15:13a

Greater love has no one than this: Jesus explained the sort of love he was talking about. It is the love that he showed by dying for us. This is the greatest love that exists. In some languages it is more natural to express this as a positive statement. For example:

The greatest love is
-or-
The greatest way to show love (Contemporary English Version)
-or-
The greatest love a person can show (New Century Version)

love: This word is a noun that refers to the attitude and behavior that prefers the welfare of others above oneself. In some languages it may be more natural to use a verb form. For example:

No one can love in a greater/stronger way than by…

this: This pronoun refers to 15:13b. In some languages it is more natural to put 15:13b before 15:13a. For an example see the General Comment following the note on 15:13b.

15:13b

that he lay down his life for his friends: The Greek phrase that the Berean Standard Bible translates as lay down his life means “willingly die.” See how you translated this phrase in 10:11. Dying for the benefit of others is the greatest expression of love for them. A person who willingly dies for someone else shows that he truly loves that other person. Here are other ways to translate this phrase:

The greatest love a person can have for your friends is to give your life for them (Good News Translation)
-or-
The greatest love a person can show is to die for his friends. (New Century Version)
-or-
if he dies so that his friends may live (Kankanaey Back Translation)

for: The word that the Berean Standard Bible translated for means “for the benefit of.” In this context it implies “to save/help.”

his friends: This phrase refers to the friends of the man who is willing to die. Jesus was referring to how he would die for his followers. The same word in the singular (“friend”) is used to describe Lazarus in 11:11.

General Comment on 15:13a–b

In some languages it is more natural to put 15:13b before 15:13a. For example:

13b If someone dies for the benefit of his friends, 13a that is the greatest love.
-or-

13b If a person is willing to die for his friends, 13a he loves them in the greatest way possible.

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