproach, the husband of one wife, with believing children not open to the charge of debauchery or insubordination. A bishop, as God's steward, must not be arrogant, quick-tempered, a drunkard, violent, or greedy for shameful gain. He must be hospitable, a lover of good, self-controlled, upright, holy, and disciplined, holding firm to the trustworthy word as taught, so that he can encourage with healthy teaching and refute those who contradict it.
The list is household reputation plus a held word. It is not a talent search, a donor list, or a license to police other people's marriages as a blood sport. One-woman loyalty and children who are not a public scandal belong to the ancient household the letter can see; they do not turn a congregation into a court that humiliates the wounded. Hospitality, restraint, and refusal to strike or buy influence are the public tests because God's house cannot be run by a man who cannot run his own mouth, temper, or table. The point of holding the taught word is that someone in each city can both steady the weak and answer the loud without becoming loud himself.
How this should shape us
When your church, board, or ministry circle next names a leader, ask whether the person is safe in a house and faithful to a received word, not whether they are impressive in a room. Do not vote in a gifted fighter, a drinker with a platform, or a man who cannot welcome people. If you already hold a trust, practice one concrete steward's habit this week: open your table, slow your temper, or teach a true sentence without trying to win.
Teach it back
Explain Titus 1:5–9 in your own words. Include its place in Titus, two textual observations, one major alternative or limitation, and one conclusion the passage does not permit.
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Go deeper
The explanation above is meant to stand on its own. Open these notes only if you want language, history, disagreements, or source locations.
Where careful interpreters disagreeThe strongest options and their difficulties
Where do careful interpreters disagree?
Best judgment: Responsible readings disagree whether elder and overseer are interchangeable designations or an early stage in differentiated roles; whether the one-spouse phrase means fidelity, one lifetime marriage, no remarriage, or no polygamy; whether pista children are believing or well-behaved; and whether a candidate must be married with children. The grammar describes the expected integrity of a male household leader in this setting, but the passage does not answer every later eligibility scenario.
How certain? probableResearch trail and exact locationsThe source record behind this section
Supports: Exact KJV wording and immediate English context for Titus 1:5–9.
eBible/CrossWire eng-kjv2006 USFM, source files dated 2026-08-19, Titus 1:5–9; archive and normalized-corpus SHA-256 values are recorded in the library policy.
Supports: Critically edited Greek wording, connectives, grammar, and lexical forms.
Official SBLGNT repository, data/sblgnt/text/Titus.txt, Titus 1:5–9.
Supports: Material translation choices, syntax, and textual variants at the cited verses.
NET Bible, Titus 1, translator, study, and textual notes attached to verses 5–9.
Supports: Public-domain verse-level philology and older interpretive options checked against primary evidence and newer work.
Walter Lock, Pastoral Epistles, ICC, Titus commentary, print pp. 128–133.
Supports: Morphology and lexical-range cross-check for reader-facing original-language notes.
STEP Bible Data repository, TAGNT and Greek lexical records for Titus 1:5–9.
Supports: A bounded social-historical proposal for Roman Crete, household order, and public witness.
George M. Wieland, ‘Roman Crete and the Letter to Titus,’ NTS 55.3 (2009), pp. 338–354, with pp. 348–354 for religious, missional, and public-context proposals.
Supports: One recent exegetical case for the faithful-children reading, represented as an alternative rather than a verdict.
Timothy E. Miller, ‘Unbelieving Child and Qualified Elder,’ Themelios 49.2 (2024), pp. 334–345, especially pp. 337–344 on pista, the following conduct clause, and the believing-versus-faithful alternatives.
Supports: Abstract-level evidence for both the growing spousal-fidelity interpretation and a recent one-spouse alternative.
A. Andrew Das, ‘The One-Spouse Criterion in the Pastorals,’ New Testament Studies (online 24 March 2026), official Cambridge abstract only, for the spousal-fidelity consensus claim and one-spouse alternative.
Supports: Research-history check that keeps Titus distinct and maps major structural, historical, and theological alternatives.
Aldred A. Genade, ‘The Letter to Titus in Recent Scholarship,’ Currents in Biblical Research 9.1 (2010), pp. 48–62, with the unit-specific authorship, structure, occasion, or theology discussion checked.
Sources for This Section
These records identify the source, the claim it supports, and the exact location used. A source remains evidence to evaluate; it does not replace the biblical text.
Biblical text
King James (Authorized) Version — eng-kjv2006
eBible.org and CrossWire Bible Society
USFM archive eng-kjv2006_usfm.zip; source files dated 2026-08-19; downloaded 2026-08-24; archive SHA-256 aec1b3b26c622fd3d963d2bbac963016b9513246ffbfa20da00bb100372ea007; normalized corpus SHA-256 09aef51d90488aa7b9722b3fd9a93f4b25f6bf2064c5fd798fb39673c300ddf2.
Supports: Exact KJV wording and immediate English context for Titus 1:5–9.
Exact location: eBible/CrossWire eng-kjv2006 USFM, source files dated 2026-08-19, Titus 1:5–9; archive and normalized-corpus SHA-256 values are recorded in the library policy.
Open source ↗Greek textual evidence
The Greek New Testament: SBL Edition
Michael W. Holmes, editor; Society of Biblical Literature and Logos
Society of Biblical Literature and Logos Bible Software, 2010
Supports: Critically edited Greek wording, connectives, grammar, and lexical forms.
Exact location: Official SBLGNT repository, data/sblgnt/text/Titus.txt, Titus 1:5–9.
Open the Titus Greek text file ↗Translation and textual notes
NET Bible — Titus with translators' notes
Biblical Studies Press
Biblical Studies Press, digital edition accessed 2026
Supports: Material translation choices, syntax, and textual variants at the cited verses.
Exact location: NET Bible, Titus 1, translator, study, and textual notes attached to verses 5–9.
Open NET Titus 1 ↗public domain critical commentary
A Critical and Exegetical Commentary on the Pastoral Epistles
Walter Lock
T&T Clark, International Critical Commentary, 1924
Supports: Public-domain verse-level philology and older interpretive options checked against primary evidence and newer work.
Exact location: Walter Lock, Pastoral Epistles, ICC, Titus commentary, print pp. 128–133.
Open source ↗Lexical and grammatical evidence
STEP Bible Data
Tyndale House Cambridge
Tyndale House Cambridge, repository snapshot verified 2026
Supports: Morphology and lexical-range cross-check for reader-facing original-language notes.
Exact location: STEP Bible Data repository, TAGNT and Greek lexical records for Titus 1:5–9.
Open source ↗peer reviewed social historical study
Roman Crete and the Letter to Titus
George M. Wieland
New Testament Studies 55.3, 2009
Supports: A bounded social-historical proposal for Roman Crete, household order, and public witness.
Exact location: George M. Wieland, ‘Roman Crete and the Letter to Titus,’ NTS 55.3 (2009), pp. 338–354, with pp. 348–354 for religious, missional, and public-context proposals.
Open source ↗modern open access exegetical study
Unbelieving Child and Qualified Elder: A Case for ‘Faithful’ Children in Titus 1:6
Timothy E. Miller
Themelios 49.2, 2024
Supports: One recent exegetical case for the faithful-children reading, represented as an alternative rather than a verdict.
Exact location: Timothy E. Miller, ‘Unbelieving Child and Qualified Elder,’ Themelios 49.2 (2024), pp. 334–345, especially pp. 337–344 on pista, the following conduct clause, and the believing-versus-faithful alternatives.
Open source ↗peer reviewed article abstract
The One-Spouse Criterion in the Pastorals (1 Tim 3.2, 12; 5.9; Titus 1.6)
A. Andrew Das
New Testament Studies, 2026
Supports: Abstract-level evidence for both the growing spousal-fidelity interpretation and a recent one-spouse alternative.
Exact location: A. Andrew Das, ‘The One-Spouse Criterion in the Pastorals,’ New Testament Studies (online 24 March 2026), official Cambridge abstract only, for the spousal-fidelity consensus claim and one-spouse alternative.
Open source ↗peer reviewed research overview
The Letter to Titus in Recent Scholarship: A Critical Overview
Aldred A. Genade
Currents in Biblical Research 9.1, 2010
Supports: Research-history check that keeps Titus distinct and maps major structural, historical, and theological alternatives.
Exact location: Aldred A. Genade, ‘The Letter to Titus in Recent Scholarship,’ Currents in Biblical Research 9.1 (2010), pp. 48–62, with the unit-specific authorship, structure, occasion, or theology discussion checked.
Open source ↗