Titus 2:13

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(Textus Receptus, Novum Testamentum, Theodore Beza, 5th major edition. Geneva. 1598)

(King James Version, Pure Cambridge Edition 1900)

(King James Version 2016 Edition, 2016) - buy the revised and updated printed 2023 Edition New Testament here

Contents

Interlinear

Commentary

The original 1611 KJV inclided a comma after God which is not in post 1769 editions:

Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God, and our Sauiour Iesus Christ,

Modern Critics

James White and many other say something like:

Had the KJV translators known of the Granville Sharp rule, they would not have rejected it [and translated Titus 2:13 as they did].”

The assumption they did not know it is wrong. In Sharp’s book, one of the people whose comments he included in the book, Greek scholar Rev. Dr. T. Burgess, has Burgess saying concerning the first rule, “…though it was acknowledged and applied by Beza and others to some of the texts alleged by you, yet never so prominently…” (p. vii) So let it not be said that the 1611 translators translated as they did through ignorance of the rule. Granville Sharp had not yet been born, yet the principle of his grammatical axiom was known to them, yet not brought to the fore as Sharp brought it. Beza lived from 1519 to 1605. [The information concerning Beza I got from Rev. Richard Durham’s book, Granville Sharp’s Rule—Proving The Deity Of Christ by Greek Grammar (NJ: The Bible For Today, 1973)]

Pro KJV reading

Will Kinney

Will Kinney stated:

The second verse is found in Titus 2:13 “Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of THE GREAT GOD AND OUR SAVIOUR Jesus Christ;” Here the critics say the KJB rendering does not fully bring out the deity of Jesus Christ. I don’t really understand what they are talking about, because when I read this passage, it clearly declares that Jesus Christ is the great God as well as our Saviour.
The NKJV, NIV and NASB all join here in rendering this verse as “the appearing of OUR great God and Savior Jesus Christ.” They apparently think this brings out his deity more clearly. However, it is necessary to point out two very important things in this verse. Number one is that the Greek reads exactly as it stands in the KJB, and not as it is in the NKJV, NIV and NASB.
The Greek in all texts reads “the great God and OUR Saviour.” The second thing to point out is the difference in meaning. You see, when Christ appears again in glory, He is the God of everybody - every man, woman and child, believer or unbeliever - but He is OUR Saviour. He is the Saviour of only those who are true Christians, but He is the God and creator of all, and He will be the judge of those who have not believed on Him.
So the KJB is actually more accurate here than the NIV, NKJV and NASB. Other versions that read as does the KJB are the ASV, Webster’s Bible, J.B. Phillips, Tyndale 1525, Wycliffe’s 1380, Cranmer’s Bible 1539, Rheims 1582, Coverdale 1535, Bishop's 1568, Geneva Bible 1599, Lamsa of 1933, the Spanish Reina Valera of 1909 , the Italian Diodati and the Third Millenium Bible.

Gail Riplinger

Gail Riplinger stated:

1.) All Greek texts have the wording of the KJV. None render it as the new versions do.
2.) The Granville Sharp theory he cites is just that, a theory. It does not require that the Greek word order be changed, or commas added, but simply states that one person, not two, are presented here.
3.) The same grammatical construction is used to express the deity of the Father "God and our Father") in Gal. 1:4, 1 Thes. 1:3, and Phil. 4:20. The O.T. uses such construction frequently (i.e. Is. 45:21, a just God and a Saviour, and Gen. 49:25).
4.) New versions omit the definite article "the" great God, seen in all Greek texts. He is the great God, but is only our Saviour since we believe in him.
5.) The spelling of 'Saviour' as "Savior" denies his deity. See Webster's distinction between a "savior" ("one who saves") (it could be anyone) and the 'Saviour' "Jesus Christ the Redeemer". (The move from a seven letter word, the Bible's number for perfection, to a six letter word, the Bible's number for man, is a downhill move.)

Rev. Matthew Winzer

I haven't read the comments of James White on Tit. 2:13, but I note that the article only appears before the first noun, thus indicating that the two are referring to the one person according to Sharp's first rule. However, that rule has its exceptions, e.g., with regard to proper names.
I am inclined to regard it as referring to one person. Taken this way, the two terms should be understood as providing a double reference concerning that person. The way I read the Greek and the AV it is referring to one and the same person under a double aspect: e.g., "I am looking forward to the visit of the great monarch and our queen Elisabeth II." The double reference of the original is thus brought out in an elegant style: (1.) What Christ is in Himself -- the great God. (2.) What He is in relation to us -- our Saviour. By transferring the attributive "our" to the first noun this double reference is lost.

Colin Tyler

Colin Tyler stated:

MJP writes, “Missing the deity of Christ in Titus 2:13 and 2 Peter 1:1. Through ignorance of the ‘Granville Sharp Rule’, which was not defined until the late 1700’s, the KJV reads, ‘God and our Saviour Jesus Christ,’ rather than the correct ‘our God and Saviour Jesus Christ.’”
It will perhaps be helpful to give a brief description of the Granville-Sharp Rule first of all because MJP gives no details of it. James White, like MJP, an opponent of KJV onlyism, gives a brief and suitable definition. “Granville-Sharp’s rule states that when you have two nouns, which are not proper names (such as Cephas, or Paul, or Timothy), which are describing a person, and the two nouns are connected by the word “and”, and the first noun has the article (“the”) while the second does not, both nouns are referring to the same person. In our texts, this is demonstrated by the words “God” and “Saviour” at Titus 2.13 and 2 Peter 1.1. “God” has the article, it is followed by the word for “and” and the word “Saviour” does not have the article. Hence, both nouns are being applied to the same person, Jesus Christ.”13 MJP writes “through ignorance of the Granville Sharp Rule … the KJV reads” etc. This implies that divergence from Granville Sharp’s rule, whenever it is applicable, must result in incorrect translation. Are there no other considerations which might justify departure from it? I believe there is one such very important consideration. It is the employment in scripture of the figure of speech called hendiadys.
E W Bullinger, describes hendiadys as “Two words used, but one thing meant. …The two words are of the same parts of speech, i.e. Two nouns (or two verbs) always joined together by the conjunction ‘and’. [The two nouns are always in the same case.]”.
Examples of the figure hendiadys in the AV from both Testaments are:
Jer 36:27 ‘…after that the king had burned the roll and the words which Baruch wrote..”
Dan 4:13 ‘….behold a watcher and a holy one came down.”
Zeph 1:16 ‘A day of the trumpet and alarm against the fenced cities…’
Matt 21:5 ‘…sitting upon an ass, and a colt the foal of an ass,’
James 1:27 ‘Pure religion and undefiled before God and the Father is this…’
The KJV translators have simply preserved the Greek idiom in the verses about which MJP here complains. The KJV translation, “God and our Saviour Jesus Christ” in Titus 2.13 is an hendiadys as is 2 Peter 1.1
MJP is not alone in his assertion that the KJV translators erred because they did not know the Granville-Sharp Rule. Modern Scholarship generally agrees with him here. They tell us that the fruit of this KJV ‘error’ is to miss or obscure the deity of Christ. However if we turn to Ephesians 5.5 in some modern translations we find:
NASB:……….“in the kingdom of Christ and God”
NIV:………….“in the kingdom of Christ and of God”
Good News:….“in the kingdom of Christ and of God”
New English:…“in the kingdom of Christ and of God”
In these instances, they have not followed Granville-Sharp’s rule themselves. They have left the text as though different persons are meant. By their own rules should they not have translated, “the kingdom of Christ our God”? If it be replied that the word “our” is not in the Greek Text, that did not stop them adding it in James 1.27.
The translation given to us by the KJV in Titus 2.13 and 1 Peter 1.1 is a literal translation. It also preserves the figure hendiadys. The modern translations frequently omit Greek and Hebrew words and remove the figure hendiadys. At times they translate literally and at times interpretively and criticize the KJV translators for doing the same. MJP also has done this in the tract under discussion. Modern translators add words and delete words and criticize the KJV translators for doing the same. MJP is in bad company. Evil communications corrupt good manners.

Anti KJV Reading

Modern Versions

Most Modern translations read “our great God and Savior Jesus Christ”.

Ankerberg and Weldon

Ankerberg and Weldon stated:

“even the context of Titus 2:13 shows that one Person, not two, was in Paul’s mind, for Paul wrote of the ‘glorious appearing’ of that Person” (Facts on Jehovah’s Witnesses, p. 24).

James White

On page 81 in the book The King James Version Controversy, by James White, he falsely claims that the KJV distorts the meaning of this verse and obscures the Deity of Christ:

"the KJV is shown to be wanting in Titus 2:13."

On page 201 he says:

“The simple fact is that the KJV provides an inferior translation, one that unintentionally detracts from the presentation of the full deity of Jesus Christ. The unwillingness of KJV defenders to overlook this fact is most disturbing.”

Granville Sharp

Granville Sharp stated:

“This testimony, therefore, of the sacred text, in favour of our Lord’s divine nature, ought not to be withheld from the mere English reader” (Remarks, p. 51).

I. M. Haldeman

I. M. Haldeman stated:

“Under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit the Apostle Paul speaks of Him as ’our great God and Saviour Jesus Christ’ (correct reading) (Titus 2:13)” (Bible Expositions, I, p. 456).

A. T. Robertson

A. T. Robertson stated:

“is the necessary meaning of the one article with theou and soteros just as in 2 Peter 1:1” (Word Pictures, IV, p. 604).

William Hendriksen

William Hendriksen stated:

“No valid reason has ever been found which would show that the (Granville Sharp) rule does not apply in the present case [Titus 2:13]” (Timothy and Titus, p. 375).

Prince Hoare

Prince Hoare stated:

“the only sense in which the Greek Fathers understand that important passage, for instance, Titus 2:13, is that which is ascribed to it by Mr. Sharp” (Memoirs, I, p. 501).

Augustus Strong

Augustus Strong stated that Titus 2:13 is: “a direct, definite, and even studied declaration of Christ’s divinity” (Systematic Theology, p. 307).

James Buswell

James Buswell stated:

“It is clear from the entire New Testament that it is Christ whose glorious appearing is expected: Christ Jesus is our great God and Saviour” (Systematic Theology, p. 104). Gordon Clark noted: “The subject matter is the glorious return of our Lord. One person returns; not the Father, but the Son. Hence the great God and Jesus is the same person” (The Trinity, p. 17).

J. L. Dagg

J. L. Dagg advocated stated:

“our great God and Saviour, Jesus Christ” (Manual of Theology, pp. 183-184).

Ralph Wardlaw

Ralph Wardlaw stated:

“To avoid all ambiguity, and to express the precise sense of the original, they ought to be rendered, ‘the glorious appearing of our great God and Saviour Jesus Christ” (Discourses, p. 76).


Timothy Dwigh

Timothy Dwight stated:

“In the Greek it is the Great God even our Saviour Jesus Christ, or our Great God and Saviour Jesus Christ” (Theology Explained, I, p. 526).

Theodore Haak

Theodore Haak stated:

“That is, of Jesus Christ, our great God and Saviour; for both these titles are here ascribed to Jesus Christ.” (English translation of the 1637 Dutch Annotations)

H. Harvey

H. Harvey stated:

“The following context, in the relative clause (verse 14), ’who gave himself for us,’ plainly relates only to Christ, but naturally requires us to take the whole preceding expression, ’our Great God and Saviour, Jesus Christ,’ as its antecedent” (Commentary on the Pastoral Epistles, pp. 139-140).

Robert Horton

Robert Horton stated:

“The qualifying description of verse 14, which refer to Jesus Christ, completely overbalances the sentence if Christ is to be separated from ’the great God’” (Commentary p. 186).

Francis Turretin

Francis Turretin stated:

“Epiphaneia is never attributed to the Father, but always to Christ. He, whose advent we look for, is said to have given himself for us (Tit. 2:14), which applies to Christ alone” (Institutes, I, p. 284).

John Dick

John Dick who lived from 1764 to 1833 stated:

“in which the name of God is given to our Saviour, but the evidence does not appear to common readers, in consequence of the manner in which they have been translated” (Lectures on Theology, I, p. 316).

also:

“our Great God and Saviour Jesus Christ” as “a translation more conformable to the original” (p. 317).

Joseph Benson

Joseph Benson observed that Theodore Beza maintained “that one person only is spoken of, namely, Jesus Christ” (New Testament, II, p. 472).

Francis Turretin

Francis Turretin, who live from 1623 to 1687) stated:

“He is called ‘the great God’ (Tit. 2:13)–certainly not the Father, but the Son because only one article is prefixed to the words God and Saviour (which would not be the case if they were two persons)” (Institutes, translated by George Giger, I, p. 284).

E. W. Bullinger

E. W. Bullinger stated:

“of our great God and Saviour” (Figures, p. 505).

also:

“hendiadys: One person being meant, not two” (p. 669).

J. H. Murray

J. H. Murray stated:

“makes it as if two persons were spoken of, the Father and the Son; where the Son only, in the original Greek, is mentioned” (Help, p. 64).

Edward Burton

Edward Burton stated:

“In our authorized version, the words certainly do not necessarily imply that our Saviour Jesus Christ is the great God; but if we were to translate them, as we are equally authorized in doing, ’the glorious appearing of our great God and Saviour Jesus Christ,’ it would be obvious to every reader, that the expression great God referred to Jesus Christ” (Testimonies, p. 113, 1829).

New World Translation

The New World Translation of the Jehovah's Witnesses states:

  • while we wait for the happy hope and glorious manifestation of the great God and of our Savior, Jesus Christ;

English Standard Version

  • waiting for our blessed hope, the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ,

Greek

Textus Receptus

Desiderius Erasmus

Colinæus

Stephanus (Robert Estienne)

Theodore Beza

See Also Titus 2:13 Beza 1598 (Beza)

  • 1604 (Beza Octavo 5th)

Elzevir

Scholz

Scrivener

  • 1894 (? ????? ???T???)

Other Greek

  • 1857 (Tregelles' Greek New Testament)
  • (Tischendorf 8th Ed.)
  • 1881 (Westcott & Hort)
  • (Greek orthodox Church)

Anglo Saxon Translations

  • 1000 (Anglo-Saxon Gospels Manuscript 140, Corpus Christi College by Aelfric)
  • 1200 (Anglo-Saxon Gospels Hatton Manuscript 38, Bodleian Library by unknown author)

English Translations

  • 1535 lokynge for that blessed hope and appearynge of the glory of ye greate God and of oure Sauioure Iesu Christ: (Coverdale Bible)
  • 1540 lokynge for þe blessed hope & appearinge of the glory of the greate God, & of oure sauioure Iesu Christ, (Great Bible Second Edition - Miles Coverdale)
  • 1568 Lokyng for that blessed hope and appearyng of the glorie of the great God, and our sauiour Iesus Christe, (Bishop's Bible First Edition
  • 1611 Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God, and our Sauiour Iesus Christ, (King James Version)
  • 1729 in expectation of that desirable happiness, the glorious appearance of the supreme God, and of our saviour Jesus Christ, (Mace New Testament)
  • 1745 Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God, and our Saviour Jesus Christ: (Mr. Whiston's Primitive New Testament)
  • 1770 looking for the blessed hope, and glorious appearance of the great God, and our Saviour, Jesus Christ: (Worsley Version by John Worsley)
  • 1790 Looking for the blessed hope and the glorious appearing of the great God, even our Savior Jesus Christ; (Wesley Version by John Wesley)
  • 1795 expecting the blessed hope, and glorious appearing of our great God and Saviour Jesus Christ; (A Translation of the New Testament from the Original Greek by Thomas Haweis)
  • 1833 Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God, and our Savior Jesus Christ; (Webster Version - by Noah Webster)
  • 1835 expecting the blessed hope; namely, the appearing of the glory of the great God, and of our Saviour Jesus Christ; (Living Oracles by Alexander Campbell)
  • 1851 (Murdock Translation)
  • 1858 looking for the blessed hope and appearing of the glory of the great God and of our Saviour Jesus Christ, (The New Testament Translated from the Original Greek by Leicester Sawyer)
  • 1865 looking for the blissful hope and appearing of the glory of the great God and our Savior Jesus Christ; (The New Testament of Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ 1865 by American Bible Union)
  • 1869 looking for the blessed hope, and appearing of the glory of the great God and of our Saviour Jesus Christ; (Noyes Translation by George Noyes)
  • 1885 looking for the blessed hope and appearing of the glory of our great God and Saviour Jesus Christ; (Revised Version also called English Revised Version - Charles Ellicott editor)
  • 1890 awaiting the blessed hope and appearing of the glory of our great God and Saviour Jesus Christ; (Darby Version 1890 by John Darby)
  • 1902 Prepared to welcome the happy hope and forthshining of the glory of the great God and our Saviour Christ Jesus, (The Emphasised Bible Rotherham Version)
  • 1902 looking for the blessed hope even the appearing of the glory of our great God and our Saviour Christ Jesus; (Translation of the New Testament from the Original Greek by William Godbey)
  • 1904 looking for the blissful hope and appearing of the glory of the great God and our Savior Jesus Christ; (The New Testament: Revised and Translated by Adolphus Worrell)
  • 1904 while we are awaiting our Blessed Hope—the Appearing in glory of our great God and Saviour, Christ Jesus. (Twentieth Century New Testament by Ernest Malan and Mary Higgs)
  • 1911 (Syrus Scofield)
  • 1912 in expectation of the fulfilment of our blessed hope—the Appearing in glory of our great God and Saviour Jesus Christ; (Weymouth New Testament)
  • 1918 waiting for the blessed hope, and the appearing of the glory of our great God and Saviour Jesus Christ, (The New Testament Translated from the Sinaitic Manuscript by Henry Anderson)
  • 1923 (Edgar Goodspeed)

Foreign Language Versions

Arabic

  • منتظرين الرجاء المبارك وظهور مجد الله العظيم ومخلّصنا يسوع المسيح (Arabic Smith & Van Dyke)

Aramaic

  • ܟܕ ܡܤܟܝܢܢ ܠܤܒܪܐ ܒܪܝܟܐ ܘܠܓܠܝܢܐ ܕܬܫܒܘܚܬܗ ܕܐܠܗܐ ܪܒܐ ܘܡܚܝܢܢ ܝܫܘܥ ܡܫܝܚܐ (Aramaic Peshitta)

Basque

  • Dohain onetaco sperançaren eta gure Iainco handi eta Saluadore Iesus Christen gloriataco aduenimendu excellentaren beguira gaudelaric:

Bulgarian

  • 1940 ожидайки блажената надежда, славното явление на нашия велик Бог и Спасител Исус Христос, (Bulgarian Bible)

Chinese

  • 1 等 候 所 盼 望 的 福 ， 并 等 候 至 大 的 神 和 我 们 （ 或 作 ： 神 ─ 我 们 ） 救 主 耶 稣 基 督 的 荣 耀 显 现 。 (Chinese Union Version (Simplified))
  • 1 等 候 所 盼 望 的 福 ， 並 等 候 至 大 的 神 和 我 們 （ 或 作 ： 神 ─ 我 們 ） 救 主 耶 穌 基 督 的 榮 耀 顯 現 。 (Chinese Union Version (Traditional))

French

  • attendant la bienheureuse espérance et l'apparition de la gloire de notre grand Dieu et Sauveur Jésus Christ, (French Darby)
  • 1744 En attendant la bienheureuse espérance, et l'apparition de la gloire du grand Dieu, et notre Sauveur, Jésus-Christ, (Martin 1744)
  • 1744 En attendant la bienheureuse espérance, et la manifestation de la gloire de notre grand Dieu et Sauveur Jésus-Christ, (Ostervald 1744)

German

  • 1545 und warten auf die selige Hoffnung und Erscheinung der HERRLIchkeit des großen Gottes und unsers Heilandes Jesu Christi, (Luther 1545)
  • 1871 indem wir erwarten die glückselige Hoffnung und Erscheinung der Herrlichkeit unseres großen Gottes und Heilandes Jesus Christus, (Elberfelder 1871)
  • 1912 und warten auf die selige Hoffnung und Erscheinung der Herrlichkeit des großen Gottes und unsers Heilandes, Jesu Christi, (Luther 1912)

Italian

  • 1649 aspettando la beata speranza, e l’apparizione della gloria del grande Iddio, e Salvator nostro, Gesù Cristo.(Giovanni Diodati Bible 1649)
  • 1927 aspettando la beata speranza e l’apparizione della gloria del nostro grande Iddio e Salvatore, Cristo Gesù; (Riveduta Bible 1927)

Japanese

Latin

  • expectantes beatam spem et adventum gloriae magni Dei et salvatoris nostri Iesu Christi Latin Vulgate
  • 1527 (Erasmus 1527)
  • 1527 (Erasmus Vulgate 1527)

Pidgin

  • 1996 (Pidgin King Jems)

Romainian

  • 2010 aşteptînd fericita noastră nădejde şi arătarea slavei marelui nostru Dumnezeu şi Mîntuitor Isus Hristos. (Biblia Traducerea Fidela în limba româna)

Russian

  • 1876 ожидая блаженного упования и явления славы великого Бога и Спасителя нашего Иисуса Христа, Russian Synodal Version

Phonetically:

Spanish

  • Esperando aquella esperanza bienaventurada, y la manifestación gloriosa del gran Dios y Salvador nuestro Jesucristo. (RVG Spanish)

Swedish

  • 1917 medan vi vänta på vårt saliga hopps fullbordan och på den store Gudens och vår Frälsares, Kristi Jesu, härlighets uppenbarelse -- (Swedish - Svenska 1917)

Tagalog

  • 1905 Na hintayin yaong mapalad na pagasa at ang pagpapakita ng kaluwalhatian ng ating dakilang Dios at Tagapagligtas na si Jesucristo; (Ang Dating Biblia 1905)

Tok Pisin

  • 1996 (Tok Pisin King Jems)

Vietnamese

  • 1934 đương chờ đợi sự trông cậy hạnh phước của chúng ta, và sự hiện ra của sự vinh hiển Ðức Chúa Trời lớn và Cứu Chúa chúng ta, là Ðức Chúa Jêsus Christ, (VIET)

See Also

External Links

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