SIL Translator’s Notes on 3 John 2000

SIL Translator's Notes on 3 John 1:10

10a

if I come: (Meaning) Verse 14 makes it clear that John intends to come, so the word if here is probably indicating that he does not yet know when he will come. See Good News Translation, Living Bible.

come: (Lexical Problem) In your language it may be necessary to state where John was intending to come to, namely the place where Gaius and Diotrephes were.

10b

call attention to: (Lexical Problem) This means that John will tell openly what Diotrephes has been doing. In translation it may be necessary to state that the people who John will tell this to are the members of the church where Diotrephes was.

10c

his malicious slander: (Meaning) This means that Diotrephes had been making foolish and untrue accusations against John.

us: (Pronoun Reference) As in verse 9, John is here using the plural pronoun to refer to himself.

10d

And unsatisfied with that: (Logical Connection) This phrase is not literally stating anything about what satisfies Diotrephes. It is used to indicate something he does which is even worse than malicious gossip. In translation this can often be indicated by an idiomatic phrase. See Good News Translation, The Jerusalem Bible, Phillips’ New Testament in Modern English.

the brothers: (Pronoun Reference) As in verse 5, this refers to any of the traveling Christian preachers who came to him.

10e

who want to do so: (Ellipsis) This is a short way of saying, “who want to welcome the brothers.”

10f

putting them out of the church: (Meaning) This means that Diotrephes expels these members from the church in that place. He somehow prevents them from continuing to have fellowship with that church.

putting them out: (Pronoun Reference) This means that Diotrephes expels those church members who wanted to welcome the “brothers.” It does not refer to him expelling the “brothers” themselves.

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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 3 John 1:11

11a

do not imitate what is evil: (Meaning) Although John is probably thinking of Diotrephes’ evil deeds, he is giving this as a general instruction to Gaius, telling him not to copy any evil people or anything they do.

11b

but what is good: (Ellipsis) This is a short way of making the positive command, “Imitate what is good.”

11c

The one who does good is of God: (Meaning) John does not mean that if a person does good he becomes a child of God. He is talking about what our deeds show, not what they make us become. He is saying here the same thing as in 1 John 3:10, that our good or bad deeds show whether we belong to God or Satan.

11d

seen: (Metaphor) This is the same metaphor as in 1 John 3:6. It refers to recognizing or knowing God.

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SIL Translator's Notes on 3 John 1:1

Section 1–4

Greetings

Read 1–4 carefully in both Berean Standard Bible and Good News Translation. Compare the two versions.

Section Theme: As in 2 John 1–3, these verses contain the formal parts of the introduction to a Greek letter, that is, a description of the writer and the person he is writing to, and then a blessing (verse 2). John then goes on to encourage the person he is writing to (Gaius) by saying how pleased he was by the good reports he had heard about Gaius.

1a–b

The elder, To: (Discourse Feature) As in 2 John 1, this is a typical beginning for a Greek letter of John’s time. However in many languages the writer of a letter introduces himself in the first person singular, “I, the elder, am writing to….” In translation the natural form for starting a letter should be used.

the beloved: (Meaning) This represents the Greek word which is translated by Berean Standard Bible as “beloved” in 1 John 2:7 and other places in 1 John. It is closely related to the Greek word for “love” and means “dear ones” or “you who I love.”

Gaius: (New Participant) This is the same name as in Acts 19:29, 20:4, Romans 16:23 and 1 Corinthians 1:14, but probably a different person. Gaius was a very common name in the Roman Empire.

in the truth: (Alternative Interpretations) This is the same phrase as in 2 John 1. As in that verse, there are two different interpretations of what it means:

(1) It probably means “truly/really.” (Good News Translation, New English Bible, Living Bible, Phillips’ New Testament in Modern English)

(2) It may mean “because we all believe in God’s truth.”

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SIL Translator's Notes on 3 John 1:12

12a

Demetrius: (New Participant) This is not the same Demetrius as in Acts 19:24. He is someone who John is introducing to Gaius.

everyone: (Figure of Speech) This is an exaggeration. John means everyone in the church, or everyone who knew Demetrius, not everyone everywhere.

12b

from the truth itself: (Figure of Speech) Here John personifies God’s truth as a person who speaks well about Demetrius. He means that Demetrius puts God’s truth into practice in his life and this shows that he is a good person.

12c–d

We…our: (Pronoun Reference) John is again referring to himself. See New English Bible, Revised Standard Version, Living Bible. See also the note on verse 9.

12d

our testimony: (Meaning) This means whatever John says about anyone, including what he says about Demetrius.

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SIL Translator's Notes on 3 John 1:2

2 (Focus)

The focus of this verse is John’s wish that all may be well with Gaius in his physical health and in his daily business. He then says that he knows that Gaius’ spiritual life is going well.

I pray that: (Multiple Senses) This verb can be used both in the sense of praying to God and in the sense of wishing or hoping for something. It is probably being used in this second sense here. See The Jerusalem Bible.

soul: (Figure of Speech) This word is used here as a figure of speech referring to Gaius’ spiritual life, his relationship with God.

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SIL Translator's Notes on 3 John 1:13

Section 13–14

Final comments

Read 13–14 carefully in both Berean Standard Bible and Good News Translation. Compare the two versions.

Section Theme: These verses contain John’s final comments and greetings to close the letter.

13b

I would prefer not to do so with pen and ink: (Meaning) As in 2 John 12, this does not mean that there is anything wrong with using pen and ink. John is just saying that he would prefer to talk with Gaius face to face.

pen and ink: (Translation) This is another idiom meaning “in a letter.” In your translation you should consider what is the natural way of saying this in your language.

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SIL Translator's Notes on 3 John 1:3

the brothers: (Multiple Senses) This is used here in the sense of “fellow Christians.”

testified about: (Lexical Problem) John does not mention here who they told this to. However in verse 6 he mentions that these brothers spoke about Gaius to the whole church in the place where John was.

your devotion to the truth: (Meaning) This means Gaius was putting into practice in his daily life the truth about how God wants us to live.

in which you continue to walk: (Alternative Interpretations) There are different views about whether the last clause of this verse is part of what the brothers reported or whether it is John’s comment on their report:

(1) It is probably John’s comment confirming that Gaius really does live according to God’s truth. (Good News Translation, New English Bible, King James Version, Revised Standard Version, Phillips’ New Testament in Modern English)

(2) Some think that it is a second part to the brothers’ report, emphasizing that Gaius continually puts God’s truth into practice. (Berean Standard Bible, New International Version (2011 Revision), The Jerusalem Bible, Living Bible)

you continue to walk: (Metaphor) As in 2 John 4, this is a Greek metaphor meaning, “you continue to put into practice in your life the truth which God has revealed about how he wants you to live.”

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SIL Translator's Notes on 3 John 1:14

14b

face to face: (Translation) As in 2 John 12, this is an idiom which should be translated by a natural phrase for having a friendly personal talk with someone.

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Source: SIL Translator's Notes on 3 John 2000

SIL Translator's Notes on 3 John 1:10

SIL Translator's Notes on 3 John 1:11

SIL Translator's Notes on 3 John 1:1

SIL Translator's Notes on 3 John 1:12

SIL Translator's Notes on 3 John 1:2

SIL Translator's Notes on 3 John 1:13

SIL Translator's Notes on 3 John 1:3

SIL Translator's Notes on 3 John 1:14

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