3 John 1
The elder writes to Gaius the beloved — naming himself only ‘the elder’, as in 2 John, but here the recipient is one named person. ‘Beloved’ comes four times and ‘truth’ five times at vv.1-4. He prays that Gaius may be prospered on his way and healthy — the word has ‘way’ inside it, and two of its three New Testament places are in this verse. He rejoiced greatly when brothers came and bore witness to Gaius’s truth. He has no greater joy than to hear that his children are walking in the truth — ‘greater’ is a comparative laid on a comparative, once in the New Testament, and neither locale carries the doubling. Whatever Gaius works for the brothers — and that for strangers — he is doing a faithful thing; ‘faithful’ is a bare adjective, so both locales must supply a noun. They bore witness to his love before a church, and he will do well to send them on their way worthily of God. They went out for the sake of the Name and take nothing from the gentiles — whose name is not said. We therefore ought to uphold such people — the base text has the verb of taking up from underneath, where other editions read a welcoming verb — so that we may become fellow workers with the truth, the dative leaving ‘with’ and ‘for’ open. He wrote something to the church, but Diotrephes, who loves to be first, does not accept them — ‘love to be first’, ‘Diotrephes’ and ‘talk nonsense’ are each once in the New Testament, and ‘accept’ stands only at vv.9-10. One verse lists four things he does: talking nonsense, not accepting the brothers, preventing those who want to, and casting them out of the church. Do not imitate the evil but the good — ‘do good’ and ‘do evil’ are matched in shape. Demetrius has been borne witness to by all and by the truth itself. Having many things to write, he does not want to write with ink and reed — 2 John had ‘paper and ink’. He hopes to come soon and speak mouth to mouth. Peace, the friends’ greeting, and a charge to greet the friends by name close the letter.
Why this rendering
3John.1.4 Observation
Syntactic observation
Ὁ πρεσβύτερος Γαΐῳ τῷ ἀγαπητῷ — the writer names himself only ‘the elder’, exactly as in 2 John, but here the recipient is one named person, unlike ‘the chosen lady’ · ἀγαπητέ ‘beloved’ comes four times (vv.1, 2, 5, 11), and only v.1 has it as a dative modifier · εὐοδόομαι ‘be prospered on one’s way’ comes twice in v.2 — ὁδός ‘way’ stands inside the word, and two of its three New Testament places are here · ὑγιαίνω ‘be healthy’ is the verb Luke uses of bodies and the Pastoral Letters use of teaching; here it is a body again · ἀλήθεια ‘truth’ comes five times at vv.1-4 · μειζότερος (v.4) is once in the New Testament, a comparative laid on top of the comparative μείζων · ⸀χαράν ‘joy’ is the base text’s reading · ⸀τῇ ἀληθείᾳ has the article, against the article-less ‘in truth’ of v.3.
Rendering options · 3
Basis 2 John addresses a lady and her children; this letter addresses Gaius alone.
Basis ὁδός ‘way’ stands inside εὐοδόομαι — ‘prosper’ alone would lose it.
Basis Marking the doubled comparative would add a force the text does not spell out.
Lost in translation
‘The elder’ (v.1) — no name, as in 2 John. Both leave it unfilled.
εὐοδόομαι (twice in v.2) — ‘way’ inside the word. English carries it as ‘on your way’.
μειζότερος (v.4) — a comparative on a comparative. Neither locale carries the doubling.
The article (vv.3 · 4) — ‘in truth’ against ‘in the truth’. English marks it with the article.
ὑγιαίνω (v.2) — the word the Pastoral Letters use of teaching. Both keep one word.
ψυχή (v.2) — the word settled as ‘life’ at Mark 8:35-37. Both follow that settled word.
Why this rendering
3John.1.8 Observation
Syntactic observation
Ἀγαπητέ, πιστὸν ποιεῖς ὃ ἐὰν ἐργάσῃ εἰς τοὺς ἀδελφούς — πιστόν is a bare neuter adjective doing duty as the object; the noun ‘thing’ is not in the text · ⸀τοῦτο ‘and that’ is the base text’s reading · ξένος ‘stranger’ is the word for the stranger of Matt 25:35, here set beside the brothers · ἐνώπιον ἐκκλησίας has no article, against ‘the church’ of v.9 · προπέμπω ‘send on the way’ is the word Acts uses of seeing travellers off · ὑπὲρ τοῦ ὀνόματος ‘for the sake of the Name’ does not say whose name · ⸀ἐθνικῶν ‘gentiles’ is the base text’s reading, the word of Matt 5:47, 6:7 and 18:17, and this is its fourth place · ⸀ὑπολαμβάνειν ‘uphold’ is the base text’s reading, a verb of taking up from underneath · the dative τῇ ἀληθείᾳ after συνεργοί does not say whether it is ‘with’ or ‘for’ the truth.
Rendering options · 3
Basis The text has only a bare neuter adjective; both locales need a noun to lean on.
Basis The base text has the verb of taking up from underneath; other editions read a welcoming verb.
Basis Whether ‘with’ or ‘for’ the text does not say.
Lost in translation
πιστόν (v.5) — an adjective with no noun. Both must supply one.
‘the Name’ (v.7) — whose name is not said. Both leave it unfilled.
The article-less ἐκκλησίας (v.6) — against ‘the church’ of v.9. English marks it with the article.
ὑπολαμβάνω (v.8) — ‘from underneath’ inside the word. Neither locale carries the direction.
The dative τῇ ἀληθείᾳ (v.8) — ‘with’ or ‘for’ is not said. Both leave it unfilled.
συνεργός (v.8) — one root with ἐργάζομαι (v.5). English keeps ‘work’ in both.
Why this rendering
3John.1.15 Observation
Syntactic observation
ὁ φιλοπρωτεύων αὐτῶν Διοτρέφης οὐκ ἐπιδέχεται ἡμᾶς — φιλοπρωτεύω is once in the New Testament, ‘loving’ and ‘being first’ fused into one word; πρωτεύω itself is once, at Col 1:18 · Διοτρέφης is also once, and this letter names three people (Gaius, Diotrephes, Demetrius) · ἐπιδέχομαι ‘accept’ stands only twice, both at vv.9-10 · φλυαρέω ‘talk nonsense’ is once, one root with φλύαρος ‘gossip’ at 1 Tim 5:13 · ⸀τι ‘something’ is the base text’s reading · v.10 lists four things he does — talking nonsense, not accepting, preventing, casting out · ἐκβάλλω ‘cast out’ is the verb by which the man born blind is cast outside at John 9:34 · v.11 sets ἀγαθοποιέω against κακοποιέω, the pair of Mark 3:4 and Luke 6:9 · in v.12 ‘the truth itself’ stands as a witness · the singular ⸀οἶδας is the base text’s reading · the close of vv.13-15 runs beside 2 John 12 but changes the words — ‘paper and ink’ there, ‘ink and reed’ here · v.15 closes with ‘the friends’, the word of John 15:15: the letter ends not with brothers but with friends.
Rendering options · 3
Basis Both ‘love’ and ‘be first’ stand inside the one word.
Basis The same word as the reed shaken by the wind (Matt 11:7) and the reed in his hand (Matt 27:29).
Basis The base text is singular where other editions are plural.
Lost in translation
φιλοπρωτεύω (v.9) — two words fused into one. Both must unfold it.
φλυαρέω (v.10) — one root with φλύαρος at 1 Tim 5:13. English splits ‘gossip’ from ‘talk nonsense’.
ἐκβάλλω (v.10) — the verb of John 9:34. Both use the same word.
ἀγαθοποιέω / κακοποιέω (v.11) — matched in shape. Both render the pairing.
κάλαμος (v.13) — one of twelve reeds. Both keep ‘reed’.
The singular ‘you’ (v.12) — the base text reads a singular. English has one ‘you’ for both.