And they supported me and did not even demand that my companion Titus be circumcised, though he was a Gentile.
Parallel translations
- WEB But not even Titus, who was with me, being a Greek, was compelled to be circumcised.
- KJV But neither Titus, who was with me, being a Greek, was compelled to be circumcised:
- BSB Yet not even Titus, who was with me, was compelled to be circumcised, even though he was a Greek.
- NKJV Yet not even Titus who was with me, being a Greek, was compelled to be circumcised.
- NASB But not even Titus, who was with me, though he was a Greek, was compelled to be circumcised.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Quick answer
Even Titus, a Greek, was not forced to be circumcised. This was a decisive test case proving Gentiles need not keep the law to be saved.
Overview
Titus served as living proof of the gospel's truth: a Gentile believer accepted without circumcision. That the Jerusalem leaders did not compel him vindicated Paul's law-free gospel. This concrete example refutes the agitators' demand that Gentiles be circumcised.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 5
- Gal 5:2–6Behold, I, Paul, tell you that if you receive circumcision, Christ will profit you nothing.
- Acts 16:3Paul wanted to have him go out with him, and he took and circumcised him because of the Jews who were in those parts; for they all knew that his father was a Greek.
- 1 Cor 9:20–21To the Jews I became as a Jew, that I might gain Jews; to those who are under the law, as under the law, that I might gain those who are under the law;
- 2 Cor 2:13I had no relief for my spirit, because I didn’t find Titus, my brother, but taking my leave of them, I went out into Macedonia.
- Acts 15:24Because we have heard that some who went out from us have troubled you with words, unsettling your souls, saying, ‘You must be circumcised and keep the law,’ to whom we gave no commandment;
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Christ at the center
Christ became a curse for us to redeem us from the law's curse, that we might receive the Spirit and be sons — justified by faith in him, not by works.
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Original language
Each word below is tagged with its Strong’s number — tap one to see the underlying Greek word, its meaning, and every verse that uses it.