Titus 3:9

The summary of the other chief topic of the letter; the dealing with the false teaching and evil living of the day. See note above.

avoid foolish questions The Greek puts the errors first in stronger contrast to the good; -questions" should be -questionings" as in 1 Timothy 1:4. see note there; where also -genealogies" is considered. -Genealogies" would be a special and prevailing theme of the -questionings," and -fightings about the law," of the -contentions," as Bp Ellicott points out, following Wiesinger. Cf. 1 Timothy 6:4; 2 Timothy 2:23; and Introduction on the Gnostic heresy. Keeping the A.V. avoid we may give it the due emphasis at the close, as we cannot with -shun" of R.V. -Avoid" from Fr. vuider, vider, -to make empty," is used intransitively and transitively, exactly as the Greek word here is also used to -give a wide berth," -to stand off and make a circuit." Cf. 1 Samuel 18:11, where R.V. still has -David avoided out of his presence twice;" Proverbs 4:15, -walk not in the way of evil men: avoid it, pass not by it."

unprofitable and vain -Vain" is added to intensify -unprofitable"; from its use here then it should mean -vain" in its results, and be opposed to -good," which is -seen to be good" above. So in 1 Corinthians 15:17, -your faith is vain, ye are yet in your sins." While above, Titus 3:14, -our preaching is void; your faith also is void: we are found false witnesses;" there is no true basis of fact for preaching or faith; the word there being different. See Bp Ellicott's note, and references.