Book	Chapter	Verse	ID	SupportReference	OrigQuote	Occurrence	GLQuote	OccurrenceNote
1JN	front	intro	nl27			0		# Introduction to 1 John<br><br>## Part 1: General Introduction<br><br>### Outline of the book of 1 John<br><br>This is a letter that the apostle John wrote to challenge and correct false teachings that were leading followers of Jesus to believe wrong things and live in wrong ways. At that time, the letter form had distinct opening and closing sections. The main body of the letter came in between.<br><br>1. Opening of Letter (1:1-4)<br>1. Main Body of Letter (1:5-5:12)<br>    * Genuine believers obey God and love one another (1:5-2:17)<br>    * It is false teaching to deny that Jesus is the Messiah (2:18-2:27)<br>    * Genuine children of God do not sin (2:28-3:10)<br>    * Genuine believers help one another sacrificially (3:11-18)<br>    * Genuine believers have confidence in prayer (3:19-24)<br>    * It is false teaching to deny that Jesus became human (4:1-6)<br>    * Genuine believers love one another as God has loved them (4:7-21)<br>    * It is false teaching to deny that Jesus is the Son of God (5:1-12)<br>1. Closing of Letter (5:13-21)<br><br>### Who wrote the book of 1 John?<br><br>The author of this letter does not give his name. However, since early Christian times, the church has widely considered the apostle John to be the author. He wrote the Gospel of John, and there are many similarities between the content of that book and this letter. If John did write this letter, he probably did so near the end of his life.<br><br>### To whom was the book of 1 John written?<br><br>The author wrote this letter to people whom he addresses as “beloved” and, figuratively, as “my little children.” This probably means believers in various churches located in the area where John was then living.<br><br>### What is the book of 1 John about?<br><br>False teachers were encouraging followers of Jesus to believe wrong things and to live in wrong ways. John wanted to challenge and correct those false teachings so that the people who received his letter would continue to believe the truth they had been taught and live in right ways. The false teachers were saying that these people were not saved; John wanted to assure them that they were saved.<br><br>### How should the title of this book be translated?<br><br>Translators may choose to call this book by its traditional title, “1 John” or “First John.” They may also choose a different title, such as “The First Letter from John” or “The First Letter John Wrote.” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/translate-names]])<br><br>## Part 2: Important Religious and Cultural Concepts<br><br>### Who were the people whom John spoke against?<br><br>The false teachers John was challenging seem to have held beliefs similar to what would later become known as Gnosticism. Those false teachers believed that the physical world was evil. They thought that God would not become human, since they considered the physical body to be evil, so they denied that Jesus was God come to earth in human form. (See: [[rc://en/tw/dict/bible/kt/evil]])<br><br>## Part 3: Important Translation Issues<br><br>### “sin”<br><br>In chapter 1, John says that we should not deny that we have sinned. Rather, if we confess our sin, God will forgive us. In chapter 2, John says that he is writing this letter so that the recipients will not sin, but he adds that if they do sin, Jesus will advocate on their behalf. But in chapter 3, John says that everyone who has been begotten from God and who remains in God does not commit sin and is not able to sin. And in chapter 5, John says that we should not pray for people who are sinning certain ways, although we should pray for people who are sinning in other ways. This may seem confusing and contradictory.<br><br>However, the explanation is that the people whose teachings John was writing to challenge and correct were saying that it did not matter what people did in their bodies. This was because they thought physical matter was evil, and so they thought God did not care about it. In effect, they were saying that there was no such thing as sin. So John needed to say, in chapter 1, that sin is real and that everyone has sinned. Some of the believers may have been deceived by the false teaching and committed sins, so John also needed to reassure them that if they repented and confessed their sins, God would forgive them. John says similar things in chapter 2. Then in chapter 3 he explains that the new nature that believers have as children of God is one that does not want to sin and that does not enjoy sinning. So they should recognize that those who excuse or condone sin are not truly children of God, and that as children of God themselves, they can become more and more obedient and free from sin. Finally, in chapter 5, John warns that if a person sins wantonly and continually, this likely means that they have rejected Jesus and are not influenced by the Holy Spirit. He says that in that case, it may not be effective to pray for them. But he then encourages his readers that if a person sins occasionally but feels remorse, he is influenced by the Spirit, and so the prayers of other believers will help him repent and live in a right way again. (See: [[rc://en/tw/dict/bible/kt/sin]] and [[rc://en/tw/dict/bible/kt/faith]] and [[rc://en/tw/dict/bible/kt/forgive]])<br><br>### “remain”<br><br>In this letter, John often uses the word “remain” (which could also be translated as “reside” or “abide”) as a spatial metaphor. John speaks of a believer becoming more faithful to Jesus and knowing Jesus better as if the word of Jesus “remained” in the believer. He speaks of a person being spiritually joined to someone else as if that person “remained” in the other person: He writes that Christians “remain” in Christ and in God, and he says that the Father “remains” in the Son, the Son “remains” in the Father, the Son “remains” in believers, and the Holy Spirit “remains” in believers.<br><br>Translators may find it difficult to represent these ideas in their own languages if they try to use exactly the same words and expressions each time. For example, in [2:6](../02/06.md), when John speaks of a believer “remaining” in God, he intends to express the idea of that believer being spiritually unified with God. Accordingly, UST speaks of the believer being “in union with God.” To give another example, for the statement in [2:13](../02/13.md) that “the word of God remains in you,” UST says, “you continue to obey what God commands.” This shows how other expressions can be found that accurately communicate the various ideas that John is expressing through the term “remain.”<br><br>### “appear”<br><br>In several places in this letter, John uses a term that ULT usually translates as “appear.” This is actually a passive verbal form in Greek, but as is often the case with such forms in that language, it can have an active meaning. When it has an active meaning, it is important to recognize that it does not simply mean “seemed to be there,” as the word “appeared” might suggest. Rather, it means “was there.” This is illustrated well by the use of the term in another New Testament book, 2 Corinthians, in which Paul writes in [5:10](../2co/05/10.md) that “we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ.” Clearly this does not mean that we must only seem to be present there. Rather, we must actually be there.<br><br>Throughout the epistle, it is a subtle matter of interpretation to decide whether John is using the term “appear” in an active sense or in a passive sense. For example, in [1:2](../01/02.md), John applies the term twice to the “Word of life,” that is, to Jesus. But it is not clear whether he is saying that Jesus himself “appeared,” that is, he came to earth, or that he “was made apparent” (made visible), with the emphasis on the idea that God revealed Jesus to the world and in the process revealed himself to the world through Jesus. At each place where John uses this term, notes will call attention to it and discuss what it likely means in that context.<br><br>### “the world”<br><br>John also uses the term “world” in a variety of senses in this letter. It can mean the earth, something material, the people who live in the world, the people who do not honor God, or the values of the people who do not honor God. Notes will address the meaning of the term “world” in each instance where John uses it.<br><br>### “to know”<br><br>The verb “to know” is used in two different ways in this letter. Sometimes it is used about knowing a fact, as in 3:2, 3:5, and 3:19. Sometimes it means to experience and understand someone or something, as in 3:1, 3:6, 3:16, and 3:20. Sometimes John uses it in two different senses in the same sentence, as in 2:3, “in this we know that we have known him.” Your languages may have different words for these different meanings, and it would be appropriate to use them in your translation.<br><br>### Major textual issues in the text of the book of 1 John<br><br>When ancient manuscripts of the Bible differ, ULT puts the readings that scholars consider to be most accurate in its text, but it puts other possibly accurate readings in footnotes. The introductions to each chapter will discuss places where the ancient manuscripts differ in significant ways, and notes will address those places again where they occur in the book. If a translation of the Bible already exists in your region, consider using the readings found in that version. If not, we recommend that you follow the readings in the ULT text. (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/translate-textvariants]])
1JN	1	intro	ab9v			0		# 1 John 01 General Notes<br><br>## Structure and formatting<br><br>1. Opening of the letter (1:1-4)<br>2. Genuine believers obey God and love one another (1:5-10, continues through 2:17)<br><br>## Important translation issues in this chapter<br><br>Like many Greek compositions of this time, for stylistic purposes this letter begins with a very long sentence. It goes from the beginning of [1:1](../01/01.md) to the middle of [1:3](../01/03.md). The parts of this sentence are not in the order that is customary in many languages. The direct object comes first, and it is very long, made up of many different clauses. The subject and verb do not come until near the end. And in the middle, there is a long digression. So it will be a challenge to translate.<br><br>One approach that might work well in your language would be to create a verse bridge that includes all of 1:1-3. You could break up this long sentence into several smaller sentences, repeating the subject and verb for clarity. This would allow you to present the parts of the sentence in an order that might be more customary in your language and that your readers might understand better. For example:<br><br>“So that you will have fellowship with us, we are declaring to you what we have seen and heard. We are declaring to you what was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked at and our hands have touched. It has to do with the Word of life. Indeed, the life appeared, and we have seen it, and we are testifying to it. Yes, we are announcing to you the eternal life that was with the Father and that appeared to us.”<br><br>If you take this approach, another way to translate the second sentence would be, “We are declaring to you what was from the beginning, what we have heard, what we have seen with our eyes, what we have looked at and our hands have touched.”<br><br>Another approach that could also work well, and which would not require a verse bridge, would be to leave the phrases in their present order, but to divide the sentence into three parts at the verse divisions. If you do that, you could also put your translation of the phrase “regarding the Word of life” at the beginning rather than the end of [1:1](../01/01.md) and present it as a topical introduction to the letter. Otherwise, your readers might not get the sense that this is a letter until they reached [1:4](../01/04.md), where John formally states his purpose for writing.<br><br>The notes to [1:1-4](../01/01.md) provide further specific suggestions for how to translate this long opening sentence. (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/translate-versebridge]])<br><br>## Important textual issues in this chapter<br><br>In [1:4](../01/04.md), the most accurate ancient manuscripts read “so that our joy may be fulfilled.” ULT follows that reading. However, some other ancient manuscripts read “your joy” instead of “our joy.” If a translation of the Bible already exists in your region, consider using whichever reading is found in that version. If a translation does not already exist, we recommend that you follow the reading in the ULT text. (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/translate-textvariants]])
1JN	1	1	j363	writing-pronouns	ὃ ἦν ἀπ’ ἀρχῆς, ὃ ἀκηκόαμεν, ὃ ἑωράκαμεν τοῖς ὀφθαλμοῖς ἡμῶν, ὃ ἐθεασάμεθα, καὶ αἱ χεῖρες ἡμῶν ἐψηλάφησαν	1	What was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked at and our hands have touched	See the discussion in the General Notes to this chapter for how to translate the long sentence in [1:1-3](../01/01.md). If you follow the suggestion to translate the phrase “regarding the Word of life” as a topical introduction to this letter, you will already have indicated that the four clauses in this verse refer to a person, Jesus. You could therefore introduce them with the personal pronouns “who” and “whom.” Alternate translation: “He is the one who has existed from all eternity, whom we heard speak, whom we saw with our own eyes, and whom we looked at and touched with our own hands” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/writing-pronouns]])
1JN	1	1	j364	figs-idiom	ἀπ’ ἀρχῆς	1	from the beginning	John uses the phrase **from the beginning** in various ways in this letter. Here it refers to the eternal existence of Jesus. Alternate translation: “from all eternity” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-idiom]])
1JN	1	1	jd7p	figs-exclusive	ἀκηκόαμεν…ἑωράκαμεν…ἡμῶν…ἐθεασάμεθα…ἡμῶν	1	we have heard … we have seen … our … we have looked at … our	In most cases in this letter, the first-person plural pronouns are inclusive, and so if your language marks that distinction, use the inclusive form in your translation. John is speaking of what both he and the recipients know, or of things that are true of both him and the recipients. However, in a few cases, the first-person pronouns are exclusive, since John is telling the recipients what he and his fellow apostles saw and heard from Jesus. These notes will identify all such places, and in them you should use the exclusive forms, if your language marks that distinction. Here the pronouns **we** and **our** are exclusive, since John is speaking on behalf of himself and the other eyewitnesses to the earthly life of Jesus. (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-exclusive]])
1JN	1	1	ej5x	figs-explicit	ὃ ἀκηκόαμεν	1	which we have heard	The implication is that what John and the other eyewitnesses **heard** was Jesus speaking. Alternate translation: “whom we heard speak” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-explicit]])
1JN	1	1	rb73	figs-parallelism	ὃ ἑωράκαμεν τοῖς ὀφθαλμοῖς ἡμῶν, ὃ ἐθεασάμεθα	1	which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked at	These two phrases mean the same thing. John is likely using the repetition for emphasis. You could combine these phrases into an emphatic expression if that would be clearer for your readers. Alternate translation: “whom we saw clearly ourselves” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-parallelism]])
1JN	1	1	j001	figs-extrainfo	ἑωράκαμεν τοῖς ὀφθαλμοῖς ἡμῶν…αἱ χεῖρες ἡμῶν ἐψηλάφησαν	1	which we have seen with our eyes … our hands have touched	In your language, it might seem that these phrases express unnecessary extra information. If so, you could abbreviate them. However, your language may have its own way of using such extra information for emphasis, and you could also do that in your translation. Alternate translation: “whom we saw … touched” or “whom we saw with our own eyes … touched with our own hands” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-extrainfo]])
1JN	1	1	j002	figs-explicit	ἑωράκαμεν τοῖς ὀφθαλμοῖς ἡμῶν…αἱ χεῖρες ἡμῶν ἐψηλάφησαν	1	which we have seen with our eyes … our hands have touched	The implications of what John is saying are that Jesus must have been a real human being, even though the false teachers are denying this. If it would be helpful to your readers, you could say that explicitly, as UST does. (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-explicit]])
1JN	1	1	j003		περὶ τοῦ λόγου τῆς ζωῆς	1	regarding the Word of life	As the General Notes to this chapter suggest, you could put your translation of this phrase, **regarding the Word of life**, at the beginning of this verse and present it as a sentence of its own as a topical introduction to the letter, as UST does. Alternate translation: “We are writing to you about Jesus, the Word of life”
1JN	1	1	j004	writing-pronouns	περὶ τοῦ λόγου τῆς ζωῆς	1	regarding the Word of life	Letter writers of this time typically began by giving their own names. That is the case for most of the letters in the New Testament. This letter is an exception, but if it would be helpful to your readers, you could supply John’s name here, as UST does. As noted above, John uses the plural pronoun “we” because he is speaking on behalf of himself and the other eyewitnesses to Jesus’ earthly life. But it may be more natural in your language for him to refer to himself with a singular pronoun, and if so, you could do that in your translation. Alternate translation: “I, John, am writing to you about Jesus, the Word of life” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/writing-pronouns]])
1JN	1	1	gt44	figs-explicit	τοῦ λόγου τῆς ζωῆς	1	the Word of life	Here, **the Word of life** is implicitly a description of Jesus. As the General Introduction explains, there are many similarities between this letter and the Gospel of John. That gospel begins by saying about Jesus, “In the beginning was the Word.” So it is likely that when John speaks in this letter of **the Word of life** that “was from the beginning,” he is also speaking about Jesus. ULT indicates this by capitalizing **Word** to indicate that this is a title for Jesus. Alternate translation: “Jesus, the Word of God, who gives life” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-explicit]])
1JN	1	1	j005	figs-possession	τῆς ζωῆς	1	of life	This could be referring either to the life that Jesus has or to the life that Jesus gives. But since John is writing this letter to reassure believers, it seems more likely that this expression is referring to the **life** that “the Word” (Jesus) gives to those who believe. Alternate translation: “who gives life to everyone who believes in him” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-possession]])
1JN	1	1	i8b4	figs-metaphor	τῆς ζωῆς	1	of life	In this letter, John uses **life** in different ways, either to refer literally to physical life or figuratively to spiritual life. Here the reference is to spiritual life. Alternate translation: “of spiritual life” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor]])
1JN	1	2	la4a	figs-activepassive	καὶ ἡ ζωὴ ἐφανερώθη	1	indeed, the life appeared	See the discussion of the term “appear” in Part 3 of the Introduction to 1 John. This could mean: (1) John may be emphasizing how Jesus came to this earth. (UST brings this out by saying “he came here to the earth.”) In that case, this would be a situation in which a Greek passive verbal form has an active meaning. As the General Notes to this chapter suggest, it may be helpful to begin a new sentence here. Alternate translation: “Indeed, the life came right here” (2) John may be emphasizing how God revealed Jesus to the world and thereby revealed himself to the world through Jesus. To bring out that emphasis, you could translate this with a passive verbal form or, if your language does not use passive forms, you could use an active form and say who did the action. Alternate translation: “Indeed, the life was made visible” or “Indeed, God made the life visible” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-activepassive]])
1JN	1	2	j006	figs-metonymy	ἡ ζωὴ	1	the life	John is speaking figuratively of Jesus, whom he calls the “Word of life” in the previous verse by referring to the **life** that is associated with him. In this case it seems to describe the **life** that Jesus embodies rather than the **life** that he gives. Alternate translation: “Jesus” or “Jesus, who is life” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-metonymy]])
1JN	1	2	j007	figs-exclusive	ἑωράκαμεν…μαρτυροῦμεν…ἀπαγγέλλομεν…ἡμῖν	1	we have seen … we are testifying to it … we are announcing … to us	John is speaking on behalf of himself and the other eyewitnesses to the earthly life of Jesus, so the pronouns **we** and **us** are exclusive in this verse. (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-exclusive]])
1JN	1	2	j008	figs-you	ὑμῖν	1	to you	As the General Introduction explains, John is writing this letter to believers in various churches, and so the pronouns **you**, “your,” and “yourselves” are plural throughout the entire letter. (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-you]])
1JN	1	2	jp6s	writing-pronouns	ἑωράκαμεν, καὶ μαρτυροῦμεν	1	we have seen it, and we are testifying to it	If you decided to use personal pronouns in [1:1](../01/01.md), you could use them in these cases as well. Alternate translation: “we have seen him, and we are testifying that we saw him” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/writing-pronouns]])
1JN	1	2	ih36	figs-parallelism	μαρτυροῦμεν, καὶ ἀπαγγέλλομεν ὑμῖν	1	we are testifying to it, yes, we are announcing to you	These two phrases mean similar things. John is likely using repetition for emphasis. If it would be clearer in your language, you could combine these phrases, as UST does. (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-parallelism]])
1JN	1	2	lyt6	figs-metonymy	τὴν ζωὴν τὴν αἰώνιον	1	the eternal life	As earlier in the verse, John is speaking figuratively of Jesus by referring to the **life** that is associated with him. Alternate translation: “Jesus, who is eternal life” or “Jesus, who has always been alive” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-metonymy]])
1JN	1	2	itv8	guidelines-sonofgodprinciples	τὸν Πατέρα	1	the Father	The title **the Father** is an important title for God. Alternate translation: “God the Father” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/guidelines-sonofgodprinciples]])
1JN	1	2	fru2	figs-activepassive	καὶ ἐφανερώθη ἡμῖν	1	and appeared to us	See how you translated **appeared** earlier in this verse. Alternate translation: “and came right to us” or “and was made visible to us” or “and whom God made visible to us” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-activepassive]])
1JN	1	3	j009	grammar-connect-logic-result	ὃ ἑωράκαμεν, καὶ ἀκηκόαμεν, ἀπαγγέλλομεν καὶ ὑμῖν, ἵνα καὶ ὑμεῖς κοινωνίαν ἔχητε μεθ’ ἡμῶν	1	what we have seen and heard, we declare also to you, so you also will have fellowship with us	If it would be clearer in your language, you could move the last clause to the beginning of the verse, since that clause gives the reason for the action that the rest of the verse describes. For clarity, you could also place the direct-object clause **what we have seen and heard** after the subject and verb **we declare … to you**. In that case, you would not need to translate **also** after **declare**. As the General Notes to this chapter suggest, it may be helpful to begin a new sentence here. Alternate translation: “So that you also will have fellowship with us, we are declaring to you what we have seen and heard” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/grammar-connect-logic-result]])
1JN	1	3	vw2w	figs-explicit	ὃ ἑωράκαμεν, καὶ ἀκηκόαμεν	1	what we have seen and heard	John is referring implicitly to the way that he and the other eyewitnesses had **seen and heard** Jesus when he was alive on earth. Alternate translation: “what we saw and heard of Jesus when he was alive on earth” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-explicit]])
1JN	1	3	j010	figs-exclusive	ἑωράκαμεν…ἀπαγγέλλομεν…ἡμῶν	1	we have seen … we declare … us	John is speaking on behalf of himself and the other eyewitnesses to the earthly life of Jesus, so the pronouns **we** and **us** are exclusive. (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-exclusive]])
1JN	1	3	dw7l	figs-abstractnouns	καὶ ὑμεῖς κοινωνίαν ἔχητε μεθ’ ἡμῶν…ἡ κοινωνία…ἡ ἡμετέρα μετὰ τοῦ Πατρὸς, καὶ μετὰ τοῦ Υἱοῦ αὐτοῦ	1	you also will have fellowship with us … our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son	If it would be clearer in your language, you could express the idea behind the abstract noun **fellowship** with a concrete noun such as “friends” and an adjective such as “close.” Alternate translation: “so that you can be close friends with us … we are all close friends with God the Father and with his Son Jesus” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-abstractnouns]])
1JN	1	3	tf4m	figs-exclusive	ἡ κοινωνία…ἡ ἡμετέρα	1	our fellowship is	The word **our** is likely inclusive, since John is speaking of how the believers to whom he is writing will have fellowship with him and the others on whose behalf he is writing. So if your language marks that distinction, you should translate the term as inclusive. Even if your language does not mark that distinction, you can indicate in your translation that the term applies both to John and to the people he is writing to. Alternate translation: “we are all close friends” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-exclusive]])
1JN	1	3	rxq7	guidelines-sonofgodprinciples	τοῦ Πατρὸς…τοῦ Υἱοῦ αὐτοῦ	1	the Father … his Son	These are important titles. Alternate translation: “God the Father … his Son Jesus” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/guidelines-sonofgodprinciples]])
1JN	1	4	j011	writing-pronouns	ταῦτα γράφομεν ἡμεῖς	1	we are writing these things	As the General Notes to this chapter explain, here John is formally stating his purpose for writing. If you decided in [1:1](../01/01.md) that it would be more natural in your language for him to refer to himself with a singular pronoun in such a context, you could do the same thing in this instance. Alternate translation: “I, John, am writing these things” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/writing-pronouns]])
1JN	1	4	j012	figs-exclusive	ἡμεῖς…ἡμῶν	1	we … our	If you use the plural pronoun **we**, it would be exclusive, since John is speaking of himself and the other eyewitnesses on whose behalf he is writing. However, the term **our** is likely inclusive, since John probably means that he wants both himself and his readers to have joy in the shared fellowship with one another and with the Father and the Son that he describes in the previous verse. (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-exclusive]])
1JN	1	4	j013	translate-textvariants	ἵνα ἡ χαρὰ ἡμῶν ᾖ πεπληρωμένη	1	so that our joy may be fulfilled	See the discussion of textual issues at the end of the General Notes to this chapter to decide whether to follow the reading of ULT and say **our joy** or to follow the reading of some other versions and say “your joy.” The note below discusses a translation issue related to the variant reading “your joy,” for those who decide to use it. (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/translate-textvariants]])
1JN	1	4	j014	figs-you	ἵνα ἡ χαρὰ ἡμῶν ᾖ πεπληρωμένη	1	so that our joy may be fulfilled	If you follow the variant reading “your joy,” the word “your” would be plural, as in the rest of this letter, since it would refer to a group of believers. (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-you]])
1JN	1	4	xn9d	figs-abstractnouns	ἵνα ἡ χαρὰ ἡμῶν ᾖ πεπληρωμένη	1	so that our joy may be fulfilled	If it would be clearer in your language, you could express the idea behind the abstract noun **joy** with an adjective such as “happy.” Alternate translation: “so that we will be completely happy” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-abstractnouns]])
1JN	1	4	j015	figs-activepassive	ἵνα ἡ χαρὰ ἡμῶν ᾖ πεπληρωμένη	1	so that our joy may be fulfilled	If it would be clearer in your language, you could say this with an active form. Alternate translation: “so that we will be completely happy” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-activepassive]])
1JN	1	4	j016	figs-explicit	ἵνα ἡ χαρὰ ἡμῶν ᾖ πεπληρωμένη	1	so that our joy may be fulfilled	The implications are that John and his readers will be completely happy together if his readers recognize the truth of what he is writing to them about. If it would be helpful to your readers, you could say that explicitly, as UST does. (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-explicit]])
1JN	1	5	djn4	figs-exclusive	ἀκηκόαμεν	1	we have heard	The pronoun **we** is exclusive, since John is speaking on behalf of himself and the other eyewitnesses to the earthly life of Jesus. (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-exclusive]])
1JN	1	5	j017	writing-pronouns	ἀπ’ αὐτοῦ	1	from him	The pronoun **him** refers to Jesus in this first instance in the verse, since John is speaking of the message that he and the other eyewitnesses heard from Jesus. Alternate translation: “from Jesus” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/writing-pronouns]])
1JN	1	5	j018	figs-parallelism	ὁ Θεὸς φῶς ἐστιν, καὶ σκοτία ἐν αὐτῷ, οὐκ ἔστιν οὐδεμία	1	God is light, and darkness is not in him at all	These two phrases mean similar things. John is likely using repetition for emphasis. If it would be clearer in your language, you could combine these phrases. Alternate translation: “God is entirely light” or, if you represent these metaphors non-figuratively (see next two notes), “God is completely holy” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-parallelism]])
1JN	1	5	cd6f	figs-metaphor	ὁ Θεὸς φῶς ἐστιν	1	God is light	John often uses **light** figuratively in this letter to mean what is holy, right, and good. Here, in reference to God, it indicates holiness. Alternate translation: “God is holy” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor]])
1JN	1	5	e9m2	figs-metaphor	σκοτία ἐν αὐτῷ, οὐκ ἔστιν οὐδεμία	1	darkness is not in him at all	John often uses the word **darkness** figuratively in this letter to mean what is evil. Alternate translation: “God is not evil at all” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor]])
1JN	1	5	j019	figs-doublenegatives	σκοτία ἐν αὐτῷ, οὐκ ἔστιν οὐδεμία	1	darkness is not in him at all	John is using a double negative in Greek for emphasis. In English it would come out “darkness is not in him not at all.” In Greek the second negative does not cancel the first negative to create a positive meaning. In English the meaning would inaccurately be positive, which is why ULT uses only one negative and says “darkness is not in him at all.” But if your language uses double negatives for emphasis that do not cancel one another, it would be appropriate to use that construction in your translation. (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-doublenegatives]])
1JN	1	5	j020	writing-pronouns	ἐν αὐτῷ	1	in him	In this second instance in the verse, the pronoun **him** refers to God, the immediate antecedent. Alternate translation: “in God” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/writing-pronouns]])
1JN	1	6	j021	figs-hypo	ἐὰν εἴπωμεν ὅτι κοινωνίαν ἔχομεν μετ’ αὐτοῦ, καὶ ἐν τῷ σκότει περιπατῶμεν, ψευδόμεθα καὶ οὐ ποιοῦμεν τὴν ἀλήθειαν	1	If we say that we have fellowship with him and walk in darkness, we are lying and are not doing the truth	John is using a hypothetical situation to help his readers recognize the importance of consistency between their words and their actions. Alternate translation: “Suppose we say that we have fellowship with him, but we walk in darkness. Then we are lying and are not doing the truth” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-hypo]])
1JN	1	6	j022	figs-abstractnouns	ἐὰν εἴπωμεν ὅτι κοινωνίαν ἔχομεν μετ’ αὐτοῦ	1	If we say that we have fellowship with him	If your language does not use abstract nouns, see how you expressed the idea behind the abstract noun **fellowship** in [1:3](../01/03.md). Alternate translation: “If we say that we are close friends with God” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-abstractnouns]])
1JN	1	6	j023	writing-pronouns	μετ’ αὐτοῦ	1	with him	The pronoun **him** refers to God, the antecedent from the previous verse. Alternate translation: “with God” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/writing-pronouns]])
1JN	1	6	j024	grammar-connect-logic-contrast	καὶ	1	and	John is using the word **and** to introduce a contrast between what would be expected of a person who claims to have fellowship with God and what such a person might hypothetically do. Alternate translation: “but” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/grammar-connect-logic-contrast]])
1JN	1	6	f958	figs-metaphor	ἐν τῷ σκότει περιπατῶμεν	1	walk in darkness	John is using the word **walk** figuratively to mean how a person lives and behaves. Alternate translation: “do what is evil” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor]])
1JN	1	6	j025	figs-metaphor	ἐν τῷ σκότει περιπατῶμεν	1	walk in darkness	As in [1:5](../01/05.md), John is using the word **darkness** figuratively to mean evil. Alternate translation: “do what is evil” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor]])
1JN	1	6	j026	figs-parallelism	ψευδόμεθα καὶ οὐ ποιοῦμεν τὴν ἀλήθειαν	1	we are lying and we are not doing the truth	These two phrases mean similar things. John is likely using repetition for emphasis. If it would be clearer in your language, you could combine these phrases. Alternate translation: “we are really not truthful at all” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-parallelism]])
1JN	1	6	j027	figs-abstractnouns	οὐ ποιοῦμεν τὴν ἀλήθειαν	1	we are not doing the truth	If it would be clearer in your language, you could express the idea behind the abstract noun **truth** with the concrete noun “message” from the previous verse, since that seems to be what John means by the term in this case. Alternate translation: “we are not living according to the message we heard” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-abstractnouns]])
1JN	1	7	j028	figs-hypo	ἐὰν δὲ ἐν τῷ φωτὶ περιπατῶμεν, ὡς αὐτός ἐστιν ἐν τῷ φωτί, κοινωνίαν ἔχομεν μετ’ ἀλλήλων	1	But if we walk in the light as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another	John is using another hypothetical situation to help his readers recognize the value and benefits of living a life that is holy, as God is holy. Alternate translation: “But suppose we walk in the light as he is in the light. Then we have fellowship with one another” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-hypo]])
1JN	1	7	lpr3	figs-metaphor	ἐν τῷ φωτὶ περιπατῶμεν	1	we walk in the light	John is using the word **walk** figuratively to mean how a person lives and behaves. Alternate translation: “we do what is right” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor]])
1JN	1	7	j029	figs-metaphor	ἐν τῷ φωτὶ περιπατῶμεν	1	we walk in the light	As in [1:5](../01/05.md), John is using the word **light** figuratively to mean what is holy, right, and good. Alternate translation: “do what is holy” or “do what is right” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor]])
1JN	1	7	j030	writing-pronouns	ὡς αὐτός ἐστιν ἐν τῷ φωτί	1	as he is in the light	The pronoun **he** refers to God. Alternate translation: “as God is in the light” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/writing-pronouns]])
1JN	1	7	j031	figs-metaphor	ὡς αὐτός ἐστιν ἐν τῷ φωτί	1	as he is in the light	John is using the word **light** figuratively to mean what is holy. Alternate translation: “as God is holy” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor]])
1JN	1	7	j032	figs-abstractnouns	κοινωνίαν ἔχομεν μετ’ ἀλλήλων	1	we have fellowship with one another	If your language does not use abstract nouns, see how you expressed the idea behind the abstract noun **fellowship** in [1:3](../01/03.md). Alternate translation: “we are close friends with one another” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-abstractnouns]])
1JN	1	7	d7d8	figs-metonymy	τὸ αἷμα Ἰησοῦ	1	the blood of Jesus	This could mean: (1) John may be referring literally to the **blood** that Jesus offered as a sacrifice for sin. (2) John may be using the word **blood** figuratively to mean the sacrificial death of Jesus, by association with the **blood** that Jesus shed when he died. Alternate translation: “the death of Jesus” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-metonymy]])
1JN	1	7	j033	figs-metaphor	τὸ αἷμα Ἰησοῦ τοῦ Υἱοῦ αὐτοῦ, καθαρίζει ἡμᾶς ἀπὸ πάσης ἁμαρτίας	1	the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin	John is speaking figuratively of **sin** as if it made a person dirty and of the **blood** of Jesus as if it made a person clean. Alternate translation: “takes away all our sin” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor]])
1JN	1	7	jb3e	guidelines-sonofgodprinciples	Ἰησοῦ τοῦ Υἱοῦ αὐτοῦ	1	Jesus his Son	**Son** is an important title for Jesus, the Son of God. (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/guidelines-sonofgodprinciples]])
1JN	1	8	j034	figs-hypo	ἐὰν εἴπωμεν ὅτι ἁμαρτίαν οὐκ ἔχομεν, ἑαυτοὺς πλανῶμεν καὶ ἡ ἀλήθεια οὐκ ἔστιν ἐν ἡμῖν	1	If we say that we have no sin, we are leading ourselves astray, and the truth is not in us	John is using another hypothetical situation to help his readers recognize the importance of consistency between their words and their actions. Alternate translation: “Suppose we say that we have no sin. Then we are leading ourselves astray, and the truth is not in us” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-hypo]])
1JN	1	8	enu7		ἁμαρτίαν οὐκ ἔχομεν	1	we have no sin	Alternate translation: “we never sin”
1JN	1	8	m8hf	figs-metaphor	ἑαυτοὺς πλανῶμεν	1	we are leading ourselves astray	John speaks figuratively of those who say this as if they were guides who were leading people—themselves, actually—in the wrong direction. Alternate translation: “we are deceiving ourselves” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor]])
1JN	1	8	tt51	figs-metaphor	ἡ ἀλήθεια οὐκ ἔστιν ἐν ἡμῖν	1	the truth is not in us	John speaks figuratively of the **truth** as if it were an object that could be inside believers. Alternate translation: “we do not believe that what God says is true” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor]])
1JN	1	8	j035	figs-abstractnouns	ἡ ἀλήθεια οὐκ ἔστιν ἐν ἡμῖν	1	the truth is not in us	If it would be clearer in your language, you could express the idea behind the abstract noun **truth** with an adjective such as “true.” Alternate translation: “we do not believe that what God says is true” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-abstractnouns]])
1JN	1	9	j036	figs-hypo	ἐὰν ὁμολογῶμεν τὰς ἁμαρτίας ἡμῶν, πιστός ἐστιν καὶ δίκαιος	1	If we confess our sins, he is faithful and righteous	John is using another hypothetical situation to help his readers recognize the value and benefits of living in holiness. Alternate translation: “Suppose we confess our sins. Then he is faithful and righteous” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-hypo]])
1JN	1	9	gb5l	writing-pronouns	πιστός ἐστιν…ἵνα ἀφῇ	1	he is faithful … that he should forgive	The pronoun **he** refers to God in both instances in this verse. Alternate translation: “God is faithful … and God will forgive” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/writing-pronouns]])
1JN	1	9	f68c	figs-parallelism	ἵνα ἀφῇ ἡμῖν τὰς ἁμαρτίας, καὶ καθαρίσῃ ἡμᾶς ἀπὸ πάσης ἀδικίας	1	that he should forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness	These two phrases mean basically the same thing. John is likely using them together for emphasis. If it would be clearer in your language, you could combine them, especially if it might be confusing for your readers if you put both phrases in. Alternate translation: “and he will completely forgive us of what we have done wrong” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-parallelism]])
1JN	1	9	j038	figs-metaphor	ἀφῇ ἡμῖν τὰς ἁμαρτίας, καὶ καθαρίσῃ ἡμᾶς ἀπὸ πάσης ἀδικίας	1	he should forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness	As in [1:7](../01/07.md), John is speaking figuratively of **sins** as if they made a person dirty and of God’s forgiveness as if it made a person clean. Alternate translation: “he should not hold against us anything that we have done wrong” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor]])
1JN	1	9	j039	figs-abstractnouns	πάσης ἀδικίας	1	all unrighteousness	If it would be clearer in your language, you could express the idea behind the abstract noun **unrighteousness** with an equivalent phrase. Alternate translation: “anything that we have done wrong” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-abstractnouns]])
1JN	1	10	j040	figs-hypo	ἐὰν εἴπωμεν ὅτι οὐχ ἡμαρτήκαμεν, ψεύστην ποιοῦμεν αὐτὸν	1	If we say that we have not sinned, we make him a liar	John is using another hypothetical situation to help his readers recognize the serious implications of not living in holiness. Alternate translation: “Suppose we say that we have not sinned. Then we are calling God a liar” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-hypo]])
1JN	1	10	j041	writing-pronouns	αὐτὸν…αὐτοῦ	1	him … his	The pronouns **him** and **his** refer to God in this verse. Alternate translation: “God … God’s” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/writing-pronouns]])
1JN	1	10	hii2	figs-explicit	ψεύστην ποιοῦμεν αὐτὸν	1	we make him a liar	Be sure that it is clear in your translation that God would not actually be a **liar** in this case. Rather, a person who claimed to be without sin would be calling God a liar, since God has said that everyone is a sinner. If it would be helpful to your readers, you could say that explicitly. Alternate translation: “that is the same as calling God a liar, because God has said that we have all sinned” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-explicit]])
1JN	1	10	j042	figs-metonymy	ὁ λόγος αὐτοῦ οὐκ ἔστιν ἐν ἡμῖν	1	his word is not in us	John is using the term **word** figuratively to mean what God has said by using words. Alternate translation: “we do not believe what God has said” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-metonymy]])
1JN	1	10	m3p1	figs-metaphor	ὁ λόγος αὐτοῦ οὐκ ἔστιν ἐν ἡμῖν	1	his word is not in us	As he did about the “truth” in [1:8](../01/08.md), John is speaking figuratively of God’s **word** as if it were an object that could be inside believers. Alternate translation: “we do not believe what God has said” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor]])
1JN	2	intro	zjj9			0		# 1 John 02 General Notes<br><br>## Structure and formatting<br><br>1. Genuine believers obey God and love one another (2:1-17, continuing from 1:5)<br>2. It is false teaching to deny that Jesus is the Messiah (2:18-2:27)<br>3. Genuine children of God do not sin (2:28-29, continues through 3:10)<br><br>In order to show that John is writing something like poetry in in [2:12-14](../02/12.md), some translations set the statements in those verses farther to the right than the rest of the text, and they begin a new line at the start of each statement.<br><br>## Special concepts in this chapter<br><br>### Antichrist<br><br>In [2:18](../02/18.md) and [2:22](../02/22.md), John writes both about a specific person called the Antichrist and about many people who will be “antichrists.” The word “antichrist” means “opposed to Christ.” The Antichrist is a person who will come just before the return of Jesus and imitate Jesus’ work, but he will do that for evil purposes. Before that person comes, there will be many other people who work against Christ. They too are called “antichrists,” but as a description rather than as a name. (See: [[rc://en/tw/dict/bible/kt/antichrist]] and [[rc://en/tw/dict/bible/kt/lastday]] and [[rc://en/tw/dict/bible/kt/evil]])<br><br>## Important textual issues in this chapter<br><br>In [2:20](../02/20.md), some ancient manuscripts read “you all know,” and that is the reading that ULT follows. However, other ancient manuscripts read “you know all things.” It seems more likely, based on everything else in the letter, that “you all know” is the correct original reading, since John is countering the claim of false teachers to know more than other believers. The reading “you know all things” seems to have arisen because copyists felt a need to have an object for the verb “know.” Nevertheless, if a translation of the Bible already exists in your region, consider using whichever reading is found in that version. If a translation does not already exist, we recommend that you follow the reading in the ULT text. (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/translate-textvariants]])
1JN	2	1	j043		τεκνία μου	1	My little children	Here and in several other places in the book, John uses the diminutive form of the word **children** as an affectionate form of address. Alternate translation: “My dear children”
1JN	2	1	v57g	figs-metaphor	τεκνία μου	1	My little children	John is also using the word **children** figuratively to describe the believers to whom he is writing. They are under his spiritual care, and so he regards them as if they were his own children. You could translate this in a non-figurative way, or you could represent the metaphor as a simile, as UST does. Alternate translation: “You dear believers who are under my care” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor]])
1JN	2	1	p49e		ταῦτα γράφω	1	I am writing these things	Alternate translation: “I am writing this letter”
1JN	2	1	j044	grammar-connect-logic-contrast	καὶ	1	And	John is using the word **And** to introduce a contrast between what he hopes to achieve by writing, that these believers will not sin, and what might happen, that one of them might sin. Alternate translation: “But” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/grammar-connect-logic-contrast]])
1JN	2	1	bi4g	figs-hypo	ἐάν τις ἁμάρτῃ, Παράκλητον ἔχομεν πρὸς τὸν Πατέρα	1	if anyone should sin, we have an advocate with the Father	John is describing a hypothetical situation in order to reassure his readers. Alternate translation: “suppose someone does sin. Then we have an advocate with the Father” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-hypo]])
1JN	2	1	stj2	figs-explicit	Παράκλητον ἔχομεν πρὸς τὸν Πατέρα, Ἰησοῦν Χριστὸν	1	we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ	John assumes that his readers will know than an **advocate** is someone who takes a person’s side and pleads on his behalf. If it would be helpful to your readers, you could say that explicitly. Alternate translation: “Jesus Christ will take our side and ask God the Father to forgive us” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-explicit]])
1JN	2	1	j045	guidelines-sonofgodprinciples	τὸν Πατέρα	1	the Father	This is an important title for God. Alternate translation: “God the Father” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/guidelines-sonofgodprinciples]])
1JN	2	1	j046	figs-nominaladj	δίκαιον	1	the righteous	John is using the adjective **righteous** as a noun in order to indicate a specific type of person. Your language may use adjectives in the same way. If not, you can translate this with an equivalent expression. Alternate translation: “the one who is righteous” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-nominaladj]])
1JN	2	2	j047	writing-pronouns	αὐτὸς	1	he	The pronoun **he** refers to Jesus, the antecedent in the previous verse. Alternate translation: “Jesus” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/writing-pronouns]])
1JN	2	2	h8fg	figs-abstractnouns	αὐτὸς ἱλασμός ἐστιν περὶ τῶν ἁμαρτιῶν ἡμῶν, οὐ περὶ τῶν ἡμετέρων δὲ μόνον, ἀλλὰ καὶ περὶ ὅλου τοῦ κόσμου	1	he is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only, but also for the whole world	The abstract noun **propitiation** refers to something that someone does for someone else or gives to someone else so that he will no longer be angry. If it would be clearer in your language, you could translate this with an equivalent expression. Alternate translation: “because of Jesus, God is no longer angry about our sins, and not only about ours, but also about those of the whole world” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-abstractnouns]])
1JN	2	2	j048	figs-metonymy	ὅλου τοῦ κόσμου	1	the whole world	John uses **world** to mean various things in this letter. Here it figuratively refers to the people living in the world. Alternate translation: “everyone in the world” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-metonymy]])
1JN	2	3	j049	grammar-connect-logic-result	ἐν τούτῳ γινώσκομεν ὅτι ἐγνώκαμεν αὐτόν, ἐὰν τὰς ἐντολὰς αὐτοῦ τηρῶμεν	1	in this we know that we have known him, if we keep his commandments	If it would be clearer in your language, you could reverse the order of these phrases, since the second phrase gives the reason for the result that the first phrase describes. Alternate translation: “if we obey what he has commanded, then we can be assured that we have a close relationship with him” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/grammar-connect-logic-result]])
1JN	2	3	j050	figs-idiom	ἐν τούτῳ γινώσκομεν ὅτι	1	in this we know that	This is an idiomatic expression that John uses many times in this letter. Alternate translation: “this is how we know that” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-idiom]])
1JN	2	3	el7q		γινώσκομεν ὅτι ἐγνώκαμεν αὐτόν	1	we know that we have known him	John is using the word **know** in two different senses. See the discussion of the word **know** in Part 3 of the Introduction to 1 John. If your language has different words for these different senses, it would be appropriate to use them here. Alternate translation: “we can be assured that we have a close relationship with him”
1JN	2	3	j051	writing-pronouns	αὐτόν…αὐτοῦ	1	him … his	In this verse, the pronouns **him** and **his** refer to God, the one who has given the commandments that people must obey. Alternate translation: “God … God’s” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/writing-pronouns]])
1JN	2	3	qn85	figs-idiom	ἐὰν τὰς ἐντολὰς αὐτοῦ τηρῶμεν	1	if we keep his commandments	Here, **keep** is an idiom that means “obey.” Alternate translation: “if we obey what he has commanded” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-idiom]])
1JN	2	4	j052	figs-hypo	ὁ λέγων, ὅτι ἔγνωκα αὐτὸν, καὶ τὰς ἐντολὰς αὐτοῦ μὴ τηρῶν, ψεύστης ἐστίν	1	The one who says, “I know him,” and does not keep his commandments is a liar	John is describing a hypothetical situation in order to challenge his readers. Alternate translation: “Suppose someone says, ‘I have a close relationship with God,’ but he does not obey what God has commanded. Then that person is a liar” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-hypo]])
1JN	2	4	kmz5		ὁ λέγων	1	The one who says	Alternate translation: “Anyone who says” or “The person who says”
1JN	2	4	q665		ἔγνωκα αὐτὸν	1	I know him	As in the second instance in [2:3](../02/03.md), John is using the word **know** in a specific sense. Alternate translation: “I have a close relationship with God”
1JN	2	4	j053	writing-pronouns	αὐτὸν…αὐτοῦ	1	him … his	In this verse, the pronouns **him** and **his** refer to God, the one who has given the commandments that people must obey. Alternate translation: “God … God’s” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/writing-pronouns]])
1JN	2	4	j054	grammar-connect-logic-contrast	καὶ	1	and	John is using the word **and** to introduce a contrast between what such a person might say and what his conduct actually indicates to be true. Alternate translation: “but” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/grammar-connect-logic-contrast]])
1JN	2	4	qp1j	figs-idiom	μὴ τηρῶν	1	does not keep	In this instance, the word **keep** is an idiom that means “obey.” Alternate translation: “does not obey” or “disobeys” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-idiom]])
1JN	2	4	j055	figs-parallelism	ψεύστης ἐστίν, καὶ ἐν τούτῳ ἡ ἀλήθεια οὐκ ἔστιν	1	is a liar, and the truth is not in this one	These two phrases mean similar things. John is likely using repetition for emphasis. If it would be clearer in your language, you could combine these phrases. Alternate translation: “is certainly not speaking the truth” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-parallelism]])
1JN	2	4	cj84	figs-metaphor	καὶ ἐν τούτῳ ἡ ἀλήθεια οὐκ ἔστιν	1	and the truth is not in this one	John is speaking figuratively of the **truth** as if it were an object that could be inside someone. Alternate translation: “and such a person is not speaking the truth” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor]])
1JN	2	4	j056	figs-abstractnouns	καὶ ἐν τούτῳ ἡ ἀλήθεια οὐκ ἔστιν	1	and the truth is not in this one	If it would be clearer in your language, you could express the idea behind the abstract noun **truth** with an adjective such as “true.” Alternate translation: “and what such a person says is not true” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-abstractnouns]])
1JN	2	5	j057	figs-hypo	ὃς δ’ ἂν τηρῇ αὐτοῦ τὸν λόγον, ἀληθῶς ἐν τούτῳ ἡ ἀγάπη τοῦ Θεοῦ τετελείωται	1	But whoever keeps his word, in this one truly the love of God has been perfected	John is suggesting another hypothetical situation in order to reassure his readers. Alternate translation: “But suppose someone keeps his word. Then the love of God truly has been perfected in that person.” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-hypo]])
1JN	2	5	j058	figs-metonymy	τηρῇ αὐτοῦ τὸν λόγον	1	keeps his word	John is using the term **word** figuratively to mean what God has commanded by using words. Alternate translation: “obeys what God has commanded” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-metonymy]])
1JN	2	5	aqa4	figs-idiom	τηρῇ αὐτοῦ τὸν λόγον	1	keeps his word	In this instance, the word **keep** is an idiom that means “obey.” Alternate translation: “obeys what God has commanded” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-idiom]])
1JN	2	5	j059	writing-pronouns	αὐτοῦ…αὐτῷ	1	his … him	The pronouns **his** and **him** in this verse refer to God. Alternate translation: “God’s … God” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/writing-pronouns]])
1JN	2	5	x88p	figs-possession	ἀληθῶς ἐν τούτῳ ἡ ἀγάπη τοῦ Θεοῦ τετελείωται	1	in this one truly the love of God has been perfected	The phrase **the love of God** could mean: (1) It may refer to a person loving God. Alternate translation: “that person indeed loves God completely” (2) It may refer to God loving people. Alternate translation: “God’s love has achieved its purpose in that person’s life” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-possession]])
1JN	2	5	j060	figs-activepassive	ἀληθῶς ἐν τούτῳ ἡ ἀγάπη τοῦ Θεοῦ τετελείωται	1	in this one truly the love of God has been perfected	If it would be clearer in your language, you could use an active verbal form in place of the passive verbal form **has been perfected**. The person or thing doing the action will depend on how you decide to translate the phrase **the love of God** (see previous note). Alternate translation: “that person indeed loves God completely” or “God’s love has achieved its purpose in that person’s life” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-activepassive]])
1JN	2	5	b688	figs-metaphor	ἐν αὐτῷ ἐσμεν	1	we are in him	John is speaking figuratively as if believers could be inside of God. This expression describes having a close relationship. Alternate translation: “we have a close relationship with God” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor]])
1JN	2	6	u6lu	figs-metaphor	ἐν αὐτῷ μένειν	1	he remains in him	See the discussion of the term “remainw” in Part 3 of the Introduction to this book. Here to remain in God means about the same thing as to have “fellowship with God” in [1:3](../01/03.md) and [1:6](../01/06.md). Alternate translation: “he is close friends with God” or “he has a close relationship with God” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor]])
1JN	2	6	j061	figs-metaphor	ἐν αὐτῷ μένειν	1	he remains in him	John once again speaks figuratively as if believers could be inside of God. Alternate translation: “he is close friends with God” or “he has a close relationship with God” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor]])
1JN	2	6	j062	writing-pronouns	ἐν αὐτῷ	1	in him	The pronoun **him** refers to God. Alternate translation: “in God” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/writing-pronouns]])
1JN	2	6	x5n1	figs-metaphor	ὀφείλει καθὼς ἐκεῖνος περιεπάτησεν, καὶ αὐτὸς περιπατεῖν	1	ought, just as that one walked, also to walk himself	As in [1:6](../01/06.md) and [1:7](../01/07.md), John is using the word **walk** figuratively to mean how a person lives and behaves. Alternate translation: “must live as Jesus lived” or “must obey God just as Jesus did” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor]])
1JN	2	6	j063	writing-pronouns	ἐκεῖνος	1	that one	John is using this demonstrative pronoun to refer to Jesus, and specifically to Jesus when he lived on earth. Alternate translation: “Jesus” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/writing-pronouns]])
1JN	2	7	py9g	figs-nominaladj	ἀγαπητοί	1	Beloved	This is another term of affection by which John addresses the believers to whom he is writing. It involves using the adjective **Beloved** as a noun in order to indicate a specific group of people. Your language may use adjectives in the same way. If not, you can translate this with an equivalent expression. Alternate translation: “You people whom I love” or “Dear friends” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-nominaladj]])
1JN	2	7	vz9w	figs-idiom	ἀπ’ ἀρχῆς	1	from the beginning	John uses the phrase **from the beginning** in various ways in this letter. Here it refers to the time when the people to whom he is writing first believed in Jesus. Alternate translation: “ever since you first believed in Jesus” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-idiom]])
1JN	2	7	eia9	figs-metonymy	ὁ λόγος ὃν ἠκούσατε	1	the word that you heard	John is using **word** figuratively to refer to the message that these believers heard, which was communicated through words. Alternate translation: “the message that you heard” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-metonymy]])
1JN	2	7	amu6	figs-explicit	ὁ λόγος ὃν ἠκούσατε	1	the word that you heard	The implication is that the specific **word** or message that John is describing is the commandment Jesus gave to believers that they should love one another. See the Gospel of John [13:34](../jhn/13/34.md) and [15:12](../jhn/15/12.md). John indicates this explicitly in this letter in [3:23](../03/23.md) and [4:21](../04/21.md). If it would be helpful to your readers, you could say that explicitly at this point as well. Alternate translation: “the commandment Jesus gave that we should love one another” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-explicit]])
1JN	2	8	j064	figs-idiom	πάλιν	1	Again	John is using the term **Again** idiomatically. Alternate translation: “On the other hand” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-idiom]])
1JN	2	8	i1up	figs-explicit	ἐντολὴν καινὴν γράφω ὑμῖν	1	I am writing a new commandment to you	John is referring to the same **commandment** as in [2:7](../02/07.md), the commandment that Jesus gave to love one another, which the believers have had all along. So he does not mean that he is now writing a **new** and different commandment, but rather that this same commandment, which he called “old” there, can also be considered **new** in a certain sense. If it would be helpful to your readers, you could say explicitly what **commandment** John is referring to, and you could give the likely reason why it can be considered **new**. Alternate translation: “the commandment I am writing to you, to love one another, is, in a sense, a new commandment, because it is characteristic of a new way of life” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-explicit]])
1JN	2	8	j065	grammar-connect-logic-result	ὅ ἐστιν ἀληθὲς ἐν αὐτῷ καὶ ἐν ὑμῖν, ὅτι ἡ σκοτία παράγεται, καὶ τὸ φῶς τὸ ἀληθινὸν ἤδη φαίνει	1	which is true in him and in you, because the darkness is going away and the true light is already shining	If it would be clearer in your language, you could reverse the order of these clauses, since the second clause gives the reason for the result that the first clause describes. It may be helpful to begin a new sentence here. Alternate translation: “Because the darkness is going away and the true light is already shining, this commandment is true in Jesus and in you” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/grammar-connect-logic-result]])
1JN	2	8	j066	figs-explicit	ὅ ἐστιν ἀληθὲς ἐν αὐτῷ καὶ ἐν ὑμῖν	1	which is true in him and in you	Since Jesus consistently obeyed the commandment to love, it is likely that John is emphasizing that believers are doing the same thing themselves. If it would be helpful to your readers, you could bring out this implicit emphasis in your translation. If you do not put the next clause before this one, as the previous note suggests, it may still be helpful to begin a new sentence here. Alternate translation: “Jesus truly obeyed this commandment, and you are now truly obeying it as well” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-explicit]])
1JN	2	8	c2fa	figs-metaphor	ὅ ἐστιν ἀληθὲς ἐν αὐτῷ καὶ ἐν ὑμῖν	1	which is true in him and in you	John is speaking figuratively as if this commandment were **true** inside of Jesus and these believers. Alternate translation: “Jesus truly obeyed this commandment, and you are now truly obeying it as well” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor]])
1JN	2	8	j067	writing-pronouns	αὐτῷ	1	him	The pronoun **him** refers to Jesus. John is using him as the supreme example of loving others. Alternate translation: “Jesus” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/writing-pronouns]])
1JN	2	8	i8gr	figs-metaphor	ἡ σκοτία παράγεται, καὶ τὸ φῶς τὸ ἀληθινὸν ἤδη φαίνει	1	the darkness is going away and the true light is already shining	As in [1:5](../01/05.md), John is using the word **darkness** figuratively to mean evil and the word **light** figuratively to mean what is holy, right, and good. The **shining** of the light figuratively represents its influence. Alternate translation: “what is evil is going away and what is genuinely good is becoming influential instead” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor]])
1JN	2	8	j068	figs-metonymy	τὸ φῶς τὸ ἀληθινὸν	1	the true light	Since John calls God “the True One” in [5:20](../05/20.md), he may be referring to God’s goodness and holiness when he says **the true light**. Alternate translation: “the goodness of God” or “the holiness of God” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-metonymy]])
1JN	2	9	a3jt	figs-hypo	ὁ λέγων ἐν τῷ φωτὶ εἶναι, καὶ τὸν ἀδελφὸν αὐτοῦ μισῶν, ἐν τῇ σκοτίᾳ ἐστὶν ἕως ἄρτι	1	The one who says he is in the light and hates his brother is in the darkness until now	John is suggesting a further hypothetical situation in order to challenge his readers. Alternate translation: “Suppose someone says he is in the light, but he hates his brother. Then that person is still in the darkness.” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-hypo]])
1JN	2	9	srl7	figs-metaphor	ἐν τῷ φωτὶ εἶναι	1	he is in the light	As in [1:5](../01/05.md), John is using the word **light** figuratively to mean what is holy, right, and good. Alternate translation: “he does what is right” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor]])
1JN	2	9	j069	grammar-connect-logic-contrast	καὶ	1	and	John is using the word **and** to introduce a contrast between what such a person might say and what his conduct actually indicates to be true. Alternate translation: “but” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/grammar-connect-logic-contrast]])
1JN	2	9	j4f7	figs-metaphor	τὸν ἀδελφὸν αὐτοῦ	1	his brother	John is using the term **brother** figuratively to mean someone who shares the same faith. Alternate translation: “a fellow believer” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor]])
1JN	2	9	j070	figs-gendernotations	τὸν ἀδελφὸν αὐτοῦ	1	his brother	Although the term **brother** is masculine, John is using the word in a generic sense that includes both men and women. Alternate translation: “a fellow believer” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-gendernotations]])
1JN	2	9	mp9f	figs-metaphor	ἐν τῇ σκοτίᾳ ἐστὶν	1	is in the darkness	As in [1:5](../01/05.md), John is using the word **darkness** figuratively to mean what is wrong or evil. Alternate translation: “is doing what is wrong” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor]])
1JN	2	9	j071		ἕως ἄρτι	1	until now	Alternate translation: “still”
1JN	2	10	j072	figs-hypo	ὁ ἀγαπῶν τὸν ἀδελφὸν αὐτοῦ, ἐν τῷ φωτὶ μένει	1	The one who loves his brother remains in the light	John is suggesting a further hypothetical situation in order to reassure his readers. Alternate translation: “Suppose someone does love his fellow believers. Then he is genuinely doing what is right” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-hypo]])
1JN	2	10	j073	figs-metaphor	τὸν ἀδελφὸν αὐτοῦ	1	his brother	See how you translated this in [2:9](../02/09.md). Alternate translation: “a fellow believer” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor]])
1JN	2	10	j074	figs-genericnoun	τὸν ἀδελφὸν αὐτοῦ	1	his brother	If it would be clearer in your language, you could translate this in the plural, since John likely does not have a specific individual in view, as he does in [2:9](../02/09.md). Rather, John is speaking of loving all believers. Alternate translation: “his fellow believers” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-genericnoun]])
1JN	2	10	j075	figs-metaphor	ἐν τῷ φωτὶ μένει	1	remains in the light	John is using the word **light** figuratively to mean what is holy, right, and good. Alternate translation: “is genuinely doing what is right” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor]])
1JN	2	10	j076	figs-metaphor	ἐν τῷ φωτὶ μένει	1	remains in the light	See the discussion of the term “remain” in Part 3 of the Introduction to 1 John. Here the word seems to describe behavior that is recognized to be genuine because it is consistent. Alternate translation: “is genuinely doing what is right” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor]])
1JN	2	10	q2x1	figs-metaphor	σκάνδαλον ἐν αὐτῷ οὐκ ἔστιν	1	a stumbling-block is not in him	John is using the term **stumbling-block**, which means something that a person would trip over, figuratively to mean something that would cause a person to sin. Alternate translation: “nothing will cause him to sin” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor]])
1JN	2	10	j077	figs-explicit	σκάνδαλον ἐν αὐτῷ οὐκ ἔστιν	1	a stumbling-block is not in him	John speaks of this **stumbling-block** being **in** or inside a person because it represents the hatred for a fellow believer that he describes in [2:9](../02/09.md). If it would be helpful to your readers, you could indicate this explicitly. Alternate translation: “he has no hatred inside of him that will cause him to sin” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-explicit]])
1JN	2	11	j078	figs-metaphor	τὸν ἀδελφὸν αὐτοῦ	1	his brother	See how you translated this in [2:9](../02/09.md). Alternate translation: “a fellow believer” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor]])
1JN	2	11	j079	figs-parallelism	ἐν τῇ σκοτίᾳ ἐστὶν, καὶ ἐν τῇ σκοτίᾳ περιπατεῖ	1	is in the darkness and walks in the darkness	These two phrases mean similar things. John is likely using repetition for emphasis. If it would be clearer in your language, you could combine these phrases. Alternate translation: “keeps on doing what is wrong” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-parallelism]])
1JN	2	11	w4r2	figs-metaphor	ἐν τῇ σκοτίᾳ ἐστὶν	1	is in the darkness	As in [1:5](../01/05.md), John is using the word **darkness** figuratively to mean what is wrong or evil. Alternate translation: “does what is wrong” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor]])
1JN	2	11	u44x	figs-metaphor	ἐν τῇ σκοτίᾳ περιπατεῖ	1	walks in the darkness	John is using the word **walks** figuratively to mean how a person lives and behaves. Alternate translation: “conducts his life in wrong ways” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor]])
1JN	2	11	j080	grammar-connect-logic-result	οὐκ οἶδεν ποῦ ὑπάγει, ὅτι ἡ σκοτία ἐτύφλωσεν τοὺς ὀφθαλμοὺς αὐτοῦ	1	he does not know where he is going, because the darkness has blinded his eyes	If it would be clearer in your language, you could reverse the order of these phrases, since the second phrase gives the reason for the result that the first phrase describes. Alternate translation: “because the darkness has blinded his eyes, he does not know where he is going” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/grammar-connect-logic-result]])
1JN	2	11	y5cs	figs-metaphor	οὐκ οἶδεν ποῦ ὑπάγει	1	he does not know where he is going	This is a continuation of the metaphor of walking as a figurative description of how a person lives and behaves. Alternate translation: “he does not know the right way to live” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor]])
1JN	2	11	j081	figs-metaphor	ὅτι ἡ σκοτία ἐτύφλωσεν τοὺς ὀφθαλμοὺς αὐτοῦ	1	because the darkness has blinded his eyes	John is using blindness figuratively to mean a loss of moral sense. Alternate translation: “because evil intentions are keeping him from knowing right and wrong” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor]])
1JN	2	12	in8n	figs-metaphor	τεκνία	1	little children	John uses the term **little children** in [2:1](../02/01.md) and in several other places in this letter to refer to all of the believers to whom he is writing. See the explanation of it in two of the notes to [2:1](../02/01.md). UST takes the term to mean that in this case as well. However, it is also possible that in this case the term has a more specialized meaning and that it refers to only some of the believers, since it seems to represent only one of three groups of believers that John addresses twice in [2:12-14](../02/12.md). Moreover, the next time John addresses this first group, in [2:14](../02/14.md), he uses a different word that means “young children.” So in this context, the term could figuratively be describing new believers, that is, those who have just put their faith in Jesus for the forgiveness of their sins. Alternate translation: “new believers” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor]])
1JN	2	12	ed41	figs-activepassive	ἀφέωνται ὑμῖν αἱ ἁμαρτίαι	1	your sins have been forgiven	If it would be clearer in your language, you could say this with an active form, and you could say who has done the action. Alternate translation: “God has forgiven your sins” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-activepassive]])
1JN	2	12	j082	writing-pronouns	διὰ τὸ ὄνομα αὐτοῦ	1	because of his name	The pronoun **his** refers to Jesus. Alternate translation: “because of the name of Jesus” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/writing-pronouns]])
1JN	2	12	yjy8	figs-metonymy	διὰ τὸ ὄνομα αὐτοῦ	1	because of his name	John is using the **name** of Jesus figuratively to represent who Jesus is and what he has done. Alternate translation: “because of what Jesus has done for you” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-metonymy]])
1JN	2	13	kue2	figs-metaphor	πατέρες	1	fathers	If “little children” figuratively means “new believers” in [2:12](../02/12.md), then the term **fathers** is likely a figurative description of another group of believers. It could mean one of two things. Alternate translation: (1) “mature believers” (2) “church leaders” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor]])
1JN	2	13	y1vm		ἐγνώκατε	1	you know	As in [2:4](../02/04.md), John is using the word **know** in a specific sense. See how you translated it there. Alternate translation: “you have a close relationship with”
1JN	2	13	wmt8	figs-idiom	τὸν ἀπ’ ἀρχῆς	1	the one who is from the beginning	John uses the phrase **from the beginning** in various ways in this letter. Here it refers to the eternal existence of God. Alternate translation: “God, who has always existed” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-idiom]])
1JN	2	13	wg4v	figs-metaphor	νεανίσκοι	1	young men	This is likely a figurative description of a third group of believers. It probably refers to people who have become strong in their faith, even if they are not yet as mature as those in the second group, since **young men** are in the time of life when they are strong and vigorous. Alternate translation: “strong believers” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor]])
1JN	2	13	j083	figs-gendernotations	νεανίσκοι	1	young men	Although the term **men** is masculine, John is likely using the word figuratively in a generic sense that includes both men and women. Alternate translation: “strong believers” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-gendernotations]])
1JN	2	13	tfh1	figs-metaphor	νενικήκατε τὸν πονηρόν	1	you have overcome the evil one	John speaks figuratively of these strong believers refusing to do what the devil wants as if they had defeated him in a struggle. Alternate translation: “you refuse to do what the devil wants” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor]])
1JN	2	13	j084	figs-nominaladj	τὸν πονηρόν	1	the evil one	John is using the adjective **evil** as a noun in order to indicate a specific being. ULT adds **one** to show this. Your language may use adjectives in the same way. If not, you can translate this with an equivalent expression. Alternate translation: “the one who is evil” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-nominaladj]])
1JN	2	13	j085	figs-metonymy	τὸν πονηρόν	1	the evil one	John is speaking figuratively of the devil by association with the way that he is **evil**. Alternate translation: “the devil” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-metonymy]])
1JN	2	14	j086	figs-parallelism	ἔγραψα ὑμῖν, παιδία, ὅτι ἐγνώκατε τὸν Πατέρα	1	I have written to you, young children, because you know the Father	This sentence means basically the same thing as the sentence in [2:12](../02/12.md). The next two sentences in this verse mean basically the same thing as the two sentences in [2:13](../02/13.md). John is using repetition for emphasis and for poetic effect. For those reasons, it would be appropriate to translate all of these sentences separately and not combine them with the ones in the previous two verses, even if you combine parallel statements with similar meanings elsewhere in the book. (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-parallelism]])
1JN	2	14	j087	translate-textvariants	ἔγραψα ὑμῖν, παιδία, ὅτι ἐγνώκατε τὸν Πατέρα	1	I have written to you, young children, because you know the Father	In some Bibles, this sentence comes at the end of [2:13](../02/13.md) instead of at the beginning of this verse. The verse divisions were introduced to the Bible many centuries after its books were written, and their purpose is only to help readers find things easily. So the placement of this sentence, either at the start of this verse or at the end of the previous one, does not create any significant difference in meaning. If a translation of the Bible already exists in your region, consider using the placement in that version. If not, we recommend that you follow the placement in the ULT text. (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/translate-textvariants]])
1JN	2	14	j088	figs-verbs	ἔγραψα ὑμῖν	1	I have written to you	By saying **I have written**, John is expressing himself slightly differently than in [2:12-13](../02/12.md), where he says, “I am writing.” The difference is likely only for emphasis, as John looks back at what he has just said and indicates that he is saying it again. However, if your language distinguishes between the present and present perfect tenses, it would be appropriate to show the difference in your translation. (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-verbs]])
1JN	2	14	j089	figs-metaphor	παιδία	1	young children	While this is a different term from “little children” in [2:12](../02/12.md), figuratively it means the same thing. Alternate translation: “new believers” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor]])
1JN	2	14	j090		ἐγνώκατε	1	you know	As in [2:4](../02/04.md), John is using the word **know** in a specific sense. See how you translated it there. Alternate translation: “you have a close relationship with”
1JN	2	14	j091	guidelines-sonofgodprinciples	τὸν Πατέρα	1	the Father	**Father** is an important title for God. Alternate translation: “God the Father” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/guidelines-sonofgodprinciples]])
1JN	2	14	j092	figs-metaphor	πατέρες	1	fathers	The term **fathers** likely has the same figurative meaning as in [2:13](../02/13.md). Alternate translation: (1) “mature believers” (2) “church leaders” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor]])
1JN	2	14	j093		ἐγνώκατε	2	you know	As in [2:4](../02/04.md), John is using the word **know** in a specific sense. See how you translated it there. Alternate translation: “you have a close relationship with”
1JN	2	14	j094	figs-idiom	τὸν ἀπ’ ἀρχῆς	1	the one who is from the beginning	John uses the phrase **from the beginning** in various ways in this letter. Here it refers to the eternal existence of God. Alternate translation: “God, who has always existed” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-idiom]])
1JN	2	14	j095	figs-metaphor	νεανίσκοι	1	young men	The term **young men** likely has the same figurative meaning as in [2:13](../02/13.md). Alternate translation: “strong believers” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor]])
1JN	2	14	j096	figs-gendernotations	νεανίσκοι	1	young men	Although the term **men** is masculine, John is likely using the word figuratively in a generic sense that includes both men and women. Alternate translation: “strong believers” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-gendernotations]])
1JN	2	14	l74j	figs-metaphor	ἰσχυροί ἐστε	1	you are strong	John is using the word **strong** not literally to describe believers’ physical strength, but figuratively to describe to their faithfulness to Jesus. Alternate translation: “you are faithful to Jesus” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor]])
1JN	2	14	u3n8	figs-metaphor	ὁ λόγος τοῦ Θεοῦ ἐν ὑμῖν μένει	1	the word of God remains in you	See the discussion of the term “remain” in Part 3 of the Introduction to 1 John. Here the word seems to describe behavior that is recognized to be genuine because it is consistent. Alternate translation: “you genuinely obey what God has commanded” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor]])
1JN	2	14	j097	figs-metonymy	ὁ λόγος τοῦ Θεοῦ ἐν ὑμῖν μένει	1	the word of God	John is using the term **word** figuratively to refer to what God has commanded using words. Alternate translation: “what God has commanded” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-metonymy]])
1JN	2	14	j098	figs-metaphor	νενικήκατε τὸν πονηρόν	1	you have overcome the evil one	John speaks figuratively of these strong believers refusing to do what the devil wants as if they had defeated him in a struggle. Alternate translation: “you refuse to do what the devil wants” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor]])
1JN	2	14	j099	figs-nominaladj	τὸν πονηρόν	1	the evil one	John is using the adjective **evil** as a noun in order to indicate a specific being. ULT adds **one** to show this. Your language may use adjectives in the same way. If not, you can translate this with an equivalent expression. Alternate translation: “the one who is evil” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-nominaladj]])
1JN	2	14	j100	figs-metonymy	τὸν πονηρόν	1	the evil one	John is speaking figuratively of the devil by association with the way that he is **evil**. Alternate translation: “the devil” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-metonymy]])
1JN	2	15	j101	figs-ellipsis	μὴ ἀγαπᾶτε τὸν κόσμον, μηδὲ τὰ ἐν τῷ κόσμῳ	1	Do not love the world, nor the things that are in the world	In the second phrase in this sentence, John leaves out some of the words that a sentence would need in many languages in order to be complete. These words can be supplied from the first phrase. Alternate translation: “Do not love the world, and do not love any of the things that are in the world” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-ellipsis]])
1JN	2	15	xig6	figs-metonymy	μὴ ἀγαπᾶτε τὸν κόσμον	1	Do not love the world	John uses **world** to mean various things in this letter. Here it figuratively refers to the system of values that people share who do not honor God. This system is necessarily contrary to the values that godly people have. Alternate translation: “Do not share the ungodly value system of the people who do not honor God” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-metonymy]])
1JN	2	15	h2hm	figs-parallelism	μηδὲ τὰ ἐν τῷ κόσμῳ	1	nor the things that are in the world	This phrase means essentially the same thing as the preceding one. John is likely using repetition for emphasis. However, since there is a slight difference in meaning, you may wish to translate these phrases separately rather than combining them. It may be helpful to begin a new sentence here. Alternate translation: “No, do not share any of the values that characterize that system” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-parallelism]])
1JN	2	15	p56b	figs-hypo	ἐάν τις ἀγαπᾷ τὸν κόσμον, οὐκ ἔστιν ἡ ἀγάπη τοῦ Πατρὸς ἐν αὐτῷ	1	If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him	John is describing a hypothetical situation in order to challenge his readers. Alternate translation: “Suppose someone loves the world. Then the love of the Father is not in him” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-hypo]])
1JN	2	15	s48z	figs-possession	οὐκ ἔστιν ἡ ἀγάπη τοῦ Πατρὸς ἐν αὐτῷ	1	the love of the Father is not in him	The phrase **the love of the Father** could mean: (1) It may refer to a person loving God the Father. Alternate translation: “that person does not really love God the Father” (2) It may refer to God loving people. Alternate translation: “God’s love is not genuinely at work in that person’s life” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-possession]])
1JN	2	15	j102	guidelines-sonofgodprinciples	τοῦ Πατρὸς	1	of the Father	**Father** is an important title for God. Alternate translation: “of God the Father” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/guidelines-sonofgodprinciples]])
1JN	2	16	j103	translate-versebridge	ὅτι	1	For	In this verse, John is giving the reason why the statement is true that he made in the second sentence of the previous verse. If it would be clearer in your language, you could put this reason before that result by combining this verse and the previous one into a verse bridge. In order to create a verse bridge, you could begin this verse with “since” instead of **For**; you could end it with a comma instead of a period; and you could make it the beginning of the second sentence in the previous verse, putting it before “if anyone loves the world.” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/translate-versebridge]])
1JN	2	16	j104	figs-metonymy	πᾶν τὸ ἐν τῷ κόσμῳ	1	everything that is in the world	See how you translated the similar expression in [2:15](../02/15.md). Alternate translation: “everything that characterizes the ungodly value system of the people who do not honor God” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-metonymy]])
1JN	2	16	pz3q	figs-metonymy	ἡ ἐπιθυμία τῆς σαρκὸς	1	the lust of the flesh	John is using the term **flesh** figuratively to mean the physical human body, which is made of **flesh**. Alternate translation: “the strong desire to have sinful physical pleasure” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-metonymy]])
1JN	2	16	x124	figs-metonymy	ἡ ἐπιθυμία τῶν ὀφθαλμῶν	1	the lust of the eyes	John is using the term **eyes** figuratively to mean the ability to see. Alternate translation: “the strong desire to have things that we see” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-metonymy]])
1JN	2	16	j105		ἡ ἀλαζονία τοῦ βίου	1	the arrogance of life	John is likely using the Greek term that ULT translates as **life** in one of its specific senses, to mean “possessions,” as in [3:17](../03/17.md). Alternate translation: “pride in one’s possessions”
1JN	2	16	c3xw	figs-metonymy	οὐκ ἔστιν ἐκ τοῦ Πατρός, ἀλλὰ ἐκ τοῦ κόσμου ἐστίν	1	is not from the Father, but is from the world	See how you translated the term **world** in [2:15](../02/15.md). It has a similar meaning in this verse. Alternate translation: “does not represent how God the Father wants us to live, but instead comes from an ungodly value system” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-metonymy]])
1JN	2	16	j106	guidelines-sonofgodprinciples	τοῦ Πατρός	1	the Father	**Father** is an important title for God. Alternate translation: “God the Father” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/guidelines-sonofgodprinciples]])
1JN	2	17	j107	figs-metonymy	ὁ κόσμος	1	the world	See how you translated the term **world** in [2:15](../02/15.md). It has a similar meaning in this verse. Alternate translation: “the ungodly value system of the people who do not honor God” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-metonymy]])
1JN	2	17	ct43	figs-metaphor	ὁ κόσμος παράγεται	1	the world is going away	John speaks figuratively of the **world** as if it were leaving. Alternate translation: “the world will not last very much longer” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor]])
1JN	2	17	j108	figs-ellipsis	καὶ ἡ ἐπιθυμία αὐτοῦ	1	and its desire	John is leaving out some of the words that a sentence would need in many languages in order to be complete. These words can be supplied from the previous phrase. Alternate translation: “and its desire is also going away” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-ellipsis]])
1JN	2	17	j109	figs-possession	ἡ ἐπιθυμία αὐτοῦ	1	its desire	John is using the possessive form to show that the “world” is the source of this **desire** and gives it its character. Alternate translation: “worldly desire” or “the desire that this system of values creates in people” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-possession]])
1JN	2	17	j110	figs-genericnoun	ἡ ἐπιθυμία αὐτοῦ	1	its desire	If it would be clearer in your language, you could translate this in the plural, since John is referring to all of the different types of **desire** associated with the “world” that he described in [2:16](../02/16.md). Alternate translation: “worldly desires” or “the desires that this system of values creates in people” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-genericnoun]])
1JN	2	17	j111	figs-metaphor	μένει εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα	1	remains to the age	See the discussion of the term “remain” in Part 3 of the Introduction to 1 John. Here the word seems to refer to continuing existence. Alternate translation: “will live forever” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor]])
1JN	2	17	j112	figs-idiom	εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα	1	to the age	This is an idiom. Alternate translation: “forever” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-idiom]])
1JN	2	18	c7td	figs-metaphor	παιδία	1	Young children	This is the same term that John used figuratively in [2:14](../02/14.md) to describe new believers, but here it seems to be just a stylistic variation of the term that he uses in [2:1](../02/01.md), as well as in several other places in the book, to address all of the believers to whom he is writing. See how you translated it there. Alternate translation: “My dear children” or “You dear believers who are under my care” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor]])
1JN	2	18	esd9	figs-idiom	ἐσχάτη ὥρα ἐστίν…ὅτι ἐσχάτη ὥρα ἐστίν	1	it is the last hour … that it is the last hour	John is using the term **hour** figuratively to refer a specific time. The expression **the last hour** refers specifically to the time at the end of earthly history just before Jesus returns. Alternate translation: “Jesus will return soon … that Jesus will return soon” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-idiom]])
1JN	2	18	r2vq		ἀντίχριστος ἔρχεται, καὶ νῦν ἀντίχριστοι πολλοὶ γεγόνασιν	1	the Antichrist is coming, indeed now many antichrists have come	See the discussion of the terms **Antichrist** and **antichrists** in the General Notes to this chapter. Alternate translation: “someone is coming who will lead a great opposition to Jesus, many people are already opposing Jesus now”
1JN	2	19	rmj7	figs-metaphor	ἐξ ἡμῶν ἐξῆλθαν	1	They went out from us	These people formerly met with the group of believers to whom John is writing. While they physically left the places where the believers met, John is also using the expression **went out** figuratively to mean that these people stopped being part of the group. Alternate translation: “They stopped being part of our group of believers in Jesus” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor]])
1JN	2	19	ytb1	figs-explicit	ἀλλ’ οὐκ ἦσαν ἐξ ἡμῶν…οὐκ εἰσὶν πάντες ἐξ ἡμῶν	1	but they were not from us … they are all not from us	John is using the expression **from us** in a slightly different sense in these instances than in the first instance in the verse. In the first instance, it means that these people left the group. In this instance, it means that they were never genuinely part of the group. Alternate translation: “but they were never genuinely part of our group … none of them are genuinely part of our group” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-explicit]])
1JN	2	19	j113	figs-explicit	οὐκ ἦσαν ἐξ ἡμῶν	1	they were not from us	If it would be helpful to your readers, you could say explicitly why John makes this claim. Alternate translation: “they were never genuinely part of our group, because they did not actually believe in Jesus in the first place” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-explicit]])
1JN	2	19	j114	figs-hypo	εἰ γὰρ ἐξ ἡμῶν ἦσαν, μεμενήκεισαν ἂν μεθ’ ἡμῶν	1	For if they had been from us, they would have remained with us	John is using a hypothetical situation to help his readers recognize why the claim he is making is true. Alternate translation: “Suppose they had genuinely been part of our group. Then they would have continued to participate in it” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-hypo]])
1JN	2	19	jin1	figs-metaphor	μεμενήκεισαν ἂν μεθ’ ἡμῶν	1	they would have remained with us	See the discussion of the term “remain” in Part 3 of the Introduction to 1 John. Here the word seems to refer to continuing participation in a group. Alternate translation: “they would have continued to participate in our group” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor]])
1JN	2	19	j115	figs-ellipsis	ἀλλ’ ἵνα φανερωθῶσιν ὅτι οὐκ εἰσὶν πάντες ἐξ ἡμῶν	1	but so that they would be made apparent, that they are all not from us	John is leaving out some of the words that a sentence would need in many languages in order to be complete. These words can be supplied from the previous sentence. Alternate translation: “but so that their actions would reveal that all of them were not genuinely part of our group, they left us” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-ellipsis]])
1JN	2	19	j116	figs-activepassive	ἵνα φανερωθῶσιν	1	so that they would be made apparent	See the discussion of the term “appear” in Part 3 of the Introduction to 1 John. In this case, this Greek passive verbal form does seem to have a genuinely passive meaning. That is, the people who left the group are the objects rather than the subjects of this action. But if it your language does not use passive forms, you could say this with an active form, and you could say what is doing the action. Alternate translation: “so that their actions would reveal” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-activepassive]])
1JN	2	19	j117		οὐκ εἰσὶν πάντες ἐξ ἡμῶν	1	they are all not from us	The word **all** means all the people who left the group. If it would be clearer in your language, you could make the subject negative and the verb positive. Alternate translation: “none of them are from us” or “none of them were genuinely part of our group”
1JN	2	20	j118	grammar-connect-logic-contrast	καὶ	1	And	John is using the word **And** to introduce a contrast between the people who left the group and the remaining believers to whom he is writing. Alternate translation: “But” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/grammar-connect-logic-contrast]])
1JN	2	20	i3m1	figs-abstractnouns	ὑμεῖς χρῖσμα ἔχετε ἀπὸ τοῦ Ἁγίου	1	you have an anointing from the Holy One	If it would be clearer in your language, you could express the idea behind the abstract noun **anointing** with a verbal phrase. Alternate translation: “the Holy One has anointed you” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-abstractnouns]])
1JN	2	20	j119	translate-unknown	ὑμεῖς χρῖσμα ἔχετε ἀπὸ τοῦ Ἁγίου	1	you have an anointing from the Holy One	The word **anointing** refers to the practice, seen often in the Old Testament, of pouring oil on a person to set that person apart to serve God. If your readers would not be familiar with this practice, you could describe it specifically in your translation. Alternate translation: “the Holy One has poured oil on you to set you apart to serve him” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/translate-unknown]])
1JN	2	20	j120	figs-metaphor	ὑμεῖς χρῖσμα ἔχετε ἀπὸ τοῦ Ἁγίου	1	you have an anointing from the Holy One	John is using **anointing** figuratively to represent the Holy Spirit, whose presence in the life of a believer shows that they have been set apart and equipped to serve God. John says specifically in [3:24](../03/24.md) and [4:13](../04/13.md) that God has given the Spirit to believers in this way. Alternate translation: “the Holy One has given you his Spirit” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor]])
1JN	2	20	gy16	figs-nominaladj	τοῦ Ἁγίου	1	the Holy One	John is using the adjective **Holy** as a noun in order to indicate a specific person. ULT adds **One** to show this. John is referring specifically to God, and so ULT capitalizes both of these words to show that they are describing a divine person. Your language may allow you to use this adjective as a noun. If not, you can translate this with an equivalent expression. Alternate translation: “God, the One who is holy” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-nominaladj]])
1JN	2	20	j121	translate-textvariants	οἴδατε πάντες	1	you all know	See the discussion of textual issues at the end of the General Notes to this chapter to decide whether to follow the reading of ULT and say **you all know** or to follow the reading of some other versions and say “you know all things.” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/translate-textvariants]])
1JN	2	20	j122	figs-explicit	οἴδατε πάντες	1	you all know	Based on what he says in the next verse, John likely means here that the believers to whom he is writing **all know** the truth. If it would be helpful to your readers, you could say that explicitly. Alternate translation: “you all know the truth” or “you all know what is true” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-explicit]])
1JN	2	21	j123	figs-doublenegatives	οὐκ ἔγραψα ὑμῖν ὅτι οὐκ οἴδατε τὴν ἀλήθειαν, ἀλλ’ ὅτι οἴδατε αὐτήν	1	I have not written to you because you do not know the truth, but because you do know it	If it would be clearer in your language, you could translate this double negative as a positive statement. Since John then repeats the statement in positive form in the next phrase, you can make the connection to that phrase as an affirmation rather than as a contrast. Alternate translation: “I have written to you because you know the truth, yes, because you do know it” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-doublenegatives]])
1JN	2	21	r8yr	figs-abstractnouns	τὴν ἀλήθειαν…ἐκ τῆς ἀληθείας	1	the truth … from the truth	If it would be clearer in your language, you could express the idea behind the abstract noun **truth** with an adjective such as “true.” Alternate translation: “what is true … from what is true” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-abstractnouns]])
1JN	2	21	j124	figs-metonymy	τὴν ἀλήθειαν…ἐκ τῆς ἀληθείας	1	the truth … from the truth	John is likely referring figuratively to the teaching that believers have received from Jesus by association with the way that it is true. Alternate translation: “the true teaching that we received from Jesus … from this true teaching” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-metonymy]])
1JN	2	21	j125	figs-ellipsis	καὶ ὅτι πᾶν ψεῦδος ἐκ τῆς ἀληθείας οὐκ ἔστιν	1	and that every lie is not from the truth	John is leaving out some of the words that a sentence would need in many languages in order to be complete. These words can be supplied from earlier in the sentence. Alternate translation: “and you know that every lie is not from the truth” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-ellipsis]])
1JN	2	21	j126		πᾶν ψεῦδος ἐκ τῆς ἀληθείας οὐκ ἔστιν	1	every lie is not from the truth	If it would be clearer in your language, you could make the subject negative and the verb positive. Alternate translation: “no lie is from the truth”
1JN	2	22	d71l	figs-rquestion	τίς ἐστιν ὁ ψεύστης, εἰ μὴ ὁ ἀρνούμενος ὅτι Ἰησοῦς οὐκ ἔστιν ὁ Χριστός?	1	Who is the liar, if not the one who denies that Jesus is the Christ?	John is using the question form for emphasis. If it would be clearer in your language, you could translate his words as a statement or exclamation. Alternate translation: “Anyone who denies that Jesus is the Messiah is certainly a liar!” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-rquestion]])
1JN	2	22	d4u7	figs-doublenegatives	ὁ ἀρνούμενος ὅτι Ἰησοῦς οὐκ ἔστιν ὁ Χριστός	1	the one who denies that Jesus is the Christ	For emphasis, John is using a double negative in Greek, specifically, a negative verb (**denies**) with a negative particle, “not.” In English, it would come out “the one who denies that Jesus is not the Christ.” In Greek, the second negative does not cancel the first to create a positive meaning. But in English, the meaning would inaccurately be positive, which is why ULT uses only one negative. It leaves out “not” and says “the one who denies that Jesus is the Christ.” However, if your language uses double negatives for emphasis that do not cancel one another, it would be appropriate to use that construction in your translation. (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-doublenegatives]])
1JN	2	22	j127		ὁ Χριστός	1	the Christ	The word **Christ** is the Greek word for “Messiah.” Alternate translation: “the Messiah”
1JN	2	22	j128	figs-genericnoun	οὗτός ἐστιν ὁ ἀντίχριστος	1	This one is the antichrist	John does not mean that such a person is the actual Antichrist who will appear at the end of earthly history. John does not have a specific person in view. Rather, he is speaking generally of all such people. See how you translated the term **antichrist** in [2:18](../02/18.md). Alternate translation: “Such a person is truly opposed to Jesus” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-genericnoun]])
1JN	2	22	z4t1	figs-explicit	ὁ ἀρνούμενος τὸν Πατέρα καὶ τὸν Υἱόν	1	the one who denies the Father and the Son	If it would be helpful to your readers, you could indicate explicitly why John says this about these people. It may be helpful to begin a new sentence here. Alternate translation: “By denying that Jesus is the Messiah, he is denying both God the Father, who sent Jesus to be the Messiah, and Jesus his Son, whom he sent” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-explicit]])
1JN	2	22	pth9	guidelines-sonofgodprinciples	τὸν Πατέρα καὶ τὸν Υἱόν	1	the Father and the Son	**Father** and **Son** are important titles that describe the relationship between God and Jesus. Alternate translation: “God the Father and Jesus his Son” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/guidelines-sonofgodprinciples]])
1JN	2	23	j129	figs-explicit	πᾶς ὁ ἀρνούμενος τὸν Υἱὸν	1	Everyone who denies the Son	If it would be helpful to your readers, you could say explicitly what this means in light of what John says in the previous verse. Alternate translation: “Everyone who denies that Jesus is the Son of God and the Messiah” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-explicit]])
1JN	2	23	j130	guidelines-sonofgodprinciples	τὸν Υἱὸν…τὸν Υἱὸν	1	the Son … the Son	**Son** is an important title for Jesus. (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/guidelines-sonofgodprinciples]])
1JN	2	23	k78f	figs-possession	οὐδὲ τὸν Πατέρα ἔχει…τὸν Πατέρα ἔχει	1	does not have the Father … has the Father	The language of possession that John is using actually indicates that such a person does not or does belong to God, rather than that God does not or does belong to such a person. Alternate translation: “does not belong to the Father … belongs to the Father” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-possession]])
1JN	2	23	j131	guidelines-sonofgodprinciples	τὸν Πατέρα…τὸν Πατέρα	1	the Father … the Father	**Father** is an important title for God. Alternate translation: “God the Father … God the Father” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/guidelines-sonofgodprinciples]])
1JN	2	23	u9ep	figs-explicit	ὁ ὁμολογῶν τὸν Υἱὸν	1	The one who confesses the Son	If it would be helpful to your readers, you could say explicitly what this means in light of what John says in the previous verse. Alternate translation: “Everyone who truly believes and acknowledges publicly that Jesus is the Son of God and the Messiah” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-explicit]])
1JN	2	24	zl8y	figs-explicit	ὃ ἠκούσατε…ὃ…ἠκούσατε	1	what you have heard … what you have heard	John is referring implicitly to the teaching about Jesus that these believers **have heard**. Alternate translation: “the teaching you have heard … the teaching you have heard” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-explicit]])
1JN	2	24	dsl7	figs-idiom	ἀπ’ ἀρχῆς…ἀπ’ ἀρχῆς	1	from the beginning … from the beginning	John uses the phrase **from the beginning** in various ways in this letter. Here it refers to the time when the people to whom he is writing first believed in Jesus. Alternate translation: “ever since you first believed in Jesus … ever since you first believed in Jesus” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-idiom]])
1JN	2	24	rfz8	figs-metaphor	ἐν ὑμῖν μενέτω…ἐν ὑμῖν μείνῃ	1	let it remain in you … remains in you	See the discussion of the term “remain” in Part 3 of the Introduction to 1 John. In these instances, in reference to the teaching about Jesus, the word seems to refer to continuing belief in that teaching. Alternate translation: “continue to believe it … you continue to believe” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor]])
1JN	2	24	j132	figs-hypo	ἐὰν ἐν ὑμῖν μείνῃ ὃ ἀπ’ ἀρχῆς ἠκούσατε, καὶ ὑμεῖς ἐν τῷ Υἱῷ καὶ ἐν τῷ Πατρὶ μενεῖτε	1	If what you have heard from the beginning remains in you, you will also remain in the Son and in the Father	John is describing a hypothetical situation in order to reassure his readers. Alternate translation: “Suppose that what you have heard from the beginning remains in you. Then you will also remain in the Son and in the Father” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-hypo]])
1JN	2	24	ty7q	figs-metaphor	καὶ ὑμεῖς ἐν τῷ Υἱῷ καὶ ἐν τῷ Πατρὶ μενεῖτε	1	you will also remain in the Son and in the Father	See the discussion of the term “remain” in Part 3 of the Introduction to 1 John. In this instance, it seems to mean the same thing as in [2:6](../02/06.md). See how you translated it there. Alternate translation: “you will also continue to have a close relationship with the Son and with the Father” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor]])
1JN	2	24	j133	guidelines-sonofgodprinciples	τῷ Υἱῷ…τῷ Πατρὶ	1	the Son … the Father	**Son** and **Father** are important titles. Alternate translation: “Jesus the Son of God … God the Father” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/guidelines-sonofgodprinciples]])
1JN	2	25	llj2		ἡ ἐπαγγελία ἣν αὐτὸς ἐπηγγείλατο ἡμῖν	1	the promise that he promised to us	Here John uses a cognate accusative, that is, an object that comes from the same root as its verb. You may be able to do the same thing in your translation. If not, you could explain what this means. Alternate translation: “the promise that he made to us” or “what he promised us”
1JN	2	25	j134	writing-pronouns	αὐτὸς	1	he	The pronoun **he** could refer in this context either to Jesus or to God the Father. However, it seems more likely that it refers to Jesus, since John has just talked in [2:22-23](../02/22.md) about denying or confessing him, and it was Jesus who promised **eternal life** to everyone who believed in him. See, for example, the Gospel of John [3:36](../jhn/03/36.md) and [6:47](../jhn/06/47.md). Alternate translation: “Jesus” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/writing-pronouns]])
1JN	2	25	id51	figs-metaphor	τὴν ζωὴν τὴν αἰώνιον	1	eternal life	John means more than physical **life**. This expression can indicate living forever in the presence of God after death, a commonly recognized meaning, but it can also indicate receiving power from God in this life to live in a new way. Alternate translation: “that we would have power to live a new life now and that we would live with him forever after we die” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor]])
1JN	2	26	fe44	figs-metaphor	τῶν πλανώντων ὑμᾶς	1	those who are leading you astray	John speaks figuratively of these people as if they were guides who were **leading** others in the wrong direction. This is a metaphor for their attempts to get the people to whom John is writing to believe things that are not true. Alternate translation: “those who are deceiving you” or “those who are trying to get you to believe things that are not true” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor]])
1JN	2	27	cn2f	figs-metaphor	τὸ χρῖσμα ὃ ἐλάβετε ἀπ’ αὐτοῦ	1	the anointing that you received from him	See how you translated the word **anointing** in [2:20](../02/20.md). Alternate translation: “the Spirit, whom Jesus has given you” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor]])
1JN	2	27	j135	writing-pronouns	ἀπ’ αὐτοῦ…αὐτοῦ…ἐν αὐτῷ	1	from him … his … in him	Like the pronoun “he” in [2:25](../02/25.md), the words **him** and **his** in this verse likely refer to Jesus. Alternate translation: “from Jesus … in Jesus” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/writing-pronouns]])
1JN	2	27	j136	figs-metaphor	μένει ἐν ὑμῖν	1	remains in you	See the discussion of the term “remain” in Part 3 of the Introduction to 1 John. In this instance, it seems to refer to the continuing presence of the Spirit inside a believer. Alternate translation: “lives inside of you” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor]])
1JN	2	27	j137	grammar-connect-logic-result	καὶ	2	and	John is using the word **and** to introduce the results of what he says in the previous part of this sentence. Alternate translation: “and so” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/grammar-connect-logic-result]])
1JN	2	27	j138	figs-metaphor	τὸ αὐτοῦ χρῖσμα	1	his anointing	See how you translated this earlier in this verse. Alternate translation: “his Spirit” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor]])
1JN	2	27	tb5k	figs-hyperbole	περὶ πάντων	1	about all things	This is a generalization for emphasis. Alternate translation: “about everything that you need to know” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-hyperbole]])
1JN	2	27	j139		ἀληθές ἐστιν καὶ οὐκ ἔστιν ψεῦδος	1	is true and is not a lie	Alternate translation: “tells the truth and does not lie”
1JN	2	27	j140	writing-pronouns	ἐδίδαξεν ὑμᾶς	1	it has taught you	Since the Spirit is a person, if you translate “anointing” as “Spirit” in this verse, it may not be appropriate in your language to use a neuter pronoun in this clause. Alternate translation: “he has taught you” or “the Spirit has taught you” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/writing-pronouns]])
1JN	2	27	wr63	figs-metaphor	μένετε ἐν αὐτῷ	1	remain in him	See the discussion of the term “remain” in Part 3 of the Introduction to 1 John. In this instance, it seems to mean the same thing as in [2:6](../02/06.md). See how you translated it there. Alternate translation: “continue to have a close relationship with him” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor]])
1JN	2	27	j141	figs-metaphor	μένετε ἐν αὐτῷ	1	remain in him	John is speaking figuratively as if believers could be inside of God. Alternate translation: “continue to have a close relationship with him” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor]])
1JN	2	28	tii1		καὶ νῦν	1	And now	John uses this expression to introduce a new part of the letter, in which he will talk about being children of God and the return of Jesus. In your translation, you can use a word, phrase, or other method that is natural in your language for introducing a new topic.
1JN	2	28	kjn9	figs-metaphor	τεκνία	1	little children	John readdresses the recipients as he begins a new section of the letter. See how you translated this in [2:1](../02/01.md). Alternate translation: “you dear believers who are under my care” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor]])
1JN	2	28	j142	figs-metaphor	μένετε ἐν αὐτῷ	1	remain in him	See the discussion of the term “remain” in Part 3 of the Introduction to 1 John. In this instance, John seems to be using the expression in the same way that he has just used it in [2:27](../02/27.md). See how you translated it there. Alternate translation: “continue to have a close relationship with him” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor]])
1JN	2	28	j143	writing-pronouns	αὐτῷ…ἐὰν φανερωθῇ…ἀπ’ αὐτοῦ…αὐτοῦ	1	him … when he appears … by him … his	The pronouns **him**, **he**, and **his** likely refer to Jesus in this verse, since John speaks of his **coming** or return. It might be natural in your language to use the name “Jesus” in the first instance and pronouns in the other instances. (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/writing-pronouns]])
1JN	2	28	zz4x	figs-activepassive	ἐὰν φανερωθῇ	1	when he appears	See the discussion of the term “appear” in Part 3 of the Introduction to 1 John. Here the term could have either an active or a passive meaning. (1) If the meaning is active, John is speaking of how Jesus will actually return to earth. John is not saying that Jesus will only appear to return. Alternate translation: “when Jesus returns” (2) If the meaning is passive, John is speaking of how God will reveal Jesus to the world as its true king. To bring out that meaning, you could translate this with a passive verbal form or, if your language does not use passive forms, you could use an active form and say who will do the action. Alternate translation: “when Jesus is revealed” or “when God reveals Jesus” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-activepassive]])
1JN	2	28	j144	figs-parallelism	σχῶμεν παρρησίαν, καὶ μὴ αἰσχυνθῶμεν ἀπ’ αὐτοῦ	1	we may have boldness and not be put to shame by him	These two phrases mean similar things. John is likely using the repetition for emphasis. You could combine these phrases into an emphatic expression if that would be clearer for your readers. Alternate translation: “we may be completely confident at his coming” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-parallelism]])
1JN	2	28	lnk2	figs-abstractnouns	σχῶμεν παρρησίαν	1	we may have boldness	If it would be clearer in your language, you could express the idea behind the abstract noun **boldness** with an adjective such as “confident.” Alternate translation: “we may be confident” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-abstractnouns]])
1JN	2	28	d4ql	figs-synecdoche	μὴ αἰσχυνθῶμεν ἀπ’ αὐτοῦ	1	not be put to shame by him	John is using the word **him**, meaning Jesus, figuratively to mean the presence of Jesus. Alternate translation: “not be ashamed to be in his presence” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-synecdoche]])
1JN	2	28	j145	figs-activepassive	μὴ αἰσχυνθῶμεν ἀπ’ αὐτοῦ	1	may not be put to shame by him	If it would be clearer in your language, you could say this with an active form. Alternate translation: “we will not be ashamed to be in his presence” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-activepassive]])
1JN	2	28	x7ic		ἐν τῇ παρουσίᾳ αὐτοῦ	1	at his coming	Alternate translation: “when he returns to earth”
1JN	2	29	j146	grammar-connect-condition-fact	ἐὰν εἰδῆτε ὅτι δίκαιός ἐστιν	1	If you know that he is righteous	John is speaking as if this were a hypothetical possibility, but he means that it is actually true. If your language does not state something as a condition if it is certain or true, and if your readers might misunderstand and think that what John is saying is not certain, then you can translate his words as an affirmative statement. Alternate translation: “Since you know that God is righteous” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/grammar-connect-condition-fact]])
1JN	2	29	j147	writing-pronouns	ἐστιν…αὐτοῦ	1	he is … him	The pronouns **he** and **him** likely refer to God the Father, since in the next two verses John says that believers are “children of God,” and he speaks in this verse of those who have **been begotten from him**. Alternate translation: “God is … God” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/writing-pronouns]])
1JN	2	29	j148	figs-abstractnouns	πᾶς ὁ ποιῶν τὴν δικαιοσύνην	1	everyone who does righteousness	If it would be clearer in your language, you could express the idea behind the abstract noun **righteousness** with an adjective such as “right.” Alternate translation: “everyone who does what is right” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-abstractnouns]])
1JN	2	29	u6er	figs-activepassive	πᾶς ὁ ποιῶν τὴν δικαιοσύνην ἐξ αὐτοῦ γεγέννηται	1	everyone who does righteousness has been begotten from him	If it would be clearer in your language, you could say this with an active form. Alternate translation: “God is the father of everyone who does what is right” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-activepassive]])
1JN	2	29	j149	figs-metaphor	πᾶς ὁ ποιῶν τὴν δικαιοσύνην ἐξ αὐτοῦ γεγέννηται	1	everyone who does righteousness has been begotten from him	Since believers have not literally **been begotten** by God, John means this figuratively. He says in [4:9](../04/09.md) that Jesus is the “only-begotten” of God, since God is the actual Father of Jesus in a way that he is not the actual father of believers. Alternate translation: “God is the spiritual father of everyone who does what is right” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor]])
1JN	3	intro	d8r2			0		# 1 John 03 General Notes<br><br>## Structure and formatting<br><br>1. Genuine children of God do not sin (3:1-10, continuing from 2:28)<br>2. Genuine believers help one another sacrificially (3:11-18)<br>3. Genuine believers have confidence in prayer (3:19-24)<br><br>## Special concepts in this chapter<br><br>### “children of God”<br><br>People are sometimes described as “children of God” because God created them. However, John uses this expression in a different sense in this chapter. He uses it to describe people who have entered into a father-child relationship with God by putting their faith and trust in Jesus. God indeed created all people, but people can only become children of God in this sense by believing in Jesus. (See: [[rc://en/tw/dict/bible/kt/believe]])<br><br>## Other possible translation difficulties in this chapter<br><br>### “the one who keeps his commandments remains in him, and he in him” (3:24)<br><br>This does not mean that keeping our salvation is conditional on doing certain works. Rather, John is describing the results of keeping the commandments that he describes in [3:32](../03/32.md). Those commandments are to believe in Jesus and to love one another. John is saying that the person who believes in Jesus and loves others shows that he has a close relationship with God, and that he will continue to have that close relationship because of this obedience. Christians around the world hold different beliefs about whether people who have been saved can lose their salvation. That is not what John is addressing here, and translators should be careful not to let how they understand that issue affect how they translate this passage. (See: [[rc://en/tw/dict/bible/kt/eternity]] and [[rc://en/tw/dict/bible/kt/save]])<br><br>## Important textual issues in this chapter<br><br>In [3:1](../03/01.md), the most accurate ancient manuscripts include the words “and we are.” That is the reading that ULT follows. However, some other ancient manuscripts do not include these words, and so some Bibles do not have them. If a translation of the Bible already exists in your region, consider using whichever reading is found in that version. If a translation does not already exist, we recommend that you follow the reading in the ULT text. (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/translate-textvariants]])
1JN	3	1	gl8n	figs-metaphor	ἴδετε	1	See	John is using the term **See** figuratively. Alternate translation: “Consider” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor]])
1JN	3	1	j150		ποταπὴν ἀγάπην δέδωκεν ἡμῖν ὁ Πατὴρ	1	what kind of love the Father has given to us	Alternate translation: “how greatly the Father has loved us”
1JN	3	1	j151	guidelines-sonofgodprinciples	ὁ Πατὴρ	1	the Father	**Father** is an important title for God. Alternate translation: “God the Father” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/guidelines-sonofgodprinciples]])
1JN	3	1	x99a	figs-activepassive	ἵνα τέκνα Θεοῦ κληθῶμεν	1	that we should be called children of God	If it would be clearer in your language, you could say this with an active form. Alternate translation: “that God should call us his children” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-activepassive]])
1JN	3	1	j362	figs-metaphor	τέκνα Θεοῦ	1	children of God	Here John expresses the same metaphor as in [2:29](../02/29.md) in a slightly different way. See whether you decided to indicate the figurative meaning there. Alternate translation: “spiritual children of God” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor]])
1JN	3	1	j152	translate-textvariants	καὶ ἐσμέν	1	and we are	See the discussion of textual issues at the end of the General Notes to this chapter to decide whether to follow the reading of ULT and include these words or to follow the reading of some other versions and not include them. (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/translate-textvariants]])
1JN	3	1	fq4t	grammar-connect-logic-result	διὰ τοῦτο, ὁ κόσμος οὐ γινώσκει ἡμᾶς, ὅτι οὐκ ἔγνω αὐτόν	1	For this reason the world does not know us, because it did not know him	If it would be clearer in your language, you could reverse the order of these phrases, since the second phrase gives the reason for the result that the first phrase describes. Alternate translation: “Because the world did not know God, for that reason it does not know us” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/grammar-connect-logic-result]])
1JN	3	1	l5e7	figs-metonymy	διὰ τοῦτο, ὁ κόσμος οὐ γινώσκει ἡμᾶς, ὅτι οὐκ ἔγνω αὐτόν	1	For this reason the world does not know us, because it did not know him.	John uses **world** to mean various things in this letter. Here it figuratively refers to people who do not honor God and who do not live as God wishes. Alternate translation: “because ungodly people have not known God, for that reason they do not know us” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-metonymy]])
1JN	3	1	j155		οὐ γινώσκει ἡμᾶς…οὐκ ἔγνω αὐτόν	1	does not know us … it did not know him	John is using the word **know** in two different senses. See the discussion of the word “know” in Part 3 of the Introduction to 1 John. If your language has different words for these different senses, it would be appropriate to use them in your translation. Alternate translation: “does not recognize who we are … it did not become acquainted with him”
1JN	3	1	j156	figs-explicit	οὐ γινώσκει ἡμᾶς	1	does not know us	If it would be helpful to your readers, you could say explicitly what **the world does not know** about believers in Jesus. Alternate translation: “does not recognize that we are truly God’s children” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-explicit]])
1JN	3	1	j157	writing-pronouns	αὐτόν	1	him	The pronouns **him** refers to God, the antecedent in the previous sentence. Alternate translation: “God” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/writing-pronouns]])
1JN	3	2	ek9v	figs-nominaladj	ἀγαπητοί	1	Beloved	See how you translated this in [2:7](../02/07.md). Alternate translation: “You people whom I love” or “Dear friends” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-nominaladj]])
1JN	3	2	j158	figs-explicit	τέκνα Θεοῦ	1	children of God	See whether you decided to indicate the figurative meaning of this expression in [3:1](../03/01.md). Alternate translation: “spiritual children of God” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-explicit]])
1JN	3	2	j159	grammar-connect-logic-contrast	καὶ	1	and	John is using the word **and** to introduce a contrast between what is “now” known about believers and what is “not yet” known. Alternate translation: “but” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/grammar-connect-logic-contrast]])
1JN	3	2	anq1	figs-activepassive	οὔπω ἐφανερώθη τί ἐσόμεθα	1	what we will be has not yet appeared	See the discussion of the term “appear” in Part 3 of the Introduction to 1 John. Here the term could have either an active or a passive meaning. (1) If the meaning is active, John is speaking of what believers will become. He is not saying that believers will only appear to be this. Alternate translation: “we have not yet become what we will be” (2) If the meaning is passive, John is saying that God has not yet revealed what believers will become. To bring out that meaning, you could translate this with a passive verbal form or, if your language does not use passive forms, you could use an active form and say who will do the action. Alternate translation: “what we will be has not yet been revealed” or “God has not yet revealed what we will be” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-activepassive]])
1JN	3	2	j160	figs-activepassive	ἐὰν φανερωθῇ	1	when he appears	See the discussion of the term “appear” in Part 3 of the Introduction to 1 John. The meaning of the term in this instance seems to be the same as in [2:28](../02/28.md). See how you translated it there. Alternate translation: “when Jesus returns” or “when Jesus is revealed” or “when God reveals Jesus” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-activepassive]])
1JN	3	2	j161	writing-pronouns	ἐὰν φανερωθῇ…αὐτῷ…αὐτὸν…ἐστιν	1	when he appears … him … him … he is	The pronouns **he** and **him** likely refer to Jesus in this verse, since John speaks of **when he appears** or returns. It might be natural in your language to use the name “Jesus” in the first instance and pronouns in the other instances. (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/writing-pronouns]])
1JN	3	2	j162	grammar-connect-logic-result	ὅμοιοι αὐτῷ ἐσόμεθα, ὅτι ὀψόμεθα αὐτὸν καθώς ἐστιν	1	we will be like him because we will see him as he is	If it would be clearer in your language, you could reverse the order of these phrases, since the second phrase gives the reason for the result that the first phrase describes. Alternate translation: “because we will see him as he is, we will be like him” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/grammar-connect-logic-result]])
1JN	3	3	pj6a	writing-pronouns	πᾶς ὁ ἔχων τὴν ἐλπίδα ταύτην ἐπ’ αὐτῷ	1	everyone who has this hope upon him	The pronoun **him** does not refer to **everyone**; it refers to Jesus. The expression **this hope** refers to the hope that John describes in the previous verse, of seeing Jesus as he is. Alternate translation: “everyone who hopes to see Jesus as he really is” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/writing-pronouns]])
1JN	3	3	j163	writing-pronouns	αὐτῷ…ἐκεῖνος	1	him … that one	These pronouns refer to Jesus. Alternate translation: “Jesus … Jesus” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/writing-pronouns]])
1JN	3	4	j164	figs-abstractnouns	πᾶς ὁ ποιῶν τὴν ἁμαρτίαν, καὶ τὴν ἀνομίαν ποιεῖ, καὶ ἡ ἁμαρτία ἐστὶν ἡ ἀνομία	1	Everyone who commits sin also commits lawlessness. Indeed, sin is lawlessness	If it would be clearer in your language, you could express the idea behind the abstract noun **lawlessness** with an equivalent expression. Alternate translation: “Everyone who commits sin is also breaking God’s law. Indeed, sin is breaking God’s law” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-abstractnouns]])
1JN	3	4	j165	figs-explicit	πᾶς ὁ ποιῶν τὴν ἁμαρτίαν, καὶ τὴν ἀνομίαν ποιεῖ, καὶ ἡ ἁμαρτία ἐστὶν ἡ ἀνομία	1	Everyone who commits sin also commits lawlessness. Indeed, sin is lawlessness	If it would be helpful to your readers, you could explain why John gives this warning. See the discussion of **sin** in Part 3 of the Introduction to 1 John. Alternate translation: “Everyone who commits sin is also breaking God’s law. Indeed, sin is breaking God’s law. So do not listen to the false teachers who are saying that it does not matter what you do in your physical body” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-explicit]])
1JN	3	5	j166	writing-pronouns	ἐκεῖνος…ἄρῃ…αὐτῷ	1	that one … he might take away … him	The pronouns **that one**, **he**, and **him** refer to Jesus in this verse. It might be natural in your language to use the name “Jesus” in the first instance and pronouns in the other instances. (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/writing-pronouns]])
1JN	3	5	g4ph	figs-activepassive	ἐκεῖνος ἐφανερώθη	1	that one appeared	See the discussion of the term “appear” in Part 3 of the Introduction to 1 John. Here the term seems to have an active meaning. Alternate translation: “Jesus came to earth” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-activepassive]])
1JN	3	5	j167	figs-metaphor	ἁμαρτία ἐν αὐτῷ οὐκ ἔστιν	1	sin is not in him	John speaks figuratively of **sin** as if it were an object that could be inside of Jesus, although he is emphasizing that **sin** is not in Jesus. Alternate translation: “Jesus has never sinned” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor]])
1JN	3	6	j999	figs-metaphor	πᾶς ὁ ἐν αὐτῷ μένων	1	Everyone who remains in him	See the discussion of the term “remain” in Part 3 of the Introduction to 1 John. In this instance, it seems to mean the same thing as in [2:6](../02/06.md). See how you translated it there. Alternate translation: “Everyone who has a close relationship with Jesus” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor]])
1JN	3	6	j168	figs-metaphor	πᾶς ὁ ἐν αὐτῷ μένων	1	Everyone who remains in him	John is speaking figuratively as if believers could be inside of Jesus. Alternate translation: “Everyone who has a close relationship with Jesus” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor]])
1JN	3	6	j169	writing-pronouns	αὐτῷ…αὐτὸν…αὐτόν	1	him … him … him	The pronoun **him** refers to Jesus in this verse. It might be natural in your language to use the name “Jesus” in the first instance and pronouns in the other instances. (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/writing-pronouns]])
1JN	3	6	j170	figs-explicit	οὐχ ἁμαρτάνει	1	does not sin	If it would be helpful to your readers, you could say what this implicitly means in light of the situation that John is addressing in this letter. See the discussion of **sin** in Part 3 of the Introduction to 1 John. John acknowledges elsewhere in this letter that genuine believers actually do sin, but they do not sin continually or wantonly. Alternate translation: “does not sin wantonly and continually” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-explicit]])
1JN	3	6	eu9c	figs-doublet	οὐχ ἑώρακεν αὐτὸν, οὐδὲ ἔγνωκεν αὐτόν	1	has not seen him and has not known him	The words **seen** and **known** mean similar things. John is likely using repetition for emphasis. If it would be clearer in your language, you could combine these terms into a single expression. Alternate translation: “certainly does not have a close relationship with Jesus” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-doublet]])
1JN	3	6	j172	figs-metaphor	οὐχ ἑώρακεν αὐτὸν	1	has not seen him	John is not referring to people literally seeing Jesus. Rather, he is using sight figuratively to mean perception and recognition. Alternate translation: “has not recognized who Jesus is” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor]])
1JN	3	7	ia4z	figs-metaphor	τεκνία	1	Little children	See how you translated this in [2:1](../02/01.md). Alternate translation: “You dear believers who are under my care” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor]])
1JN	3	7	wg85	figs-metaphor	μηδεὶς πλανάτω ὑμᾶς	1	let no one lead you astray	See how you translated the similar expression in [2:26](../02/26.md). Alternate translation: “do not let anyone deceive you” or “do not let anyone get you to believe things that are not true” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor]])
1JN	3	7	v4yp	figs-abstractnouns	ὁ ποιῶν τὴν δικαιοσύνην	1	The one who does righteousness	See how you translated the similar expression in [2:29](../02/29.md). Alternate translation: “The one who does what is right” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-abstractnouns]])
1JN	3	7	j173	figs-explicit	δίκαιός ἐστιν, καθὼς ἐκεῖνος δίκαιός ἐστιν	1	is righteous, just as that one is righteous	If it would be helpful to your readers, you could say explicitly what the term **righteous** means in this context. Alternate translation: “is acceptable to God, just as Jesus is acceptable to God” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-explicit]])
1JN	3	7	j174	writing-pronouns	ἐκεῖνος	1	that one	The demonstrative pronoun **that one** refers to Jesus. Alternate translation: “Jesus” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/writing-pronouns]])
1JN	3	8	uja7		ἐκ τοῦ διαβόλου ἐστίν	1	is from the devil	Here the preposition **from** indicates the influence of the noun it introduces. The usage here is similar to that in the phrase “from the world” in [2:16](../02/16.md). Alternate translation: “is acting under the influence of the devil”
1JN	3	8	cit3	figs-idiom	ἀπ’ ἀρχῆς	1	from the beginning	John uses the phrase **from the beginning** in various ways in this letter. Here it refers to the time when God created the world. In this case, the word **from** indicates not that the devil began to sin at that time, but that he had already begun to sin by that time. Alternate translation: “even before the world was created” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-idiom]])
1JN	3	8	p9ks	guidelines-sonofgodprinciples	ὁ Υἱὸς τοῦ Θεοῦ	1	the Son of God	**Son of God** is an important title for Jesus. Alternate translation: “Jesus, the Son of God” or “God’s Son Jesus” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/guidelines-sonofgodprinciples]])
1JN	3	8	nq4w	figs-activepassive	ἐφανερώθη	1	appeared	See the discussion of the term “appear” in Part 3 of the Introduction to 1 John. Here the term seems to have an active meaning and to mean the same thing as in [3:5](../03/05.md). Alternate translation: “came to earth” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-activepassive]])
1JN	3	8	j175	figs-explicit	ἵνα λύσῃ τὰ ἔργα τοῦ διαβόλου	1	so that he might destroy the works of the devil	If it would be helpful to your readers, you could say explicitly what this means in this context. Alternate translation: “so that he might free people from continually sinning, as the devil had gotten them to do” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-explicit]])
1JN	3	9	ftw3	figs-activepassive	πᾶς ὁ γεγεννημένος ἐκ τοῦ Θεοῦ…ὅτι ἐκ τοῦ Θεοῦ γεγέννηται	1	Everyone who has been begotten from God … because he has been begotten from God	See how you translated this in [2:29](../02/29.md). Alternate translation: “Everyone whose father is God … because God is his father” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-activepassive]])
1JN	3	9	j176	figs-metaphor	πᾶς ὁ γεγεννημένος ἐκ τοῦ Θεοῦ…ὅτι ἐκ τοῦ Θεοῦ γεγέννηται	1	Everyone who has been begotten from God … because he has been begotten from God	See whether in [2:29](../02/29.md) you decided to explain this metaphor. Alternate translation: “Everyone whose spiritual father is God … because God is his spiritual father” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor]])
1JN	3	9	j177	writing-pronouns	σπέρμα αὐτοῦ ἐν αὐτῷ μένει	1	his seed remains in him	In this phrase, **his** refers to “God” and **him** refers to the person “who has been begotten from God.” Alternate translation: “God’s seed remains in such a person” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/writing-pronouns]])
1JN	3	9	j178	figs-metaphor	σπέρμα αὐτοῦ ἐν αὐτῷ μένει	1	his seed remains in him	See the discussion of the term “remain” in Part 3 of the Introduction to 1 John. In this instance, as in [2:27](../02/27.md), it seems to refer to a continuing presence. Alternate translation: “God’s seed continues to be present in such a person” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor]])
1JN	3	9	ps9v	figs-metaphor	σπέρμα αὐτοῦ ἐν αὐτῷ μένει	1	his seed remains in him	John is using the word **seed** figuratively. This could mean: (1) This refers to a metaphorical reference to the **seed** from which plants grow. Alternate translation: “the new life that God has put in that person continues to grow” (2) This refers to a metaphorical reference to the characteristics of a father that a child is born with and displays more and more as he grows. Alternate translation: “the characteristics that show that God is his father become continually more evident” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor]])
1JN	3	10	w33l	figs-idiom	ἐν τούτῳ φανερά ἐστιν τὰ τέκνα τοῦ Θεοῦ, καὶ τὰ τέκνα τοῦ διαβόλου	1	In this the children of God and the children of the devil are apparent	**In this** means something similar to the idiomatic expression “in this we know” that John uses many times in this letter. Alternate translation: “This is how we can tell the difference between the children of God and the children of the devil” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-idiom]])
1JN	3	10	j179	figs-idiom	τὰ τέκνα τοῦ Θεοῦ, καὶ τὰ τέκνα τοῦ διαβόλου	1	the children of God and the children of the devil	John is using the word **children** idiomatically in both of these instances. His usage is similar to the Hebrew idiom in which the “child” of something shares its characteristics. Alternate translation: “people who are living a new life in close relationship with God and people who are still in their old way of life influenced by the devil” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-idiom]])
1JN	3	10	ctk6	figs-doublenegatives	πᾶς ὁ μὴ ποιῶν δικαιοσύνην, οὐκ ἔστιν ἐκ τοῦ Θεοῦ	1	Everyone who does not do righteousness is not from God	If it would be clearer in your language, you could translate this double negative as a positive statement. Alternate translation: “Everyone who does wrong is alienated from God” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-doublenegatives]])
1JN	3	10	j180	figs-abstractnouns	ὁ μὴ ποιῶν δικαιοσύνην	1	who does not do righteousness	See how you translated the similar expression in [2:29](../02/29.md). Alternate translation: “who does not do what is right” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-abstractnouns]])
1JN	3	10	j181	figs-idiom	οὐκ ἔστιν ἐκ τοῦ Θεοῦ	1	is not from God	The expression **from God** is an idiom. John uses it in various ways in this letter. Alternate translation: “does not belong to God” or “is not living in relationship with God” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-idiom]])
1JN	3	10	j182	figs-ellipsis	καὶ ὁ μὴ ἀγαπῶν τὸν ἀδελφὸν αὐτοῦ	1	and the one who does not love his brother	John is leaving out some of the words that a sentence would need in many languages in order to be complete. These words can be supplied from earlier in the sentence. Alternate translation: “and the one who does not love his brother is not from God” or, if you translated the double negative in the previous clause as a positive statement, “and anyone who hates a fellow believer is alienated from God” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-ellipsis]])
1JN	3	10	v1bx	figs-metaphor	τὸν ἀδελφὸν αὐτοῦ	1	his brother	See how you translated this in [2:9](../02/09.md). Alternate translation: “a fellow believer” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor]])
1JN	3	11	j183	figs-idiom	ἀπ’ ἀρχῆς	1	from the beginning	John uses the phrase **from the beginning** in various ways in this letter. Here it refers to the time when the people to whom he is writing first believed in Jesus. Alternate translation: “ever since you first believed in Jesus” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-idiom]])
1JN	3	12	frz9	figs-ellipsis	οὐ καθὼς Κάϊν	1	not like Cain	John is leaving out some of the words that a sentence would need in many languages in order to be complete. These words can be supplied from the previous verse. Alternate translation: “and we should not be like Cain” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-ellipsis]])
1JN	3	12	w83v	figs-explicit	Κάϊν…ἔσφαξεν τὸν ἀδελφὸν αὐτοῦ	1	Cain … killed his brother	John assumes that his readers will know that Cain was a son of the first man and woman, Adam and Eve. As the book of Genesis describes, Cain was jealous of his younger brother Abel and murdered him. If your readers might not know this, you could say this explicitly. Alternate translation: “Cain, the son of the first man and woman, Adam and Eve … murdered his younger brother Abel because he was jealous of him” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-explicit]])
1JN	3	12	j184	translate-names	Κάϊν	1	Cain	**Cain** is the name of a man. (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/translate-names]])
1JN	3	12	j185		ἐκ τοῦ πονηροῦ ἦν	1	who was from the evil one	Alternate translation: “who belonged to the evil one” or “who was influenced by the evil one”
1JN	3	12	j186	figs-nominaladj	τοῦ πονηροῦ	1	the evil one	John is using the adjective **evil** as a noun in order to indicate a specific being. ULT adds **one** to show this. Your language may use adjectives in the same way. If not, you can translate this with an equivalent expression. Alternate translation: “the one who is evil” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-nominaladj]])
1JN	3	12	j187	figs-metonymy	τοῦ πονηροῦ	1	the evil one	John is speaking figuratively of the devil by association with the way that he is **evil**. Alternate translation: “the devil” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-metonymy]])
1JN	3	12	b1xh	figs-rquestion	καὶ χάριν τίνος ἔσφαξεν αὐτόν? ὅτι	1	And on account of what did he kill him? Because	John is using a question as a teaching tool. If it would be clearer in your language, you could translate his words as a statement. Alternate translation: “He killed him because” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-rquestion]])
1JN	3	12	mq7x	figs-ellipsis	τὰ δὲ τοῦ ἀδελφοῦ αὐτοῦ, δίκαια	1	but those of his brother, righteous	John is leaving out a word, “were,” that a sentence would need in many languages in order to be complete. The word “were” can be supplied for clarity. Alternate translation: “but his brother’s works were righteous” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-ellipsis]])
1JN	3	13	j188		μὴ θαυμάζετε	1	Do not be amazed	Alternate translation: “Do not be surprised”
1JN	3	13	wc1m	figs-metaphor	ἀδελφοί	1	brothers	See how you translated this in [2:9](../02/09.md). Alternate translation: “my fellow believers” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor]])
1JN	3	13	lq9f	figs-metonymy	εἰ μισεῖ ὑμᾶς ὁ κόσμος	1	if the world hates you	John uses **world** to mean various things in this letter. Here it figuratively refers to people who do not honor God and who do not live as God wishes. Alternate translation: “if ungodly people hate you” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-metonymy]])
1JN	3	14	j189	grammar-connect-logic-result	ἡμεῖς οἴδαμεν ὅτι μεταβεβήκαμεν ἐκ τοῦ θανάτου εἰς τὴν ζωήν, ὅτι ἀγαπῶμεν τοὺς ἀδελφούς	1	We know that we have relocated from death into life, because we love the brothers	If it would be clearer in your language, you could reverse the order of these phrases, since the second phrase gives the reason for the result that the first phrase describes. Alternate translation: “Because we love the brothers, we know that we have relocated from death into life” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/grammar-connect-logic-result]])
1JN	3	14	fs1x	figs-metaphor	μεταβεβήκαμεν ἐκ τοῦ θανάτου εἰς τὴν ζωήν	1	we have relocated from death into life	John is speaking figuratively of the conditions of being dead and alive as if they were physical locations between which a person could move. Alternate translation: “we are no longer dead but have become alive” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor]])
1JN	3	14	ybc4	figs-metaphor	μεταβεβήκαμεν ἐκ τοῦ θανάτου εἰς τὴν ζωήν	1	we have relocated from death into life	Since John and his readers were not literally dead, he is referring to spiritual **death** and to spiritual **life**. Alternate translation: “we are no longer dead spiritually but have become alive spiritually” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor]])
1JN	3	14	j190	figs-metaphor	τοὺς ἀδελφούς	1	the brothers	See how you translated this in [2:9](../02/09.md). Alternate translation: “our fellow believers” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor]])
1JN	3	14	j191	figs-ellipsis	ὁ μὴ ἀγαπῶν	1	The one who does not love	John does not say specifically whom such a person **does not love**. In context, it appears that he means other believers. UST expresses that interpretation. But it is also possible that John means other people in general. Alternate translation: “The one who does not love his fellow believers” or “The one who does not love other people” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-ellipsis]])
1JN	3	14	qa7l	figs-metaphor	μένει ἐν τῷ θανάτῳ	1	remains in death	See the discussion of the term “remain” in Part 3 of the Introduction to 1 John. In this instance, it means staying in the same place. John is once again speaking figuratively of the state of **death** as if it were a location. Alternate translation: “is still spiritually dead” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor]])
1JN	3	15	mqu2	figs-metaphor	πᾶς ὁ μισῶν τὸν ἀδελφὸν αὐτοῦ, ἀνθρωποκτόνος ἐστίν	1	Everyone who hates his brother is a murderer	John is using the term **murderer** figuratively, and he is echoing the teaching of Jesus that is recorded in Matthew [5:21-22](../05/21.md). John means that since people commit murder because they hate other people, anyone who hates is the same on the inside as someone who actually kills another person. It may be helpful to translate this metaphor as a simile. Alternate translation: “Whoever hates another believer is just like someone who kills a person” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor]])
1JN	3	15	j192	figs-metaphor	τὸν ἀδελφὸν αὐτοῦ	1	his brother	See how you translated this in [2:9](../02/09.md). Alternate translation: “a fellow believer” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor]])
1JN	3	15	j193		πᾶς ἀνθρωποκτόνος οὐκ ἔχει ζωὴν αἰώνιον	1	every murderer does not have eternal life	If it would be clearer in your language, you could make the subject negative and the verb positive. Alternate translation: “no murderer has eternal life”
1JN	3	15	j194	figs-metaphor	ζωὴν αἰώνιον	1	eternal life	Since John is speaking of a present reality, by **eternal life** he does not mean living forever in the presence of God after death, which is one thing that this expression can describe. Rather, he means the regenerating power that God gives to believers in this life that helps them stop sinning and do what pleases him. Clearly, anyone who is a “murderer” does not have this power at work in him. Alternate translation: “the power that God gives to help us become new people” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor]])
1JN	3	15	s3aw	figs-personification	οὐκ ἔχει ζωὴν αἰώνιον ἐν αὐτῷ μένουσαν	1	does not have eternal life remaining in him	See the discussion of the term “remain” in Part 3 of the Introduction to 1 John. In this instance, John seems to be using the term literally, in the sense of “residing,” to depict **eternal life** figuratively as if it were a living thing that could actively reside within a person. Alternate translation: “has not received eternal life” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-personification]])
1JN	3	16	j195	figs-idiom	ἐν τούτῳ ἐγνώκαμεν τὴν ἀγάπην	1	In this we have known love	**In this** means something similar to the idiomatic expression “in this we know” that John uses many times in this letter. Alternate translation: “This is how we have come to understand what love is” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-idiom]])
1JN	3	16	j196	writing-pronouns	ἐκεῖνος	1	that one	The demonstrative pronoun **that one** refers to Jesus. Alternate translation: “Jesus” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/writing-pronouns]])
1JN	3	16	a2cq	figs-idiom	ὑπὲρ ἡμῶν τὴν ψυχὴν αὐτοῦ ἔθηκεν	1	laid down his life for us	This is an idiom. Alternate translation: “willingly gave his life for us” or “willingly died for us” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-idiom]])
1JN	3	16	j197	figs-metaphor	καὶ ἡμεῖς ὀφείλομεν ὑπὲρ τῶν ἀδελφῶν, τὰς ψυχὰς θεῖναι	1	We also ought to lay down our lives for the brothers	John is probably not saying in the first place that we should literally die for our fellow believers. Rather, he is using the expression **lay down our lives** figuratively to mean that we should love our fellow believers in sacrificial ways. However, when Jesus “laid down his life for us,” that did mean dying for us. And since John is offering Jesus as an example, there might actually be circumstances that could require us to die for someone else. (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor]])
1JN	3	16	j198	figs-metaphor	τῶν ἀδελφῶν	1	the brothers	See how you translated this in [2:9](../02/09.md). Alternate translation: “our fellow believers” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor]])
1JN	3	17	j199	figs-hypo	ὃς…ἂν ἔχῃ τὸν βίον τοῦ κόσμου	1	whoever has the possessions of the world	John uses this expression to introduce a hypothetical situation, which he discusses over the course of the whole verse. UST models a way to translate the verse in order to show this. (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-hypo]])
1JN	3	17	nlj7	figs-metonymy	τὸν βίον τοῦ κόσμου	1	the possessions of the world	In this letter, John uses **world** to mean various things. Here it refers to the created world, and so to material things such as, in this context, money, food, and clothing. Alternate translation: “material possessions” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-metonymy]])
1JN	3	17	j200	figs-metaphor	τὸν ἀδελφὸν αὐτοῦ	1	his brother	See how you translated this in [2:9](../02/09.md). Alternate translation: “a fellow believer” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor]])
1JN	3	17	b6lh		χρείαν ἔχοντα	1	having need	Alternate translation: “who needs help”
1JN	3	17	zql1	figs-metaphor	κλείσῃ τὰ σπλάγχνα αὐτοῦ ἀπ’ αὐτοῦ	1	closes his entrails from him	John is using the **entrails** or internal organs figuratively to represent the emotions that would lead a person to act generously. Your language may have an equivalent figurative expression that you could use. You could also express the literal meaning in your translation. Alternate translation: “closes his heart to him” or “declines to help him compassionately” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor]])
1JN	3	17	l8u4	figs-rquestion	πῶς ἡ ἀγάπη τοῦ Θεοῦ μένει ἐν αὐτῷ?	1	how does the love of God remain in him?	John is using a question as a teaching tool. If it would be clearer in your language, you could translate his words as a statement or exclamation. Alternate translation: “the love of God does not remain in such a person!” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-rquestion]])
1JN	3	17	j201	figs-metaphor	πῶς ἡ ἀγάπη τοῦ Θεοῦ μένει ἐν αὐτῷ?	1	how does the love of God remain in him?	See the discussion of the term **remain** in Part 3 of the Introduction to 1 John. As in [2:14](../02/14.md), here the word seems to describe behavior that is recognized to be genuine because it is consistent. Alternate translation: “such a person does not genuinely love others with love that is from God!” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor]])
1JN	3	17	j202	figs-possession	ἡ ἀγάπη τοῦ Θεοῦ	1	the love of God	As in [2:5](../02/05.md), the phrase **the love of God** could mean: (1) It may refer to God loving people. Alternate translation: “love that is from God” (2) It may refer to a person loving God. UST illustrates this possibility. (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-possession]])
1JN	3	18	g6uh	figs-metaphor	τεκνία	1	Little children	See how you translated this in [2:1](../02/01.md). Alternate translation: “You dear believers who are under my care” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor]])
1JN	3	18	p91w	figs-doublet	μὴ ἀγαπῶμεν λόγῳ, μηδὲ τῇ γλώσσῃ	1	let us not love in word nor in tongue	The phrases **in word** and **in tongue** mean similar things. John is likely using repetition for emphasis. If it would be clearer in your language, you could combine these terms into a single expression. Alternate translation: “let us not merely say that we love” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-doublet]])
1JN	3	18	j203	figs-metonymy	μὴ ἀγαπῶμεν λόγῳ, μηδὲ τῇ γλώσσῃ	1	let us not love in word, nor in tongue	John is using the phrases **in word** and **in tongue** figuratively to refer to what a person says. Alternate translation: “let us not merely say that we love” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-metonymy]])
1JN	3	18	j204	figs-ellipsis	ἀλλὰ ἐν ἔργῳ καὶ ἀληθείᾳ	1	but in deed and truth	John is leaving out some of the words that a sentence would need in many languages in order to be complete. These words can be supplied from earlier in the sentence. Alternate translation: “but let us love in deed and in truth” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-ellipsis]])
1JN	3	18	j205	figs-hendiadys	ἐν ἔργῳ καὶ ἀληθείᾳ	1	in deed and truth	John is expressing a single idea by using two words connected with **and**. The word **truth** indicates the quality that loving **in deed** would have. Alternate translation: “truly, in actions” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-hendiadys]])
1JN	3	19	j206	translate-versebridge	ἐν τούτῳ γνωσόμεθα…καὶ…πείσομεν τὰς καρδίας ἡμῶν	1	In this we will know … and we will persuade our hearts	John describes a result in this verse. He gives the reason for that result in the next verse. If it would be clearer in your language, you could put the reason before the result by creating a verse bridge. You could put [3:20](../03/20.md) first in your translation, making it a separate sentence and leaving out both instances of the word “that.” You could put this verse next, translating it as in the following suggestions. Alternate translation: “That is how we can know … and how we can persuade our hearts” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/translate-versebridge]])
1JN	3	19	j207	figs-idiom	ἐν τούτῳ γνωσόμεθα	1	In this we will know	This is an idiomatic expression that John uses many times in this letter. Alternate translation: “This is how we can know” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-idiom]])
1JN	3	19	j208	figs-parallelism	ἐκ τῆς ἀληθείας ἐσμέν, καὶ…πείσομεν τὰς καρδίας ἡμῶν	1	we will know that we are from the truth and we will persuade our hearts	The phrases **we will know** and **we will persuade our hearts** mean similar things. John is likely using the repetition for emphasis. You could combine these phrases into an emphatic expression if that would be clearer for your readers. Alternate translation: “we will be completely convinced that we are from the truth” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-parallelism]])
1JN	3	19	qx9c	figs-metonymy	ἐκ τῆς ἀληθείας ἐσμέν	1	we are from the truth	This could mean: (1) John may be referring figuratively to God by association with the way that God is true. In other words, God always tells **the truth** and does what he says. Alternate translation: “we are from God, who is true” (2) As in [2:21](../02/21.md), the word **truth** may refer to the true teaching that believers have received from Jesus. That is the interpretation of UST. (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-metonymy]])
1JN	3	19	j209	figs-abstractnouns	ἐκ τῆς ἀληθείας ἐσμέν	1	we are from the truth	If it would be clearer in your language, you could express the idea behind the abstract noun **truth** with an adjective such as “true.” Alternate translation: “we are from the One who is true” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-abstractnouns]])
1JN	3	19	j210	figs-idiom	ἐκ τῆς ἀληθείας ἐσμέν	1	we are from the truth	See how you translated the similar expression in [3:10](../03/10.md). Alternate translation: “we belong to God” or “we are living in relationship with God” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-idiom]])
1JN	3	19	mv6c	figs-metaphor	πείσομεν τὰς καρδίας ἡμῶν	1	we will persuade our hearts	John is speaking figuratively of **hearts** to mean thoughts and feelings. Alternate translation: “we can reassure ourselves about this” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor]])
1JN	3	19	j211	writing-pronouns	ἔμπροσθεν αὐτοῦ	1	before him	The pronoun **him** refers to God. Alternate translation: “before God” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/writing-pronouns]])
1JN	3	19	j212	figs-metaphor	ἔμπροσθεν αὐτοῦ	1	before him	The word **before** means “in front of” or “in the presence of” someone. It likely means that God will be present with a believer who needs reassurance and will help that believer find reassurance. Alternate translation: “with God’s help” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor]])
1JN	3	20	j213	figs-hypo	ὅτι ἐὰν καταγινώσκῃ ἡμῶν ἡ καρδία, ὅτι μείζων ἐστὶν ὁ Θεὸς τῆς καρδίας ἡμῶν, καὶ γινώσκει πάντα	1	that if our heart condemns us, that God is greater than our heart and knows everything	John is discussing a hypothetical situation in order to reassure his readers. Alternate translation: “suppose our heart condemns us. Then we should remember that God is greater than our heart and knows everything” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-hypo]])
1JN	3	20	f594	figs-metaphor	ἐὰν καταγινώσκῃ ἡμῶν ἡ καρδία	1	if our heart condemns us	John is speaking figuratively of the **heart** to mean the thoughts and feelings. Alternate translation: “if our feelings condemn us” or “if our thoughts accuse us” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor]])
1JN	3	20	j214	figs-explicit	ἐὰν καταγινώσκῃ ἡμῶν ἡ καρδία	1	if our heart condemns us	The topic here, continuing from [3:19](../03/19.md), is how we can know that “we are from the truth,” so this is likely a reference to needing reassurance about that. If it would be helpful to your readers, you could say that explicitly. Alternate translation: “if we ever feel that we do not belong to God” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-explicit]])
1JN	3	20	j215	figs-possession	ἡμῶν ἡ καρδία…τῆς καρδίας ἡμῶν	1	our heart … our heart	If it would be unusual in your language to speak as if one **heart** belonged to a number of people, and if you decide to retain the word **heart** as a metaphor in your translation, you can make it plural. Alternate translation: “our hearts … our hearts” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-possession]])
1JN	3	20	j216	figs-parallelism	μείζων ἐστὶν ὁ Θεὸς τῆς καρδίας ἡμῶν, καὶ γινώσκει πάντα	1	God is greater than our heart and knows everything	Since John is using the **heart** figuratively to mean the thoughts and feelings, the statement that **God is greater than our heart** likely means that God knows and understands more than we do and that God has greater compassion for us than we have for ourselves. In that case, the phrases **is greater than our heart** and **knows everything** would mean similar things. You could combine these phrases into an emphatic expression if that would be clearer for your readers. Alternate translation: “God certainly knows better than we do that we belong to him” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-parallelism]])
1JN	3	20	lv7z	figs-explicit	μείζων ἐστὶν ὁ Θεὸς τῆς καρδίας ἡμῶν, καὶ γινώσκει πάντα	1	God is greater than our heart and knows everything	The implications are that, given God’s greater knowledge, we should believe what he has said rather than what our thoughts and feelings are saying. If it would be helpful to your readers, you could say that explicitly. Alternate translation: “God certainly knows better than we do that we belong to him, and so we should believe that because he has said so” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-explicit]])
1JN	3	21	rf96	figs-nominaladj	ἀγαπητοί	1	Beloved	See how you translated this in [2:7](../02/07.md). Alternate translation: “You people whom I love” or “Dear friends” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-nominaladj]])
1JN	3	21	j217	figs-hypo	ἐὰν ἡ καρδία μὴ καταγινώσκῃ, παρρησίαν ἔχομεν πρὸς τὸν Θεόν,	1	if the heart does not condemn, we have confidence toward God	John discusses another hypothetical situation in order to reassure his readers. Alternate translation: “suppose our hearts do not condemn us. Then we have confidence toward God” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-hypo]])
1JN	3	21	j218	figs-explicit	ἐὰν ἡ καρδία μὴ καταγινώσκῃ	1	if the heart does not condemn	See how you translated the similar expression in [3:20](../03/20.md). Alternate translation: “if we do not feel that we do not belong to God” or, positively, “if we feel assured that we belong to God” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-explicit]])
1JN	3	21	j219	figs-possession	ἡ καρδία	1	the heart	If you decided in the previous verse to retain the word **heart** as a metaphor in your translation and you made it plural there, you can make it plural in this instance as well. You can also use the same possessive pronoun as in the previous verse. Alternate translation: “our hearts” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-possession]])
1JN	3	21	j220	figs-explicit	παρρησίαν ἔχομεν πρὸς τὸν Θεόν	1	we have confidence toward God	If it would be helpful to your readers, you could say explicitly what this **confidence** applies to, in light of what John says in the next verse. Alternate translation: “we can pray to God confidently” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-explicit]])
1JN	3	21	j221	figs-abstractnouns	παρρησίαν ἔχομεν πρὸς τὸν Θεόν	1	we have confidence toward God	If it would be clearer in your language, you could express the idea behind the abstract noun **confidence** with an adverb such as “confidently.” Alternate translation: “we can pray to God confidently” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-abstractnouns]])
1JN	3	22	j222	figs-explicit	ὅτι τὰς ἐντολὰς αὐτοῦ τηροῦμεν, καὶ τὰ ἀρεστὰ ἐνώπιον αὐτοῦ ποιοῦμεν	1	because we keep his commandments and we do the pleasing things before him	John is not saying that we “receive” “whatever we ask” because we obey God’s commandments and do what pleases him. Our obedience does not obligate God to give us what we ask for. Our obedience is simply what God has a right to expect from us. Rather, the word **because** reaches back to the statement earlier in this sentence, in the previous verse, that “we have confidence toward God,” that is, we can pray to God confidently. If it would be helpful to your readers, you could indicate this explicitly by starting a new sentence here that refers back to that statement and explains how John’s statement in this verse relates to it. Alternate translation: “We can pray confidently like this because we obey God’s commandments and do what pleases him, and that assures us that we belong to him” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-explicit]])
1JN	3	22	j223	figs-idiom	τὰς ἐντολὰς αὐτοῦ τηροῦμεν	1	we keep his commandments	As in [2:3](../02/03.md), the word **keep** is an idiom that means “obey.” Alternate translation: “we obey his commandments” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-idiom]])
1JN	3	22	j224	figs-nominaladj	τὰ ἀρεστὰ ἐνώπιον αὐτοῦ ποιοῦμεν	1	we do the pleasing things before him	John is using the adjective **pleasing** as a noun. ULT adds **things** to show this. (The word is plural.) Your language may use adjectives in the same way. If not, you can translate this with an equivalent expression. Alternate translation: “the things that please him” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-nominaladj]])
1JN	3	22	p3ga	figs-metaphor	τὰ ἀρεστὰ ἐνώπιον αὐτοῦ	1	the pleasing things before him	The word **before** means “in front of” or “in the presence of” another person. In this case, **before him** indicates “where God can see.” Seeing, for its part, represents attention and judgment. So this means the things that God regards as pleasing. Alternate translation: “the things that please him” or “what pleases him” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor]])
1JN	3	23	irb3	writing-pronouns	αὕτη ἐστὶν ἡ ἐντολὴ αὐτοῦ…καθὼς ἔδωκεν ἐντολὴν ἡμῖν	1	this is his commandment … just as he gave us commandment	The pronouns **his** and **he** refer to God in this verse. Alternate translation: “this is what God has commanded … as God commanded us” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/writing-pronouns]])
1JN	3	23	j225	figs-metonymy	τῷ ὀνόματι τοῦ Υἱοῦ αὐτοῦ, Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ	1	in the name of his Son Jesus Christ	As in [2:12](../02/12.md), John is using the **name** of Jesus figuratively to represent who Jesus is and what he has done. Alternate translation: “in Jesus Christ his Son and what he has done for us” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-metonymy]])
1JN	3	23	feq7	guidelines-sonofgodprinciples	τοῦ Υἱοῦ	1	his Son	**Son** is an important title for Jesus, the Son of God. (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/guidelines-sonofgodprinciples]])
1JN	3	24	j226	writing-pronouns	ὁ τηρῶν τὰς ἐντολὰς αὐτοῦ, ἐν αὐτῷ μένει, καὶ αὐτὸς ἐν αὐτῷ	1	the one who keeps his commandments remains in him, and he in him	The pronouns **his** and **his** are indicating “the one who keeps God’s commandments remains in God, and God remains in that person” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/writing-pronouns]])
1JN	3	24	j227	figs-idiom	ὁ τηρῶν τὰς ἐντολὰς αὐτοῦ	1	the one who keeps his commandments	The word **keep** is an idiom that means “obey.” Alternate translation: “the person who obeys God’s commandments” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-idiom]])
1JN	3	24	we1m	figs-metaphor	ἐν αὐτῷ μένει	1	remains in him	See the discussion of the term “remain” in Part 3 of the Introduction to 1 John. In this instance, it seems to mean the same thing as in [2:6](../02/06.md). See how you translated it there. Alternate translation: “continues to have a close relationship with him” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor]])
1JN	3	24	j228	figs-metaphor	ἐν αὐτῷ μένει	1	remains in him	John is speaking figuratively as if believers could be inside of God. Alternate translation: “continues to have a close relationship with him” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor]])
1JN	3	24	j229	figs-ellipsis	καὶ αὐτὸς ἐν αὐτῷ	1	and he in him	John is leaving out some of the words that a sentence would need in many languages in order to be complete. These words can be supplied from earlier in the sentence. Alternate translation: “and God remains in him” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-ellipsis]])
1JN	3	24	j230	figs-metaphor	καὶ αὐτὸς ἐν αὐτῷ	1	and he in him	John is speaking figuratively as if God could be inside of believers. Alternate translation: “and God continues to have a close relationship with that person” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor]])
1JN	3	24	j231	figs-idiom	ἐν τούτῳ γινώσκομεν ὅτι	1	in this we know that	This is an idiomatic expression that John uses many times in this letter. Alternate translation: “this is how we know that” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-idiom]])
1JN	3	24	j232	figs-metaphor	μένει ἐν ἡμῖν	1	he remains in us	See the discussion of the term “remain” in Part 3 of the Introduction to 1 John. In this instance, it seems to mean the same thing as it does earlier in the verse. Alternate translation: “he continues to have a close relationship with us” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor]])
1JN	4	intro	l3qa			0		# 1 John 04 General Notes<br><br>## Structure and formatting<br><br>1. It is false teaching to deny that Jesus became human (4:1-6)<br>2. Genuine believers love one another as God has loved them (4:7-21)<br><br>## Special concepts in this chapter<br><br>### “Spirit” and “spirit”<br><br>John uses the word “spirit” in different ways in this chapter.<br><br>Sometimes the word “spirit” refers to a supernatural being.<br><br>Sometimes the word “spirit” refers to the character of something. The expressions “the spirit of the antichrist,” “the spirit of truth,” and “the spirit of error” refer to what is typical of them.<br><br>When the word is written with a capital letter, as in the expressions “the Spirit of God” and “his Spirit,” it refers to the Holy Spirit.<br><br>## Other possible translation difficulties in this chapter<br><br>### Loving God<br><br>If people love God, they should show it in the way they live and the way they treat other people. Doing this may assure us that God has saved us and that we belong to him. But loving others does not save us. Be sure that this is clear in your translation. John says in 4:7 that “everyone who loves is begotten from God and knows God.” As the notes explain, this means that God is the spiritual father of everyone who loves, and everyone who loves is in a close relationship with God. But that love is a sign that they belong to God because of what Jesus did for them on the cross, as John says in 4:10. They were saved by what Jesus did, not because they themselves loved others. (See: [[rc://en/tw/dict/bible/kt/save]])<br><br>## Important textual issues in this chapter<br><br>In [4:3](../04/03.md), the most accurate ancient manuscripts say “acknowledge Jesus.” That is the reading that ULT follows. Some other ancient manuscripts say “acknowledge Jesus Christ having come in the flesh.” (Some of these manuscripts say “Jesus” or “the Lord Jesus” instead of “Jesus Christ.”) If a translation of the Bible already exists in your region, consider using whichever reading is found in that version. If a translation does not already exist, we recommend that you follow the reading in the ULT text. (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/translate-textvariants]])
1JN	4	1	h1lv	figs-nominaladj	ἀγαπητοί	1	Beloved	See how you translated this in [2:7](../02/07.md). Alternate translation: “You people whom I love” or “Dear friends” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-nominaladj]])
1JN	4	1	zm7f	figs-metonymy	μὴ παντὶ πνεύματι πιστεύετε, ἀλλὰ δοκιμάζετε τὰ πνεύματα	1	do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits	John is speaking figuratively of a prophet by association with the **spirit** that would inspire a prophet to speak. Alternate translation: “do not believe every prophet; instead, consider carefully what prophets say” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-metonymy]])
1JN	4	1	j234	figs-idiom	εἰ ἐκ τοῦ Θεοῦ ἐστιν	1	whether they are from God	The expression **from God** is an idiom. John uses it in various ways in this letter. Alternate translation: “in order to determine whether God has sent them” or “in order to determine whether God is inspiring them” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-idiom]])
1JN	4	1	j235	figs-metonymy	ἐξεληλύθασιν εἰς τὸν κόσμον	1	have gone out into the world	John uses **world** to mean various things in this letter. Here it figuratively refers to the people living in the world. Alternate translation: “are going around speaking to people” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-metonymy]])
1JN	4	2	j236	figs-idiom	ἐν τούτῳ γινώσκετε	1	In this you know	This is an idiomatic expression that John uses many times in this letter. Alternate translation: “This is how you can recognize” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-idiom]])
1JN	4	2	j237	figs-metonymy	πᾶν πνεῦμα ὃ ὁμολογεῖ	1	Every spirit that confesses	John is speaking figuratively of a prophet by association with the **spirit** that would inspire a prophet to speak. Alternate translation: “Every prophet who teaches” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-metonymy]])
1JN	4	2	e6ww	figs-metonymy	Ἰησοῦν Χριστὸν ἐν σαρκὶ ἐληλυθότα	1	Jesus Christ having come in the flesh	As in [2:16](../02/16.md), John is using the term **flesh** figuratively to mean the physical human body, which is made of **flesh**. See Part 2 of the Introduction to 1 John for an explanation of why the false teachers denied that Jesus had a human body. Alternate translation: “that Jesus Christ had a real human body” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-metonymy]])
1JN	4	2	j238	figs-idiom	ἐκ τοῦ Θεοῦ ἐστιν	1	is from God	See how you translated this expression in [4:1](../04/01.md). Alternate translation: “is inspired by God” or, if your language does not use passive forms, “God is inspiring,” placing that phrase before “every spirit” or “every prophet” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-idiom]])
1JN	4	3	j239	figs-metonymy	πᾶν πνεῦμα ὃ μὴ ὁμολογεῖ	1	every spirit that does not confess	See how you translated the similar expression in [4:2](../04/02.md). Alternate translation: “every prophet who does not teach” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-metonymy]])
1JN	4	3	j240	translate-textvariants	ὁμολογεῖ τὸν Ἰησοῦν	1	does … confess Jesus	See the discussion of textual issues at the end of the General Notes to this chapter to decide whether to follow the reading of ULT and say **Jesus** or to follow the reading of some other versions and say “Jesus Christ having come in the flesh.” The note below discusses a translation issue related to the variant reading, for those who decide to use it. (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/translate-textvariants]])
1JN	4	3	j241	figs-metonymy	τὸν Ἰησοῦν	1	Jesus	If you follow the variant reading “Jesus Christ having come in the flesh,” see how you translated that expression in the previous verse. Alternate translation: “that Jesus Christ had a real human body” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-metonymy]])
1JN	4	3	j242	figs-explicit	τὸν Ἰησοῦν	1	Jesus	Even if you do not do so on the basis of a textual variant, you may wish to explain more fully what John means by **Jesus** in order to make implied information explicit. Alternate translation: “that Jesus Christ had a real human body” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-explicit]])
1JN	4	3	j243	figs-idiom	ἐκ τοῦ Θεοῦ οὐκ ἔστιν	1	is not from God	See how you translated the similar expression in the previous verse. Alternate translation: “is not inspired by God” or, if your language does not use passive forms, “God is not inspiring,” placing that phrase before **every spirit** or “every prophet” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-idiom]])
1JN	4	3	cda6	writing-pronouns	τοῦτό ἐστιν τὸ τοῦ ἀντιχρίστου	1	this is that of the Antichrist	The word **that** most likely means “the spirit,” referring back to the word “spirit” in the previous sentence. Alternate translation: “this is the spirit of the Antichrist” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/writing-pronouns]])
1JN	4	3	j244		τοῦτό ἐστιν τὸ τοῦ ἀντιχρίστου	1	this is that of the Antichrist	Assuming that the word **that** means “the spirit,” see the discussion of the word “spirit” in the General Notes to this chapter. In this instance, John would be using the word to mean the character of something rather than to mean a supernatural being. Also see how you translated the term **Antichrist** in [2:18](../02/18.md). Alternate translation: “this false teaching is opposed to Jesus”
1JN	4	3	j245	writing-pronouns	ὃ ἀκηκόατε ὅτι ἔρχεται, καὶ νῦν ἐν τῷ κόσμῳ ἐστὶν ἤδη	1	which you have heard about, that it is coming, and it is now already in the world	The word **which** refers to the “spirit” of “the Antichrist,” which was already **in the world** at the time when John wrote, and not to “the Antichrist” himself, who was not **in the world**. It may be helpful to begin a new sentence here. Alternate translation: “You have heard that this false teaching is coming, and it is now already circulating among people” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/writing-pronouns]])
1JN	4	3	j246	figs-metonymy	ἐν τῷ κόσμῳ	1	in the world	John uses **world** to mean various things in this letter. Here, while it could possibly mean the literal earth (so this expression would mean “on this earth”), it more likely refers figuratively to the people living in the world. Alternate translation: “circulating among people” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-metonymy]])
1JN	4	4	j247	figs-idiom	ὑμεῖς ἐκ τοῦ Θεοῦ ἐστε	1	You are from God	The expression **from God** means something different in this verse than in the previous three verses, since it refers to believers rather than to the spirits that are inspiring prophets. It means the same thing as in [3:10](../03/10.md). See how you translated it there. Alternate translation: “You belong to God” or “You are living in relationship with God” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-idiom]])
1JN	4	4	w1yr	figs-metaphor	τεκνία	1	little children	See how you translated this in [2:1](../02/01.md). Alternate translation: “you dear believers who are under my care” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor]])
1JN	4	4	avj3	figs-metaphor	νενικήκατε αὐτούς	1	you have overcome them	As in [2:13](../02/13.md) and [2:14](../02/14.md), John is using the word **overcome** figuratively. He is speaking of the believers’ refusal to believe the false prophets as if the believers had defeated these prophets in a struggle. Alternate translation: “you have refused to believe these false teachers” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor]])
1JN	4	4	j248	writing-pronouns	αὐτούς	1	them	The pronoun **them** refers to the false prophets whom John describes in [4:1](../04/01.md). Alternate translation: “these false teachers” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/writing-pronouns]])
1JN	4	4	j5ve	figs-metaphor	ἐστὶν ὁ ἐν ὑμῖν	1	the one who is in you	As in [3:24](../03/24.md), John is speaking figuratively as if God could be inside of believers. Alternate translation: “God, with whom you have a close relationship,” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor]])
1JN	4	4	j249		μείζων…ἢ	1	is greater than	Alternate translation: “is more powerful than”
1JN	4	4	tp4q	figs-metonymy	ὁ ἐν τῷ κόσμῳ	1	the one in the world	John says in the previous verse that the spirit of the Antichrist is “already in the world,” meaning “on this earth” or “circulating among people.” In light of that, the phrase **the one in the world** may be referring figuratively to that spirit by association with the way it is **in the world**. Alternate translation: “the spirit of the Antichrist” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-metonymy]])
1JN	4	4	j250	figs-personification	ὁ ἐν τῷ κόσμῳ	1	the one in the world	If the phrase **the one in the world** refers to the spirit of the Antichrist, then John would be personifying that spirit. ULT indicates that by saying **the one**. Alternate translation: “the spirit of the Antichrist” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-personification]])
1JN	4	4	j251	figs-metonymy	ὁ ἐν τῷ κόσμῳ	1	the one in the world	Another possibility is that John is using the term **world** to mean the value system opposed to God. In that case, the phrase **the one in the world** would refer to the devil by association with the way that he inspires that system. Alternate translation: “the devil” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-metonymy]])
1JN	4	5	y2z8	figs-metonymy	αὐτοὶ ἐκ τοῦ κόσμου εἰσίν; διὰ τοῦτο ἐκ τοῦ κόσμου λαλοῦσιν	1	They are from the world. Because of this, they speak from the world	John uses **world** to mean various things in this letter. Here in these first two instances, it figuratively refers to the system of values shared by people who do not know God. Alternate translation: “These false teachers are influenced by the ungodly value system of the people who do not honor God. As a result, they express the perspectives of that system” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-metonymy]])
1JN	4	5	j252	writing-pronouns	αὐτοὶ	1	They	The pronoun **They** refers to the false prophets whom John describes in [4:1](../04/01.md). Alternate translation: “These false teachers” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/writing-pronouns]])
1JN	4	5	em2t	figs-metonymy	ὁ κόσμος αὐτῶν ἀκούει	1	the world listens to them	In this instance, the term **world** figuratively refers to people living in the world, and specifically to people who do not honor or obey God. Alternate translation: “ungodly people listen to them” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-metonymy]])
1JN	4	5	j253	figs-idiom	ὁ κόσμος αὐτῶν ἀκούει	1	the world listens to them	The word **listens** is an idiom that means “believes” or “is persuaded by.” Alternate translation: “ungodly people believe them” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-idiom]])
1JN	4	6	j254	figs-exclusive	ἡμεῖς…ἡμῶν…ἡμῶν	1	We … to us … to us	These pronouns in the first three sentences of this verse would be exclusive, and so if your language marks that distinction, use the inclusive form in your translation. John is speaking of himself and his fellow eyewitnesses of the resurrection as teachers of the truth about Jesus. He is not speaking of himself and the believers to whom he is writing. (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-exclusive]])
1JN	4	6	j328	figs-idiom	ἡμεῖς ἐκ τοῦ Θεοῦ ἐσμεν	1	We are from God	Here, **from God** could mean: (1) It may mean the same thing as it does in [4:4](../04/04.md) and in [4:1-3](../04/01.md). That is the interpretation in UST. Alternate translation: “We belong to God” (2) John may be saying that he and his fellow eyewitnesses teach the truth about Jesus because God has sent them to do that. Alternate translation: “God has sent us” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-idiom]])
1JN	4	6	j256	figs-idiom	ἡμεῖς ἐκ τοῦ Θεοῦ ἐσμεν	1	We are from God	If it would be helpful to your readers, you could say explicitly what God has sent John and the other eyewitnesses to do. Alternate translation: “God has sent us to teach the truth about Jesus as eyewitnesses to his life on earth” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-idiom]])
1JN	4	6	j257		ὁ γινώσκων τὸν Θεὸν	1	The one who knows God	As in [2:4](../02/04.md), John is using the word **knows** in a specific sense. See how you translated it there. Alternate translation: “Anyone who has a close relationship with God”
1JN	4	6	j258	figs-idiom	ἀκούει ἡμῶν…οὐκ ἀκούει ἡμῶν	1	listens to us … does not listen to us	As in [4:5](../04/05.md), the word **listens** is an idiom that means “believes” or “is persuaded by.” Alternate translation: “believes what we teach … does not believe what we teach” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-idiom]])
1JN	4	6	j259	figs-idiom	ὃς οὐκ ἔστιν ἐκ τοῦ Θεοῦ	1	Whoever is not from God	The expression **from God** means the same thing in this verse as in [4:4](../04/04.md). See how you translated it there. Alternate translation: “Whoever does not belong to God” or “Whoever is not living in relationship with God” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-idiom]])
1JN	4	6	j260	figs-idiom	ἐκ τούτου γινώσκομεν	1	From this we know	This is an idiomatic expression. It means the same thing as the expression “in this we know” which John uses several times in this letter. Alternate translation: “This is how we can recognize” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-idiom]])
1JN	4	6	j261	figs-exclusive	γινώσκομεν	1	we know	Since John is once again speaking of himself and the believers to whom he is writing, **we** in this last sentence in the verse would be inclusive, and so if your language marks that distinction, use the inclusive form in your translation. This inclusive usage continues through [4:13](../04/13.md). (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-exclusive]])
1JN	4	6	j262	figs-metonymy	τὸ πνεῦμα τῆς ἀληθείας καὶ τὸ πνεῦμα τῆς πλάνης	1	the spirit of truth and the spirit of error	See the discussion of the word **spirit** in the General Notes to this chapter. In these instances, the word refers to the character of something. John is using it figuratively to refer by association to people whose teaching has a certain character. Alternate translation: “whose teaching is true and whose teaching is false” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-metonymy]])
1JN	4	6	j263	figs-abstractnouns	τὸ πνεῦμα τῆς ἀληθείας καὶ τὸ πνεῦμα τῆς πλάνης	1	the spirit of truth and the spirit of error	If it would be clearer in your language, you could express the idea behind the abstract nouns **truth** and **error** with the adjectives “true” and “false.” Alternate translation: “whose teaching is true and whose teaching is false” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-abstractnouns]])
1JN	4	7	fpl5	figs-nominaladj	ἀγαπητοί	1	Beloved	See how you translated this in [2:7](../02/07.md). Alternate translation: “You people whom I love” or “Dear friends” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-nominaladj]])
1JN	4	7	c6w6	figs-idiom	ἡ ἀγάπη ἐκ τοῦ Θεοῦ ἐστιν	1	love is from God	The expression **from God** means something similar to what it does in [4:1-3](../04/01.md). Alternate translation: “God inspires us to love” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-idiom]])
1JN	4	7	zvt9	figs-activepassive	πᾶς ὁ ἀγαπῶν, ἐκ τοῦ Θεοῦ γεγέννηται	1	everyone who loves has been begotten from God	See how you translated this in [2:29](../02/29.md). Alternate translation: “God is the father of everyone who loves” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-activepassive]])
1JN	4	7	ec73	figs-metaphor	πᾶς ὁ ἀγαπῶν, ἐκ τοῦ Θεοῦ γεγέννηται	1	everyone who loves has been begotten from God	See whether in [2:29](../02/29.md) you decided to explain this metaphor. Alternate translation: “God is the spiritual father of everyone who loves” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor]])
1JN	4	7	j264		καὶ γινώσκει τὸν Θεόν	1	and knows God	As in [2:4](../02/04.md), John is using the word **knows** in a specific sense. See how you translated it there. Alternate translation: “and such a person has a close relationship with God”
1JN	4	8	j265	grammar-connect-logic-result	ὁ μὴ ἀγαπῶν, οὐκ ἔγνω τὸν Θεόν, ὅτι ὁ Θεὸς ἀγάπη ἐστίν	1	The one who does not love does not know God, for God is love	If it would be clearer in your language, you could reverse the order of these phrases, since the second phrase gives the reason for the result that the first phrase describes. Alternate translation: “Since God is love, the one who does not love does not know God” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/grammar-connect-logic-result]])
1JN	4	8	j266		οὐκ ἔγνω τὸν Θεόν	1	does not know God	As in [2:4](../02/04.md), John is using the word **know** in a specific sense. See how you translated it there. Alternate translation: “does not have a close relationship with God”
1JN	4	8	kti1	figs-metaphor	ὁ Θεὸς ἀγάπη ἐστίν	1	God is love	This is a metaphor that describes what God is like in his character. Alternate translation: “God is entirely loving” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor]])
1JN	4	8	j267	figs-abstractnouns	ὁ Θεὸς ἀγάπη ἐστίν	1	God is love	If it would be clearer in your language, you could express the idea behind the abstract noun **love** with an adjective such as “loving.” Alternate translation: “God is entirely loving” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-abstractnouns]])
1JN	4	9	i2b5	figs-idiom	ἐν τούτῳ	1	In this	**In this** means something similar to the idiomatic expression “in this we know” that John uses many times in this letter. Alternate translation: “This is how” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-idiom]])
1JN	4	9	j268	figs-activepassive	ἐφανερώθη ἡ ἀγάπη τοῦ Θεοῦ ἐν ἡμῖν	1	the love of God appeared among us	See the discussion of the term “appear” in Part 3 of the Introduction to 1 John. This could mean: (1) John may be emphasizing how Jesus came to this earth. In that case, this would be a situation in which a Greek passive verbal form has an active meaning. Alternate translation: “God’s love came to be among us” (2) John may be emphasizing how God revealed his love to the world through Jesus. To bring out that emphasis, you could translate this with a passive verbal form or, if your language does not use passive forms, you could use an active form and say who did the action. Alternate translation: “God’s love for us was revealed” or “God showed us how much he loves us” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-activepassive]])
1JN	4	9	y4m8	figs-possession	ἡ ἀγάπη τοῦ Θεοῦ	1	the love of God	Here, **the love of God** refers to God loving people. Alternate translation: “God’s love for us” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-possession]])
1JN	4	9	j269	figs-exclusive	ἐν ἡμῖν	1	among us	The expression **among us** likely refers to all of humanity, not just to the people who saw and heard Jesus when he was alive, so this would be an inclusive use of the term **us** that would include the believers to whom John is writing. John says later in the sentence that Jesus came “so that we might live through him,” and “we” in that instance does include these believers. So it is likely that **us** earlier in the sentence includes them as well. (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-exclusive]])
1JN	4	9	j270	guidelines-sonofgodprinciples	τὸν Υἱὸν αὐτοῦ	1	his Son	**Son** is an important title for Jesus. Alternate translation: “his Son Jesus” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/guidelines-sonofgodprinciples]])
1JN	4	9	j271		τὸν μονογενῆ	1	the only-begotten	Alternate translation: “who is God’s only actual Child”
1JN	4	9	j272	figs-metonymy	εἰς τὸν κόσμον	1	into the world	John uses **world** to mean various things in this letter. Here it refers to the created world. Alternate translation: “to this earth” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-metonymy]])
1JN	4	9	wxf8	figs-metaphor	ἵνα ζήσωμεν δι’ αὐτοῦ	1	so that we might live through him	Since people were already literally alive before Jesus came, John means this in a figurative sense. He is likely referring to what he calls “eternal life” in [3:15](../03/15.md). That includes both living forever in the presence of God after death and receiving power from God in this life to live in a new way. Alternate translation: “so that through him we might receive power from God to live as new people in this life and to live forever in God’s presence after we die” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor]])
1JN	4	9	j273		δι’ αὐτοῦ	1	through him	Alternate translation: “as a result of what he did for us”
1JN	4	10	v1zv	figs-idiom	ἐν τούτῳ ἐστὶν ἡ ἀγάπη	1	In this is love	**In this** means something similar to the idiomatic expression “in this we know” that John uses many times in this letter. Alternate translation: “This is how we have experienced genuine love” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-idiom]])
1JN	4	10	j274	guidelines-sonofgodprinciples	τὸν Υἱὸν αὐτοῦ	1	his Son	**Son** is an important title for Jesus. Alternate translation: “his Son Jesus” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/guidelines-sonofgodprinciples]])
1JN	4	10	b39j	figs-abstractnouns	ἀπέστειλεν τὸν Υἱὸν αὐτοῦ, ἱλασμὸν περὶ τῶν ἁμαρτιῶν ἡμῶν	1	sent his Son as the propitiation for our sins	If it would be clearer in your language, you could express the meaning behind the abstract noun **propitiation** with an equivalent expression. See how you translated the term in [2:2](../02/02.md). Alternate translation: “sent his Son to be the offering that made him no longer angry with us because of our sins” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-abstractnouns]])
1JN	4	11	i4tf	figs-nominaladj	ἀγαπητοί	1	Beloved	See how you translated this in [2:7](../02/07.md). Alternate translation: “You people whom I love” or “Dear friends” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-nominaladj]])
1JN	4	11	g4gu	grammar-connect-condition-fact	εἰ οὕτως ὁ Θεὸς ἠγάπησεν ἡμᾶς	1	if God thus loved us	John is speaking as if this were a hypothetical possibility, but he means that it is actually true. If your language does not state something as a condition if it is certain or true, and if your readers might misunderstand and think that what John is saying is not certain, then you can translate his words as an affirmative statement. Alternate translation: “since God loved us in this way” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/grammar-connect-condition-fact]])
1JN	4	12	j275	figs-hypo	ἐὰν ἀγαπῶμεν ἀλλήλους, ὁ Θεὸς ἐν ἡμῖν μένει, καὶ ἡ ἀγάπη αὐτοῦ τετελειωμένη ἐν ἡμῖν ἐστιν	1	If we love one another, God remains in us, and his love is perfected in us	John is describing a hypothetical situation in order to challenge and encourage his readers. Alternate translation: “Suppose we do love one another. Then God remains in us, and his love is perfected in us” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-hypo]])
1JN	4	12	sh9q	figs-metaphor	ὁ Θεὸς ἐν ἡμῖν μένει	1	God remains in us	See the discussion of the term “remain” in Part 3 of the Introduction to 1 John. In this instance, it seems to mean the same thing as in [2:6](../02/06.md). See how you translated it there. Alternate translation: “God continues to have a close relationship with us” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor]])
1JN	4	12	vt14	figs-activepassive	ἡ ἀγάπη αὐτοῦ τετελειωμένη ἐν ἡμῖν ἐστιν	1	his love is perfected in us	See how you translated the similar expression in [2:5](../02/05.md). In this case, it is clear that John is referring to God’s love for us, rather than to our love for God. Alternate translation: “God’s love has achieved its purpose in our lives” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-activepassive]])
1JN	4	13	j276	figs-idiom	ἐν τούτῳ γινώσκομεν ὅτι	1	In this we know that	This is an idiomatic expression that John uses many times in this letter. Alternate translation: “This is how we know that” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-idiom]])
1JN	4	13	m69h	figs-ellipsis	ἐν αὐτῷ μένομεν, καὶ αὐτὸς ἐν ἡμῖν	1	we remain in him, and he in us	In the expression **and he in us**, John is leaving out some of the words that a sentence would need in many languages in order to be complete. These words can be supplied from the previous phrase. Alternate translation: “we remain in him and he remains in us” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-ellipsis]])
1JN	4	13	yv6s	figs-metaphor	ἐν αὐτῷ μένομεν, καὶ αὐτὸς ἐν ἡμῖν	1	we remain in him, and he in us	See the discussion of the term **remain** in Part 3 of the Introduction to 1 John. In this instance, it seems to mean the same thing as in [2:6](../02/06.md). See how you translated it there. Alternate translation: “we continue to have a close relationship with God, and God continues to have a close relationship with us” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor]])
1JN	4	13	gj7p		ἐν τούτῳ γινώσκομεν ὅτι ἐν αὐτῷ μένομεν, καὶ αὐτὸς ἐν ἡμῖν, ὅτι ἐκ τοῦ Πνεύματος αὐτοῦ δέδωκεν ἡμῖν	1	In this we know that we remain in him and he in us: that he has given us of his Spirit	Your translation may be clearer if you do not translate the word **that** or if you translate it as “because” and leave out the expression **in this**. Alternate translation: “This is how we know that we remain in him, and he in us: He has given us of his Spirit” or “We know that we remain in him, and he in us, because he has given us of his Spirit”
1JN	4	13	dge3		ἐκ τοῦ Πνεύματος αὐτοῦ δέδωκεν ἡμῖν	1	he has given us of his Spirit	The word **of** means “some of.” John is not saying that God has only given some of his Spirit to the whole community of believers. Rather, John is saying that through his Spirit, God is fully present in the entire community, and that each believer experiences some of that full presence of God through the presence of the Spirit in his own life. Be sure that it is also clear in your translation that God does not have less of his Spirit now that each of us has some. Alternate translation: “he has sent his Spirit to live in each of us”
1JN	4	14	w6mz	figs-exclusive	ἡμεῖς τεθεάμεθα καὶ μαρτυροῦμεν, ὅτι	1	we have seen and we testify that	In this verse, John is speaking on behalf of himself and the other eyewitnesses of the earthly life of Jesus, so the pronoun **we** is exclusive. Alternate translation: “we apostles have seen and bear witness to the fact that” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-exclusive]])
1JN	4	14	m7cb	guidelines-sonofgodprinciples	ὁ Πατὴρ…τὸν Υἱὸν	1	the Father … the Son	These are important titles that describe the relationship between God and Jesus. Alternate translation: “God the Father … Jesus his Son” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/guidelines-sonofgodprinciples]])
1JN	4	14	j277	figs-metonymy	Σωτῆρα τοῦ κόσμου	1	as the Savior of the world	John uses **world** to mean various things in this letter. Here it figuratively refers to the people living in the world. Alternate translation: “to save the people in the world” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-metonymy]])
1JN	4	15	j278	figs-hypo	ὃς ἐὰν ὁμολογήσῃ ὅτι Ἰησοῦς ἐστιν ὁ Υἱὸς τοῦ Θεοῦ, ὁ Θεὸς ἐν αὐτῷ μένει, καὶ αὐτὸς ἐν τῷ Θεῷ	1	Whoever confesses that Jesus is the Son of God, God remains in him, and he in God	John is actually making a conditional statement. He is saying that what he describes in the second phrase will only happen, although it will certainly happen, if what he describes in the first phrase happens. Alternate translation: “If someone confesses that Jesus is the Son of God, then God will remain in him and he will remain in God” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-hypo]])
1JN	4	15	nvb1	figs-explicit	ὃς ἐὰν ὁμολογήσῃ ὅτι Ἰησοῦς ἐστιν ὁ Υἱὸς τοῦ Θεοῦ	1	Whoever confesses that Jesus is the Son of God	The meaning of this expression is similar to the expression “the one who confesses the Son” in 2:23. See how you translated it there. Alternate translation: “Everyone who truly believes and acknowledges publicly that Jesus is the Son of God and the Messiah” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-explicit]])
1JN	4	15	b6td	guidelines-sonofgodprinciples	ὁ Υἱὸς τοῦ Θεοῦ	1	the Son of God	**Son of God** is an important title for Jesus that describes his relationship to God. (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/guidelines-sonofgodprinciples]])
1JN	4	15	a7rx	figs-ellipsis	ὁ Θεὸς ἐν αὐτῷ μένει, καὶ αὐτὸς ἐν τῷ Θεῷ	1	God remains in him, and he in God	In the expression **and he in God**, John is leaving out some of the words that a sentence would need in many languages in order to be complete. These words can be supplied from the previous phrase. Alternate translation: “God remains in him and he remains in God” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-ellipsis]])
1JN	4	15	l3ft	figs-metaphor	ὁ Θεὸς ἐν αὐτῷ μένει, καὶ αὐτὸς ἐν τῷ Θεῷ	1	God remains in him, and he in God	See the discussion of the term “remain” in Part 3 of the Introduction to 1 John. In this instance, it seems to mean the same thing as in [2:6](../02/06.md). See how you translated it there. Alternate translation: “God continues to have a close relationship with him, and he continues to have a close relationship with God” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor]])
1JN	4	16	j279	figs-exclusive	ἡμεῖς…ἡμῖν	1	we … us	Here and in the rest of the letter, John once speaks of himself and the believers to whom he is writing, so the words **we** and **us** will be inclusive, and so if your language marks that distinction, use the inclusive form in your translation. (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-exclusive]])
1JN	4	16	j280	figs-idiom	ἡμεῖς ἐγνώκαμεν καὶ πεπιστεύκαμεν τὴν ἀγάπην ἣν ἔχει ὁ Θεὸς ἐν ἡμῖν	1	we have known and believed the love that God has in us	The meaning of the phrase **in us** is not entirely clear. Some interpreters take it to mean “for us.” However, other interpreters understand it to be comparable to the phrase “in this” that John uses in many places in this letter. In that case, “in us” would mean “in ourselves” and it would be indicating the means by which believers have known the love of God. Alternate translation: “from our own experience, we have recognized God’s love and come to trust in it” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-idiom]])
1JN	4	16	t5am	figs-metaphor	ὁ Θεὸς ἀγάπη ἐστίν	1	God is love	This is a metaphor that describes what **God** is like in his character. See how you translated it in [4:8](../04/08.md). Alternate translation: “God is entirely loving” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor]])
1JN	4	16	dyr6	figs-metaphor	ὁ μένων ἐν τῇ ἀγάπῃ	1	the one who remains in love	See the discussion of the term “remain” in Part 3 of the Introduction to 1 John. As in [2:24](../02/24.md), in this instance the word seems to refer to maintaining a pattern of behavior. Alternate translation: “someone who continues to love others” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor]])
1JN	4	16	fz29	figs-metaphor	ἐν τῷ Θεῷ μένει, καὶ ὁ Θεὸς ἐν αὐτῷ μένει	1	remains in God, and God remains in him	See the discussion of the term “remain” in Part 3 of the Introduction to 1 John. In this instance, it seems to mean the same thing as in [2:6](../02/06.md) and in [4:15](../04/15.md). See how you translated it there. Alternate translation: “continues to have a close relationship with God, and God continues to have a close relationship with him” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor]])
1JN	4	17	j281	grammar-connect-logic-result	ἐν τούτῳ τετελείωται ἡ ἀγάπη μεθ’ ἡμῶν, ἵνα παρρησίαν ἔχωμεν ἐν τῇ ἡμέρᾳ τῆς κρίσεως	1	In this love has been perfected with us so that we may have confidence in the day of judgment	This could mean: (1) The **so that** clause may be a purpose clause. That is, John may be saying that one reason why God is having his love achieve its purpose in our lives now is because he wants us to be confident on the day of judgment of his forgiveness and acceptance. If you decide that is the case, then your translation should follow the conventions of your language for purpose clauses, as ULT does. (2) The **so that** clause may be a result clause. That is, John may be saying that as a result of God’s love achieving its purposes in our lives now, we will be confident on the day of judgment of his forgiveness and acceptance. If you decide that is the case, then your translation should follow the conventions of your language for result clauses. Alternate translation: “In this love has been perfected with us, so that we may have confidence in the day of judgment” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/grammar-connect-logic-result]])
1JN	4	17	ypv4	figs-idiom	ἐν τούτῳ	1	In this	As in [4:9](../04/09.md), **in this** means something similar to the idiomatic expression “in this we know” that John uses many times in this letter. Alternate translation: “This is how” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-idiom]])
1JN	4	17	m76g	figs-activepassive	τετελείωται ἡ ἀγάπη μεθ’ ἡμῶν	1	love has been perfected with us	See how you translated the similar expression in [2:5](../02/05.md). Since John speaks in the previous verse of God’s love, the context suggests that John is referring to God’s **love** for us, rather than to our love for God. Alternate translation: “God’s love has achieved its purpose in our lives” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-activepassive]])
1JN	4	17	j282	figs-explicit	ἵνα παρρησίαν ἔχωμεν	1	so that we may have confidence	If it would be helpful to your readers, you could say explicitly what believers will **have confidence** about. Alternate translation: “so that we will be confident that God has forgiven us and will accept us” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-explicit]])
1JN	4	17	j283	figs-abstractnouns	ἵνα παρρησίαν ἔχωμεν	1	so that we may have confidence	If it would be clearer in your language, you could express the idea behind the abstract noun **confidence** with an adjective such as “confident.” Alternate translation: “so that we will be confident that God has forgiven us and will accept us” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-abstractnouns]])
1JN	4	17	j284	figs-idiom	ἐν τῇ ἡμέρᾳ τῆς κρίσεως	1	in the day of judgment	John is using the term **day** figuratively to refer a specific time. Alternate translation: “at the time when God judges us” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-idiom]])
1JN	4	17	j285		ὅτι	1	that	As in [4:13](../04/13.md), your translation may be clearer if you do not translate the word **that** or if you translate it as “because” and leave out the expression **in this**.
1JN	4	17	l78r	writing-pronouns	ὅτι καθὼς ἐκεῖνός ἐστιν, καὶ ἡμεῖς ἐσμεν	1	as that one is, we also are	The demonstrative pronoun **that one** refers to Jesus. Alternate translation: “we are becoming more and more like Jesus” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/writing-pronouns]])
1JN	4	17	j286	figs-metonymy	ἐν τῷ κόσμῳ τούτῳ	1	in this world	John uses **world** to mean various things in this letter, usually in a figurative sense. Here, however, it refers literally to the created world. Alternate translation: “as we live in this world” or “in our lives on this earth” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-metonymy]])
1JN	4	18	j287	grammar-connect-logic-result	φόβος οὐκ ἔστιν ἐν τῇ ἀγάπῃ, ἀλλ’ ἡ τελεία ἀγάπη ἔξω βάλλει τὸν φόβον, ὅτι ὁ φόβος κόλασιν ἔχει	1	Fear is not in love, but perfect love throws fear outside, because fear has punishment	If it would be clearer in your language, you could put the third clause before the first clause, since the third clause gives the reason for the result that the first clause describes. Alternate translation: “Because fear has punishment, fear is not in love, but perfect love throws fear outside” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/grammar-connect-logic-result]])
1JN	4	18	sq7k	figs-explicit	φόβος οὐκ ἔστιν ἐν τῇ ἀγάπῃ, ἀλλ’ ἡ τελεία ἀγάπη ἔξω βάλλει τὸν φόβον, ὅτι ὁ φόβος κόλασιν ἔχει	1	Fear is not in love, but perfect love throws fear outside, because fear has punishment	If it would be clearer in your language, you could say explicitly what this means, particularly in light of what John says in the previous verse. Alternate translation: “Because a person who thinks he is going to be punished is afraid, no one who truly understands how much God loves him will be afraid, because when God’s love has achieved its purpose in our lives, we are confident that he has forgiven us and will accept us” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-explicit]])
1JN	4	18	j288	figs-metaphor	φόβος οὐκ ἔστιν ἐν τῇ ἀγάπῃ	1	Fear is not in love	John speaks figuratively as if **fear** could be inside of **love**. Alternate translation: “no one who truly understands how much God loves him will be afraid” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor]])
1JN	4	18	j290		ἡ τελεία ἀγάπη ἔξω βάλλει τὸν φόβον	1	perfect love throws fear outside	By **perfect love**, John means the same thing as when he speaks in the previous verse of love that “has been perfected”. See how you translated that expression. Alternate translation: “when God’s love has achieved its purpose in our lives, it keeps us from being afraid”
1JN	4	18	bu17	figs-personification	ἡ τελεία ἀγάπη ἔξω βάλλει τὸν φόβον	1	perfect love throws fear outside	John speaks figuratively of **love** as if it could actively throw **fear** far away from us. Alternate translation: “when God’s love has achieved its purpose in our lives, it keeps us from being afraid” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-personification]])
1JN	4	18	yg1r	figs-activepassive	ὁ δὲ φοβούμενος, οὐ τετελείωται ἐν τῇ ἀγάπῃ	1	So the one who fears has not been perfected in love	See how you translated the similar expression in [2:5](../02/05.md). Here, as there, **love** could mean: (1) It may mean God’s love for us. Alternate translation: “So if someone is afraid, then God’s love has not achieved its purpose in his life” (2) It may mean our love for God. That is the interpretation in UST. (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-activepassive]])
1JN	4	18	j291	figs-explicit	ὁ δὲ φοβούμενος, οὐ τετελείωται ἐν τῇ ἀγάπῃ	1	So the one who fears has not been perfected in love	If it would be helpful to your readers, you could say explicitly what such a person **fears**. This is clear from the previous verse. Alternate translation: “So if someone is afraid that God has not forgiven him and that God will not accept him, then God’s love has not achieved its purpose in his life” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-explicit]])
1JN	4	19	j292	grammar-connect-logic-result	ἡμεῖς ἀγαπῶμεν, ὅτι αὐτὸς πρῶτος ἠγάπησεν ἡμᾶς	1	We love because he first loved us	If it would be clearer in your language, you could reverse the order of these phrases, since the second phrase gives the reason for the result that the first phrase describes. Alternate translation: “Because God first loved us, we love” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/grammar-connect-logic-result]])
1JN	4	19	j293	figs-explicit	ἡμεῖς ἀγαπῶμεν	1	We love	This could mean one of two things. UST takes it to mean both things. Alternate translation: (1) “We love God” (2) “We love others” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-explicit]])
1JN	4	19	j294	writing-pronouns	αὐτὸς πρῶτος ἠγάπησεν ἡμᾶς	1	he first loved us	The pronoun **he** refers to God. Alternate translation: “God first loved us” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/writing-pronouns]])
1JN	4	20	j295	figs-hypo	ἐάν τις εἴπῃ, ὅτι ἀγαπῶ τὸν Θεόν, καὶ τὸν ἀδελφὸν αὐτοῦ μισῇ, ψεύστης ἐστίν	1	If anyone says, “I love God,” and hates his brother, he is a liar	John is using a hypothetical situation to help his readers recognize the importance of consistency between their words and their actions. Alternate translation: “Suppose someone says, ‘I love God,’ but he hates his brother. Then he is a liar” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-hypo]])
1JN	4	20	j296	grammar-connect-logic-contrast	καὶ	1	and	John is using the word **and** to introduce a contrast between what would be expected, that someone who loved God would also love his fellow believers, and what would actually be true of this hypothetical person. Alternate translation: “but” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/grammar-connect-logic-contrast]])
1JN	4	20	tfq3	figs-metaphor	τὸν ἀδελφὸν αὐτοῦ	1	his brother	See how you translated this in [2:9](../02/09.md). Alternate translation: “a fellow believer” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor]])
1JN	4	20	a8zh	figs-doublenegatives	ὁ…μὴ ἀγαπῶν τὸν ἀδελφὸν αὐτοῦ…τὸν Θεὸν…οὐ δύναται ἀγαπᾶν	1	the one who does not love his brother … is not able to love God	If it would be clearer in your language, you could translate this double negative as a positive statement. Alternate translation: “only those who love their fellow believers … are able to love God” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-doublenegatives]])
1JN	4	21	j297		ταύτην τὴν ἐντολὴν ἔχομεν ἀπ’ αὐτοῦ	1	we have this commandment from him	Alternate translation: “this is what God has commanded us”
1JN	4	21	j298	writing-pronouns	ἀπ’ αὐτοῦ	1	from him	The pronoun **him** refers to God. Alternate translation: “from God” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/writing-pronouns]])
1JN	4	21	j299	figs-metaphor	τὸν ἀδελφὸν αὐτοῦ	1	his brother	See how you translated this in [2:9](../02/09.md). Alternate translation: “each fellow believer” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor]])
1JN	5	intro	bxm4			0		# 1 John 05 General Notes<br><br>## Structure and formatting<br><br>1. It is false teaching to deny that Jesus is the Son of God (5:1-12)<br>2. Closing of Letter (5:13-21)<br><br>## Possible translation difficulties in this chapter<br><br>### “a sin towards death”<br><br>It is not entirely clear what John means by this phrase. The word “death” could refer either to physical death or to spiritual death, that is, to eternal separation from God. See the further discussion in the notes to [5:16](../05/16.md). (See: [[rc://en/tw/dict/bible/other/death]])<br><br>### “the whole world lies in the power of the evil one”<br><br>The phrase “the evil one” refers to Satan. God has allowed him to rule the world, but, ultimately, God is in control over everything. God keeps his children safe from the evil one. (See: [[rc://en/tw/dict/bible/kt/satan]])<br><br>## Important textual issues in this chapter<br><br>In [5:7-8](../05/07.md), all ancient manuscripts say: “For there are three who testify, the Spirit and the water and the blood, and the three are unto the one.” That is the reading that ULT follows. Some much later manuscripts say: “For there are three who testify in heaven: the Father, the Word, and the Holy Spirit, and these three are one; and there are three who testify on earth: the Spirit and the water and the blood, and these three are unto the one.” In this case, translators are advised to translate this as the ULT text does, since there is wide agreement that it follows the accurate reading. However, if there are older versions of the Bible in your region that have the longer reading, you can include it, but you should put it inside square brackets \[ \] to indicate that it was most likely not in the original version of 1 John. (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/translate-textvariants]])
1JN	5	1	j300		ὁ Χριστὸς	1	the Christ	**Christ** is the Greek word for “Messiah.” Alternate translation: “the Messiah”
1JN	5	1	j301	figs-activepassive	πᾶς ὁ πιστεύων ὅτι Ἰησοῦς ἐστιν ὁ Χριστὸς, ἐκ τοῦ Θεοῦ γεγέννηται	1	Everyone who believes that Jesus is the Christ has been begotten from God	See how you translated the similar expression in [2:29](../02/29.md). Alternate translation: “God is the father of everyone who believes that Jesus is the Messiah” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-activepassive]])
1JN	5	1	h8if	figs-metaphor	πᾶς ὁ πιστεύων ὅτι Ἰησοῦς ἐστιν ὁ Χριστὸς, ἐκ τοῦ Θεοῦ γεγέννηται	1	Everyone who believes that Jesus is the Christ has been begotten from God	See whether in [2:29](../02/29.md) you decided to explain this metaphor. Alternate translation: “God is the spiritual father of everyone who believes that Jesus is the Messiah” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor]])
1JN	5	1	j302	writing-proverbs	πᾶς ὁ ἀγαπῶν τὸν γεννήσαντα, ἀγαπᾷ καὶ τὸν γεγεννημένον ἐξ αὐτοῦ	1	everyone who loves the one begetting also loves the one having been begotten from him	John includes this short saying to teach something that is generally true about life and that applies to the point he has been developing since [4:7](../04/07.md), that genuine believers love one another as God has loved them. Alternate translation: “everyone who loves someone who is a father also loves that person’s child” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/writing-proverbs]])
1JN	5	1	j303	figs-explicit	πᾶς ὁ ἀγαπῶν τὸν γεννήσαντα, ἀγαπᾷ καὶ τὸν γεγεννημένον ἐξ αὐτοῦ	1	everyone who loves the one begetting also loves the one having been begotten from him	If it would be helpful to your readers, you could say explicitly what this means and how it applies to John’s argument in this part of the letter. Alternate translation: “everyone who loves God will also love his fellow believers, since God is their spiritual father” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-explicit]])
1JN	5	2	ukc7	figs-idiom	ἐν τούτῳ γινώσκομεν ὅτι	1	In this we know that	This is an idiomatic expression that John uses many times in this letter. Alternate translation: “This is how we know that” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-idiom]])
1JN	5	2	j365	figs-metaphor	τὰ τέκνα τοῦ Θεοῦ	1	the children of God	Since John says in the previous verse that God is the spiritual father of believers, by **the children of God** he means other believers. Alternate translation: “our fellow believers” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor]])
1JN	5	2	j304	figs-idiom	τὰς ἐντολὰς αὐτοῦ τηρῶμεν	1	we keep his commandments	Here, **keep** is an idiom that means “obey.” Alternate translation: “we obey his commandments” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-idiom]])
1JN	5	3	ve87	figs-explicit	αὕτη γάρ ἐστιν ἡ ἀγάπη τοῦ Θεοῦ, ἵνα τὰς ἐντολὰς αὐτοῦ τηρῶμεν	1	For this is the love of God, that we should keep his commandments	If it would be helpful to your readers, you could say explicitly why this is the reason for the statement that John makes in the previous verse. Alternate translation: “And this is why: If we really do love God, we will love other believers, as he has commanded” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-explicit]])
1JN	5	3	j305	grammar-connect-logic-result	γάρ	1	For	In this verse, John gives a reason why his readers should recognize that the statement he makes in the previous verse is true. Alternate translation: “After all,” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/grammar-connect-logic-result]])
1JN	5	3	j306	figs-possession	ἡ ἀγάπη τοῦ Θεοῦ	1	the love of God	In this context, the phrase **the love of God** refers to believers loving God. John speaks in the previous verse of “when we love God.” Alternate translation: “what it means to love God” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-possession]])
1JN	5	3	uik3	figs-idiom	ἵνα τὰς ἐντολὰς αὐτοῦ τηρῶμεν	1	that we should keep his commandments	Here, **keep** is an idiom that means “obey.” Alternate translation: “that we should obey his commandments” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-idiom]])
1JN	5	3	c5z1	figs-metaphor	αἱ ἐντολαὶ αὐτοῦ βαρεῖαι οὐκ εἰσίν	1	his commandments are not burdensome	John speaks figuratively of God’s **commandments** as if they had weight but did not weigh very much. Alternate translation: “his commandments are not difficult to obey” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor]])
1JN	5	4	j307	translate-versebridge	ὅτι πᾶν τὸ γεγεννημένον ἐκ τοῦ Θεοῦ, νικᾷ τὸν κόσμον	1	For everyone who has been begotten from God overcomes the world	In order to create a verse bridge, you could begin this sentence with “Since” instead of **For**; you could end it with a comma instead of a period; and you could make it the beginning of the second sentence in the previous verse. It would go before “his commandments are not burdensome.” The word “And” would be left out. (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/translate-versebridge]])
1JN	5	4	i2bf	figs-activepassive	πᾶν τὸ γεγεννημένον ἐκ τοῦ Θεοῦ	1	everyone who has been begotten from God	See how you translated the similar expression in [2:29](../02/29.md). Alternate translation: “everyone whose father is God” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-activepassive]])
1JN	5	4	j308	figs-metaphor	πᾶν τὸ γεγεννημένον ἐκ τοῦ Θεοῦ	1	everyone who has been begotten from God	See whether in [2:29](../02/29.md) you decided to explain this metaphor. Alternate translation: “everyone whose spiritual father is God” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor]])
1JN	5	4	g3uw	figs-metaphor	νικᾷ τὸν κόσμον	1	overcomes the world	As in [2:13](../02/13.md), John is using the word **overcomes** figuratively. He is speaking of the believers’ refusal to live by the value system of ungodly people as if the believers had defeated that system in a struggle. Alternate translation: “does not live by the value system of ungodly people” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor]])
1JN	5	4	yq2d	figs-metonymy	τὸν κόσμον	1	the world	See how you translated the term **world** in [2:15](../02/15.md). It has a similar meaning in this verse. Alternate translation: “the value system of ungodly people” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-metonymy]])
1JN	5	4	j309	figs-metonymy	ἡ νίκη	1	the victory	John is speaking figuratively of the thing that has won **the victory** as if it were **the victory** itself. Alternate translation: “what has won the victory” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-metonymy]])
1JN	5	4	tf9x	figs-metaphor	ἡ νικήσασα τὸν κόσμον	1	that has overcome the world	Once again John is using the word **overcome** figuratively. He is speaking of the “faith” that he and his readers share as if it had defeated the ungodly value system in a struggle. Alternate translation: “that enables us to live differently from the value system of ungodly people” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor]])
1JN	5	4	j310	figs-metonymy	τὸν κόσμον	1	the world	John is using the term **world** to mean the same thing as in the previous sentence. Alternate translation: “the value system of ungodly people” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-metonymy]])
1JN	5	5	qm85	figs-rquestion	τίς ἐστιν δέ ὁ νικῶν τὸν κόσμον, εἰ μὴ ὁ πιστεύων ὅτι Ἰησοῦς ἐστιν ὁ Υἱὸς τοῦ Θεοῦ?	1	But who is the one who overcomes the world, if not the one who believes that Jesus is the Son of God?	John is using the question form for emphasis, to reaffirm what he said in the first sentence of the previous verse. If it would be clearer in your language, you could translate his words as a statement. Alternate translation: “But only someone who believes that Jesus is the Son of God overcomes the world.” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-rquestion]])
1JN	5	5	db4f	figs-metaphor	νικῶν τὸν κόσμον	1	who overcomes the world	See how you translated this in the previous verse. Alternate translation: “who does not live by the value system of ungodly people” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor]])
1JN	5	5	j311	figs-metonymy	τὸν κόσμον	1	the world	See how you translated this in the previous verse. Alternate translation: “the value system of ungodly people” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-metonymy]])
1JN	5	5	drv2	guidelines-sonofgodprinciples	ὁ Υἱὸς τοῦ Θεοῦ	1	the Son of God	**Son of God** is an important title for Jesus that describes his relationship to God. (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/guidelines-sonofgodprinciples]])
1JN	5	6	js27	figs-metonymy	οὗτός ἐστιν ὁ ἐλθὼν δι’ ὕδατος καὶ αἵματος, Ἰησοῦς Χριστός; οὐκ ἐν τῷ ὕδατι μόνον, ἀλλ’ ἐν τῷ ὕδατι καὶ ἐν τῷ αἵματι	1	This is the one who came by water and blood: Jesus Christ—not in water alone, but in water and in blood	The terms **water** and **blood** likely mean one of two things. Either way, John is specifying what it means to believe fully that “Jesus is the Son of God,” as he described in the previous verse. (1) As John indicates in [4:2](../04/02.md), the false teachers denied that God had come to earth in a real human body. Some false teachers at this time claimed instead that the divine Son of God had united himself with a human being, Jesus, only at the time of his baptism. So John may be using the term **water** to refer figuratively to the baptism of Jesus and the term **blood** to refer figuratively to the real human birth of Jesus by association with the way that there is blood when mothers give birth. A reference to the birth of Jesus would suit John’s statement that this is how how Jesus **came**. Alternate translation: “It is vital to affirm that the Son of God did not come to earth only at the baptism of Jesus, but that he was born as Jesus, who was a real human being” (2) The term **blood** could also be a figurative reference to the death of Jesus on the cross, where he shed his blood as the Savior of the world. That is the interpretation of UST. (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-metonymy]])
1JN	5	6	j312	figs-explicit	ὁ ἐλθὼν	1	the one who came	If it would be helpful to your readers, you could say more explicitly what this means, as UST does. Alternate translation: “the one who came to earth from God” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-explicit]])
1JN	5	6	j313		τὸ Πνεῦμά ἐστιν τὸ μαρτυροῦν	1	the Spirit is the one who testifies	Alternate translation: “the Holy Spirit gives us assurance about this”
1JN	5	6	j314	figs-metaphor	τὸ Πνεῦμά ἐστιν ἡ ἀλήθεια	1	the Spirit is truth	Like the statement “God is love” in [4:8](../04/08.md) and [4:16](../04/16.md), which describes God’s character, this is a metaphor that describes the character of the Holy **Spirit**. Alternate translation: “the Spirit is entirely truthful” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor]])
1JN	5	7	j315	figs-explicit	ὅτι τρεῖς εἰσιν οἱ μαρτυροῦντες	1	For there are three who testify	In this statement, John gives a reason why believers can be confident that the Spirit testifies truthfully about Jesus, as he said in the previous verse. If it would be helpful to your readers, you could indicate that more explicitly. Alternate translation: “We can be confident that the Spirit testifies truthfully about Jesus because two further witnesses say the same thing about him that the Spirit does” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-explicit]])
1JN	5	7	j316	translate-textvariants	ὅτι τρεῖς εἰσιν οἱ μαρτυροῦντες	1	For there are three who testify	See the discussion of textual issues at the end of the General Notes to this chapter to decide whether to follow the reading of ULT or to follow the reading of some late manuscripts and say in your translation, “For there are three who testify in heaven: the Father, the Word, and the Holy Spirit; and these three are one. And there are three who testify on earth.” As the General Notes recommend, if you decide to use the longer reading, put it inside square brackets \[ \] to indicate that it was most likely not in the original version of 1 John The notes below discuss translation issues related to the variant reading, for those who decide to use it. (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/translate-textvariants]])
1JN	5	8	j320	figs-metonymy	τὸ ὕδωρ, καὶ τὸ αἷμα	1	the water and the blood	See how you decided to translate the terms **water** and **blood** in [5:6](../05/06.md). Alternate translation: (1) “the baptism of Jesus and his human birth” (2) “the baptism of Jesus and his death on the cross” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-metonymy]])
1JN	5	8	j321	figs-idiom	οἱ τρεῖς εἰς τὸ ἕν εἰσιν	1	the three are unto the one	This is an idiom. Alternate translation: “these three all say the same thing” or “these three all agree” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-idiom]])
1JN	5	9	j322	grammar-connect-condition-fact	εἰ τὴν μαρτυρίαν τῶν ἀνθρώπων λαμβάνομεν	1	If we receive the testimony of men	John is speaking as if this were a hypothetical possibility, but he means that it is actually true. If your language does not state something as a condition if it is certain or true, and if your readers might misunderstand and think that what John is saying is not certain, then you can translate his words as an affirmative statement. Alternate translation: “Since we receive the testimony of men” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/grammar-connect-condition-fact]])
1JN	5	9	ai6a	figs-idiom	τὴν μαρτυρίαν τῶν ἀνθρώπων λαμβάνομεν	1	we receive the testimony of men	This is an idiom. Alternate translation: “we believe people when they give testimony” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-idiom]])
1JN	5	9	j323	figs-gendernotations	τῶν ἀνθρώπων	1	of men	Although the term **men** is masculine, John is using the word in a generic sense that includes both men and women. Alternate translation: “of people” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-gendernotations]])
1JN	5	9	k2de	figs-explicit	ἡ μαρτυρία τοῦ Θεοῦ μείζων ἐστίν	1	the testimony of God is greater	The word **greater** implicitly means that the testimony of God is more reliable than human testimony, since God knows everything and God always tells the truth. Alternate translation: “the testimony of God is more reliable” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-explicit]])
1JN	5	9	nxq1	figs-ellipsis	ἡ μαρτυρία τοῦ Θεοῦ μείζων ἐστίν	1	the testimony of God is greater	John is leaving out some of the words that a sentence would need in many languages in order to be complete. These words can be supplied from the previous phrase. Alternate translation: “we should certainly receive the testimony of God, since it is greater” or “we should certainly believe God when he gives testimony, since his testimony is more reliable” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-ellipsis]])
1JN	5	9	j324		ὅτι αὕτη ἐστὶν ἡ μαρτυρία τοῦ Θεοῦ, ὅτι μεμαρτύρηκεν περὶ τοῦ Υἱοῦ αὐτοῦ	1	For this is the testimony of God that he has testified about his Son	Here, **For** could mean: (1) John may be using the term to introduce the content of God’s testimony to his Son. In that case, after using the next verse to stress again the importance of believing God’s testimony, John would be specifying the content itself in [5:11](../05/11.md), where he says, “And this is the testimony.” That is the interpretation of ULT. Alternate translation: “Now this is the testimony that God has given regarding his Son” (2) John may be using the term **For** to give the reason why the testimony of God is greater than human testimony, as he says in the previous sentence. That is the interpretation of UST.
1JN	5	9	gt7u	guidelines-sonofgodprinciples	τοῦ Υἱοῦ αὐτοῦ	1	his Son	**Son** is an important title for Jesus. Alternate translation: “his Son Jesus” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/guidelines-sonofgodprinciples]])
1JN	5	10	j325	figs-explicit	εἰς τὸν Υἱὸν τοῦ Θεοῦ	1	in the Son of God	John implicitly means believing that Jesus is the Son of God. Alternate translation: “that Jesus is the Son of God” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-explicit]])
1JN	5	10	j326	guidelines-sonofgodprinciples	τὸν Υἱὸν τοῦ Θεοῦ	1	the Son of God	**Son of God** is an important title for Jesus. (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/guidelines-sonofgodprinciples]])
1JN	5	10	gkj1	figs-metaphor	ἔχει τὴν μαρτυρίαν ἐν αὑτῷ	1	has the testimony in him	John speaks figuratively of the **testimony** as if it were an object that could be inside believers. Alternate translation: “completely accepts what God has said” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor]])
1JN	5	10	j327	figs-abstractnouns	τὴν μαρτυρίαν	1	the testimony	If it would be clearer in your language, you could express the idea behind the abstract noun **testimony** with an equivalent expression. Alternate translation: “what God has said” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-abstractnouns]])
1JN	5	10	j255	figs-explicit	ψεύστην πεποίηκεν αὐτόν	1	has made him a liar	As in [1:10](../01/10.md), be sure that it is clear in your translation that God would not actually be a **liar** in this case. Rather, since God has said that Jesus is his Son, a person who did not believe that would be calling God a liar. If it would be helpful to your readers, you could say that explicitly. Alternate translation: “is, in effect, calling God a liar” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-explicit]])
1JN	5	10	sii2		τὴν μαρτυρίαν ἣν μεμαρτύρηκεν ὁ Θεὸς περὶ τοῦ Υἱοῦ αὐτοῦ	1	the testimony that God has testified about his Son	John is using a cognate accusative, that is, an object that comes from the same root as its verb. You may be able to do the same thing in your translation. If not, you could explain what this means. Alternate translation: “what God has solemnly said to be true about his Son”
1JN	5	11	bi7k		αὕτη ἐστὶν ἡ μαρτυρία	1	this is the testimony	Alternate translation: “this is what God has said about his Son”
1JN	5	11	u1w5	figs-metaphor	ζωὴν αἰώνιον ἔδωκεν ἡμῖν ὁ Θεὸς, καὶ αὕτη ἡ ζωὴ ἐν τῷ Υἱῷ αὐτοῦ ἐστιν	1	God gave us eternal life, and this life is in his Son	John speaks figuratively of **life** as if it were an object that was inside Jesus. Alternate translation: “God gave us eternal life, which people receive by belieiving in his Son Jesus” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor]])
1JN	5	11	k2qn	figs-metaphor	ζωὴν αἰώνιον	1	eternal life	As in [4:9](../04/09.md), **eternal life** means two things at once. It means receiving power from God in this life to live in a new way, and it also means living forever in the presence of God after death. See how you translated the expression in [4:9](../04/09.md). (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor]])
1JN	5	11	sz21	guidelines-sonofgodprinciples	τῷ Υἱῷ αὐτοῦ	1	his Son	**Son** is an important title for Jesus. Alternate translation: “his Son Jesus” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/guidelines-sonofgodprinciples]])
1JN	5	12	st2z	figs-metaphor	ὁ ἔχων τὸν Υἱὸν, ἔχει τὴν ζωήν; ὁ μὴ ἔχων τὸν Υἱὸν τοῦ Θεοῦ, τὴν ζωὴν οὐκ ἔχει	1	The one who has the Son has life. The one who does not have the Son of God does not have life	John speaks figuratively of believers who are in a close relationship with Jesus as if Jesus were their possession. Alternate translation: “Anyone who is in a close relationship with the Son has life. Anyone who is not in a close relationship with the Son of God does not have life” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor]])
1JN	5	12	j329	figs-metaphor	ἔχει τὴν ζωήν…τὴν ζωὴν οὐκ ἔχει	1	has life … does not have life	Since both groups of people are alive literally, John means this in a figurative sense. As in [4:9](../04/09.md), he is likely referring to what he calls “eternal life” in [3:15](../03/15.md). See how you translated that term in those verses. Alternate translation: “has power from God to live as a new person now and will live forever in God’s presence after death … does not have power from God to live as a new person now and will not live forever in God’s presence after death” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor]])
1JN	5	12	j330	guidelines-sonofgodprinciples	τὸν Υἱὸν…τὸν Υἱὸν τοῦ Θεοῦ	1	the Son … the Son of God	**Son of God** is an important title for Jesus that describes his relationship to God. (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/guidelines-sonofgodprinciples]])
1JN	5	13	ezl8		ταῦτα	1	these things	Alternate translation: “this letter”
1JN	5	13	wns6	figs-metonymy	ὑμῖν…τοῖς πιστεύουσιν εἰς τὸ ὄνομα τοῦ Υἱοῦ τοῦ Θεοῦ	1	to you, the ones believing in the name of the Son of God	As in [2:12](../02/12.md), John is using the **name** of Jesus figuratively to represent who Jesus is and what he has done. Alternate translation: “to you who believe in Jesus and what he has done for you” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-metonymy]])
1JN	5	13	gg32	guidelines-sonofgodprinciples	τοῦ Υἱοῦ τοῦ Θεοῦ	1	of the Son of God	**Son of God** is an important title for Jesus that describes his relationship to God. (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/guidelines-sonofgodprinciples]])
1JN	5	13	j331	figs-metaphor	ὅτι ζωὴν ἔχετε αἰώνιον	1	that you have eternal life	The emphasis in this verse seems to be more on the future aspect of the expression **eternal life**. Alternate translation: “that you will live forever in God’s presence after you die” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor]])
1JN	5	14	j332	figs-explicit	αὕτη ἐστὶν ἡ παρρησία ἣν ἔχομεν πρὸς αὐτόν	1	this is the confidence that we have towards him	If it would be helpful to your readers, as in [3:21](../03/21.md) you could say explicitly what this **confidence** applies to, in light of what John says in the rest of this sentence. Alternate translation: “we can be confident of this as we pray to God” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-explicit]])
1JN	5	14	yj31	figs-abstractnouns	αὕτη ἐστὶν ἡ παρρησία ἣν ἔχομεν πρὸς αὐτόν	1	this is the confidence that we have towards him	If it would be clearer in your language, you could express the idea behind the abstract noun **confidence** with an adjective such as “confident.” Alternate translation: “we can be confident of this as we pray to God” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-abstractnouns]])
1JN	5	14	j333	writing-pronouns	αὐτόν…αὐτοῦ…ἀκούει	1	him … his … he listens	The pronouns **him**, **his**, and **he** refer to God in this verse. It might be natural in your language to use the name “God” in the first instance and pronouns in the other instances. (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/writing-pronouns]])
1JN	5	14	at5n		ἐάν τι αἰτώμεθα κατὰ τὸ θέλημα αὐτοῦ	1	if we ask anything according to his will	Alternate translation: “if we ask for the things that God wants for us”
1JN	5	14	j334	figs-idiom	ἀκούει ἡμῶν	1	he listens to us	As in [4:5](../04/05.md), the word **listens** is an idiom. However, the meaning here is not as strong as the meaning there, “is persuaded by.” Rather, this refers to God hearing our prayers with a disposition to grant what we ask. Alternate translation: “he is disposed to give it to us” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-idiom]])
1JN	5	15	j335	grammar-connect-condition-fact	ἐὰν οἴδαμεν ὅτι ἀκούει ἡμῶν	1	if we know that he listens to us	John is speaking as if this were a hypothetical possibility, but he means that it is actually true. If your language does not state something as a condition if it is certain or true, and if your readers might misunderstand and think that what John is saying is not certain, then you can translate his words as an affirmative statement. Alternate translation: “since we know that he listens to us” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/grammar-connect-condition-fact]])
1JN	5	15	j336	figs-idiom	ἀκούει ἡμῶν	1	he listens to us	See how you translated this in the previous verse. Alternate translation: “he is disposed to give us what we ask for” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-idiom]])
1JN	5	15	j337	figs-explicit	ἀκούει ἡμῶν	1	he listens to us	It may be helpful to repeat the condition that John specifies in the previous verse. Alternate translation: “he is disposed to give us what we ask for if it is according to his will” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-explicit]])
1JN	5	15	j338	writing-pronouns	ἀκούει…αὐτοῦ	1	he listens … him	The pronouns **he** and **him** refer to God in this verse. It might be natural in your language to use the name “God” for **he** and to say **him** later in the verse. (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/writing-pronouns]])
1JN	5	15	ev49		οἴδαμεν ὅτι ἔχομεν τὰ αἰτήματα ἃ ᾐτήκαμεν ἀπ’ αὐτοῦ	1	we know that we have the requests that we have asked from him	Alternate translation: “we know that we will receive what we have asked God for”
1JN	5	16	j339	figs-hypo	ἐάν τις ἴδῃ τὸν ἀδελφὸν αὐτοῦ ἁμαρτάνοντα ἁμαρτίαν μὴ πρὸς θάνατον, αἰτήσει	1	If anyone sees his brother sinning a sin not towards death, he will ask	John is describing a hypothetical situation in order to counsel his readers. UST models a way of showing this. (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-hypo]])
1JN	5	16	sc1f	figs-metaphor	τὸν ἀδελφὸν αὐτοῦ	1	his brother	See how you translated this in [2:9](../02/09.md). Alternate translation: “a fellow believer” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor]])
1JN	5	16	j340		ἁμαρτάνοντα ἁμαρτίαν	1	sinning a sin	John is using a cognate accusative, that is, an object that comes from the same root as its verb. You may be able to do the same thing in your translation. If not, you could explain what this means. Alternate translation: “committing a sin”
1JN	5	16	j341	figs-metaphor	ἁμαρτίαν μὴ πρὸς θάνατον…τοῖς ἁμαρτάνουσιν μὴ πρὸς θάνατον…ἁμαρτία πρὸς θάνατον	1	a sin not towards death … those sinning not towards death … a sin towards death	Here, **death** could mean: (1) This refers to a figurative reference to spiritual death, that is, to eternal separation from God. (See the later note to this verse for a discussion of what kind of sin John may have in mind that would lead to that.) Alternate translation: “a sin that does not lead to eternal separation from God … those whose sin will not lead to eternal separation from God … a sin that does lead to eternal separation from God” (2) This refers to a literal reference to physical death. Alternate translation: “a sin that will not cause him to die … those whose sin will not cause them to die … a sin that will cause a person to die” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor]])
1JN	5	16	j342	figs-declarative	αἰτήσει	1	he will ask	John is using a future statement to give an instruction and command. Alternate translation: “he should pray for that fellow believer” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-declarative]])
1JN	5	16	j343	writing-pronouns	δώσει αὐτῷ ζωήν	1	he will give him life	In this clause, the pronoun **he** refers to God and the pronoun **him** refers to the believer who is sinning. Elsewhere in the verse, the words **his** and **he** refers to the person who sees a fellow believer sinning. Alternate translation: “God will give life to the believer who is sinning” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/writing-pronouns]])
1JN	5	16	myf6	figs-metaphor	δώσει αὐτῷ ζωήν	1	he will give him life	The meaning of the word **life** depends on the meaning of the word “death.” (1) The word “death” could be figurative. Alternate translation: “God will make sure that the believer who is sinning is not separated from him eternally” (2) The word **death** could be literal. Alternate translation: “God will make sure that the believer who is sinning does not die” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor]])
1JN	5	16	q1me	figs-explicit	ἔστιν ἁμαρτία πρὸς θάνατον; οὐ περὶ ἐκείνης λέγω ἵνα ἐρωτήσῃ	1	There is a sin towards death; I am not saying that he should pray about that	If it would be helpful to your readers, you could say more explicitly what this likely means if the word **death** is figurative. In the context of the whole letter, by **a sin towards death**, John is probably referring to the behavior that the false teachers engaged in and encouraged. As Part 3 of the Introduction to 1 John explains, these false teachers claimed that it did not matter what people did in their bodies, and so they would have been committing many serious sins without feeling any conviction that their actions were wrong. This showed that they had abandoned faith in Jesus and had rejected the influence of the Holy Spirit. John implicitly corrects this false teaching again in [5:18](../05/18.md) His statement that believers should not pray for people who behave in this way is likely descriptive rather than prescriptive. That is, he is not saying that he does not want the believers to pray for them. Rather, he is explaining that it will not do any good to pray for them, since they are determined to live in a way that is contrary to faith in Jesus and the influence of the Holy Spirit. Alternate translation: “The false teachers who say that it does not matter what people do in their bodies are committing many serious sins without feeling any conviction that their actions are wrong. This shows that they no longer believe in Jesus, they have rejected the influence of the Holy Spirit, and they are no longer living in relationship with God. This suggests that they will also be separated from God for eternity. Praying for them is not likely to make any difference” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-explicit]])
1JN	5	17	j344	figs-abstractnouns	πᾶσα ἀδικία ἁμαρτία ἐστίν, καὶ ἔστιν ἁμαρτία οὐ πρὸς θάνατον	1	All unrighteousness is sin, and there is sin not towards death	If it would be clearer in your language, you could express the idea behind the abstract noun **unrighteousness** with an equivalent expression. Alternate translation: “Every time we do what God does not want, that is sin” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-abstractnouns]])
1JN	5	17	j345	grammar-connect-logic-contrast	καὶ	1	and	John is using the word **and** to introduce a contrasting statement that is intended to encourage the believers to whom he is writing. Alternate translation: “but” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/grammar-connect-logic-contrast]])
1JN	5	17	j346	figs-metaphor	ἔστιν ἁμαρτία οὐ πρὸς θάνατον	1	there is sin not towards death	See how you translated the word **death** in the previous verse. Alternate translation: “not every sin leads to eternal separation from God” or “not every sin causes a person to die” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor]])
1JN	5	18	j347	figs-activepassive	πᾶς ὁ γεγεννημένος ἐκ τοῦ Θεοῦ	1	everyone who has been begotten from God	See how you translated the similar expression in [2:29](../02/29.md). Alternate translation: “everyone whose father is God” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-activepassive]])
1JN	5	18	j348	figs-metaphor	πᾶς ὁ γεγεννημένος ἐκ τοῦ Θεοῦ	1	everyone who has been begotten from God	See whether in [2:29](../02/29.md) you decided to explain this metaphor. Alternate translation: “everyone whose spiritual father is God” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor]])
1JN	5	18	j349	figs-explicit	οὐχ ἁμαρτάνει	1	does not sin	See how you translated this expression in [3:6](../03/06.md). Alternate translation: “does not sin wantonly and continually” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-explicit]])
1JN	5	18	j350		ὁ γεννηθεὶς ἐκ τοῦ Θεοῦ	1	the One who was begotten from God	This is a description of Jesus, whom John calls “the only-begotten” in [4:9](../04/09.md). See how you translated that expression there. Alternate translation: “Jesus, God’s actual Child”
1JN	5	18	j351	figs-explicit	τηρεῖ ἑαυτὸν	1	keeps him	This could mean one of two things. Alternate translation: (1) “keeps him in a close relationship with God” (2) “keeps him from sinning” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-explicit]])
1JN	5	18	l7h8	figs-nominaladj	ὁ πονηρὸς	1	the evil one	As in [2:13](../02/13.md), John is using the adjective **evil** as a noun in order to indicate a specific being. ULT adds **one** to show this. Your language may use adjectives in the same way. If not, you can translate this with an equivalent expression. Alternate translation: “the one who is evil” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-nominaladj]])
1JN	5	18	j352	figs-metonymy	ὁ πονηρὸς	1	the evil one	John is speaking figuratively of the devil by association with the way that he is **evil**. Alternate translation: “the devil” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-metonymy]])
1JN	5	18	j353	figs-idiom	οὐχ ἅπτεται αὐτοῦ	1	does not touch him	This is an idiom. Alternate translation: “cannot harm him” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-idiom]])
1JN	5	19	j354	figs-idiom	ἐκ τοῦ Θεοῦ ἐσμεν	1	we are from God	See how you translated the similar expression in [4:4](../04/04.md). Alternate translation: “we belong to God” or “we are living in relationship with God” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-idiom]])
1JN	5	19	eh5z	figs-metonymy	ὁ κόσμος ὅλος	1	the whole world	John uses the term **world** in various ways in this letter. In this instance, it likely refers figuratively both to the people living in the **world** who do not honor God and to their value system. Alternate translation: “all ungodly people and their value system” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-metonymy]])
1JN	5	19	n9ig	figs-metaphor	ἐν τῷ πονηρῷ κεῖται	1	lies in the evil one	The expression **lies in** figuratively represents being controlled by someone or something. Alternate translation: “is controlled by the evil one” or “is controlled by evil influences” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor]])
1JN	5	19	j355	figs-abstractnouns	τῷ πονηρῷ	1	the evil one	If it would be clearer in your language, you could express the meaning behind the abstract noun **evil** with an equivalent expression. This could mean: (1) John may be speaking figuratively of the devil, as in [2:13](../02/13.md). Alternate translation: “the devil” (2) John may be speaking of evil influences. Alternate translation: “evil influences” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-abstractnouns]])
1JN	5	20	je13	guidelines-sonofgodprinciples	ὁ Υἱὸς τοῦ Θεοῦ	1	the Son of God	**Son of God** is an important title for Jesus that describes his relationship to God. (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/guidelines-sonofgodprinciples]])
1JN	5	20	j356	figs-explicit	ἥκει	1	has come	If it would be helpful to your readers, you could say more explicitly what this means, as you may have done in [5:6](../05/06.md). Alternate translation: “has come to earth from God” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-explicit]])
1JN	5	20	n1nh	figs-abstractnouns	δέδωκεν ἡμῖν διάνοιαν	1	has given us understanding	If it would be clearer in your language, you could express the idea behind the abstract noun **understanding** with a verb such as “understand.” Alternate translation: “has enabled us to understand” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-abstractnouns]])
1JN	5	20	j357	figs-abstractnouns	δέδωκεν ἡμῖν διάνοιαν	1	has given us understanding	If it would be helpful to your readers, you could say explicitly what Jesus has enabled us to understand. Alternate translation: “has enabled us to understand the truth” or “has enabled us to understand what God is truly like” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-abstractnouns]])
1JN	5	20	hvr7	figs-nominaladj	τὸν Ἀληθινόν…τῷ Ἀληθινῷ	1	the True One … the True One	John is using the adjective **True** as a noun in order to indicate a specific being. ULT adds **One** to show this. Your language may use adjectives in the same way. If not, you can translate this with an equivalent expression. Alternate translation: “the One who is true … the One who is true” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-nominaladj]])
1JN	5	20	j358	figs-metonymy	τὸν Ἀληθινόν…τῷ Ἀληθινῷ	1	the True One … the True One	John is speaking figuratively of God by association with the way that he is **True**. Alternate translation: “God, who always tells the truth and does what he says he will do” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-metonymy]])
1JN	5	20	ge7c	figs-metaphor	ἐσμὲν ἐν τῷ Ἀληθινῷ, ἐν τῷ Υἱῷ αὐτοῦ, Ἰησοῦ Χριστῷ	1	we are in the True One, in his Son Jesus Christ	As in [2:5](../02/05.md), John is speaking figuratively as if believers could be inside of God and Jesus. This expression describes having a close relationship with God. Alternate translation: “we have a close relationship with God and with his Son Jesus Christ” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor]])
1JN	5	20	j359	guidelines-sonofgodprinciples	τῷ Υἱῷ αὐτοῦ	1	his Son	**Son** is an important title for Jesus that describes his relationship to God. (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/guidelines-sonofgodprinciples]])
1JN	5	20	w5yl	writing-pronouns	οὗτός ἐστιν ὁ ἀληθινὸς Θεὸς	1	This is the true God	**This** could refer either to God or to Jesus. ULT takes it to refer to God and UST takes it to refer to Jesus. (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/writing-pronouns]])
1JN	5	20	dz3s	figs-hendiadys	ὁ ἀληθινὸς Θεὸς καὶ ζωὴ αἰώνιος	1	the true God and eternal life	John is expressing a single idea by using two noun phrases connected with **and**. The phrase **eternal life** describes a quality of **the true God**, that he gives eternal life. Alternate translation: “the true God, who gives eternal life” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-hendiadys]])
1JN	5	20	j360	figs-metaphor	ζωὴ αἰώνιος	1	eternal life	As in [4:9](../04/09.md), this means both receiving power from God in this **life** to live in a new way and living forever in the presence of God after death. See how you translated the expression there. (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor]])
1JN	5	21	i3rw	figs-metaphor	τεκνία	1	Little children	See how you translated this in [2:1](../02/01.md). Alternate translation: “You dear believers who are under my care” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor]])
1JN	5	21	hn4y	figs-idiom	φυλάξατε ἑαυτὰ	1	keep yourselves	This is an idiom. Alternate translation: “stay away from” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-idiom]])
1JN	5	21	j361	figs-metaphor	τῶν εἰδώλων	1	idols	This could mean: (1) John may be referring figuratively to anything that might take the place of God in a person’s life. Alternate translation: “anything that might take the place of God in your life” (2) John may be referring literally to **idols**, that is, to statues that were worshiped as if they embodied a god. That is the interpretation of UST. (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor]])
1JN	5	21	jn4y		φυλάξατε ἑαυτὰ ἀπὸ τῶν εἰδώλων	1	keep yourselves from idols	“stay away from idols” or “do not worship idols”
