From the antichrists the focus now shifts to the situation of the person addressed. That situation, which forms the main topic of verses 20-21, contrasts sharply with that of the false teachers, as John sees it.
You have been anointed by the Holy One is literally “you have/possess an anointing from the Holy One.” The phrase the Holy One may refer to God (compare Hab 3.3) or to Christ (as in Rev 3.7, compare also John 6.69), preferably the latter. The Greek preposition “from” identifies the Holy One as the source from which the anointing comes. When this latter term is rendered by a verb (see below), the Holy One is to be treated as the agent of the process; for example, ‘the Holy One has anointed you.’
The noun “anointing” occurs only here and verse 27; 30.25), or (2) to an event, either (2a) “the (act of) anointing,” or (2b) “the (result of) being anointed.” Meanings (1) and (2b) are both possible here.
Meaning (2b) leads to renderings such as ‘you have received the anointing,’ or, shifting from noun to verb, “you have been anointed,” as Revised Standard Version and Goodspeed have it. The New Testament has seven passages about being anointed, four referring to Jesus Christ (Luke 4.18; Acts 4.27; 10.38; Heb 1.9), and three to Christ’s followers (1 John 2.20, 27; 2 Cor 1.21, where Revised Standard Version has “commissioned”). In the latter occurrences the term probably serves to say that a person is solemnly taken into the community of the Church. This interpretation is brought out by renderings like ‘you have received your consecration,’ “you … are among the initiated” (New English Bible).
When meaning (1) is chosen, the reference to “anointing oil” may stand as a metaphor or a symbol for something that the true believers have received. This something may be the Holy Spirit because of the connection of the Spirit with men’s being anointed in 2 Cor 1.21-22, and the parallelism of verse 27 with such passages as John 14.26; 16.13. Or it may be the word of the gospel, because of the parallelism between “the anointing which you received from him abides in you” in verse 27, and “let what you heard from the beginning abide in you” in verse 24; because of the function of the word of the gospel as the test of the Spirit and spirits in 4.1-6; and because of the similarity of what 2 Cor 1.21-22 says about anointing and of what Eph 1.13 says about the gospel.
The versions that take the word in meaning (1) interpret it as a reference to the Holy Spirit, using such renderings as “you have had the Holy Spirit poured out on you” (Good News Translation), ‘Christ has bestowed on you the Holy Spirit,’ ‘the Holy Spirit is now with you, which Christ gave.’ Examples of the other possible interpretation are not available, but, in the opinion of the present authors, it is not inferior to the first, to say the least. The two do not exclude one another, for the gospel cannot give true knowledge unless through the Spirit, and the spirit is to be tested by the gospel.
† “To anoint” literally means “to pour-ointment-on.” The Greek verb is chriō, from which chrisma “anointing,” and ho christos “the anointed-one,” “the Christ” (see comments on 2.22), are derived. This verb refers in the Old Testament to a religious rite by which an object is consecrated to God, or by which a person, such as a king or a priest, is solemnly commissioned to God’s service. The New Testament probably does not use it with reference to the actual performance of the rite but in a comparable metaphorical or symbolical sense.
In many languages one cannot use a literal rendering of the verb where it is used metaphorically or symbolically, since to pour ointment or oil on a person or thing may have entirely different values in the receptor culture, or have no value or sense at all. Possible renderings are of various types. They may be based on concepts like: (1) appointment or commissioning; hence, ‘to tell him to become,’ ‘to commission,’ ‘to give responsibility to’; (2) empowering; hence, ‘to give power to’; (3) consecration, as in the figurative expression ‘to put the hand on’; (4) selection; hence ‘to choose’; and (5) giving or granting, as in ‘God bestowed the Holy Spirit and power on Jesus of Nazareth’ (Acts 10.38).
In some instances translators have attempted to combine both the literal and the nonliteral meaning of “to anoint”; for example, ‘to commission by rubbing on oil’ or ‘to have power poured on.’ This may be possible in some languages, but in most the addition is to be rejected because of the confusing or even ridiculous associations it would have in the receptor culture.
In the present verse, and similarly in verse 27, a rendering of category (3) or (5) will have to be used, depending on the interpretation chosen.
The rendering of the term holy is one of the headaches of Bible translators, and renderings that were chosen at first often have to be changed in revision. It may be useful therefore to insert here some warnings and suggestions put forward on the subject.
Since one of the semantic components of the word is “what is separated,” “what is set apart,” there seems to be a tendency among translators to build their rendering on this component. The terms used, however, have often a negative meaning, namely, that something is separated from man because of its being taboo and unacceptable, rather than a positive meaning, namely, that it is set apart for the benefit of man because of its goodness. This agrees with the fact that this component actually is a secondary one, the separation being the result of supernatural power inherent in the object or person called holy. It is this supernatural power which is the primary component and the decisive one for the translator.
Moreover, the concept holiness as found in the Bible is the result of the character of God himself. Therefore the supernatural power associated with it has moral characteristics. As such Biblical holiness is quite different from the holiness of many religions, in which the power of taboo has nothing to do with moral behavior.
As to the terms that can be used to render holy with reference to persons (as is the case here), some are built on such words as ‘clean,’ ‘spotless,’ ‘perfect’ (in a sense of complete), ‘pure’ (in the sense of unadulterated); or, negatively expressed, ‘uncontaminated,’ ‘undefiled.’ Others express the quality of holiness in terms of goodness; for example, ‘with a good heart,’ ‘beautiful-good,’ ‘sinless and white’ (in the sense of undefiled and sinless).
You all know: the word all emphasizes the subject. The verb is without object, which is unusual in the Greek. In order to avoid this difficulty, some Greek manuscripts and some old versions have all (neuter plural) as direct object of you know, instead of all (masculine plural) going with the subject. This clearly secondary reading is not to be followed.
In the receptor language it may be possible to say “you all have knowledge” (New English Bible) or ‘you all are knowers,’ leaving the goal to be inferred from the context. If it is obligatory to mention a goal, one may add either a pronominal reference to what precedes (Nieuwe Vertaling, Bijbel in Gewone Taal), or the word “truth,” because of verse 21 (Good News Translation, Goodspeed).
Quoted with permission from Haas, C., de Jonge, M. and Swellengrebel, J.L. A Handbook on The First Letter of John. (UBS Handbook Series). New York: UBS, 1972. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .