Tag Archives: Titus 2:10

Μὴ νοσφιζομένους, ἀλλὰ πίστιν πᾶσαν ἐνδεικνυμένους ἀγαθήν, ἵνα τὴν διδασκαλίαν τοῦ σωτῆρος ἡμῶν Θεοῦ κοσμῶσιν ἐν πᾶσιν. (Titus 2:10)

Not stealing, but showing all good faith, so that they may adorn the teaching of our Savior God in all things.

The Gospel Made Visible

This verse presents a powerful vision of Christian witness—not through words, but through conduct. Addressing Christian slaves, Paul exhorts them not to steal (μὴ νοσφιζομένους) but to demonstrate faithful character (πίστιν… ἐνδεικνυμένους). The participial constructions serve as behavioral descriptors, and the purpose clause (ἵνα… κοσμῶσιν) reveals the goal: to make the teaching about God our Savior attractive in every respect.… Learn Koine Greek

Μὴ νοσφιζομένους, ἀλλὰ πίστιν πᾶσαν ἐνδεικνυμένους ἀγαθήν, ἵνα τὴν διδασκαλίαν τοῦ σωτῆρος ἡμῶν Θεοῦ κοσμῶσιν ἐν πᾶσιν (Titus 2:10)

Not stealing, but showing all good faith, so that they may adorn the teaching of our God and Savior in all things.

μὴ νοσφιζομένους: A Prohibition of Theft

The participle νοσφιζομένους is the present middle/passive participle, accusative masculine plural, from νοσφίζω, meaning “to pilfer,” “to embezzle,” or “to withhold.” It is used here with the negative particle μὴ, forming a prohibition: “not stealing” or “not holding back.”

This participle likely refers to bondservants or workers, continuing Paul’s ethical instruction. It stresses integrity in handling what belongs to others.… Learn Koine Greek