Titus 1:3

Ver. 3. The structure of the sentence here has a somewhat irregular appearance; but it is better to leave it so, and give a natural interpretation of the words as they stand, than for the sake of a formal correctness to put a strain upon the meaning. It would have seemed to us, perhaps, the most orderly and consecutive way of speaking to say, “the eternal life which God promised before eternal times, but in its own seasons manifested through the word; “and it is much in this way that Beza (quam promiserat Deus ante tempora seculorum, manifestam autem fecit praestitutis temporibus suis, [videlicet] sermonem illum suum) and others have explained the passage; while some again, including Calvin, by the word understand Christ Himself: from primeval time God had promised eternal life, but since the gospel era He manifested His Word. Such explanations are manifestly of too artificial a cast. But taking the expression His word in its ordinary sense, and as the object of the manifesting which distinguishes the gospel from all preceding times, we are to regard the apostle as here introducing an independent sentence contrasting the manifestation now, in its own seasons (see at 1 Timothy 2:6), with the period of promise preceding, but not precisely of the eternal life, which was the subject of the promise for it still is in great part future and, therefore, instead of saying which, or which life He manifested, he says, manifested His word, in which everything pertaining to the nature of the life, and the means of attaining it, is brought clearly to light. (See, for other instances, Winer, § 63, 1) By the addition in preaching coupled with the word, the preaching with which Paul was entrusted, it is plainly intimated that the word meant is the gospel, the word emphatically, as declaring God's mind, not by dark intimations merely, or distant promises, but in great facts and blessed assurances as to the present and eternal good of His people. In regard to the expression, according to the commandment of our Saviour God, see at 1 Timothy 1:1, where it also occurs with only a slight variation in the order of the last words.

Ver. 4. In the address itself to Titus there is nothing calling for much remark. He is called, like Timothy, a true child, and that according, or rather in respect, to the common faith. He may have been, and very probably was, a convert of the apostle's; but that is nowhere distinctly stated, nor does the language here necessarily imply it (see at 1 Timothy 1:2). The designation child is indicative partly of endearment, and partly of comparative youth, in relation to the apostle. The received text has grace, mercy, peace, as at 1 Timothy 1:2; 2 Timothy 2:2, with A, K, L, Philox., Theodoret; but the reading grace and peace, the same that is found in all the other epistles of St. Paul, except the two to Timothy, has the support of א, C, D, F, Ital., Vulg., Syr., Pesh., Copt, Chrysos., etc. The latter must therefore be regarded as the preferable reading, and is now generally followed. The other was probably adopted to assimilate the text to the other two Pastoral epistles.