Titus 1:14 kjv
Not giving heed to Jewish fables, and commandments of men, that turn from the truth.
Titus 1:14 nkjv
not giving heed to Jewish fables and commandments of men who turn from the truth.
Titus 1:14 niv
and will pay no attention to Jewish myths or to the merely human commands of those who reject the truth.
Titus 1:14 esv
not devoting themselves to Jewish myths and the commands of people who turn away from the truth.
Titus 1:14 nlt
They must stop listening to Jewish myths and the commands of people who have turned away from the truth.
Titus 1 14 Cross References
| Verse | Text | Reference |
|---|---|---|
| Matt 15:1-9 | "You have made the commandment of God of no effect by your tradition." | Condemns prioritizing human tradition over God's command. |
| Mark 7:6-9 | "laying aside the commandment of God, you hold the tradition of men..." | Jesus rebukes emphasis on human traditions. |
| Col 2:8 | "Beware lest anyone cheat you through philosophy and empty deceit, according to the tradition of men..." | Warns against human philosophies and traditions that deceive. |
| Col 2:20-23 | "If you died with Christ from the basic principles of the world, why... as though living in the world, do you subject yourselves to regulations..." | Rejects man-made rules and asceticism lacking true spiritual power. |
| 1 Tim 1:3-4 | "...charge certain persons not to teach different doctrine, nor to give heed to fables and endless genealogies..." | Direct parallel, warns against fables and speculative teachings. |
| 1 Tim 4:7 | "But reject profane and old wives’ fables..." | Calls for rejection of worldly, non-spiritual fables. |
| 2 Tim 4:3-4 | "For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine, but... will turn their ears away from the truth and be turned aside to fables." | Prophesies a turning from truth to fables due to preference for pleasing doctrines. |
| Gal 1:6-9 | "I marvel that you are turning away so soon... to a different gospel..." | Denounces any deviation from the true Gospel of Christ. |
| Acts 15:1-10 | "...you are laying a yoke on the neck of the disciples..." | The Jerusalem Council addresses imposition of legalistic burdens. |
| Rom 10:1-4 | "For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to everyone who believes." | Righteousness is found in Christ, not through strict adherence to law. |
| 2 Pet 1:16 | "For we have not followed cunningly devised fables..." | Apostles assert they teach based on eyewitness accounts, not fabrications. |
| 2 Pet 2:1-3 | "But there were also false prophets among the people, even as there will be false teachers among you..." | Foretells and warns against deceptive teachers and their destructive ways. |
| Eph 4:14 | "...no longer be children, tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men..." | Advocates maturity to avoid deception by cunning human teachings. |
| Isa 29:13 | "And their fear toward Me is taught by the precepts of men." | Old Testament parallel warning against substituting God's commands with human ones. |
| Jn 8:31-32 | "If you abide in My word, you are My disciples indeed. And you shall know the truth..." | Emphasizes abiding in Christ's word as the source of true knowledge and freedom. |
| Jn 14:6 | "I am the way, the truth, and the life..." | Jesus is the embodiment of truth; deviating from Him means deviating from truth. |
| Tit 2:1 | "But as for you, speak the things which are proper for sound doctrine." | Contrast, emphasizes teaching doctrine that is healthy and aligns with truth. |
| Tit 3:9 | "But avoid foolish disputes, genealogies, contentions, and strivings about the law; for they are unprofitable and useless." | Direct parallel, warns against unprofitable debates from Jewish backgrounds. |
| Heb 13:9 | "Do not be carried about with various and strange doctrines." | Admonishes against being swayed by new, non-Christ-centered teachings. |
| Jer 23:32 | "Behold, I am against those who prophesy false dreams... and lead My people astray by their lies and by their recklessness." | OT warning against false prophets and their deceptive words. |
| 2 Cor 11:3-4 | "But I fear, lest somehow, as the serpent deceived Eve by his craftiness, so your minds may be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ." | Warning against subtle corruption of minds away from Christ's simple truth. |
| Rom 1:25 | "who exchanged the truth of God for the lie, and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator..." | Describes a fundamental turning away from God's truth to idolatry. |
| Phil 3:2 | "Beware of dogs, beware of evil workers, beware of the mutilation!" | A harsh warning against Judaizers who emphasize circumcision/legalism. |
Titus 1 verses
Titus 1 14 Meaning
This verse warns against two intertwined dangers that divert believers from the purity of Christian truth: "Jewish fables" and "commandments of men who turn from the truth." It functions as an admonition to Titus to ensure that the churches under his care do not fall prey to these deceptive teachings. The core message is the rejection of human-made traditions and baseless narratives, particularly those with a Jewish guise, when they stand in opposition to or undermine the revealed truth of God in Christ. Such teachings are propagated by those who themselves have departed from or distorted genuine faith.
Titus 1 14 Context
Titus 1 is a pivotal chapter, detailing qualifications for elders and exposing the character of false teachers present in Crete. Paul establishes Titus's apostolic authority to appoint qualified leaders and then immediately shifts to the critical problem of deceitful influences. This verse acts as a specific instruction to Titus and the Cretan believers on what kind of teaching to firmly reject. The cultural context was Crete, an island with a reputation for immorality and dishonesty (Titus 1:12-13). Within this environment, false teachers, particularly those of Jewish origin or influence, were infiltrating the church, corrupting the minds of believers and turning them from the true Gospel (Titus 1:10-11). These teachers were likely "Judaizers," insisting on Jewish laws and traditions—including genealogies, myths, and human-made regulations—as necessary for salvation or spiritual advancement, thus undermining the sufficiency of Christ and faith in Him. The verse directly counters these specific deviations, demanding adherence to sound doctrine and authentic Christian living.
Titus 1 14 Word analysis
- not giving heed: (Greek: mē prosechontes) This is a strong negative prohibition, conveying a firm instruction to actively disregard or avoid. It means not to pay attention to, occupy oneself with, or yield to. It emphasizes the need for active discernment and rejection, rather than passive acceptance or indifference.
- to Jewish: (Greek: Ioudaikois) Refers specifically to things originating from a Jewish background or having Jewish characteristics. This suggests the false teachings were not general pagan fables, but rather deviations tied to aspects of Judaism, possibly emphasizing Rabbinic oral traditions or speculative interpretations of the Old Testament.
- fables: (Greek: mythous) Signifies fictional narratives, fabricated stories, or myths, often contrasted with historical or divine truth. In the New Testament, it consistently refers to baseless or unreliable stories used for speculation, rather than solid doctrine. These were likely speculative, embellished tales, perhaps focused on elaborate genealogies or angelic hierarchies, which diverted attention from core Gospel truths.
- and commandments: (Greek: kai entolōn) Entolōn refers to commands, precepts, or ordinances. The inclusion of "and" links "commandments" directly with "fables" as part of the problematic teaching. These were likely detailed regulations, dietary laws, or ritual observances that human teachers imposed beyond what God commanded for the New Covenant.
- of men: (Greek: anthrōpōn) This directly contrasts with commandments of God. It underscores that these rules are human-devised, lacking divine authority, and therefore should not bind believers or compete with divine revelation. Such commands are a hallmark of legalism and superficial religiosity.
- who turn from: (Greek: apostrephomenōn) This verb indicates a deliberate act of turning away, rejection, or causing to revert from something. It highlights the consequence or active characteristic of these false teachers and their followers: they have departed from the genuine, revealed truth.
- the truth: (Greek: tēn alētheian) Refers to the divine revelation of God, particularly as manifested in Jesus Christ and His Gospel. "Truth" in the New Testament often encapsulates the entire system of Christian doctrine and reality revealed by God, in contrast to falsehood, error, or human speculation.
Words-group by words-group analysis
- Jewish fables and commandments of men: This phrase pinpoints the origin and nature of the erroneous teachings. The "Jewish" element suggests a syncretistic problem where Christian faith was being compromised by elements of legalistic Judaism or highly speculative Jewish traditions (e.g., concerning angels or arcane interpretations). "Fables" (baseless stories) and "commandments of men" (humanly invented rules) were distinct but complementary parts of this system, emphasizing outward observances and imaginative tales rather than inward spiritual transformation through faith in Christ.
- who turn from the truth: This describes the spiritual state and consequence for those involved with or promoting these teachings. It suggests a deliberate defection or aversion from God's authoritative and saving revelation. It implies that these teachers are not simply mistaken but actively lead themselves and others away from foundational Christian truth. This turning from the truth highlights the dangerous impact of such doctrines.
Titus 1 14 Bonus section
The "fables" and "commandments of men" in Crete may have had roots in both external Jewish influences and internal expressions of legalism that some Jewish converts brought into Christianity. These traditions were not harmless stories or practices but actively distracted believers, leading them away from the sufficiency of Christ and the simple Gospel. Scholars note a potential link to developing gnostic tendencies that later proliferated in the church, as such systems often relied on secret knowledge, myths, and ascetic practices derived from human speculation rather than divine revelation. Paul's repeated warnings against these exact terms across his pastoral epistles (1 Timothy, 2 Timothy, Titus) underscore a pervasive and significant threat to early Christian communities, requiring strong apostolic instruction and vigilance. The emphasis here is not merely on incorrect belief but on the ethical and spiritual implications of following such doctrines, as they inevitably lead to a corrupting influence on the lives of those who embrace them.
Titus 1 14 Commentary
Titus 1:14 stands as a critical warning for discernment in Christian faith. Paul instructs Titus to strongly oppose specific false teachings originating from a Jewish context. "Jewish fables" refers to non-scriptural, speculative stories, often embellishments of Old Testament narratives or oral traditions, which diverted believers from the core Gospel. "Commandments of men" signifies human-imposed rules and regulations—likely elements of Old Covenant ceremonial law or ascetic practices—which, when imposed on believers as necessary for righteousness or spiritual purity, supersede and nullify the grace of God in Christ. The heart of the problem is that those promoting these deviations have "turned from the truth," indicating a deliberate rejection or perversion of Christ's genuine revelation. Therefore, adherence to sound doctrine and discerning rejection of any human tradition or baseless narrative that deviates from or competes with God's truth is paramount for the health and purity of the church. This principle applies universally, reminding believers to ground their faith firmly in God's revealed Word, rather than man-made rules or spiritual fantasies.