Titus 1:12 - Exposition

A prophet for even a prophet, A.V.; Cretan, s for the Cretinous, A.V.; idle gluttons for slow bellies, A.V. A prophet of their own ; viz. Epimenides, a native either of Phaestus or of Cnossus in Crete, the original author of this line, which is also quoted by Callimachus. Epimenides is here called a prophet, not simply as a poet, but from his peculiar character as priest, bard, and seer; called by Plato θεῖος ἀνήρ , and coupled by Cicero with Bacis the Bceotian prophet, and the sibyl (Bishop Ellicott); described by other ancient writers as a prophet (Alford); "everything we hear of him is of a priestly or religious nature" ('Dict. of Gr. and Romans Biogr. and Mythol.'). Cretans are always liars , etc. So truly was this their characteristic, that κρητίζειν was used to denote" telling lies"—"to lie like a Cretan" (Plutarch, etc.). From their general bad character arose the line, κρῆτες καππάδοκοι , κίλικες τρία κάππα κάκιστα ; and Livy, Polybius, and Plutarch alike hear witness to their covetousness and dishonesty: τις κρητῶν οἴδε δικαιοσύνην ; "When was there ever an upright Cretan?" asks Leonides in an ' Epigram'. Evil beasts . θήριον is "a wild beast;" applied to men as a term of reproach ( 1 Corinthians 15:32 ), it implies brutality, stupidity, unreasonableness, and, with the epithet κακά , mischief, like the French mechante bete. The 'Epigram' above quoted calls them ληισταὶ καὶ ἁλιφθόροι , "pirates and wreckers." Idle gluttons ; literally, idle bellies. The substantive denotes their gluttony and sensuality (comp. Romans 16:18 ; Philippians 3:19 , where κοιλία is equivalent to γαστήρ £ ) , and the adjective their sloth ( ἀργαί , i.e. ἀεργαί ); in old Greek it is usually of the common gender.