Titus 1:14
“Not giving heed to Jewish fables, and commandments of men, that turn from the truth.”
King James Version (KJV)
Read this verse in context with translation switching:
Read Full Chapter →Titus is to keep the people from heeding Jewish myths and human commandments that lead them away from the truth.
What Does Titus 1:14 Mean?
Paul specifies what soundness in the faith requires the Cretans to leave behind: speculative Jewish myths and merely human rules. These were drawing believers' attention away from the gospel and toward endless distractions. Such teachings, however religious they sound, turn people from the truth rather than toward it.
The peril is subtle. Fables and man-made commandments can wear the costume of devotion while quietly replacing God's truth with human invention. Paul wants believers anchored in what God has actually revealed. For the reader, this is a timeless caution. Spiritual life is not deepened by novelty or by piling up human regulations, but by holding to the truth as it is in Jesus. Whatever pulls our gaze away from Him, however interesting, leads in the wrong direction.