The Johannine Letters

[John Reece]

1 John 3:2

Text (NA27):

ἀγαπητοί, νῦν τέκνα θεοῦ ἐσμεν, καὶ οὔπω ἐφανερώθη τί ἐσόμεθα. οἴδαμεν ὅτι ἐὰν φανερωθῇ, ὅμοιοι αὐτῷ ἐσόμεθα, ὅτι ὀψόμεθα αὐτὸν καθώς ἐστιν.

Transliteration (Accordance):

agapētoi, nyn tekna theou esmen, kai oupō ephanerōthē ti esometha. oidamen hoti ean phanerōthȩ̄, homoioi autō̧ esometha, hoti opsometha auton kathōs estin.

Translation (ESV):

Beloved, we are God's children now, and what we will be has not yet appeared; but we know that when he appears[a] we shall be like him, because we shall see him as he is.

Grammatical Analysis (Zerwick/BDAG, meanings in this context):

ἀγαπητός : beloved.
οὔπω : not yet.
ἐφανερώθη : it has not been revealed, aorist passive of φανερόω make evident/known.
ἐσόμεθα : future of εἰμί be.
φανερωθῇ : aorist passive subjunctive of φανερόω.
ὅμοιος : like.
ὀψόμεθα : future of ὁράω see.
ὅτι : explains not our destiny but our recognition of it.

Commentary by Georg Strecker in The Johannine Letters (Hermeneia: Augsburg-Fortress, 1998 ― via Accordance):

[3]2.

And if our fellowship below
In Jesus be so sweet,
What heights of rapture shall we know
When round His throne we meet.

parousia (2:28), we shall become like Jesus. This, of course, is what we already are: we are children of God, we live in the light, and we are free from sin. John does not state explicitly in what new ways we shall be like Jesus at the parousia

[John Reece]

1 John 3:3

Text (NA27):

καὶ πᾶς ὁ ἔχων τὴν ἐλπίδα ταύτην ἐπ᾿ αὐτῷ ἁγνίζει ἑαυτόν, καθὼς ἐκεῖνος ἁγνός ἐστιν.

Transliteration (Accordance):
Translation (ESV):

And everyone who thus hopes in him purifies himself as he is pure.

Grammatical Analysis (Zerwick/BDAG, meanings in this context):

πᾶς ὁ ἔχων : everyone who has.
ἐλπίς, -ίδος, ἡ : hope.
ἐπ᾿ αὐτῷ : associated with ἐλπίδα.
ἁγνίζω : purify.
ἁγνός : pure.

[John Reece]

1 John 3:4

Text (NA27):

Πᾶς ὁ ποιῶν τὴν ἁμαρτίαν καὶ τὴν ἀνομίαν ποιεῖ, καὶ ἡ ἁμαρτία ἐστὶν ἡ ἀνομία.

Transliteration (Accordance):

Pas ho poiōn tēn hamartian kai tēn anomian poiei, kai hē hamartia estin hē anomia.

Translation (ESV):

Everyone who makes a practice of sinning also practices lawlessness; sin is lawlessness.

Grammatical Analysis (Zerwick/BDAG, meanings in this context):

ποιῶν : participle of ποιέω, present denoting habitually.
ἀνομία : lawlessness, wickedness, principle radically opposed to δικαιοσύνη Rom 6:19; Heb 1:9.

[John Reece]

1 John 3:5

Text (NA27):

καὶ οἴδατε ὅτι ἐκεῖνος ἐφανερώθη, ἵνα τὰς ἁμαρτίας ἄρῃ, καὶ ἁμαρτία ἐν αὐτῷ οὐκ ἔστιν.

Transliteration (Accordance):

kai oidate hoti ekeinos ephanerōthē, hina tas hamartias arȩ̄, kai hamartia en autō̧ ouk estin.

Translation (ESV):

You know that he appeared in order to take away sins, and in him there is no sin.

Grammatical Analysis (Zerwick/BDAG, meanings in this context):

ἐκεῖνος : that person, i.e. Christ.
ἐφανερώθη : appeared, aorist passive subjunctive of φανερόω.
ἄρῃ : aorist subjunctive of αἴρω take away.
ἁμαρτία ... οὐκ ἔστιν : there is no sin.

[John Reece]

1 John 3:6

Text (NA27):
Transliteration (Accordance):

pas ho en autō̧ menōn ouch hamartanei; pas ho hamartanōn ouch heōraken auton oude egnōken auton.

Translation (ESV):

No one who abides in him keeps on sinning; no one who keeps on sinning has either seen him or known him.

Grammatical Analysis (Zerwick/BDAG, meanings in this context):

ἁμαρτάνω : sin.
ἁμαρτάνων : present participle : habitually.
ἑώρακεν : perfect of ὁράω see, here spiritually, by faith (John 1:18), οὐχ ἑώρακεν is a stranger to Christ.
ἔγνωκεν : perfect of γινώσκω know.

[John Reece]

1 John 3:7

Text (NA27):
Transliteration (Accordance):

Teknia, mēdeis planatō hymas; ho poiōn tēn dikaiosynēn dikaios estin, kathōs ekeinos dikaios estin

Translation (RSV):

Little children, let no one deceive you. He who does right is righteous, as he is righteous.

Grammatical Analysis (Zerwick/BDAG, meanings in this context):

τεκνίον : diminutive of τεκνίον child.
πλανάτω : imperative 3rd singular of πλανάω mislead, deceive.
ποιῶν : participle of ποιέω, present denoting habitually.

[John Reece]

1 John 3:8

Text (NA27):

ὁ ποιῶν τὴν ἁμαρτίαν ἐκ τοῦ διαβόλου ἐστίν, ὅτι ἀπ᾿ ἀρχῆς ὁ διάβολος ἁμαρτάνει. εἰς τοῦτο ἐφανερώθη ὁ υἱὸς τοῦ θεοῦ, ἵνα λύσῃ τὰ ἔργα τοῦ διαβόλου.

Transliteration (Accordance):
Translation (RSV):

Whoever makes a practice of sinning is of the devil, for the devil has been sinning from the beginning. The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the works of the devil.

Grammatical Analysis (Zerwick/BDAG, meanings in this context):

διάβολος : (< δια-βάλλω accuse) the devil.
ἀρχή : beginning, ἀπ᾿ ἀρχῆς ἁμαρτάνει English idiom demands translating "he has been sinning (i.e. a sinner) from the start".
εἰς τοῦτο : explained by ἵνα... epexegetical.
ἐφανερώθη : aorist passive of φανερόω appear.

[John Reece]

1 John 3:8 (edited to add an item)

Text (NA27):

ὁ ποιῶν τὴν ἁμαρτίαν ἐκ τοῦ διαβόλου ἐστίν, ὅτι ἀπ᾿ ἀρχῆς ὁ διάβολος ἁμαρτάνει. εἰς τοῦτο ἐφανερώθη ὁ υἱὸς τοῦ θεοῦ, ἵνα λύσῃ τὰ ἔργα τοῦ διαβόλου.

Transliteration (Accordance):
Translation (RSV):

Whoever makes a practice of sinning is of the devil, for the devil has been sinning from the beginning. The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the works of the devil.

Grammatical Analysis (Zerwick/BDAG, meanings in this context):

διάβολος : (< δια-βάλλω accuse) the devil.
ἀρχή : beginning, ἀπ᾿ ἀρχῆς ἁμαρτάνει English idiom demands translating "he has been sinning (i.e. a sinner) from the start".
εἰς τοῦτο : explained by ἵνα... epexegetical.
ἐφανερώθη : aorist passive of φανερόω appear.
λύσῃ : aorist subjunctive of λύω undo, destroy.

[John Reece]

1 John 3:9

Text (NA27):

Πᾶς ὁ γεγεννημένος ἐκ τοῦ θεοῦ ἁμαρτίαν οὐ ποιεῖ, ὅτι σπέρμα αὐτοῦ ἐν αὐτῷ μένει, καὶ οὐ δύναται ἁμαρτάνειν, ὅτι ἐκ τοῦ θεοῦ γεγέννηται.

Transliteration (Accordance):

Pas ho gegennēmenos ek tou theou hamartian ou poiei, hoti sperma autou en autō̧ menei, kai ou dynatai hamartanein, hoti ek tou theou gegennētai.

Translation (ESV):

No one born of God makes a practice of sinning, for God's seed abides in him, and he cannot keep on sinning because he has been born of God.

Grammatical Analysis (Zerwick/BDAG, meanings in this context):

πᾶς ... οὐ ποιεῖ : no one ... does (commits), present perhaps makes a habit of...
γεγεννημένος : perfect passive participle of γεννάω bear, passive be born.
σπέρμα : seed.
ἁμαρτάνειν : infinitive present perhaps lead a sinful life; present opposed to aorist commit a sin.
γεγέννηται : perfect passive of γεννάω bear, passive be born.

[John Reece]

1 John 3:10

Text (NA27):
Transliteration (Accordance):

en toutō̧ phanera estin ta tekna tou theou kai ta tekna tou diabolou; pas ho mē poiōn dikaiosynēn ouk estin ek tou theou, kai ho mē agapōn ton adelphon autou.

Translation (ESV):

By this it is evident who are the children of God, and who are the children of the devil: whoever does not practice righteousness is not of God, nor is the one who does not love his brother.

Grammatical Analysis (Zerwick/BDAG, meanings in this context):

τούτῳ : elucidated in 10b,
φανερός : evident.
ἔστιν : singular with neuter plural subject.
τέκνον : like υἱός in metaphorical sense.
ὁ μὴ ποιῶν δικαιοσύνην : the one who does not make a practice of doing right.
ἀγαπῶν : participle of ἀγαπάω love.

[John Reece]

1 John 3:11

Text (NA27):

Ὅτι αὕτη ἐστὶν ἡ ἀγγελία ἣν ἠκούσατε ἀπ᾿ ἀρχῆς, ἵνα ἀγαπῶμεν ἀλλήλους

Transliteration (Accordance):
Translation (ESV):

For this is the message that you have heard from the beginning, that we should love one another.

Grammatical Analysis (Zerwick/BDAG, meanings in this context):

αὕτη ... ἵνα : epexegetical this is ... (namely) that.
ἀγγελία : message.
ἠκούσατε : aorist of ἀκούω hear.
ἀπ᾿ ἀρχῆς : from the beginning ; ἀρχή "beginning" here = when the Gospel was first preached to them.
ἀγαπῶμεν : subjunctive of ἀγαπάω love.

[John Reece]

1 John 3:12

Text (NA27):
Transliteration (Accordance):

ou kathōs Kain ek tou ponērou ēn kai esphaxen ton adelphon autou; kai charin tinos esphaxen auton? hoti ta erga autou ponēra ēn ta de tou adelphou autou dikaia.

Translation (ESV):

We should not be like Cain, who was of the evil one and murdered his brother. And why did he murder him? Because his own deeds were evil and his brother's righteous.

Grammatical Analysis (Zerwick/BDAG, meanings in this context):

ἐκ τοῦ πονηροῦ : (who was) on the side of the Evil One.
ἔσφαξεν : aorist of σφάζω slaughter.
χάριν τίνος; : "for the sake of what?" why.
αὐτοῦ : his (own).

[John Reece]

1 John 3:13

Text (NA27):

[Καὶ] μὴ θαυμάζετε, ἀδελφοί, εἰ μισεῖ ὑμᾶς ὁ κόσμος.

Transliteration (Accordance):

[Kai] mē thaumazete, adelphoi, ei misei hymas ho kosmos.

Translation (ESV):

Do not be surprised, brothers, that the world hates you.

Grammatical Analysis (Zerwick/BDAG, meanings in this context):

θαυμάζετε : imperative of θαυμάζω be surprised.
μισέω : hate.
ὁ κόσμος : the world at times denoting the kingdom of sin actively hostile to God, at others, secular society estranged from and ignoring the kingdom of God.

[John Reece]

1 John 3:14

Text (NA27):
Transliteration (Accordance):

hēmeis oidamen hoti metabebēkamen ek tou thanatou eis tēn zōēn, hoti agapōmen tous adelphous; ho mē agapōn menei en tō̧ thanatō̧.

Translation (ESV):

We know that we have passed out of death into life, because we love the brothers. Whoever does not love abides in death.

Grammatical Analysis (Zerwick/BDAG, meanings in this context):

μεταβεβήκαμεν : perfect of μεταβαίνω go/pass from one place to another.
ὅτι : for.
ἀγαπῶμεν : present indicative, same form as subjunctive.
ἀγαπῶν : participle of ἀγαπάω.
ἐν τῷ θανάτῳ : in (the state of) death.

[John Reece]

1 John 3:15

Text (NA27):

πᾶς ὁ μισῶν τὸν ἀδελφὸν αὐτοῦ ἀνθρωποκτόνος ἐστίν, καὶ οἴδατε ὅτι πᾶς ἀνθρωποκτόνος οὐκ ἔχει ζωὴν αἰώνιον ἐν αὐτῷ μένουσαν.

Transliteration (Accordance):

pas ho misōn ton adelphon autou anthrōpoktonos estin, kai oidate hoti pas anthrōpoktonos ouk echei zōēn aiōnion en autō̧ menousan.

Translation (ESV):

Everyone who hates his brother is a murderer, and you know that no murderer has eternal life abiding in him.

Grammatical Analysis (Zerwick/BDAG, meanings in this context):

μισῶν : participle of μισέω hate.
ἀνθρωποκτόνος : murderer.
πᾶς ἀνθρωποκτόνος οὐκ ἔχει : no murderer has.
μένουσαν : feminine participle of μισέω hate.