Pugnacious (4131) (plektes from plesso = to strike) is literally a striker (one who hits another with force), a fist fighter and figuratively one who is a violent, contentious and quarrelsome. In the only other Biblical use of plektes Paul says that overseers are not to be... 1Timothy 3:3 addicted to wine or pugnacious, but gentle, uncontentious, free from the love of money. The Greeks widened the meaning to include not only physical violence, but also "violence" in speech so that plektes came to mean one who "browbeats" others -- isn't it true that words often strike harder than fists! It is possible to hurt a person more deeply and permanently with cruel words than with a fist. So true! The man who abandons love and resorts to violence of action or of speech is not fit to be an overseer. The overseer is to be a man who avoids retaliation, no matter how cruelly provoked, instead seeking to settle all conflicts peacefully, reasonably, and without animosity. Paul's instruction is to be his byword so that “if possible, so far as it depends on" the overseer, he is to "be at peace with all men” (Ro 12:18-note). One would think that this prohibition to retaliate would be unnecessary but apparently it was not uncommon in NT times for grown men to settle disputes with their fist fights. In the early church there seem to have been over-zealous overseers who chastised erring members with physical violence, for we find written prohibitions in the Apostolic Canons such as "We order that the bishop who strikes an erring believer should be deposed." Pelagius says: He cannot strike anyone who is the disciple of that Christ who, being struck, returned no answering blow." (Adapted from Barclay) Christian leaders must (here is that verb dei again -- this is not an option beloved!) not be quarrelsome, but be kind to all, able to teach, patient when wronged (putting up with evil, forbearing), with gentleness correcting those who are in opposition, if perhaps God may grant them repentance leading to the knowledge of the truth” (2Ti 2:24, 25-note). Steven Cole... Being pugnacious means physically hitting others. But it may legitimately be expanded to refer to a man who is verbally combative. It should be needless to say that an elder should never strike anyone, especially his wife or children. If he must spank his child, he exercises control and does not abuse the child. I think that it is always wrong to strike a child in the face or to spank when you’re angry. The older the child, the more you use reason and the less you use spanking. The point is, an elder should not be a man who solves conflict by hitting others or being an aggressive bully.. (Read the full sermon) NOT FOND OF SORDID GAIN: me aischrokerde: (Is 56:10;11 1Ti 3:3, 3:8;1Pe 5:2) must not use shameful ways to make money (GWT) not given to filthy lucre (YLT) not pursuing dishonest gain (NIV) not greedy for money (NKJV) not greedy of filthy lucre (KJV) he must not be a person who always tries to get rich by cheating people (ICB) dishonest in business (CEV) he must not be a seeker of gain in disgraceful ways (Barclay) he must not be grasping and greedy for filthy lucre (financial gain) (Amp) not eager for shameful gain (Hiebert) not greedy of shameful gain (Robertson) "Copy and paste the address below into your web browser in order to go to the original page which will allow you to access live links related to the material on this page - these links include Scriptures (which can be read in context), Scripture pop-ups on mouse over, and a variety of related resources such as Bible dictionary articles, commentaries, sermon notes and theological journal articles related to the topic under discussion." http://www.preceptaustin.org/titus_17-8.htm#pugnacious