One of themselves, even a prophet of their own, said, The Cretians are alway liars, evil beasts, slow bellies.
Parallel translations
- WEB One of them, a prophet of their own, said, “Cretans are always liars, evil beasts, and idle gluttons.”
- BSB As one of their own prophets has said, “Cretans are always liars, evil beasts, lazy gluttons.”
- NKJV One of them, a prophet of their own, said, “Cretans are always liars, evil beasts, lazy gluttons.”
- NASB One of them, a prophet of their own, said, “Cretans are always liars, evil beasts, lazy gluttons.”
- NLT Even one of their own men, a prophet from Crete, has said about them, “The people of Crete are all liars, cruel animals, and lazy gluttons.”
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
Paul quotes a Cretan poet's harsh saying that Cretans are habitual liars, brutal, and lazy gluttons. It matters because it candidly names the cultural sins the gospel must transform.
Overview
Paul cites a saying attributed to the Cretan poet Epimenides, here called 'a prophet of their own.' He uses it not as racial slander but to acknowledge real moral tendencies that the false teachers were exploiting and that the gospel must overcome. It sets up his call for sharp correction in the next verse.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 7
- Rom 16:18For they that are such serve not our Lord Jesus Christ, but their own belly; and by good words and fair speeches deceive the hearts of the simple.
- 1 Tim 4:2Speaking lies in hypocrisy; having their conscience seared with a hot iron;
- Acts 17:28For in him we live, and move, and have our being; as certain also of your own poets have said, For we are also his offspring.
- 2 Pet 2:15Which have forsaken the right way, and are gone astray, following the way of Balaam the son of Bosor, who loved the wages of unrighteousness;
- Acts 2:11Cretes and Arabians, we do hear them speak in our tongues the wonderful works of God.
- 2 Pet 2:12But these, as natural brute beasts, made to be taken and destroyed, speak evil of the things that they understand not; and shall utterly perish in their own corruption;
- Jude 1:8–13Likewise also these filthy dreamers defile the flesh, despise dominion, and speak evil of dignities.
Themes, concepts, people & topics
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Christ at the center
We await 'the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ, who gave himself for us to redeem us' and purify a people of his own.
How Titus 1:12 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.
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.