SIL Translator’s Notes on 1 John 2000

SIL Translator's Notes on 1 John 4:3

4:3a

does not confess Jesus: (Ellipsis) The full meaning here is “does not acknowledge that Jesus Christ has come as a human being.”

4:3b

the spirit of the antichrist: (Meaning) John means that such a person is preaching and teaching by the power of the antichrist or by an evil spirit sent by the antichrist.

4:3c

which: (Pronoun Reference) The word which refers to the spirit of the antichrist, not to the antichrist himself.

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All Scripture quotations in this publication, unless otherwise indicated, are from The Holy Bible, Berean Standard Bible. BSB is produced in cooperation with Bible Hub, Discovery Bible, OpenBible.com, and the Berean Bible Translation Committee.

SIL Translator's Notes on 1 John 4:17

Paragraph 4:17–18

Read 4:17–18 in both Berean Standard Bible and Good News Translation. Compare the two versions.

Paragraph Theme: These verses concentrate on another theme from 4:12, namely God’s love being complete in us.

4:17a

In this way: (Alternative Interpretations) There are different interpretations as to what the Greek pronoun translated this refers to here:

(1) Probably it points forward to the second clause of the verse, “we have confidence…” (Good News Translation, The Jerusalem Bible, New English Bible, Phillips’ New Testament in Modern English) Some of these translations therefore restructure the sentence.

(2) Some think the pronoun refers back to the idea of loving and living in God in 4:16. (Berean Standard Bible, New International Version (2011 Revision) later editions)

love has been perfected among us: (Meaning) This is the same phrase as in 4:12c, except that a different preposition “among” is used here instead of “in.” See the note on 4:12c.

4:17b

so that: (Alternative Interpretations) There are different interpretations of how the first and second clauses of this verse fit together:

(1) Probably the first clause, “(God’s) love becomes complete in us” is explained by the second clause, “by our having confidence on the day of judgment.” (The Jerusalem Bible, New English Bible, Phillips’ New Testament in Modern English) John means that when we are allowing God to love us and to love others through us as he wants to, then we will not be afraid of God, even on the day of judgment.

(2) Some think that the second clause gives the purpose of the first clause. (New International Version (2011 Revision), Good News Translation)

(3) Some think that the second clause gives the result of the first clause.

It is recommended that you follow interpretation (1).

4:17c

the day of judgment: (Biblical Term) This refers to the day when God will judge everyone, including believers.

4:17d

for: (Logical Relationship) This gives the reason why we will have confidence on the day of judgment. In translation it may be necessary to make clear which clauses it links. See Good News Translation and the Display.

in this world: (Multiple Senses) Here John uses this phrase to refer to our life on earth.

we are just like Him: (Alternative Interpretations) There are two interpretations of what this refers to, although it may not be necessary to make it explicit in translation:

(1) It probably refers to God living in us and us living in God, just as God and Christ were always in one another.

(2) It may refer to us being in a relationship of perfect love with God, as Christ was.

Him: (Pronoun Reference) This refers to Christ.

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SIL Translator's Notes on 1 John 4:16

4:16 (Alternative Interpretations)

There are different ways of understanding how this verse fits with the verses before and after it:

(1) The whole verse is probably the third part of the section 4:13–16. (See the note on 4:13–16, Theme.) It should therefore be linked to the previous verse by a conjunction like “And/Also,” or by no conjunction at all. There is then a paragraph break after this verse.

(2) Some think that the first sentence of this verse is a summary of 4:13–15, and that a new paragraph starts with the sentence “God is love.” In that case the verse should start with a phrase like “(And) so.” (New International Version (2011 Revision), Good News Translation, New English Bible)

4:16a

we: (Pronoun System) If your language distinguishes between exclusive and inclusive “we,” you should mark the pronoun in this and the following verses as inclusive. It means “we apostles and you believers,” and contrasts with the exclusive “we” of 4:14.

the love that God has for us: (Meaning) This may be translated “God’s love for us” or “God loves us.” (See The Jerusalem Bible and Display.) It refers to all God’s love, both his past love in sending Christ as our Savior, and his present love expressed by the Holy Spirit in us.

4:16b

God is love: (Meaning) See the note on 4:8b. The meaning is the same here.

4:16c

whoever abides…: (Logical Relationship) This is a result of the previous statement. It can be linked by a conjunction like “So,” or the two statements can be restructured as one sentence.

abides in love: (Collocation) In your language it may sound unnatural to say that a person abides in an abstract quality like love. If so, this should be treated as a metaphor, and the basic meaning could be translated, as in the Display.

love: (Lexical Problem) In your language you may need to use a verb here and to make clear the object of the person’s love. Since John is talking about love in general, it would be best to translate, “loves other people and God.”

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SIL Translator's Notes on 1 John 4:13

Paragraph 4:13–16

Read 4:13–16 in both Berean Standard Bible and Good News Translation. Compare the two versions.

4:13

this: (Pronoun Reference) The word this points forward, referring to God’s gift of the Holy Spirit. The sentence may be restructured, but the emphasis of the sentence must be kept on God giving the Holy Spirit to us.

in Him: (Pronoun Reference) This refers to God, and since this verse starts a new paragraph it may be necessary to make the name explicit here. See Good News Translation.

given us of His Spirit: (Meaning) This just means that God has put his Holy Spirit in us. Be careful in your translation that it does not sound as if God has simply handed over the Holy Spirit into our possession.

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SIL Translator's Notes on 1 John 4:12

4:12 (Focus)

The focus of this verse is on two things that will happen if we love one another: (a) God will live in us, and (b) his love will become perfect in us. The statement that no one has ever seen God is not in focus, it is just emphasizing how amazing it is that God lives in us. The verse could therefore be restructured as:

If we love one another, then even though nobody has ever seen God, he will actually be living in us, and….

4:12a

No one has ever seen God: (Meaning) John means that no one has seen God as he really is, in spirit. People have only ever seen God at times when he has appeared in human form, such as when Moses saw him (Exodus 33:22–23) and when people saw Jesus.

4:12b

if we love: (Multiple Senses) This means “whenever we love…”

God remains in us: (Collocation) See the notes on 2:5c “in Him,” and 3:24a “and God in him.”

4:12c

His love is perfected: (Meaning) John means that when God lives in us and we love others, then God’s love is reaching people just as he wants it to. In other words, God’s love is having the effect he intends it to have.

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SIL Translator's Notes on 1 John 4:11

Paragraph 4:11–12

Read 4:11–12 in both Berean Standard Bible and Good News Translation. Compare the two versions.

Paragraph Theme: Here John appeals to us to love one another so that God can truly live in us and cause his love to reach others through us.

4:11a

if: (Multiple Senses) The conjunction if is not used here to introduce something that might or might not be true. Here it refers to something that is known to be true, so in many languages a conjunction like “since” or “because” will be more appropriate. See New International Version (2011 Revision) and Display.

so loved us: (Multiple Senses) Here the word so is used in the sense of “so much.” It means that God loved us very much and as a result of that he sent his Son to die for us.

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SIL Translator's Notes on 1 John 4:10

4:10a

And love consists in this: (Lexical Problem) In some languages it may not be possible to talk about love without indicating the object of the love. If that is the case in your language you may have to refer to “the right/true way for someone to love others.”

this: (Pronoun Reference) The word this points forward to 4:10b–c where John says that real love is what God showed by sending his Son to this world. However John first states that real love is not what we show by loving God. It may therefore be clearer to restructure the sentence as:

Real love is not what we show by loving God, rather it is what God showed by loving us…

4:10c

and sent: (Logical Relationship) God’s love and his sending his Son are not two independent facts. Sending his Son was the means by which he put his love into action. This relationship may need to be made explicit in your translation.

the atoning sacrifice: (Meaning) This is what was referred to in 2:2a. (See the note on that verse.) Here the main point in focus is that by sending Jesus to die, God provided the way for our sins to be forgiven. See Good News Translation.

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SIL Translator's Notes on 1 John 4:9

4:9a

This: (Pronoun Reference) The word This refers forward to 4:9b, God’s sending his Son into the world.

among us: (Alternative Interpretations) There are two interpretations of the meaning of the Greek phrase used here:

(1) It probably indicates to whom God revealed his love, so the clause means, “God revealed/demonstrated to us his love (for people).” (Berean Standard Bible, New International Version (2011 Revision), New English Bible, Revised Standard Version)

(2) Some think it indicates who God loves. So the clause would then mean, “God showed that he loves us.” (Good News Translation, The Jerusalem Bible, King James Version, Living Bible)

4:9b

one and only: (Alternative Interpretations) There are two opinions about the meaning of the Greek word used here:

(1) Almost certainly it means “unique, the only one who exists.” (Berean Standard Bible, New International Version (2011 Revision), Good News Translation, The Jerusalem Bible, New English Bible, Revised Standard Version, Phillips’ New Testament in Modern English, Living Bible)

(2) A few people think it means “the only one who was born.” (New International Version (2011 Revision) margin, King James Version)

4:9c

we might live through Him: (Meaning) John means that Christ has caused us to be truly alive, he has given us eternal life.

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Source: SIL Translator's Notes on 1 John 2000

SIL Translator's Notes on 1 John 4:3

SIL Translator's Notes on 1 John 4:17

SIL Translator's Notes on 1 John 4:16

SIL Translator's Notes on 1 John 4:13

SIL Translator's Notes on 1 John 4:12

SIL Translator's Notes on 1 John 4:11

SIL Translator's Notes on 1 John 4:10

SIL Translator's Notes on 1 John 4:9

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