Titus 1:2
King James Version (1769)
Other translations
| Verse | KJV | BSB | ASV |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2 | In hope of eternal life, which God, that cannot lie, promised before the world began; | in the hope of eternal life, which God, who cannot lie, promised before time began. | in hope of eternal life, which God, who cannot lie, promised before times eternal; |
In context
AI-assisted, sourcedPaul's apostleship rests on the hope of eternal life. God promised that life before the world began, and God cannot lie. The promise is as sure as the one who made it. Titus 1:1Titus 1:2
SpeakingPaul, who calls himself "a servant of God, and an apostle of Jesus Christ." Titus 1:1Titus overview
ToTitus, Paul's "own son after the common faith," whom Paul had left in Crete to set the churches in order. Titus 1:4Titus 1:5Titus overview
Paul continues his greeting by naming the hope his work serves. He grounds it in two things: God's promise made "before the world began," and God's nature, since he "cannot lie." Titus 1:22 Timothy 1:9
Titus was in Crete, a large Mediterranean island with churches "in every city." The letter does not say where Paul was, but he planned to winter at Nicopolis. Titus overviewTitus 1:5
The eventsThe promise was made "before the world began." Paul says in the next verse that God has now made his word known "in due times" through preaching. Titus 1:2Titus 1:3
WrittenTraditional: about AD 63-65, after Paul's release from his first Roman imprisonment. Scholarly: many hold that a follower wrote the letter in Paul's name about AD 80-100; others accept that Paul wrote it. Titus overview
HereThe letter names the problem in Crete plainly: "many unruly and vain talkers and deceivers" (1:10), and a saying that "The Cretians are alway liars" (1:12). In its second verse it describes God as the one "that cannot lie." Titus 1:2Titus 1:10Titus 1:12
In the whole of ScriptureScripture says the same about God's truthfulness: "God is not a man, that he should lie" (Numbers 23:19), and it is "impossible for God to lie" (Hebrews 6:18). John writes that the promise God made is "eternal life" (1 John 2:25), and that "this life is in his Son" (1 John 5:11). Numbers 23:19Hebrews 6:181 John 2:251 John 5:11
For readersA believer's hope does not rest on feelings or circumstances but on God's word. Because God cannot lie, his promise of eternal life can be trusted. Titus 1:2Hebrews 6:18
- that cannot lieἀψευδής
The word means free from falsehood, truthful. The lexicon lists Titus 1:2 as its only place in the New Testament. Strong's G0893
- hopeἐλπίς
The word means expectation or hope. Here the hope is of eternal life, promised by God before the world began. Strong's G1680Titus 1:2
Takeaway
The hope of eternal life is anchored in a promise God made before time began, and God cannot lie. That makes it a hope worth staking a life on. Titus 1:2Numbers 23:19Hebrews 6:18
Drafted by AI from the Scripture and data shown under “Show sources,” then checked automatically and by a second AI pass. Updated 2026-10-28.
Original Greek words
| English | Greek | Say it | Strong's | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| in | ἐπ᾽ | ep᾽ | G1909 | upon/to/againstἐπί (epi) ἐπί (before a smooth breathing ἐπ᾽, before a rough breathing ἐφ᾽), prep. with genitive, dative, accusative (accusative most frequently in NT), with primary sense of superposition, on, upon. I. C. genitive, 1. of place, answering the question, where? … |
| [the] hope | ἐλπίδι | elpidi | G1680 | hopeἐλπίς (elpis) ἐλπίς (ἑλ-, Rom.8:20, WH, see Bl., § 4, 3; M, Pr., 44), -ίδος, ἡ [in LXX for בָּטַח and its derivatives, תִּקְוָה (frequently in Jb), etc. ;] expectation (in cl., rarely of evil, mostly of good, and so always in NT), hope; 1. of hope in general: 2Co.1:6; with genitive obj., Act.16:19; art. inf., Act.27:20, 1Co.9:10; παρ᾽ ἐλπίδα, Rom.4:18; ἐπ᾽ ἐλπίδι, 1Co.9:10. … |
| of life | ζωῆς | zōēs | G2222 | lifeζωή (zōē) ζωή, -ῆς, ἡ (ζάω), [in LXX chiefly for חַיִּים ;] life (in Hom., Hdt., = βίος, which see; later, existence, vita quâ vivimus, as distinct from βίος, vita quam vivimus; opposite to θάνατος); 1. of natural life: Luk.16:25, Act.8:33, 1Co.15:19, 1Ti.4:8, Heb.7:3, Jas.4:14; πνεῦμα ζωῆς, Rev.11:11; ψυχὴ ζωῆς ( Gen.1:30), Rev.16:3; of the life of one risen from the dead, Rom.5:10, Heb.7:16. … |
| eternal, | αἰωνίου, | aiōniou | G0166 | eternalαἰώνιος (aiōnios) αἰώνιος, -ον (as usual in Attic), also -α, -ον. 2Th.2:16, Heb.9:12; (αἰών), [in LXX chiefly for עוֹלָם ;] age-long, eternal, (a) of that which is without either beginning or end: Rom.16:26, Heb.9:14; (b) of that which is without beginning: Rom.16:25, 2Ti.1:9, Tit.1:2; (with) of that which is without end (MM, VGT, see word): σκηναί, Luk.16:9 οἰκία, 2Co.5:1; διαθήκη, Heb.13:20; εὐαγγέλιον, Rev.14:6; παράκλησις, 2Th.2:16; λύτρωσις, Heb.9:12; κληρονομία, ib. 15; κόλασις, Mat.25:46; κρίμα, Heb.6:2; κρίσις, Mrk.3:29; ὄλεθρον, 2Th.1:9; πῦρ, Mat.18:8; frequently with ζωή, which see … |
| which | ἣν | hēn | G3739 | whichὅς (hos, hē) ὅς, ἥ, ὅ, the postpositive article (ἄρθρον ὑποτακτικόν). I. As demonstr. pron. = οὗτος, ὅδε, this, that, also for αὐτός, chiefly in nom.: ὅς δέ, but he (cf. ἦ δὲ ὅς, frequently in Plat.), Mrk.15:23, Jhn.5:11; ὃς μὲν . . . ὃς δέ, the one . . . the other, Mat.21:35, 22:5, 25:15, Luk.23:33, Act.27:14, Rom.14:5, 1Co.11:21, 2Co.2:18, Ju 22; neut., ὃ μὲν . . . ὃ δέ, the one . . . the other, some . . . some, Mat.13:8, 23, Rom.9:21; ὃς (ὃ) μὲν . . . (ἄλλος (ἄλλο)) . . . ἕτερος, Mrk.4:4, Luk.8:5, 1Co.12:8-10; οὓς μέν, absol., 1Co.12:28; ὃς μὲν . . . ὁ δέ, Rom.14:2. … |
| promised | ἐπηγγείλατο | epēngeilato | G1861 | to professἐπαγγέλλω (epangellō) ἐπ-αγγέλλω [in LXX: Est.4:8 (אָמַר), Pro.13:12, Wis.2:13, al. ;] 1. to announce, proclaim. 2. (a) to promise; (b) to profess. Mid., also frequently in both these senses; (with) to promise: with dab. of person(s), Heb.6:13; with accusative of thing(s), Rom.4:21, Tit.1:2; with dative of person(s) and accusative of thing(s), Jas.1:12 2:5, 2Pe.2:19; ἐπαγγελίαν, 1Jn.2:25; with inf., Mrk.14:11, Act.7:5; before λέγων, Heb.12:26; ptcp., Heb.10:23 11:11; (d) to profess: θεοσέβειαν, 1Ti.2:10; γνῶσιν, 1Ti.6:21. Pass., Gal.3:19 (cf. προ-επαγγέλλω; and see Cremer, 26).† (AS) |
| who cannot lie | ἀψευδὴς | apseudēs | G0893 | not a liarἀψευδής (apseudēs) ἀ-ψευδής, -ές (ψεῦδος), [in LXX: Wis.7:17 * ;] free from false-hood, truthful: Tit.1:2.† (AS) |
| God | θεὸς | theos | G2316 | Godθεός (theos) θεός, -οῦ, ὁ, ἡ (Act.19:37 only; see M, Pr., 60, 244), late voc., θεέ (Mat.27:46; cf. Deu.3:24, al.), [in LXX chiefly for אֱלֹהִים, also for אֵל and other cognate forms, יהוה, etc. ;] a god or deity, God. 1. In polytheistic sense, a god or deity: Act.28:6, 1Co.8:4, 2Th.2:4, al.; pl., Ac. 14:11 19:26, Gal.4:8, al. 2. Of the one true God; … |
| before | πρὸ | pro | G4253 | beforeπρό (pro) πρό prep. with genitive, [in LXX chiefly for פָּנִים ;] before; (a) of place: Act.12:6, 14 14:13, Jas.5:9; π. προσώπου (= Heb. פָּנִים, Deu.3:18, Mal.3:1, al.; Bl., § 40, 9), Mat.11:10, Mrk.1:2, Luk.1:76 7:27 9:52 10:1, Act.14:13; … |
| time | χρόνων | chronōn | G5550 | timeχρόνος (chronos) χρόνος, -ου, ὁ [in LXX chiefly for יוֹם, also for עֵת, etc. ;] time (a space of time, whether long or short; cf. Lft., Notes, 70): Mat.2:7, Mrk.9:21, Luk.1:57, Act.3:21 7:17, 23 13:18 17:30 27:9, Heb.11:32, 1Pe.1:17 4:3, Rev.10:6; στιγμὴ χρόνου, Luk.4:5; πλήρωμα τοῦ χ., Gal.4:4; ποιεῖν χ., Act.15:33 18:23; βιῶσαι, 1Pe.4:2; διδόναι, Rev.2:21; pl., χ. καὶ (ἢ) καιροί (Lft., l.with), Act.1:7, 1Th.5:1; ἐπ᾽ ἐσχάτου τῶν χ. (χρόνου), 1Pe.1:20, Ju 18; with prep., ἄχρι, Act.3:21; διὰ τὸν χ., Heb.5:12; ἐν χ., Act.1:6, 21; ἐπὶ (πλείονα) χ., Luk.18:4, Act.18:20; ἐφ᾽ ὅσον χ., Rom.7:1, 1Co.7:39, Gal.4:1; κ … |
| eternal. | αἰωνίων. | aiōniōn | G0166 | eternalαἰώνιος (aiōnios) αἰώνιος, -ον (as usual in Attic), also -α, -ον. 2Th.2:16, Heb.9:12; (αἰών), [in LXX chiefly for עוֹלָם ;] age-long, eternal, (a) of that which is without either beginning or end: Rom.16:26, Heb.9:14; (b) of that which is without beginning: Rom.16:25, 2Ti.1:9, Tit.1:2; (with) of that which is without end (MM, VGT, see word): σκηναί, Luk.16:9 οἰκία, 2Co.5:1; διαθήκη, Heb.13:20; εὐαγγέλιον, Rev.14:6; παράκλησις, 2Th.2:16; λύτρωσις, Heb.9:12; κληρονομία, ib. 15; κόλασις, Mat.25:46; κρίμα, Heb.6:2; κρίσις, Mrk.3:29; ὄλεθρον, 2Th.1:9; πῦρ, Mat.18:8; frequently with ζωή, which see … |
Words and meanings from STEPBible data (Tyndale House, Cambridge, CC BY 4.0). The capitalized syllable is the stressed one.