SIL Translator’s Notes on 1 John 2000 – Page 4

SIL Translator's Notes on 1 John 3:14

3:14a

We: (Emphasis) The emphasis here is on the difference between Christians and the people of the world. This difference is seen in the way Christians love other Christians, which proves that they have passed from death to eternal life. In the Greek the pronoun “We” is emphatic to make the contrast clear. See New English Bible.

we have passed from death to life: (Metaphor) The topic of this extended metaphor is that as Christians we are no longer under the power of death and Satan, but we now have eternal life from God. Thus we are like people who were dead but have now come to life.

3:14b

because we love our brothers: (Logical Relationship) This is not giving the reason why we have passed from death to life. It is giving the reason why we know that we have passed from death to life. To avoid confusion about this many translations repeat here the phrase “We know this because.” See Good News Translation, The Jerusalem Bible, New English Bible. Others such as Living Bible change the order of clauses within the sentence.

3:14c

who does not love: (Lexical Problem) No object of the verb love is mentioned in this clause, but John is clearly still referring to loving other Christians. This can be made explicit if in your language the verb requires an object.

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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 5:10

Paragraph 5:10–12

Read 5:10–12 in both Berean Standard Bible and Good News Translation. Compare the two versions.

Paragraph Theme: Here John shows that believing in Jesus can cause us to be confident that we have eternal life.

5:10b

this testimony: (Pronoun Reference) This refers to the testimony mentioned in the previous verses (5:6–9) by which the Holy Spirit assures us that Jesus Christ is the Son of God.

within him: (Meaning) This means that such a person has no doubts that these things are true because he is fully assured of them in himself.

5:10c

whoever does not believe God: (Logical Relationship) Even though this sentence refers to God instead of Jesus Christ, it is meant as a direct contrast to the last sentence (5:10a–b). In translation a conjunction such as “but” may be needed to introduce it. See Good News Translation, New English Bible.

does not believe God: (Meaning) This refers to not believing what God says about his Son. It does not mean, “does not believe in God.”

5:10d

has made Him out: (Meaning) John means that to refuse to believe God is the same as saying that God is a liar.

5:10e

because: (Logical Relationship) This gives the reason why John says that refusing to believe God is the same as saying he is a liar.

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SIL Translator's Notes on 1 John 5:21

5:21

keep yourselves from: (Meaning) This is an instruction to take great care that we do not begin to pay attention to these things.

idols: (Meaning) John is probably using this word in a general way, meaning both false gods and also false ideas about God. However in translation it may be clearer to use a specific word referring to the gods of local religion, in contrast to the true God.

SIL Translator's Notes on 1 John 5:20

5:20a

has come: (Meaning) This refers to the fact that Jesus came into the world.

5:20b

has given us understanding: (Collocation) In your language it may not be possible to “give” an abstract thing like understanding, or it may not be clear in what way this is done. Here the basic meaning is that Jesus has caused us to understand or know something.

understanding: (Lexical Problem) The thing that is understood is not mentioned here, but its result is given in the next clause, “so that we may know him….” Therefore John’s meaning is that Jesus has given us the ability or power to know him who is true.

Him who is true: (Meaning) John is here referring to God, whom Jesus has caused us to know. He is saying that this is the real God, in contrast to the false gods of other religions and in contrast to false teachings about the God of Christianity.

5:20c

in Him: (Collocation) As in 2:5c, this means that we are in union with God, in a close personal relationship with him.

5:20d

in: (Ellipsis) This clause explains how we are “in God.” The full meaning is “because we are in his Son, Jesus Christ.”

5:20e

He: (Alternative Interpretations) There are different views about who the pronoun He refers to:

(1) It probably refers to God.

(2) Some think it refers to Christ. (Living Bible)

5:20f

and eternal life: (Meaning) John means that God is the only source of eternal life. We have eternal life by being united to God.

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SIL Translator's Notes on 1 John 5:19

5:19b

the whole world: (Multiple Senses) In this verse this phrase means all those people in the world who have not accepted God.

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SIL Translator's Notes on 1 John 5:18

Paragraph 5:18–21

Read 5:18–21 in both Berean Standard Bible and Good News Translation. Compare the two versions.

Paragraph Theme: Finally John reminds the readers that God protects them from the temptation to sin and that they really do know God, so they should reject all false teaching.

5:18a

anyone born of God does not keep on sinning: (Meaning) The Greek for this clause is almost exactly the same as 3:9, “Anyone born of God refuses to practice sin.” It means that no child of God should be continually or habitually sinning.

5:18b

(Logical Relationship) The rest of the verse gives the reason why Christians do not continually sin. This connection may be clearer if a conjunction such as “because” is used.

the One who was born of God: (Tense) The tense of the Greek verb here is different from the tense of “anyone born of God” in 5:18a. It indicates that in 5:18b John is referring to a specific person who was once born of God. Several translations make this reference clearer by translating it as “the Son of God.” See Good News Translation, The Jerusalem Bible, New English Bible, Phillips’ New Testament in Modern English, Living Bible.

protects him: (Connotation) This implies that the Son of God keeps that person safe from Satan’s attempts to lead him into sin.

5:18c

and: (Logical Relationship) The clause in 5:18c can be considered as a result of the Son of God keeping the Christian safe. So it may be clearer in translation to link it with a conjunction such as “and so” or “so that.”

the evil one: (Meaning) As in 2:13e, this is a common way of referring to Satan.

touch: (Connotation) This word implies the idea of touching someone with the intention of doing something bad to that person. It may therefore be clearer to translate it by “harm.” See Good News Translation and later editions of New International Version (2011 Revision).

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SIL Translator's Notes on 1 John 5:17

5:17 (Logical Relationship)

In the previous verse John has mentioned two types of sin, those which lead to death and those which do not. In this verse he is making his readers understand that the sins which do not lead to death are also very bad. All sin is serious in God’s sight.

5:17a

All unrighteousness is sin: (Lexical Problem) The terms unrighteousness and sin are often used to mean the same thing, but here they are used with more specific meanings. In this verse unrighteousness means any act which is against God’s will or is below the standard he sets. Here, sin means something which offends God and spoils or breaks a person’s relationship with him.

5:17b

yet there is: (Logical Relationship) The Berean Standard Bible translates the Greek conjunction used here as yet. Since this statement contrasts with the first half of the verse the English conjunction “but” is another translation option here. See Good News Translation, The Jerusalem Bible, New English Bible, Revised Standard Version, Phillips’ New Testament in Modern English.

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SIL Translator's Notes on 1 John 5:16

5:16a–b

committing a sin not leading to death: (Alternative Interpretations) In this verse and the next John talks about “sin that leads to death.” There are different interpretations of what this refers to:

(1) It probably refers to the sins of deliberately rejecting Christ and hating his people. These sins show that those who commit them do not have eternal life and are, in fact, spiritually dead. This is what John has made clear in 5:12 and in 3:14.

(2) Some think it refers to the sin of blaspheming against the Holy Spirit. See Matthew 12:31–32.

(3) Others think that it refers to Christians who abandon their faith. See Hebrews 6:4–6.

5:16a

anyone: (Pronoun Reference) This does not mean anyone at all whoever he may be. John is giving an instruction to his readers, so it may be clearer in translation to say “anyone of you.” See Good News Translation, Phillips’ New Testament in Modern English, Living Bible.

sees: (Multiple Senses) This refers not just to seeing with the eyes, but also to knowing about something, being aware of it.

his brother: (Alternative Interpretations) There are two views as to the sense in which this word is used here:

(1) It probably means any other Christian.

(2) Some think it means any other person, Christian or not.

5:16b

leading to death: (Meaning) In all the interpretations mentioned in the last note this phrase means spiritual death, not physical death. That is to say, doing this type of sin causes a person to be separated forever from God and from the life which God gives through Christ. John is not referring to sins of witchcraft which cause other people to die.

5:16c

ask God: (Multiple Senses) This verb is used here with the sense of asking God for something. In this case it means asking God to save the brother who is committing the sin.

5:16d-e

who will give life to those: (Meaning) Since this refers to someone who is already a believer, it may be best to say, “who will restore to (spiritual) life those.”

5:16f

There is a sin: (Alternative Interpretations) There are different views about the meaning of the grammar of the Greek in this phrase:

(1) It probably means “There is a type of sin…” or “There are some sins…” (Good News Translation, New English Bible, Revised Standard Version)

(2) Some think it means “There is one particular sin…” (Berean Standard Bible, New International Version (2011 Revision), The Jerusalem Bible, King James Version, Living Bible)

5:16g

I am not saying he should ask regarding that sin: (Meaning) It is easy to misunderstand this sentence. John’s meaning here is that he will not instruct his readers that they ought to pray about people who commit sins which lead to death. He will not command them to pray for those people because they have deliberately rejected all God’s help. But he allows them to pray for such people if they want to (because we do not know if possibly God may save them). Your translation should not make it sound as if John is forbidding prayer for these people.

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Source: SIL Translator's Notes on 1 John 2000

SIL Translator's Notes on 1 John 3:14

SIL Translator's Notes on 1 John 5:10

SIL Translator's Notes on 1 John 5:21

SIL Translator's Notes on 1 John 5:20

SIL Translator's Notes on 1 John 5:19

SIL Translator's Notes on 1 John 5:18

SIL Translator's Notes on 1 John 5:17

SIL Translator's Notes on 1 John 5:16

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