SIL Translator’s Notes on 3 John 2000

SIL Translator's Notes on 3 John 1:6

They: (Pronoun Reference) In the previous verse John referred to the traveling Christian preachers as “brothers.” This pronoun They refers to some of these brothers, who have come to John after Gaius has helped them.

the church: (Multiple Senses) Here this means the group of Christians in the place where John was.

love: (Event Idea) In some languages this may be expressed by a verb. You may need to indicate that it refers to Gaius’ love for the brothers or all fellow Christians.

You will do well: (Emotive Impact) This is John’s way of requesting Gaius to continue helping the traveling preachers. In translation it must be made clear that this is a request, not just a statement.

send them on their way: (Meaning) This means Gaius should help them and give them whatever they need when they are ready to leave his home and continue their travels.

them: (Pronoun Reference) This refers to any traveling Christian preachers who come to Gaius in future, whether they are the same ones who reported about him to John or others like them.

in a manner worthy of God: (Alternative Interpretations) There are different ideas about what this means:

(1) It probably means Gaius should help them in the way that God wants his people to help each other. (Good News Translation, The Jerusalem Bible)

(2) Some think it means he should honour them because they are God’s representatives.

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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 1:7

For: (Logical Connection) This verse is giving the reason why John requests Gaius to help the brothers.

they went out: (Lexical Problem) This refers to their making a journey to preach the gospel in different places. It does not refer to leaving any specific place.

the Name: (Special Biblical Term) This is a way of referring to Jesus Christ. This phrase is used a few times in the New Testament. See Good News Translation, New English Bible.

accepting nothing: (Meaning) As Christian preachers they did not ask for help from unbelievers. John is showing that they were different from teachers of other religions who traveled around at that time. The teachers of other religions used to require payment from the people they instructed and converted.

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SIL Translator's Notes on 3 John 1:8

we: (Pronoun Reference) John is referring to himself and Gaius and all other Christians. See Good News Translation.

support such men: (Meaning) This means Christians should help these people by welcoming them to stay in their homes and giving them whatever they need to continue their work for Christ.

that we may be fellow workers: (Pronoun Reference) John means that by helping these brothers, he and Gaius and all other Christians will be sharing in their work.

for the truth: (Alternative Interpretations) There are different ideas about the meaning of the Greek phrase used here:

(1) It probably refers to working with the traveling preachers in spreading God’s truth to other people. (Good News Translation, Berean Standard Bible, The Jerusalem Bible, New English Bible)

(2) Some think it refers to working together with God’s truth as it spreads among people. (King James Version, Phillips’ New Testament in Modern English)

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SIL Translator's Notes on 3 John 1:9

Paragraph 9–12

Read 9–12 in both Berean Standard Bible and Good News Translation. Compare the two versions.

Paragraph Theme: John uses a negative example and a positive example to reinforce what he has said about helping the traveling preachers. He describes Diotrephes, who opposes their work and rejects John’s instructions. Then he describes Demetrius, who is respected by all the Christians.

(Good News Translation) a short letter: (Text) After “I have written,” many Greek manuscripts have a word meaning “something,” or “a little.” Several English versions translate this text. Other versions such as Berean Standard Bible follow manuscripts which do not have this text. In your translation it may be best to follow the Berean Standard Bible.

the church: (Multiple Senses) Here this means the group of Christians in the place where Diotrephes was. That was probably in the same place where Gaius lived, or nearby.

Diotrephes: (New Participant) It is not clear whether Gaius already knew about Diotrephes or not. In translation he should be referred to as someone who has not previously been mentioned in this letter.

loves to be first: (Connotation) This implies that even if Diotrephes thinks that he is the leader of the church, John does not recognize him as the leader. He condemns Diotrephes for actively seeking such a position.

first: (Multiple Senses) This means being the leader of the church in that place. John does not use either of the biblical terms “bishop” or “elder” here, and at that time Christian leaders were not called pastors or priests. So a more neutral term for a Christian leader should be used in translation here. See Good News Translation, The Jerusalem Bible, New English Bible, Phillips’ New Testament in Modern English, Living Bible.

will not accept: (Meaning) The Greek word used here means that Diotrephes did not accept or obey what John had written. It implies that he did not accept John’s authority to give him instructions. See Good News Translation, Revised Standard Version, Living Bible.

our: (Pronoun Reference) John is here using the plural pronoun to refer to himself. In many languages this may need to be translated as “my.”

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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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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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Source: SIL Translator's Notes on 3 John 2000

SIL Translator's Notes on 3 John 1:6

SIL Translator's Notes on 3 John 1:7

SIL Translator's Notes on 3 John 1:8

SIL Translator's Notes on 3 John 1:9

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

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