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1 John 2:3-11 NIV

NT

1 John 2:3-11

niv

Love and Hatred for Fellow Believers 3 We know that we have come to know him if we keep his commands. 4 Whoever says, “I know him,” but does not do what he commands is a liar, and the truth is not in that person. 5 But if anyone obeys his word, love for God is truly made complete in them. This is how we know we are in him: 6 Whoever claims to live in him must live as Jesus did. 7 Dear friends, I am not writing you a new command but an old one, which you have had since the beginning. This old command is the message you have heard. 8 Yet I am writing you a new command; its truth is seen in him and in you, because the darkness is passing and the true light is already shining. 9 Anyone who claims to be in the light but hates a brother or sister is still in the darkness. 10 Anyone who loves their brother and sister lives in the light, and there is nothing in them to make them stumble. 11 But anyone who hates a brother or sister is in the darkness and walks around in the darkness. They do not know where they are going, because the darkness has blinded them.

notes

Main point summary

God's command steers us in our walk of light and shows the warning signs of wandering towards darkness.

Bracket

editing

1 John 2:3-11

sbl

Καὶ ἐν τούτῳ γινώσκομεν ὅτι ἐγνώκαμεν αὐτόν,

ἐὰν τὰς ἐντολὰς αὐτοῦ τηρῶμεν.

ὁ λέγων ⸀ ὅτι Ἔγνωκα αὐτὸν

καὶ τὰς ἐντολὰς αὐτοῦ μὴ τηρῶν

bothand

ψεύστης ἐστίν,

conditional

καὶ ἐν τούτῳ ἡ ἀλήθεια οὐκ ἔστιν·

inference

ὃς δ’ ἂν τηρῇ αὐτοῦ τὸν λόγον,

ἀληθῶς ἐν τούτῳ ἡ ἀγάπη τοῦ θεοῦ τετελείωται.

negativepositive

generalspecific

questionanswer

ἐν τούτῳ γινώσκομεν ὅτι ἐν αὐτῷ ἐσμεν·

ὁ λέγων ἐν αὐτῷ μένειν

ὀφείλει [αὐτὸς περιπατεῖν]

καθὼς ἐκεῖνος περιεπάτησεν καὶ ⸀ αὐτὸς περιπατεῖν .

comparison

series

⸀ Ἀγαπητοί, οὐκ ἐντολὴν καινὴν γράφω ὑμῖν,

ἀλλ’ ἐντολὴν παλαιὰν ἣν εἴχετε ἀπ’ ἀρχῆς·

ἡ ἐντολὴ ἡ παλαιά ἐστιν ὁ λόγος ὃν ⸀ ἠκούσατε.

ideaexplanation

alternative

πάλιν ἐντολὴν καινὴν γράφω ὑμῖν,

ὅ ἐστιν ἀληθὲς ἐν αὐτῷ καὶ ἐν ὑμῖν,

ὅτι ἡ σκοτία παράγεται

καὶ τὸ φῶς τὸ ἀληθινὸν ἤδη φαίνει.

progression

ground

ὁ λέγων ἐν τῷ φωτὶ εἶναι

καὶ τὸν ἀδελφὸν αὐτοῦ μισῶν

ἐν τῇ σκοτίᾳ ἐστὶν ἕως ἄρτι.

ὁ ἀγαπῶν τὸν ἀδελφὸν αὐτοῦ

ἐν τῷ φωτὶ μένει,

καὶ σκάνδαλον ἐν αὐτῷ οὐκ ἔστιν·

ὁ δὲ μισῶν τὸν ἀδελφὸν αὐτοῦ

ἐν τῇ σκοτίᾳ ἐστὶν

καὶ ἐν τῇ σκοτίᾳ περιπατεῖ,

καὶ οὐκ οἶδεν ποῦ ὑπάγει,

ὅτι ἡ σκοτία ἐτύφλωσεν τοὺς ὀφθαλμοὺς αὐτοῦ.

bilateral

discourse

Phrase

1 John 2:3-11

Καὶ ἐν τούτῳ γινώσκομεν

ὅτι ἐγνώκαμεν αὐτόν,

ἐὰν τὰς ἐντολὰς αὐτοῦ τηρῶμεν.

ὅτι Ἔγνωκα αὐτὸν

τὰς ἐντολὰς αὐτοῦ

ὁ λέγων ... καὶ ... μὴ τηρῶν ψεύστης ἐστίν,

καὶ ἐν τούτῳ ἡ ἀλήθεια οὐκ ἔστιν·

δ’ ... ἀληθῶς ἐν τούτῳ ἡ ἀγάπη τοῦ θεοῦ τετελείωται.

ὃς ἂν τηρῇ αὐτοῦ τὸν λόγον,

ἐν τούτῳ γινώσκομεν

ὅτι ἐν αὐτῷ ἐσμεν·

ἐν αὐτῷ μένειν

ὁ λέγων ... ὀφείλει ... αὐτὸς περιπατεῖν.

καθὼς ἐκεῖνος περιεπάτησεν καὶ

Ἀγαπητοί,

οὐκ ἐντολὴν καινὴν γράφω ὑμῖν,

ἀλλ’ ἐντολὴν παλαιὰν

ἣν εἴχετε ἀπ’ ἀρχῆς·

ἡ ἐντολὴ ἡ παλαιά ἐστιν ὁ λόγος

ὃν ἠκούσατε.

πάλιν

ἐντολὴν καινὴν γράφω ὑμῖν,

ὅ ἐστιν ἀληθὲς ἐν αὐτῷ καὶ ἐν ὑμῖν,

ὅτι ἡ σκοτία παράγεται

καὶ τὸ φῶς τὸ ἀληθινὸν ἤδη φαίνει.

ἐν τῷ φωτὶ εἶναι

τὸν ἀδελφὸν αὐτοῦ

ὁ λέγων ... καὶ ... μισῶν ἐν τῇ σκοτίᾳ ἐστὶν ἕως ἄρτι.

ὁ ἀγαπῶν τὸν ἀδελφὸν αὐτοῦ ἐν τῷ φωτὶ μένει,

καὶ σκάνδαλον ἐν αὐτῷ οὐκ ἔστιν·

ὁ δὲ μισῶν τὸν ἀδελφὸν αὐτοῦ ἐν τῇ σκοτίᾳ ἐστὶν

καὶ ἐν τῇ σκοτίᾳ περιπατεῖ,

καὶ οὐκ οἶδεν ποῦ ὑπάγει,

ὅτι ἡ σκοτία ἐτύφλωσεν τοὺς ὀφθαλμοὺς αὐτοῦ.

Καὶ ἐν τούτῳ γινώσκομεν ὅτι ἐγνώκαμεν αὐτόν, ἐὰν τὰς ἐντολὰς αὐτοῦ τηρῶμεν.

ὁ λέγων ὅτι Ἔγνωκα αὐτὸν καὶ τὰς ἐντολὰς αὐτοῦ μὴ τηρῶν ψεύστης ἐστίν, καὶ ἐν τούτῳ ἡ ἀλήθεια οὐκ ἔστιν·

ὃς δ’ ἂν τηρῇ αὐτοῦ τὸν λόγον, ἀληθῶς ἐν τούτῳ ἡ ἀγάπη τοῦ θεοῦ τετελείωται. ἐν τούτῳ γινώσκομεν ὅτι ἐν αὐτῷ ἐσμεν·

ὁ λέγων ἐν αὐτῷ μένειν ὀφείλει καθὼς ἐκεῖνος περιεπάτησεν καὶ αὐτὸς περιπατεῖν.

Ἀγαπητοί, οὐκ ἐντολὴν καινὴν γράφω ὑμῖν, ἀλλ’ ἐντολὴν παλαιὰν ἣν εἴχετε ἀπ’ ἀρχῆς· ἡ ἐντολὴ ἡ παλαιά ἐστιν ὁ λόγος ὃν ἠκούσατε.

πάλιν ἐντολὴν καινὴν γράφω ὑμῖν, ὅ ἐστιν ἀληθὲς ἐν αὐτῷ καὶ ἐν ὑμῖν, ὅτι ἡ σκοτία παράγεται καὶ τὸ φῶς τὸ ἀληθινὸν ἤδη φαίνει.

ὁ λέγων ἐν τῷ φωτὶ εἶναι καὶ τὸν ἀδελφὸν αὐτοῦ μισῶν ἐν τῇ σκοτίᾳ ἐστὶν ἕως ἄρτι.

ὁ ἀγαπῶν τὸν ἀδελφὸν αὐτοῦ ἐν τῷ φωτὶ μένει, καὶ σκάνδαλον ἐν αὐτῷ οὐκ ἔστιν·

ὁ δὲ μισῶν τὸν ἀδελφὸν αὐτοῦ ἐν τῇ σκοτίᾳ ἐστὶν καὶ ἐν τῇ σκοτίᾳ περιπατεῖ, καὶ οὐκ οἶδεν ποῦ ὑπάγει, ὅτι ἡ σκοτία ἐτύφλωσεν τοὺς ὀφθαλμοὺς αὐτοῦ.

phrasing

Bracket Walkthru

John’s style here is somewhat unusual. I have sought to convey in the bracket the implied sense of the clauses rather than only the grammatical relationships. The “in this we know” phrases of v3a and v4d are taken as questions . They are not phrased as this grammatically, nor punctuated as such by the GNTs. However, their effect is to ask/answer the question: how do we know we know him/are in him. There are two such Q-A relationships (3a-5b and 5c-6c). These are connected in series . The answer to the first is given plainly: if we keep his commands. This general statement is then expressed specifically in vv4a-5b. Throughout this passage the use of articular participles are bracket as If-Then constructions. Again, this is not grammatically the case since there are no conditional constructions here. Rather the rhetorical effect is that the first clause sets up a condition which, if true, leads to the conclusion presented in the second clause, which acts as the apodosis. The two If-Th clauses of 4a-c and 5a-b form a Negative-Positive relationship with the first presenting a negative example (and its inference in 4d) and the second presenting a more appropriate positive example. The third If-Then (6a-b) is followed by comparative clause outlining how a person who claims to remain in Christ ought to walk. The overall structure of the passage is bilateral with vv7-8 forming the grounds of both vv3-6 and vv9-11. The central section is the foundation for the parts that precede and follow. John’s explanation of what he is writing (which is both-and old and new) centres on the Word of God. It is this truth, from God who is light (cf. 1:5) which expels darkness (v8c-d), resides in the readers (v8a) and is known by them (v7c). Because this truth has the power to override darkness and is present with and known to the readers. therefore they are able to both discern how to life and follow such a path. The third section (vv9-11) is the second inference drawn from the grounds of vv7-9 and in many ways mirrors vv3-6. Once again the participial phrases act as If-Then conditions, with the first one (vv9a-b) containing a theologically impossible Both-And scenario. The second (10a-c) and third (11a-e) If-Th relationships form another Positive-Negative. Positively. John is able to pronounce that the person who loves his brother is in the light, while the one who hates his brother is in darkness.