What Does Titus 2:14 Mean?
Who gave himself for us, that he might loose us from all living without boundary, and cleanse for himself a people that is his own, burning for good works.
Key words are shown with the Hebrew or Greek and what each word meant.
Selah Decoded Version The Selah Decoded Version renders what the Hebrew and Greek words meant to the people who first heard them.
King James wording
King James Version
Who gave himself for us, that he might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify unto himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works.THE KEY
Release from lawlessness ends in belonging, and that belonging becomes visible as a people eager for good.
THE MEANING
His self-giving reaches you as release from every way of resisting instruction and as cleansing into belonging to him. You are part of a people held as his own, whose zeal for good works is the visible life of that belonging.
WHAT THIS UNDOES
The lie that your lawlessness is the final word about you dissolves here: the verse speaks of release from all of it and cleansing into belonging.
THE ROOT
περιούσιον
periousion
GROWS FROM
περιούσιος
periousios
One’s own possession; something specially belonging to someone.
“that is his own” in this verse is periousion. Here, “peculiar” carries its older English sense of a possession specially belonging to someone. The Greek word family likewise centers on possession, naming the redeemed as God’s own; their zeal for good works makes that belonging visible.
ALSO GROWS
periousia: Possession, property.
περιουσία
The related noun keeps the image concrete: this people belongs to someone.
laos periousios: A people for his own possession.
λαὸς περιούσιος
This phrase appears in the Greek wording of Exodus 19:5, linking release with belonging to God.
λυτρώσηται
lytrōsētai
GROWS FROM
λύτρον
lytron
Ransom: the price by which a captive is released.
“loose” in this verse is lytrōsētai. The word family carries the movement of ransom and release. Here, redemption reaches a whole condition, “all iniquity”, and leads into the cleansing and belonging that follow.
ALSO GROWS
lytron: Ransom, or the price of release.
λύτρον
It gives “redeem” the concrete sense of release from captivity.
lytrōsis: Release, redemption.
λύτρωσις
This related word keeps the focus on being brought out of what holds someone.
ἀνομίας
anomias
GROWS FROM
νόμος
nomos
Instruction; an established teaching or rule.
“living without boundary” in this verse is anomias. The word translated “iniquity” names lawlessness, a life detached from or resisting instruction. The verse describes release from this condition in its entirety, followed by cleansing into a new belonging.
ALSO GROWS
nomos: Instruction, teaching, or rule.
νόμος
This is the word family that gives “iniquity” its sense of being outside instruction.
anomos: Lawless; without law or instruction.
ἄνομος
It shows the same family describing a condition that the verse says can be left behind.
THE PATTERN
Release removes what binds and gathers people into belonging whose visible shape is good works.
And he ransoms Israel from all his crookednesses.Now therefore, if you will truly hear and respond to my voice, and guard my covenant, then you shall be my own treasure from among all peoples, for all the earth is mine.For we are his making, created in the Anointed One, Jesus, for good works, which God prepared beforehand, so that in them we might walk.THE THREAD
Now therefore, if you will truly hear and respond to my voice, and guard my covenant, then you shall be my own treasure from among all peoples, for all the earth is mine.Titus repeats the Greek phrase λαὸς περιούσιος (laos periousios, “a people for his own possession”) found in the Septuagint of this verse. That echo reveals release drawing you into belonging, while zeal for good works gives that belonging a visible shape.
Read the SDV Bible.
Every verse has a Deep Dive in the app.
The iPhone Bible app with the Selah Decoded Version.
Does something in this reading look wrong? Tell us