For little children see comments on 2.1.

Keep yourselves from idols, or ‘be on your guard against idols,’ ‘do not turn towards idols,’ ‘take care that you have nothing to do with idols’; or, specifying the act they should avoid, ‘don’t trust/worship idols.’ The Greek verb form, an imperative of the aorist, expresses a strict prohibition.

Idols: the Greek word (which occurs only here in John’s writings) has the meaning “image,” specifically “image of a god”; then also that which is depicted in the image, the “god.” In the Bible the term is always used in the sense of “false god.” Some descriptive renderings used are ‘what is not (the true) God,’ ‘something other than God,’ ‘what is only thought/supposed to be God,’ ‘hand-made god,’ ‘god-in-imitation’ (formed in analogy with man-in-imitation, meaning “doll”).

At first sight the verse seems to be a rather unexpected and inappropriate conclusion of this Letter, which nowhere makes mention of idol worship. It is to be remembered, however, that in the Old Testament idols, or “false gods,” is sometimes used in a metaphorical sense with reference to sin. The term serves then to bring out how horrible sin is. The same usage occurs in some texts in the Dead Sea Scrolls. When idols is taken in this metaphorical sense, the verse can be interpreted as a warning to keep away from sin. As such it would be an appropriate conclusion of John’s first Letter, which repeatedly warns against sin.

The majority of translators follow the literal rendering. Their example is probably best followed here, but preferably with an explanatory footnote explaining what has been said above.

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 .