15:19a
If you were of the world: This clause is a condition that is assumed to be false or unfulfilled. It means “If you were part of this fallen and evil world…but you are not.” Because they believed and obeyed Christ, there were many things in them that were different from unbelievers in the world. Their spiritual origin was no longer the world, but God. For example:
If you had anything in common with the world (God’s Word)
-or-
Suppose you were part of the world ⌊which you are not⌋
-or-
if suppose you were still included with those who do not believe
15:19b
it would love you as its own: This statement is not true because the condition (“if you belonged to the world”) was not true. The world does not love believers because they are not part of it. They do not belong to it. The people of the world only love those people who belong to it. Those who belong to the world are those who think like the world does and agree with its value system. Here are other ways to translate this clause:
it would love you as it loves it own (New Century Version)
-or-
the world’s people would love you because you would be one of them
it: The word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as it is literally “the world” in Greek. This phrase continues to refer to the unbelievers in the world. In some languages it may be natural to refer to the people. For example:
its people (Contemporary English Version)
-or-
the people of the world
General Comment on 15:19a–b
In some languages it may be natural to reverse the order of the clauses in 15:19a–b. For example:
19b The world would love you as one of its own 19a if you belonged to it. (New Living Translation (2004))
-or-
The world only loves those who belong to it.
-or-
The world loves those who belong to it. Others it does not love.
15:19c–e
Instead, the world hates you, because you are not of the world, but I have chosen you out of the world: This sentence explains why the people of this world hated Jesus’ disciples. See the General Comment on 15:19c–e (following the note on 15:19e) for a different way to arrange the information in this sentence. In some languages it may be natural to use more than one sentence here. For example:
But you don’t have anything in common with the world. I chose you from the world, and that’s why the world hates you. (God’s Word)
15:19c
Instead, the world hates you: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as Instead can also be translated as “Therefore,” in which case it introduces the logical result of Jesus choosing his followers and making them different from the world. For example:
that is why the world hates you (New Jerusalem Bible)
-or-
and for that reason the world hates you (NET Bible)
the world hates you: The phrase the world refers to the people in the world, or unbelievers in general. See how you translated this phrase in 15:19b. For example:
its people hate you (Contemporary English Version)
15:19d
because: This word introduces the reason that the world hates Jesus’ disciples in 15:19e. The world hates them because they do not belong to it. The Greek phrase that the Berean Standard Bible translates as because is more literally “but because.” Some translations include the word “but” to indicate the contrast between 15:19a and 15:19d. For example:
but because (English Standard Version)
However, it is not natural in English to have the same conjunction, “but,” in both 15:19d and 15:19e. So several translations leave out one “but.” For example:
As it is, you do not belong to the world, but I have chosen you out of the world. (New International Version)
-or-
But you don’t belong to the world. I have chosen you to leave the world behind. (Contemporary English Version)
-or-
But I chose you from this world, and you do not belong to it. (Good News Translation)
In those examples, the word because is not included. However, the meaning can be included in 15:19e, as the New Revised Standard Version does by including the word “therefore.” You should indicate the contrast in a way that is natural in your language.
you are not of the world: This clause means “you are not part of the world” or “you are not from the world.” Their spiritual origin was no longer from the world, but from God. For example:
you don’t have anything in common with the world (God’s Word)
-or-
you are no longer part of the world (New Living Translation (2004))
-or-
you are now separated from the world
15:19e
but I have chosen you out of the world: Christ’s followers were once part of the unbelievers of the world but Christ has made them different. He has separated them from this evil world and its values and its control. For example:
I have chosen you to leave the world behind. (Contemporary English Version)
-or-
I chose you (plur.) to be different from unbelievers.
but: The Greek conjunction that the Berean Standard Bible translates as but here connects a negative statement (15:19d) to a positive statement (15:19e). This kind of sentence emphasizes the positive statement. Languages have different ways to indicate this type of emphasis. Here are some ways to show the emphasis:
• Use the conjunction but as in the Berean Standard Bible. For example:
However, because you do not belong to the world, but I chose you out of the world (NET Bible)
• Use a conjunction other than but. For example:
You do not belong to the world, rather I chose you out of the world.
• Do not use a conjunction. For example:
But you don’t have anything in common with the world. I chose you from the world (God’s Word)
• Change the order of the clauses. For example:
19d But I chose you from this world, 19c and you do not belong to it (Good News Translation)
You should translate this emphasis in the way that is most natural in your language.
General Comment on 15:19c–e
In some languages it is more natural to rearrange 5:19c–e. You may want to first say that the world hates believers and then say why. For example:
19e But the world hates you 19d because I chose you from this world, 19c and you do not belong to it.
-or-
19e However, unbelievers hate you (plur.) 19c and that is because you do not belong to them, 19d because I chose you out from among them.
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