SIL Translator’s Notes on 1 John 2000

SIL Translator's Notes on 1 John 2:11

2:11b

walks in the darkness: (Metaphor) See the note on 2:6. However, John extends the metaphor in this verse by comparing this person with someone who walks about in a dark place and cannot see where he is going.

2:11c

where he is going: (Alternative Interpretations) There are two ways of understanding this:

(1) As stated in the previous note, it is probably just part of the picture of someone who cannot see where he is going in the dark.

(2) Some commentators say it means that the person who hates his brother “does not know he is going to Hell.” But this is unlikely, since John is not concerned with Hell in this letter.

2:11d

has blinded his eyes: (Metaphor) Here John extends the metaphor further by comparing this person with someone who has become blind. The meaning is that ignorance or rejection of God’s truth prevents one from knowing what one is really doing.

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All Scripture quotations in this publication, unless otherwise indicated, are from The Holy Bible, Berean Standard Bible. BSB is produced in cooperation with Bible Hub, Discovery Bible, OpenBible.com, and the Berean Bible Translation Committee.

SIL Translator's Notes on 1 John 3:15

3:15a

his brother: (Multiple Senses) This is used here in a slightly different sense to the way it was used in 3:14b. Here in 3:15a it means “his fellows” or “other people.”

is a murderer: (Meaning) John is teaching his readers that God considers hatred to be the same as murder.

3:15b

you know that: (Focus) The main point of 3:15b is that murderers do not have eternal life. The phrase you know that merely gives emphasis to this, so it may be translated as a parenthesis, or by some word which marks emphasis. See The Jerusalem Bible, New English Bible.

eternal life does not reside: (Meaning) John is not saying that a murderer cannot have eternal life. Rather he is saying that a person who murders is clearly not living the sort of life which God gives us, which we call “eternal.”

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SIL Translator's Notes on 1 John 5:7

5:7

three that testify: (Lexical Problem) John means that there are three things which show us the truth about Jesus. However, in your language it may not be possible to refer to the Holy Spirit and Jesus’ baptism and his death with one general term like “things.” See the Display for 5:7–8 for a suggested solution to this problem.

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SIL Translator's Notes on 1 John 2:22

Paragraph 2:22–25

Read 2:22–25 in both Berean Standard Bible and Good News Translation. Compare the two versions.

Paragraph Theme: On the basis of the reassurance he has just given in 2:18–21, John here urges his readers to reject false teaching and to live according to God’s truth.

2:22a

Who is the liar: (Rhetorical Question) This is a rhetorical question used for emphasis. John is stating emphatically that the worst possible lie is that Jesus was not the Christ. This is what those people who had left the church were teaching. In your translation you may need to turn this into an emphatic statement, as The Jerusalem Bible has done.

the one who: (Meaning) This is not referring to a particular man but rather to anyone or everyone who denies that Jesus is the Christ.

the Christ: (Biblical Term) Here Christ is not just a name. It is the title or description of the one who God would send from heaven to save and rule his people. It is the same as the title “Messiah.”

2:22b

This is the antichrist: (Logical Relationship) John is saying that if someone denies that Jesus is the Christ, he is making himself an enemy of Christ just like that enemy of Christ who will come at the end of the world.

who denies the Father…: (Logical Relationship) This shows how we know that such a person is the enemy of Christ. When he denies that Jesus is the Christ he is also denying that Jesus is God’s son, and so he is rejecting God the Father also.

denies: (Multiple Senses) In the first use of denies in this verse (“denies that Jesus is the Christ”), it means he “says that it is not true that Jesus is the Christ.” In 2:22b (“he denies the Father and the Son”), it means he “refuses to accept the Father and the Son.” It is used again in this sense in the next verse.

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SIL Translator's Notes on 1 John 4:4

Paragraph 4:4–6

Read 4:4–6 in both Berean Standard Bible and Good News Translation. Compare the two versions.

Paragraph Theme: Since John has just given his readers a warning, he now reassures them that they have the Holy Spirit in them, and so they will know who is truly speaking messages from the Holy Spirit.

4:4a

from God: (Meaning) The Greek phrase used here is the same as that used in 3:10a and other places meaning “children/people of God.”

4:4b

have overcome them: (Metaphor) This does not refer to a physical conflict. John is talking about how the Christians were not persuaded when these other people tried to convince them to accept their false teaching. They had been able to answer all the arguments of the false prophets.

them: (Pronoun Reference) This refers to the false prophets. It is clear from the whole book that they are the same people as the “enemies of Christ” (Good News Translation) mentioned in 2:18–19. As the last reference to them was in 4:1, many translations refer to them here with a noun phrase meaning “false prophets.”

4:4c

greater is: (Lexical Problem) It is clear from the rest of this verse that this means greater in respect to power and authority. See Good News Translation, Phillips’ New Testament in Modern English, Living Bible.

He who is in you: (Alternative Interpretations) There are two interpretations of who this refers to:

(1) It probably means the Holy Spirit (see Good News Translation), since the Holy Spirit is in focus in this passage.

(2) Some think it means Christ, or God.

he who is in the world: (Alternative Interpretations) There are two interpretations of who this refers to:

(1) It probably refers to the spirit and power of the antichrist as mentioned in 4:3 (Good News Translation). See the note on 4:3b.

(2) Some think it refers to Satan, or to the antichrist himself (Phillips’ New Testament in Modern English).

the world: (Multiple Senses) This is used here in the sense of “the people of the world who do not know God.”

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SIL Translator's Notes on 1 John 5:18

Paragraph 5:18–21

Read 5:18–21 in both Berean Standard Bible and Good News Translation. Compare the two versions.

Paragraph Theme: Finally John reminds the readers that God protects them from the temptation to sin and that they really do know God, so they should reject all false teaching.

5:18a

anyone born of God does not keep on sinning: (Meaning) The Greek for this clause is almost exactly the same as 3:9, “Anyone born of God refuses to practice sin.” It means that no child of God should be continually or habitually sinning.

5:18b

(Logical Relationship) The rest of the verse gives the reason why Christians do not continually sin. This connection may be clearer if a conjunction such as “because” is used.

the One who was born of God: (Tense) The tense of the Greek verb here is different from the tense of “anyone born of God” in 5:18a. It indicates that in 5:18b John is referring to a specific person who was once born of God. Several translations make this reference clearer by translating it as “the Son of God.” See Good News Translation, The Jerusalem Bible, New English Bible, Phillips’ New Testament in Modern English, Living Bible.

protects him: (Connotation) This implies that the Son of God keeps that person safe from Satan’s attempts to lead him into sin.

5:18c

and: (Logical Relationship) The clause in 5:18c can be considered as a result of the Son of God keeping the Christian safe. So it may be clearer in translation to link it with a conjunction such as “and so” or “so that.”

the evil one: (Meaning) As in 2:13e, this is a common way of referring to Satan.

touch: (Connotation) This word implies the idea of touching someone with the intention of doing something bad to that person. It may therefore be clearer to translate it by “harm.” See Good News Translation and later editions of New International Version (2011 Revision).

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SIL Translator's Notes on 1 John 1:10

1:10a

If we say: (Expression) See the note on 1:6.

have not sinned: (Meaning) This is different from the beginning of 1:8. Here John is dealing with those who claim that although other Christians sometimes sin, they themselves have not done anything that needs to be confessed.

1:10b

make Him out to be a liar: (Logical Relationship) Perhaps it is not clear why John says that claiming not to have sinned is making God out to be a liar. The reason is that God has said that all people have sinned. Therefore anyone who says that we have not sinned is thereby saying that God has lied. You may need to state this reasoning explicitly in your translation.

1:10c

His word is not in us: (Meaning) If we call God a liar, it shows that we have not accepted what he has said or allowed it to affect our lives.

(1) In this sentence it probably means that everything Jesus does is good and right in God’s sight. (This is the sense in which John usually uses this word.)

(2) The Jerusalem Bible, New English Bible and Phillips’ New Testament in Modern English translate it as “just,” meaning that Jesus treats everyone fairly in his dealings and judgments.

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SIL Translator's Notes on 1 John 3:5

3:5a

Christ appeared: (Meaning) The meaning here is similar to that of “He appears” in 2:28, but here in 3:5a it refers to when Christ first came into the world.

take away sins: (Meaning) This has the same meaning as in John 1:29, “the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world.” It is saying that Jesus died so that God would forgive our sins and no guilt for them would remain.

3:5b

in Him there is no sin: (Collocation) If it is not possible in your translation to refer to sin being “in” someone, this can be rephrased, “he/Jesus cannot do any sin.”

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Source: SIL Translator's Notes on 1 John 2000

SIL Translator's Notes on 1 John 2:11

SIL Translator's Notes on 1 John 3:15

SIL Translator's Notes on 1 John 5:7

SIL Translator's Notes on 1 John 2:22

SIL Translator's Notes on 1 John 4:4

SIL Translator's Notes on 1 John 5:18

SIL Translator's Notes on 1 John 1:10

SIL Translator's Notes on 1 John 3:5

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