One of the many titles of Mary included in the Litany of Loreto is “Vessel of Honor”. I happened to stumble across what I believe are the scriptural roots of this title while reading St. Paul’s Second Letter to Timothy:
But in a great house there are not only vessels of gold and silver, but also of wood and earth: and some indeed unto honour, but some unto dishonour. If any man therefore shall cleanse himself from these, he shall be a vessel unto honour, sanctified and profitable to the Lord, prepared unto every good work. 2 Timothy 2:20-21 DRA
Digging deeper, I found that St. Paul used the same phrase in his Letter to the Romans:
O man, who art thou that repliest against God? Shall the thing formed say to him that formed it: Why hast thou made me thus? Or hath not the potter power over the clay, of the same lump, to make one vessel unto honour, and another unto dishonour? What if God, willing to shew his wrath, and to make his power known, endured with much patience vessels of wrath, fitted for destruction, that he might shew the riches of his glory on the vessels of mercy, which he hath prepared unto glory? Romans 9:20-23 DRA
The phrase in Koine Greek is “σκεῦος εἰς τιμήν”.
“Σκεῦος” (skeuos) is “a vessel, implement, equipment or apparatus (literally or figuratively (specially, a wife as contributing to the usefulness of the husband)) — goods, sail, stuff, vessel.” (Strong 1669) In this case, it seems St. Paul is using an analogy to utensils like pitchers, bowls, pots and pans commonly found in a home. Uses of σκεῦος in St. Paul’s other letters are interpreted as “body” or even “wife”. (Thayer 577)
“Εἰς” (eis) is a preposition having many meanings, but here means “for a purpose of”.
“Τιμήν” (timé) is a noun which means “value, honor, or esteem.
The phrase employed by other English translations offers some insight:
- “vessel for honorable use” ESV and NET
- “vessel for lofty use” NAB
- “vessel for honor” NASB 1995
- “instruments for special purposes” NIV
Conclusion
St. Paul’s advice is directed at us, but the Blessed Virgin Mary is the scriptural “vessel of honor” par excellence. She was created for the most noble use, the vessel who held our Redeemer in her womb and raised him. She was sanctified and destined for glory.
References
Strong, James. Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible. Hendrickson Publishers, 2007.
Thayer, Joseph Henry, et al.
Thayer’s Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament: Coded with the Numbering System from Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible. Edited by Joseph Henry Thayer, translated by Joseph Henry Thayer, Hendrickson, 1996.
