Titus 2:4
That they may teach the young women to be sober, to love their husbands, to love their children,
Original Language Analysis
σωφρονίζωσιν
sober
G4994
σωφρονίζωσιν
sober
Strong's:
G4994
Word #:
2 of 7
to make of sound mind, i.e., (figuratively) to discipline or correct
τὰς
G3588
τὰς
Strong's:
G3588
Word #:
3 of 7
the (sometimes to be supplied, at others omitted, in english idiom)
νέας
the young women
G3501
νέας
the young women
Strong's:
G3501
Word #:
4 of 7
"new", i.e., (of persons) youthful, or (of things) fresh; figuratively, regenerate
Cross References
1 Timothy 5:14I will therefore that the younger women marry, bear children, guide the house, give none occasion to the adversary to speak reproachfully.1 Timothy 5:2The elder women as mothers; the younger as sisters, with all purity.1 Timothy 5:11But the younger widows refuse: for when they have begun to wax wanton against Christ, they will marry;
Historical Context
Arranged marriages meant many young brides barely knew their husbands. High infant mortality and lack of birth spacing made mothering physically exhausting. Without modern labor-saving devices, domestic work was grinding. The gospel didn't remove these challenges but reframed them as Spirit-empowered callings, not meaningless drudgery.
Questions for Reflection
- Young wives: do you cultivate affectionate love for your husband, or has dutiful obligation or contempt replaced love?
- Mothers: do you embrace child-rearing as holy calling, or has cultural denigration of motherhood infected your attitude?
- Older women: are you teaching younger women the beauty of biblical femininity, or have you absorbed secular feminism's contempt for domesticity?
Related Resources
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Analysis & Commentary
That they may teach the young women to be sober—σωφρονίζωσιν (sophronizōsin, train/encourage/advise) describes the older women's ministry to νέας (neas, young women). The content: φιλάνδρους εἶναι (philandrous einai, to be husband-loving), φιλοτέκνους (philoteknous, child-loving). Both compound adjectives with φίλος (philos, affectionate love).
This isn't natural instinct but learned behavior requiring teaching. To love their husbands, to love their children—Christian marriage and motherhood aren't biologically automatic but cultivated virtues. The gospel transforms domestic relationships from duty or cultural expectation into worshipful vocations. Modern feminism despises this, but Paul dignifies marriage and motherhood as arenas of grace-taught godliness.