Titus 1:12 (LSB)

Passage

One of themselves, a prophet of their own, said, “Cretans are always liars, evil beasts, lazy gluttons.”

Nearby Context

Titus 1:10 For there are many rebellious men, empty talkers and deceivers, especially those of the circumcision,

Titus 1:11 who must be silenced because they are upsetting whole families, teaching things they should not teach for the sake of dishonest gain.

Titus 1:12 One of themselves, a prophet of their own, said, “Cretans are always liars, evil beasts, lazy gluttons.”

Titus 1:13 This testimony is true. For this reason reprove them severely so that they may be sound in the faith,

Titus 1:14 not paying attention to Jewish myths and commandments of men who turn away from the truth.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "themselves", "prophet", "said", "cretans", "always", "liars", "evil", and "beasts". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "themselves" and "prophet", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 11's "who must be silenced because they are..." into verse 13's "This testimony is true For this reason...", so "themselves" and "prophet" belong inside that flow. In Titus context, the local focus is Christ, faith, and discipleship.

A plain takeaway is to answer the verse's own emphasis on "themselves" and "prophet" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.