15:12a–b

This is My commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you: Jesus told his disciples how they should behave as his followers. They should love each other in the way that he had loved them. Their love should be intense, real, and unselfish. In some languages it may be natural to translate the commandment as a direct quotation. For example:

I am commanding you this: Love each other as I have loved you.
-or-
This is my commandment: Love each other in the same way I have loved you. (New Living Translation (2004))
-or-
My commandment is this: love one another, just as I love you. (Good News Translation)

15:12a

This is My commandment: This clause means “what I am telling you to do is…” For example:

My command is this… (New International Version)
-or-
Now I tell you to… (Contemporary English Version)

This: This pronoun refers to the following clause, “love one another as I have loved you.”

15:12b

love one another as I have loved you: This is a comparison similar to the one in 15:9a–b. See how you translated that comparison. See also how you translated a similar idea in 13:34. Christ told his followers to love each other in the same way, or with the same love, that he loved them. Jesus loved his disciples so much that he was willing to die for them. He wanted his disciples to love each other in that way too. As in 15:9, you may translate the action of loving as either a verb or a noun. For example:

love one another in the same way I have loved you (New Living Translation (2004))
-or-
Show the same ⌊great⌋ love to one another that I have shown to you.

love one another: The phrase one another refers to other believers. Each of Christ’s followers is to care for other followers and to seek their welfare. They should do this as a habit, not just one time.

as I have loved you: The connector as means “in the same way that.” Christ wanted his followers to display the same great, unselfish love to one another that he had shown them. They should be willing to sacrifice their lives for other believers. Because Christ loved them completely, they should love one another completely.

General Comment on 15:12b

In some languages it may be natural to rearrange these clauses, with Christ’s model of love at the beginning. For example:

I have loved you (plur.) ⌊deeply/greatly⌋ , and now you must love each other that much.

General Comment on 15:12a–b

In some languages it may be natural to rearrange 15:12a–b, translating the content of the commandment first. For example:

12b Love each other as I have loved you. 12a This is what I’m commanding you to do. (God’s Word)

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