Titus 1:11

“Whose mouths must be stopped, etc.] Or they be silenced, by reasons and arguments fetched out of the word of God; as were the Sadducees and Pharisees by Christ, so that they durst ask him no more questions; and as the Jews at Damascus were by Saul, who confounded them, proving in the clearest and strongest manner, that Jesus was the very Christ: who subvert whole houses; into which they creep; that is, whole families, whose principles they corrupt, whose faith they overthrow, and carry them away with their own errors; and therefore, since this was the case not of a single person, or of a few, but of whole families, it was high time to attempt to convince them, and stop their mouths, that…”

“mouths . . . stopped--literally, "muzzled," "bridled" as an unruly beast (compare Psa 32:9). who--Greek, "(seeing that they are) such men as"; or "inasmuch as they" [ELLICOTT]. subvert . . . houses--"overthrowing" their "faith" (Ti2 2:18). "They are the devil's levers by which he subverts the houses of God" [THEOPHYLACT]. for filthy lucre-- (Ti1 3:3, Ti1 3:8; Ti1 6:5).”

“Whose mouths must be stopped - The word here rendered stopped - ἐπιστομιζειν epistomizein - occurs nowhere else in the New Testament. It means, properly, to check, or curb, as with a bridle; to restrain, or bridle in; and then, to put to silence. It is, of course, implied here that this was to be done in a proper way, and in accordance with the spirit of the gospel. The apostle gives Timothy no civil power to do it, nor does he direct him to call in the aid of the civil arm. All the agency which he specifies as proper for this, is that of argument and exhortation. These are the proper means of silencing the advocates of error; and the history of the church shows that the ministers of…”

“Stopped - The word properly means, to put a bit into the mouth of an unruly horse. Titus 1:12”

“1:11 turning whole families away: This also happened in Ephesus (cp. 1 Tim 4:3; 2 Tim 2:18; 3:6). • only for money: Elders must not have this characteristic (Titus 1:7; see also 1 Tim 6:5-10; 2 Cor 2:17; 1 Pet 5:2).”

“mouths: Tit 1:9, Tit 3:10; Psa 63:11, Psa 107:42; Eze 16:63; Luk 20:40; Rom 3:19; Co2 11:10 subvert: Mat 23:14; Ti2 3:6 filthy: Tit 1:7; Isa 56:10, Isa 56:11; Jer 8:10; Eze 13:19; Mic 3:5, Mic 3:11; Joh 10:12; Ti1 6:5; Pe2 2:1-3 Titus 1:12”