1 John 5

1 John 5:2

11 tn Grk “in which you exult.”

12 tc ‡ The oldest and best witnesses lack the verb (א* B, along with 1505 pc), but most mss (Ì72 א2 A C P Ψ 048 33 1739 Ï) have ἐστίν here (estin, “[if] it is [necessary]”). The verb looks to be an explanatory gloss. But if no verb is present, this opens up the time frame in the author’s mind even more, since the conditional particle for both the first class condition and the fourth class condition is εἰ (ei). That may well be what was on the author’s mind, as evidenced by some of his other allusions to suffering in this little letter (3:14, 17). NA27 has the verb in brackets, indicating doubts as to its authenticity.

tn Grk “Though now, for a little while if necessary, you may have to suffer.”

1 John 5:3

13 tn Or “genuineness,” the result of testing. On the other hand it may denote the process of testing: “that the proving of your faith…may bring praise.”

sn The author is not asserting that the quality of the readers’ faith is in doubt and will be proven by future trials. He declares their faith to be a present reality in v. 5 and 9, so in context v. 8 affirms that their faith is indeed genuine.

14 tn Grk “which is passing away but is tested by fire,” describing gold in a lesser-to-greater comparison with faith’s proven character.

15 tn Grk “that the testing of your faith…may be found unto praise,” showing the result of the trials mentioned in v. 6.

16 tn Grk “at the revelation of Jesus Christ” (cf. v. 13).

1 John 5:4

17 tn Grk “whom not having seen, you love.” Because of the length and complexity of the Greek sentence, a new sentence was started here in the translation.

18 tn Grk “in whom not now seeing…” Because of the length and complexity of the Greek sentence, a new sentence was started here in the translation.

19 tn Grk “in whom not now seeing but believing, you exult.” The participles have been translated as finite verbs due to requirements of contemporary English style.

20 tn Grk “glorified.”

1 John 5:6

21 tn Grk “about which salvation.”

22 sn Prophets refers to the OT prophets.

23 tn Grk “who prophesied about the grace that is to/for you.”

1 John 5:7

24 tn Grk “probing.” The participle continues the sentence from v. 10 but has been translated as an indicative for English style.

25 tn Or “time or circumstances,” focusing not on the person but on the timing and circumstances of the fulfillment.

sn The OT prophets wondered about the person and the surrounding circumstances (time) through which God would fulfill his promised salvation.

26 tn Grk “the sufferings unto Christ,” i.e., sufferings directed toward him, what he was destined to suffer.

27 tn Grk “the glories after these things.”

1 John 5:8

28 tn Grk “to whom [pl.] it was revealed.”

1 John 5:9

29 tn Grk “binding up the loins of your mind,” a figure of speech drawn from the Middle Eastern practice of gathering up long robes around the waist to prepare for work or action.

30 tn Grk “having bound up…, being sober, set your hope…”

31 tn Grk “at the revelation of Jesus Christ” (cf. v. 7).

1 John 5:10

32 tn Or “do not be conformed to”; Grk “not being conformed to.”

33 tn Grk “the former lusts in your ignorance.”

1 John 5:12

34 sn A quotation from Leviticus 19:2.

1 John 5:13

35 tn Grk “the time of your sojourn,” picturing the Christian’s life in this world as a temporary stay in a foreign country (cf. 1:1).

1 John 5:16

36 tn Grk “who was foreknown,” describing Christ in v. 19. Because of the length and complexity of the Greek sentence, a new sentence was started here in the translation.

37 tn Greek emphasizes the contrast between these two clauses more than can be easily expressed in English.

38 tn Grk “at the last of the times.”

1 John 5:17

39 tc Although there may be only a slight difference in translation, the term translated as “trust” is the adjective πιστούς (pistous). This is neither as common nor as clear as the verb πιστεύω (pisteuw, “believe, trust”). Consequently, most mss have the present participle πιστεύοντας (pisteuonta"; Ì72 א C P Ψ 1739 Ï), or the aorist participle πιστεύσαντες (pisteusante"; 33 pc), while A B pc vg have the adjective. Thus, πιστούς is to be preferred. In the NT the adjective is routinely taken passively in the sense of “faithful” (BDAG 820 s.v. πιστός 1). That may be part of the force here as well: “you are now faithful to God,” although the primary force in this context seems to be that of trusting. Nevertheless, it is difficult to separate faith from faithfulness in NT descriptions of Christians’ dependence on God.

tn Grk “who through him [are] trusting,” describing the “you” of v. 20. Because of the length and complexity of the Greek sentence, a new sentence was started here in the translation.

1 John 5:18

40 tn Grk “having purified,” as the preparation for the love described in the second half of the verse.

41 tc Most later mss (P Ï) have διὰπνεύματος (dia pneumato", “through the spirit”) after ἀληθείας (ajlhqeia", “truth”), while the words are lacking in a broad spectrum of early and important witnesses (Ì72 א A B C Ψ 33 81 323 945 1241 1739 al vg sy co). On external grounds, the shorter reading cannot be easily explained if it were not original. The longer reading is clearly secondary, added to show more strongly God’s part in man’s obedience to the truth. But the addition ignores the force that the author gives to “purified” and ruins the balance between v. 22 and v. 23 (for in v. 23 the emphasis is on God’s part; here, on man’s part).

42 tn Grk “for sincere brotherly love.”

43 tn Verses 22-23 are a single sentence in the Greek text. To improve clarity (and because contemporary English tends to use shorter sentences) these verses have been divided into three sentences in the translation. In addition, “So” has been supplied at the beginning of the second English sentence (v. 22b) to indicate the relationship with the preceding statement.

44 tc A few mss (A B 1852 pc) lack καθαρᾶς (kaqaras, “pure”) and read simply καρδίας (kardias, “from the heart”), but there is excellent ms support (Ì72 א* C P Ψ 33 1739 Ï co) for the word. The omission may have been accidental. In the uncial script (kaqaras kardias) an accidental omission could have happened via homoioteleuton or homoioarcton. καθαρᾶς should be considered original.

1 John 5:20

45 sn Here all flesh is a metaphor for humanity - human beings as both frail and temporary.

46 tn Or “a wildflower.”

1 John 5:21

47 sn The word of the Lord is a technical expression in OT literature, often referring to a divine prophetic utterance (e.g., Genesis 15:1, Isaiah 1:10, Jonah 1:1). In the NT it occurs 15 times: 3 times as ῥῆματοῦκυρίου (rJhma tou kuriou; here and in Luke 22:61, Acts 11:16) and 12 times as λόγοςτοῦκυρίου (logo" tou kuriou; Acts 8:25; 13:44, 48, 49; 15:35, 36; 16:32; 19:10, 20; 1 Thessalonians 1:8, 4:15; 2 Thessalonians 3:1). As in the OT, this phrase focuses on the prophetic nature and divine origin of what has been said.

48 sn A quotation from Isaiah 40:6, 8.