The Greek in 3 John 1:10 that is translated as “call attention to” or in various other ways in English is translated in Low German idiomatically as den Finger dorup leggn or “put the finger on it” (translation by Johannes Jessen, publ. 1933, republ. 2006).
inclusive vs. exclusive pronoun (3John 1:10)
Many languages distinguish between inclusive and exclusive first-person plural pronouns (“we”). (Click or tap here to see more details)
The inclusive “we” specifically includes the addressee (“you and I and possibly others”), while the exclusive “we” specifically excludes the addressee (“he/she/they and I, but not you”). This grammatical distinction is called “clusivity.” While Semitic languages such as Hebrew or most Indo-European languages such as Greek or English do not make that distinction, translators of languages with that distinction have to make a choice every time they encounter “we” or a form thereof (in English: “we,” “our,” or “us”).
For this verse, translators typically select the exclusive form (excluding the addressee).
Source: Velma Pickett and Florence Cowan in Notes on Translation January 1962, p. 1ff.
church
The Greek that is often translated as “church” in English is translated into Avaric as imanl’urazul ahlu: “the community of believers” or “the believing people.”
Magomed-Kamil Gimbatov and Yakov Testelets (in The Bible Translator 1996, p. 434ff. ) talk about the genesis of this term (click or tap here to read more):
“The word ‘Church’ presents particular difficulties, as we might expect when we think that even many Christians do not understand it correctly. When people today say ‘church,’ they often mean a particular building, or an organization consisting chiefly of clergy (priests and monks). It is even harder to find a word or combination of words which adequately translates the meaning for people unfamiliar with Christianity. Surprisingly, the Greek word ekklesia, indicating in the classical language ‘an assembly of the people,’ ‘a gathering of citizens,’ has come into Avar and other Dagestani languages in the form kilisa. This, like the word qanch (‘cross’), is an ancient borrowing, presumably from the time before the arrival of Islam, when Dagestan came under the influence of neighboring Christian states. In modern usage, however, this word indicates a place of Christian worship. Thus it is completely inappropriate as a translation of its New Testament ancestor ekklesia.
“We were obliged to look at various words which are closer to the meaning of the Greek. Some of these words are dandel’i (‘meeting’), danderussin (‘assembly’), the Arabic-derived mazhlis (‘meeting, conference’), zhama’at (‘society, community’), ahlu (‘race, people, family, group of people united by a common goal or interest’, as in the Arabic phrase ahlu-l-kitab ‘people of the Book’ or ‘people of the Scriptures’), which describes both Jews and Christians, and ummat (‘people, tribe’). In Islamic theology the phrase ‘Mohammed’s ummat’ means the universal community of Muslims, the Muslim world, in the same way as the Christian world is known as ‘Isa’s ummat.’ None of these descriptions on their own, without explanation, can be used to translate the word ‘Church’ in the New Testament. Thus, after long consideration, we adopted the phrase imanl’urazul ahlu, meaning ‘the community of believers,’ ‘the believing people,’ This translation corresponds closely to New Testament teaching about the Church.
“It is interesting that the same word ahlu with the meaning ‘tribe, community’ has been used by translators for different reasons in the introduction to the Gospel of Luke in order to translate the expression in the original Greek pepleroforemenon en hemin pragmaton (πεπληροφορημένων ἐν ἡμῖν πραγμάτων), which the Russian Synodal translation renders ‘about the events well-known amongst us’ (Luke 1:1). The expression ‘amongst us’ cannot be translated literally into Avar, but has to be rendered ‘among our people’; and here the same term was used as for the word ‘church’, literally ‘among our tribe, community (ahlu).'”
In Kamo “church” is fang-balla (“owners of writing-people”) when referring to the church community and “house of writing-people” when referring to a church building. David Frank explains: “In Kamo culture, Christianity was associated with writing, so Christianity is called balla, which they say means ‘people who write.’ Christianity is balla, and Christians are called fang-balla, which means ‘owners of Christianity.’ That is the term that is used for the church, in the sense of people, rather than a building. In Philemon 1:1b-2a, Paul says he is writing ‘To our friend and fellow worker Philemon, and to the church (fang-balla ‘owners of Christianity) that meet in your house.’ The word fang “owner’ is very productive in the Kamo language. A disciple is an ‘owner of learning,’ an apostle is an ‘owner of sending,’ a believer is an ‘owner of truth,’ a hypocrite is an ‘owner of seeing eyes.’ The expression ‘house of writing-people’ is used in Matthew 16:18, which reads in Kamo, ‘And so I tell you Peter, you are a rock, and on top of this rock foundation I will build my house of writing-people, and never even death will not be able to overcome it.” (See also Peter – rock)
In Bacama there also is a differentiation between the building (vɨnə hiutə: “house of prayer”) and the community (ji-kottə: “followers”) (source: David Frank in this blog post ).
In 16th-century Classical Nahuatl, a transliteration from Spanish (Santa Yglesia or Santa Iglesia) is typically used rather than a translation, making the concept take on a personified meaning. Ottman (p. 169) explains: “The church building, or more precisely the church complex with its associated patio, has a Nahuatl name in common usage — generally teopan, something like ‘god-place,’ in contradistinction to teocalli, ‘god-house,’ applied to a prehispanic temple — but the abstract sense is always Santa Iglesia, a Spanish proper name like ‘Dios’ or ‘Santa María’, and like ‘Santa María’ often called ‘our mother.’ As a personified ‘mother,’ in the European tradition as well as in Nahuatl, She instructs Her children or chastises them; as Bride of Christ, She both longs for Her heavenly rest and bears witness to it, in the ‘always-already’ of eschatological time; as successor to the Synagogue, the blindfolded, broken-sceptred elder sister who accompanies Her in painting and sculpture, She represents the triumphant rule of truth. ‘The Church’ can mean the clerical hierarchy; it can also, or simultaneously, mean the assembly of the faithful. It dispenses grace to its members, living and dead, yet it is also enriched by them, living and dead, existing not only on earth but in purgatory and in heaven.”
In Lisu the building (“church”) is called “house of prayer” (source: Arrington 2020, p. 196) whereas in Highland Totonac the community is referred as “those who gather together” (source: Hermann Aschmann in The Bible Translator 1950, p. 171ff. ), in Huehuetla Tepehua as “those who gather together who have confidence in Christ” (source: Waterhouse / Parrott in Notes on Translation October 1967, p. 1ff.), in Uma as “Christian people” (source: Uma Back Translation), in Kankanaey as “the congregation of God’s people” (source: Kankanaey Back Translation), and in Tagbanwa as “you whom God separated-out as his people because of your being-united/tied-together with Jesus Christ” (source: Tagbanwa Back Translation).
In American Sign Language, “church” (as in the community of believers) is made up of the combination of the signs for “Jesus-into-heart” (signifying a believer), followed by the sign for “group.” (Source: Ruth Anna Spooner, Ron Lawer)
“Church” in American Sign Language, source: Deaf Harbor
While British Sign Language also uses a sign that focuses on a group of people believing in Jesus (see here ), another sign that it uses combines the signs for “ringing the (church) bells” and a “group of people.” (Source: Anna Smith)
“Church” in British Sign Language (source: Christian BSL, used with permission)
Learn more on Bible Odyssey: Ekklesia .
complete verse (3 John 1:10)
Following are a number of back-translations of 3 John 1:10:
- Uma: “So, when I arrive, I will expose his evil behavior and his talking-behind-our (excl.)-backs. It’s not just that which he has done. More than that, when our relatives who carry the Good News stop-in at your (pl.) village, he refuses to receive them. And he also forbids those who want to receive them [to do so], and he doesn’t allow them to enter the church-service.” (Source: Uma Back Translation)
- Yakan: “Therefore when I come there, I will expose all his doings, his slanderous talk about us (excl.) and his lies. But he is not yet satisfied with those his doings. He still adds to them. It is said that he also does not accept/receive our (dual) brothers who trust in Isa Almasi when they arrive there, and he opposes those who want to treat them according to custom, it is said, and he sends them away/expels them from the langgal (prayer house: also understood as the congregation).” (Source: Yakan Back Translation)
- Western Bukidnon Manobo: “When I come there, I will tell you all about all the evil that he does, for his evil words are about us are not true. And not only that, he will not care for our (incl.) fellow believers when they arrive. And he also will not allow his fellow believers there to care for them. Those who do, by contrast, care for them, he will not allow them to attend your worship.” (Source: Western Bukidnon Manobo Back Translation)
- Kankanaey: “So-then, when I go there, I will go (not redundant in RL) tell you the bad that he is doing in/by the not true-things that he is accusing us (sing.) of. And it’s not only these-things that he is doing, because neither does he have-come-in (to his house) our brothers who believe who are going to your town and moreover he forbids those who want to have-them-come-in, at-the-same-time making-them -leave the congregation of believers.” (Source: Kankanaey Back Translation)
- Tagbanwa: “Therefore if/when I am able to come there, I will call him to account for all that which he is doing, that he is really slandering us (excl.). And it’s like these deeds of his are not enough for him, but rather he even adds to it by not receiving those who are going teaching concerning Jesus. Far from receiving them he in fact even forbids and removes from their group of believers those who want to receive those arriving there.” (Source: Tagbanwa Back Translation)
- Tenango Otomi: “Therefore when I come there, I will tell you all how it is that he doesn’t rest from telling lies about me. And he does not only do that, he also does not give a resting place to our brethren who arrive there. Anyone who wants to give them a resting place, he doesn’t want them to and he throws them outside from where the believers meet.” (Source: Tenango Otomi Back Translation)
- Yatzachi Zapotec: “Therefore if I come to visit you, while you are met together I will cause him to remember how he is doing contrary to us (ex) by his lying words. And that is not all he is doing. Likewise he does not receive our brethren into his house, and the people who want to receive them into their houses he refuses to let them receive them. And the people who want to receive them, he casts them out from among you who are gathered together worshipping God.”
- Eastern Highland Otomi: “So when I go there I will tell you when you’re gathered together, what Diotrephes does, that he says bad things in regard to me, and not only that, but also he doesn’t welcome (receive, take in) the siblings, the sent ones who come from afar, and he hinders (prohibits) whoever intends to receive them. And he throws out of the church whoever wants to help the sent-ones.”
- Isthmus Zapotec: “Hence, when I get there I will mention the things he is doing. He goes around saying harsh words against me, and not only that but he doesn’t receive the brethren. And those who want to receive the brethren, he keeps them from doing it and he keeps them from going to meeting.” (Source for this and two above: John Beekman in Notes on Translation 12, November 1964, p. 1ff.)
Translation commentary on 3 John 1:10
If I come (or ‘when I come,’ ‘at the time I come’) refers to something that is viewed as an event that will certainly happen; compare comments on “when” in 1 John 2.28.
In I will bring up, the Greek verb means “to remind,” “to call to mind.” It often implies warning or blame, as it does here and in 2 Tim 2.14; hence ‘to expose,’ ‘to bring to light.’
The expression what he is doing, or ‘his behavior,’ is neutral in itself, but the four items mentioned in the following explanation show his behavior to be bad.
Prating against me with evil words is the first item. The clause may be better rendered as a new sentence, ‘He is prating….’
The verb used has the meaning ‘to talk nonsense about,’ ‘to gossip,’ ‘to speak idly/irresponsibly.’ The qualifying phrase with evil words serves to emphasize the unfavorable meaning of the verb. The whole phrase expresses the hostility Diotrephes has shown to the elder. Accordingly the phrase expresses the concept “to slander,” that is, “to damage a person’s reputation by false charges.” Some renderings used are ‘he continually speaks badly/ill of me,’ ‘he spreads slanderous gossip about me,’ ‘telling stories and lies about me,’ ‘talking just-behind me hatefully,’ ‘he always brings to the fore my name.’
Three further bad items are added to the first one by means of the phrase and not content with that, or “not satisfied with that” (New English Bible), or, as a new sentence, “But that is not enough for him” (Good News Translation), ‘He doesn’t stop at that,’ ‘That is not the end of it,’ ‘That is not the only thing he does.’
He refuses himself to welcome the brethren, or ‘he himself does not receive the brothers at his town (or congregation),’ ‘he himself does not show hospitality to the brothers’—this is the second item. The present tense expresses custom. The brethren refers to the traveling preachers who come to visit the congregation.
He … also stops those who want to welcome them is the third item. The Greek literally has “stops those who want,” which is elliptical. As a rule such words as “to welcome them” have to be added in order to fill up the ellipsis. The tense of the first verb may express attempt; hence ‘tries to stop.’ The same holds true of ‘puts them out’ in the next clause.
The main verb, stops, means “to keep from doing (by deeds or words),” “to hinder,” “to forbid.” Some renderings of the clause are “he is interfering with those who want to do so” (Goodspeed), ‘he closes the way for people who want to welcome them,’ ‘to people who want to welcome them he says, “Do not do so,” ’ ‘he tells others not to do so.’ “Them” refers back to “the brethren.”
He … puts them out of the church is the fourth and last item. “To put out” means “to drive out,” “to expel,” more or less forcibly. The word may refer to official excommunication from the congregation, but it can also be taken in a less forceful sense. In the latter case it serves to indicate that Diotrephes stirred up the congregation against the persons in question, thus isolating them and curbing their influence.
In this clause them refers to the members of the congregation who want to welcome the visiting preachers, contrary to what Diotrephes wants them to do. One may have to make this explicit, for example, by using ‘such people,’ or ‘every one who does so’ as substitute for them.
Quoted with permission from Haas, C., de Jonge, M. and Swellengrebel, J.L. A Handbook on The Third Letter of John. (UBS Handbook Series). New York: UBS, 1972. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .
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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