1 John 4
Do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits whether they are of God — ‘test’ is the verb used of trying out oxen at Luke 14:19, and ‘spirit’ comes seven times at vv.1-6: it is spirits, not men, that are tested. Every spirit that confesses Jesus Christ as having come in flesh is of God — a perfect participle, having come and so remaining. Every spirit that does not confess Jesus is not of God — the base text has only the name where the Received Text repeats the whole phrase of v.2. ‘That of the one against Christ’ is neuter, a something and not a someone. Greater is the one in you than the one in the world — both parties are left as pronouns. vv.4-6 repeat ‘is of’ four times and close with the spirit of truth and the spirit of deception. Let us love one another, because love is of God. The one who does not love did not know God, because God is love — the predicate has no article, the place of ‘God is light’ at 1:5, and it comes once more at v.16. God has sent his Son, the unique one, into the world (perfect) … and sent his Son as a propitiation (aorist) — the text divides the tenses. No one has ever beheld God — the word of John 1:18, though the verb there is another and Korean merges the two. If we love one another, God abides in us and his love is perfected — the unseen and the perfected interlock in one verse. He has given us of his Spirit — a partitive preposition, and how much is not said. We have beheld and bear witness that the Father has sent the Son as Saviour of the world — the phrase the Samaritans used at John 4:42, its only other place. We have known and have believed — two perfects stacked. By this love has been perfected with us — earlier it was ‘in us’, here ‘with’. There is no fear in love, and complete love throws fear outside — ‘complete’ and ‘perfected’ share a root which neither locale keeps, and ‘throw outside’ is two words, not one. Fear has punishment — the word of Matt 25:46, its only other place. We love — the text gives no object, so none is supplied. The one who does not love his brother whom he has seen cannot love God whom he has not seen. Let the one who loves God love his brother also — pairing with the commandment of 3:23.
Why this rendering
1John.4.6 Observation
Syntactic observation
Ἀγαπητοί, μὴ παντὶ πνεύματι πιστεύετε, ἀλλὰ δοκιμάζετε τὰ πνεύματα — πνεῦμα ‘spirit’ comes seven times at vv.1-6, and it is spirits, not men, that are to be tested · δοκιμάζω ‘test’ is the verb of Luke 14:19, used of trying out oxen · ψευδοπροφήτης ‘false prophet’ is the word of Matt 7:15, which came again at 2 Pet 2:1 · ἐν σαρκὶ ἐληλυθότα at v.2 is a perfect participle — having come and so remaining · ⸀τὸν ⸀Ἰησοῦν — the base text has only ‘Jesus’ at v.3 where the Received Text repeats ‘Jesus Christ having come in flesh’ · τὸ τοῦ ἀντιχρίστου ‘that of the one against Christ’ is neuter, a something and not a someone · the comparison at v.4 leaves both parties as pronouns · vv.5-6 repeat ‘is of’ four times · πλάνη ‘deception’ stands opposite truth.
Rendering options · 3
Basis The Received Text repeats the whole phrase of v.2; the base text has only the name.
Basis The text uses a neuter article — ‘the spirit of’ would add a word it does not have.
Basis It is the verb used of trying out oxen.
Lost in translation
πνεῦμα seven times (vv.1-6) — spirits, not men, are tested. Both keep one word.
The perfect participle (v.2) — having come and remaining. English keeps the perfect.
The short reading at v.3 — the base text has only the name. Both follow it.
The neuter article (v.3) — a something, not a someone. Both leave it unfilled.
‘Is of’ four times (vv.4-6) — one preposition repeated. Both keep it.
The comparison at v.4 — both parties are pronouns. Both leave them unfilled.
Why this rendering
1John.4.12 Observation
Syntactic observation
ὁ μὴ ἀγαπῶν οὐκ ἔγνω τὸν θεόν, ὅτι ὁ θεὸς ἀγάπη ἐστίν — the predicate of ὁ θεὸς ἀγάπη ἐστίν has no article, the place of ‘God is light’ at 1:5, and it comes once more at v.16 · ἀγαπάω and ἀγάπη come fifteen times at vv.7-12 · μονογενής ‘the unique one’ is the word of John 3:16 · vv.9 and 10 divide ἀποστέλλω between perfect and aorist — a sending that stands, and a sending that happened · ἱλασμός ‘propitiation’ returns from 2:2 · πώποτε ‘ever’ is the word of John 1:18, though there the verb is ὁράω and here θεάομαι · v.12 opens with ‘no one has ever beheld’ and closes with ‘his love is perfected’ — the unseen and the perfected interlock · τετελειωμένη ἐστιν is a perfect periphrastic.
Rendering options · 3
Basis It is the place of ‘God is light’ at 1:5.
Basis v.9 is perfect and v.10 aorist.
Basis It is the word of John 1:18.
Lost in translation
The anarthrous predicate (vv.8 · 16) — the place of 1:5. English drops the article and keeps it.
Perfect and aorist (vv.9 · 10). English keeps the split.
ἱλασμός (v.10) — the word of 2:2. Both stand alike.
θεάομαι (v.12) — John 1:18 has ὁράω. English keeps ‘behold’ apart from ‘see’.
πώποτε (v.12) — the word of John 1:18. Both keep it.
The perfect periphrastic (v.12) — a state that stands. English keeps it.
Why this rendering
1John.4.16 Observation
Syntactic observation
Ἐν τούτῳ γινώσκομεν ὅτι ἐν αὐτῷ μένομεν καὶ αὐτὸς ἐν ἡμῖν … ἐκ τοῦ πνεύματος αὐτοῦ δέδωκεν ‘he has given us of his Spirit’ uses a partitive preposition, and the text does not say how much · τεθεάμεθα, a perfect, takes up ‘we beheld’ from 1:1, which was aorist there · σωτὴρ τοῦ κόσμου ‘Saviour of the world’ is the phrase of John 4:42, and these are its only two places in the New Testament · v.16 stacks ἐγνώκαμεν and πεπιστεύκαμεν, two perfects — known and believed · v.16 says ‘God is love’ a second time, pairing with v.8 · μένω ‘abide’ comes six times at vv.12-16 · ὁμολογέω at v.15 is aorist subjunctive, differing from the presents of vv.2-3 · whether ἐν ἡμῖν is ‘in us’ or ‘among us’ the text does not say.
Rendering options · 3
Basis The text uses ‘of’ — ‘his Spirit’ as object would settle how much.
Basis It is what the Samaritans said, and these are its only two places.
Basis The text does not divide ‘in’ from ‘among’.
Lost in translation
ἐκ τοῦ πνεύματος (v.13) — how much is not said. Both leave it unfilled.
τεθεάμεθα (v.14) — the verb of 1:1 in another tense. Both use the same word.
σωτὴρ τοῦ κόσμου (v.14) — the phrase of John 4:42. Both stand alike.
Two perfects (v.16) — known and believed. English keeps them.
‘God is love’ twice (vv.8 · 16) — a pair. Both keep the same wording.
ἐν ἡμῖν (v.16) — ‘in’ or ‘among’ is not said. English must choose.
Why this rendering
1John.4.21 Observation
Syntactic observation
ἐν τούτῳ τετελείωται ἡ ἀγάπη μεθ’ ἡμῶν … τελειόω comes at vv.12, 17 and 18 — love is perfected, and the one who fears is not · μεθ’ ἡμῶν ‘with us’ — earlier it was ‘in us’, here ‘with’ · φόβος ‘fear’ comes four times at v.18, and φοβέομαι is the same root · ἔξω βάλλει ‘throws outside’ is two words, not the single ἐκβάλλω · κόλασις ‘punishment’ is the word of Matt 25:46, its only other place in the New Testament · in τελεία ἀγάπη ‘complete love’, τέλειος shares a root with τελειόω, so two interlock in one verse · ⸀ἀγαπῶμεν at v.19 has no object — the text does not say whom · v.20 sets the seen against the unseen · v.21 closes the commandment with ‘that … should’, pairing with 3:23.
Rendering options · 3
Basis The text does not say whom — supplying ‘him’ would close one side.
Basis The text does not use the single ἐκβάλλω but two words.
Basis It is the word of ‘eternal punishment’, with only two places in the New Testament.
Lost in translation
τελειόω three times (vv.12 · 17 · 18). Both keep one word.
τέλειος / τελειόω (v.18) — one root in one verse. Neither locale keeps it as one.
φόβος four times and φοβέομαι (v.18) — one root five times. Both keep it.
ἔξω βάλλει (v.18) — two words. Both render them as two.
ἀγαπῶμεν (v.19) — no object. Both leave it unfilled.
κόλασις (v.18) — the word of Matt 25:46. Both stand alike.