SIL Translator’s Notes on 1 John 2000 – Page 11

SIL Translator's Notes on 1 John 1:8

1:8a

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

have no sin: (Meaning) Here John is referring to those who claim that whatever Christians do is right and therefore Christians cannot be said to commit sin.

1:8b

we deceive ourselves: (Meaning) It is not true that Christians never sin. So if we say things like this we are confusing or deceiving ourselves and others.

1:8c

the truth is not in us: (Collocation) In some languages it is not natural to say that an abstract idea like “truth” is “in” someone. John means that if we say that we have no sin, then it is clear that we do not know the truth which God has revealed. God has shown in the Old Testament and the Gospels what sin is. So if we say something different about sin it cannot be true.

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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 3:3

3:3a

this hope in Him: (Pronoun Reference) This refers to the expectation of becoming like Christ as mentioned in the last verse.

hope: (Biblical Term) In the New Testament this means “to look forward eagerly to something which you are certain will happen.” This is different from the common use of “hope” in modern English, where it means “to be unsure about whether something will happen which you are looking forward to.”

3:3b

purifies himself: (Logical Relationship) Because of the way John connects his statements here, this has the force of an exhortation, “he should purify himself.” See The Jerusalem Bible, Living Bible.

purifies: (Tense) The Greek tense here indicates a continuous process of keeping oneself free from sin, rather than a single act of purification.

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SIL Translator's Notes on 1 John 4:13

Paragraph 4:13–16

Read 4:13–16 in both Berean Standard Bible and Good News Translation. Compare the two versions.

4:13

this: (Pronoun Reference) The word this points forward, referring to God’s gift of the Holy Spirit. The sentence may be restructured, but the emphasis of the sentence must be kept on God giving the Holy Spirit to us.

in Him: (Pronoun Reference) This refers to God, and since this verse starts a new paragraph it may be necessary to make the name explicit here. See Good News Translation.

given us of His Spirit: (Meaning) This just means that God has put his Holy Spirit in us. Be careful in your translation that it does not sound as if God has simply handed over the Holy Spirit into our possession.

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SIL Translator's Notes on 1 John 2:10

2:10a

Whoever loves his brother remains in the light: (Focus) John is not just making a statement here; he is also giving an implied command, “Therefore you should love your fellow Christians.” Since this is John’s main point in verses 7–11, it may be necessary in translation to draw attention to it with the natural focus markers of your language, or words such as, “Look,” or “I tell you.”

2:10b

no cause of stumbling in him: (Alternative Interpretations) There are two interpretations as to who might be caused to sin:

(1) The phrase probably means “cause himself to sin.”

(2) Some think it means “cause someone else to sin.” (Good News Translation)

stumbling: (Metaphor) This is a common biblical metaphor for committing sin and ceasing to live according to God’s will. In translation a different metaphor with the same meaning may be used, such as, “go astray from God’s way.” Otherwise the meaning “sin” or “do wrong” may be translated directly. See Display.

in him: (Alternative Interpretations) There are two interpretations of the Greek pronoun here:

(1) It probably means “in him,” referring to the person who lives in the light.

(2) Some think this means “in it,” that is, “in the light.” (Revised Standard Version)

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SIL Translator's Notes on 1 John 3:14

3:14a

We: (Emphasis) The emphasis here is on the difference between Christians and the people of the world. This difference is seen in the way Christians love other Christians, which proves that they have passed from death to eternal life. In the Greek the pronoun “We” is emphatic to make the contrast clear. See New English Bible.

we have passed from death to life: (Metaphor) The topic of this extended metaphor is that as Christians we are no longer under the power of death and Satan, but we now have eternal life from God. Thus we are like people who were dead but have now come to life.

3:14b

because we love our brothers: (Logical Relationship) This is not giving the reason why we have passed from death to life. It is giving the reason why we know that we have passed from death to life. To avoid confusion about this many translations repeat here the phrase “We know this because.” See Good News Translation, The Jerusalem Bible, New English Bible. Others such as Living Bible change the order of clauses within the sentence.

3:14c

who does not love: (Lexical Problem) No object of the verb love is mentioned in this clause, but John is clearly still referring to loving other Christians. This can be made explicit if in your language the verb requires an object.

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SIL Translator's Notes on 1 John 5:6

Paragraph 5:6–9

Read 5:6–9 in both Berean Standard Bible and Good News Translation. Compare the two versions.

Paragraph Theme: In 5:5 John has talked about believing that Jesus is the Son of God. In 5:6–9 he explains why we should believe in Jesus as the son of God.

5:6a

This: (Pronoun Reference) The word This refers to “Jesus Christ.” In translation it may be clearer to put the name at the beginning of the sentence (see Good News Translation), or to indicate in some other way that the name “Jesus Christ” is in focus here.

the One who came: (Meaning) John is not contrasting Jesus with someone else. He is emphasizing two important points about Jesus’ ministry on earth which those who believe in him (see 5:5) must accept.

by water and blood: (Alternative Interpretations) There are different views about what events in Jesus’ ministry John is referring to by these figures of speech:

(1) He is probably emphasizing that Jesus Christ, who came from heaven, was baptized in water to identify himself with us human beings and shed his blood when he died to save us. In your translation, you will probably need to make clear that water is a figure of speech for Jesus’ baptism, and blood is a figure of speech for his death. See Good News Translation.

(2) Some think John is referring to the fact that Jesus gave us the sacraments of baptism (water) and communion (blood) to remind us of what he has done for us.

(3) Some think this is a reference to the water and blood which came out of Jesus’ body on the cross (John 19:34), proving that he had really died.

5:6b–c

not by water alone, but by water and blood: (Meaning) Here John is denying the teaching of various false teachers who claimed that Jesus was just a man who became Son of God when he was baptized and ceased to be Son of God before he was crucified. That is why John emphasizes here that Jesus Christ, the Son of God, not only was baptized but also died.

5:6d

testifies to this: (Lexical Problem) John does not specify here what the Holy Spirit testifies about. However the following verses make it clear that he is referring to the truth about Jesus Christ, the Son of God. Good News Translation makes this reference more explicit. The Holy Spirit testifies to this fact in the hearts or minds of believers.

5:6e

is the truth: (Meaning) For the basic meaning of “truth” see the note on 3:19b “we belong to the truth.” Here John means that the Holy Spirit is the one who shows us the whole of God’s nature and his deeds.

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SIL Translator's Notes on 1 John 2:21

2:21a

(Good News Translation) then: (Logical Relationship) Having stated that his readers have knowledge, John points out that this shows he is confident of their true faith in Christ (as in 2:12–14). Good News Translation and Living Bible make this connection explicit.

I have not written to you because you lack knowledge of: (Sentence Breaks) John is telling his readers not to think that the reason for his writing to them is that he considers them ignorant of the truth. Notice that this statement contains two negatives, which may make it unclear in translation. It may therefore be better to make it a separate sentence from 2:21b–c and make the reasoning more explicit. Or it could be translated using a rhetorical question:

Am I writing to you because I think that you do not know the truth? No. It is not because of that. I am sure that you know the truth.

2:21b–c

(Revised Standard Version) because you know it, and you know that…: (Alternative Interpretations) There are different interpretations as to how 2:21b and 2:21c relate to each other:

(1) John is probably saying that his readers know two things, firstly, the truth, and secondly, that no lie comes from it. (King James Version, Revised Standard Version, Good News Translation, The Jerusalem Bible)

(2) Some think he is only mentioning one thing they know (the truth) and then he gives another reason for his writing, namely that no lie comes from the truth. (Berean Standard Bible, New English Bible)

2:21c

comes from: (Metaphor) To say that a lie comes from something abstract like truth is a metaphor, which may not be natural in your language. The basic meaning to be translated here is that truth and lies are totally different, so it is impossible for wrong beliefs (lies) to be part of God’s truth.

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SIL Translator's Notes on 1 John 4:3

4:3a

does not confess Jesus: (Ellipsis) The full meaning here is “does not acknowledge that Jesus Christ has come as a human being.”

4:3b

the spirit of the antichrist: (Meaning) John means that such a person is preaching and teaching by the power of the antichrist or by an evil spirit sent by the antichrist.

4:3c

which: (Pronoun Reference) The word which refers to the spirit of the antichrist, not to the antichrist himself.

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Source: SIL Translator's Notes on 1 John 2000

SIL Translator's Notes on 1 John 1:8

SIL Translator's Notes on 1 John 3:3

SIL Translator's Notes on 1 John 4:13

SIL Translator's Notes on 1 John 2:10

SIL Translator's Notes on 1 John 3:14

SIL Translator's Notes on 1 John 5:6

SIL Translator's Notes on 1 John 2:21

SIL Translator's Notes on 1 John 4:3

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