SIL Translator’s Notes on 1 John 2000 – Page 4

SIL Translator's Notes on 1 John 5:2

5:2a

By this: (Alternative Interpretations) There are two views as to what the word this refers to:

(1) It is probably giving emphasis to the second half of the verse.

(2) Some think it refers back to the idea in 5:1 that whenever we love someone we also love their children. (New English Bible)

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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 2:17

2:17a

(Revised Standard Version) And: (Logical Relationship) 2:17 gives a second reason for the appeal in 2:15 not to love the world. It is therefore connected in meaning to 2:15b. It does not follow in meaning from 2:16.

is passing away: (Meaning) John is telling his readers that this world will not last much longer. When Jesus returns to judge the world everything that is evil will be destroyed. The verb is in the present tense here because Jesus is already at work in the world, so the evil is already being destroyed.

its desires: (Meaning) This refers to all the evil ways of the world, such as the wrong attitudes mentioned in 2:16.

2:17b

whoever: (Meaning) As in 2:4, this means “anyone who.” It could also be translated “if anyone,” or “if you.”

does: (Tense) The tense here indicates continuous action, not just doing God’s will once.

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SIL Translator's Notes on 1 John 3:21

Paragraph 3:21–24

Read 3:21–24 in both Berean Standard Bible and Good News Translation. Compare the two versions.

Paragraph Theme: Here John repeats the main theme of this section, saying that we must obey God’s commands to believe in Jesus and love each other.

3:21 (Alternative Interpretations)

There are two interpretations of how this verse is related to 3:19–20:

(1) This verse is probably describing the situation when our hearts do not condemn us, in contrast with the situation mentioned in 3:20. In this case the verses may be linked with a word like “But” (see Living Bible), or have no linking word.

(2) Some think this verse is referring to the situation which results when we have “assured our hearts” (see 3:19). In that case the verses would be linked with “And so” (see Good News Translation).

3:21a

our hearts do not condemn us: (Meaning) See the note on 3:20.

3:21b

we have confidence before God: (Meaning) This particularly refers to not being afraid of speaking freely to God.

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SIL Translator's Notes on 1 John 5:13

Section 5:13–21

We can be sure that we have eternal life

Read 5:13–21 carefully.

Section Theme: John ends his letter by reassuring his readers that they do have eternal life and that they do truly know God.

Paragraph 5:13–17

Read 5:13–17 in both Berean Standard Bible and Good News Translation. Compare the two versions.

Paragraph Theme: John reminds his readers that because they have eternal life they can have confidence when they ask God for anything. Praying for other Christians who are sinning is an example of this.

5:13 (Focus)

This verse is a summary of John’s purpose in writing this letter. In it he focuses on two things: firstly that his readers must believe in Jesus, and secondly that they should not doubt that they have eternal life.

5:13a

these things: (Pronoun Reference) John is referring back to all the things he has written in this letter.

believe in the name: (Biblical Term) As in 3:23b, this means believing or trusting Jesus’ authority and character as God’s Son.

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SIL Translator's Notes on 1 John 1:5

Paragraph 1:5–10

Read 1:5–10 in both Berean Standard Bible and Good News Translation. Compare the two versions.

Paragraph Theme: In the previous verses John expresses the desire that his readers should share the fellowship which he has with God. In 1:5–10 he makes the point that God is morally pure and holy, and therefore those who sin cannot have fellowship with God unless they confess their sins and God forgives them. His purpose is to persuade his readers to confess their sins.

1:5a

And: (Discourse Feature) Because the previous verses contrast with what John is saying in 1:5–10, a connecting word such as “But” may be needed here instead of And. Good News Translation uses “Now,” which in English indicates a mild contrast.

this: (Pronoun Reference) The word this refer to the statement “God is light…”

we: (Pronoun Reference) John is referring to himself and the other apostles.

from Him: (Pronoun Reference) In order to make clear who this refers to, it will probably be necessary to use a fuller form, for example, “from Jesus Christ,” or “from God’s Son” as in Good News Translation.

1:5b–c

God is light: (Meaning) This is a description of God’s nature or character. Be sure in translation it does not sound as if John is identifying God with some particular light. The following clause confirms this statement by denying its opposite: “in him there is no darkness at all.”

light…darkness: (Metaphor) In the Bible “light” symbolizes goodness and purity and the truth that comes from God’s revelation of himself. “Darkness” symbolizes ignorance and all that is evil. If these symbols are not clear in your language, it may be necessary to state the meaning explicitly in your translation.

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SIL Translator's Notes on 1 John 2:28

Paragraph 2:28–29

Read 2:28–29 in both Berean Standard Bible and Good News Translation. Compare the two versions.

Paragraph Theme: These verses give the main theme of Section 2:28–4:6. John says that in order not to be ashamed when Christ returns we must remain in union with him and do what is right.

2:28a

now: (Multiple Senses) The Greek word here is not being used in the sense of “at this time.” It means “therefore/so.” John is repeating his instruction from the previous verse, “continue in Christ,” and going on to state one purpose for doing this.

2:28b

when He appears: (Background Information) This refers to Christ returning to earth from heaven at some time in the future.

2:28c

confident and unashamed before Him: (Meaning) John means that he and his readers could meet Jesus face to face without being ashamed or afraid. They would have this confidence if they have been living righteous lives in fellowship with Jesus by the help of the Holy Spirit.

confident and unashamed: (Emphasis) Here again John uses a positive-negative repetition for emphasis.

at His coming: (Meaning) This means the same as “when He appears” in 2:28b. If it is not natural in your language to repeat the meaning like this, it can be omitted.

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SIL Translator's Notes on 1 John 4:10

4:10a

And love consists in this: (Lexical Problem) In some languages it may not be possible to talk about love without indicating the object of the love. If that is the case in your language you may have to refer to “the right/true way for someone to love others.”

this: (Pronoun Reference) The word this points forward to 4:10b–c where John says that real love is what God showed by sending his Son to this world. However John first states that real love is not what we show by loving God. It may therefore be clearer to restructure the sentence as:

Real love is not what we show by loving God, rather it is what God showed by loving us…

4:10c

and sent: (Logical Relationship) God’s love and his sending his Son are not two independent facts. Sending his Son was the means by which he put his love into action. This relationship may need to be made explicit in your translation.

the atoning sacrifice: (Meaning) This is what was referred to in 2:2a. (See the note on that verse.) Here the main point in focus is that by sending Jesus to die, God provided the way for our sins to be forgiven. See Good News Translation.

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SIL Translator's Notes on 1 John 2:7

Paragraph 2:7–11

Read 2:7–11 in both Berean Standard Bible and Good News Translation. Compare the two versions.

Paragraph Theme: These verses show which of God’s commands John particularly wanted his readers to obey, namely the command to love our fellow Christians. If we obey that command we are living according to the truth and purity of God’s nature, which John calls “the light”.

2:7a

Beloved: (Text) King James Version, Living Bible and Phillips’ New Testament in Modern English have “brothers,” which comes from an inferior Greek text.

Beloved: (Meaning) John shows his loving attitude by addressing his readers as “dear ones” or “you whom I love.” The Greek word he uses is closely related to that for “love,” which is his theme in this paragraph. It does not mean “friends” in the sense of companions or partners.

not writing to you a new commandment: (Focus) John’s theme here is that Christians should love one another. This follows from the importance of behaving as Christ behaved (2:6). In 2:7–8 he is showing that God has commanded us to love one another. He says this command is not new to his readers because Jesus gave it many years before (John 13:34). Yet Jesus called it a “new command.” John goes on to say that it is “new” in the sense that Jesus’ life and death showed for the first time what true love is, and it is also “new” in how it affects Christians’ lives.

2:7b

an old one: (Meaning) John means that the command to love was one of the main points of the Christian instruction his readers had received in the past.

from the beginning: (Meaning) This refers to the time when they first became Christians. This is different from the meaning of the same phrase in 1:1.

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Source: SIL Translator's Notes on 1 John 2000

SIL Translator's Notes on 1 John 5:2

SIL Translator's Notes on 1 John 2:17

SIL Translator's Notes on 1 John 3:21

SIL Translator's Notes on 1 John 5:13

SIL Translator's Notes on 1 John 1:5

SIL Translator's Notes on 1 John 2:28

SIL Translator's Notes on 1 John 4:10

SIL Translator's Notes on 1 John 2:7

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