Jude 1:1 – Page 2

Jesus

The Greek Iēsous is “only” a proper name but one with great importance. The following quote by John Ellington (in The Bible Translator 1993, p. 401ff. ) illustrates this:

“In Matthew’s account of the birth of Jesus Christ, Joseph is told that when Mary gives birth to a son ‘you will name him Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins’ (1:21). This name is a Greek transliteration of the Hebrew name [Yeshua (יֵשׁוּעַ) which is a short form of a name meaning] ‘the Lord [Yahweh] saves.’ The name is very significant and is in itself especially dear to Christians around the world. (…) Unquestionably great importance is attached to the name of Jesus by Christians of all persuasions and backgrounds.”

While Iēsous (pronounced: /i.ɛː.suːs/) is transliterated as “Jesus” (pronounced /ˈdʒiːzəs/) in English (but was translated as “Hælend” [the “healing one”] in Old English — see Swain 2019) it is transliterated and pronounced in a large variety of other ways as well, following the different rules of different languages’ orthographies, writing systems and rules of pronunciation. The following is a (partial) list of forms of Jesus in Latin characters: aYeso, Azezi, Boiyesuq, Cecoc, Chesús, Chi̍i̍sū, Chisɔsi, Ciisahs, Ciise, Ciisusu, Djesu, Ɛisa, Ƹisa, Eyesu, Gesù, Gesû, Gesü, Ġesù, Ghjesù, Giêsu, ꞌGiê‑ꞌsu, Giê-xu, Gyisɛse, Hesu, Hesús, Hisus, Hisuw, Ià-sŭ, Iesen, Ié:sos, Iesu, Iesui, Iesusɨn, Iesusiva, Ié:sos, Ihu, Īhu, Iisus, Iisussa, Ijeesu, iJisọsị, Iji̍sɔ̄ɔsi, Iosa, Íosa, Ìosa, İsa, I’sa, Isiso, Isõs, Ísu, Isus, Isusa, Iisussa, Isuthi, Itota, Îtu, Isuva, Izesu, Izesuq, Jasus, Jeeju, Jeesus, Jeesuse, Jeezas, Jehu, Jeisu, Jeju, Jejus, Jesesi, Jeshu, Jeso, Jesoe, Jesosa, Jesoshi, Jesosi, Jesosy, Jesu, Jesû, Jesua, Jesuh, Jesuhs, Jesuo, Jesús, Jésus, Jesúsu, Jethu, Jezed, Jezi, Jézi, Ježiš, Jezu, Jezus, Jézus, Jėzus, Jēzus, Jezusi, Jėzus, Jezuz, Jiijajju, Jíísas, Jiisusi, Jiizas, Jíìzọ̀s, Jisas, Jisase, Jisasi, Jisasɨ, Jisaso, Jisesi, Jisɛ̀, Jisos, Jisọs, Jisɔs, Jisu, Jiszs, Jizọs, Jizɔs, Jizọsi, Jizọsu, Jòso, Jusu, Jweesus, Ketsutsi, Njises, Sesi, Sisa, Sísa, Sisas, Sises, Sīsū, Sizi, Txesusu, uJesu, Ujísɔ̄si, ŵaYesu, Xesosi, ´Xesús, Xesús, Yasu, Ya:su, Yasuuⓐ, Ɣaysa, Yecu, Yeeb Sub, Yeeh Suh, Yeesey, Yeeso, Yeesso, Yēēsu, Yehsu, Yëësu, Yeiqsul, Yeisu, Yeisuw, Yeshu, Yē shú, Yeso, Yéso, Yesò, Yëso, Yɛso, ye-su, Yésu, Yêsu, Yẹ́sụ̃, Yěsù, Yésʉs, Yeswa, Yet Sut, Yetut, Yexus, Yezo, Yezu, Yiesu, Yiisa, Yiisu, Yiitju, Yis, Yisɔs, Yisufa, Yitati, Yusu, ‑Yusu, :Yusu’, Zeezi, Zezi, Zezì, Zezuz, Zezwii, Ziizɛ, Zisas, Zîsɛ, Zjezus, Zozi, Zozii, and this (much more incomplete) list with other writings systems: ᔩᓱᓯ, ᒋᓴᔅ, Հիսուս, ᏥᏌ, ኢየሱስ, ያሱስ, ܝܫܘܥ, Ісус, Їисъ, 耶稣, იესო, ईसा, イエス, イイスス, イエスス, 예수, येशू, येशो, ਈਸਾ, ພຣະເຢຊູ, ජේසුස්, যীশু, ଯୀଶୁ, ཡེ་ཤུ་, ‘ঈছা, இயேசு, ಯೇಸು, ພຣະເຢຊູ, ယေရှု, ઇસુ, जेजू, येसु, เยซู, យេស៊ូ, ᱡᱤᱥᱩ, ယေသှု, యేసు, ᤕᤧᤛᤢ᤺ᤴ, އީސާގެފާނު, ਯਿਸੂ, ꕉꖷ ꔤꕢ ꕞ, ⵏ⵿ⵗⵢⵙⴰ, ଜୀସୁ, يَسُوعَ,ㄧㄝㄙㄨ, YE-SU, ꓬꓰ꓿ꓢꓴ, 𖽃𖽡𖾐𖼺𖽹𖾏𖼽𖽔𖾏, ꑳꌠ, ᠶᠡᠰᠦᠰ (note that some of these might not display correctly if your device does not have the correct fonts installed).

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In some languages the different confessions have selected different transliterations, such as in Belarusian with Isus (Ісус) by the Orthodox and Protestant churches and Yezus (Езус) by the Catholic church, Bulgarian with Iisus (Иисус) by the Orthodox and Isus (Исус) by the Protestant church, Japanese with Iesu (イエス) (Protestant and Catholic) and Iisusu (イイスス) (Orthodox), or Lingala with Yesu (Protestant) or Yezu (Catholic). These differences have come to the forefront especially during the work on interconfessional translations such as one in Lingala where “many hours were spent on a single letter difference” (source: Ellington, p. 401).

In Literary and Mandarin Chinese where transliterations of proper names between the Catholic and Protestant versions typically differ vastly, the Chinese name of Jesus (Yēsū 耶稣) remarkably was never brought into question between and by those two confessions, likely due to its ingenious choice. (Click or tap here to see more).

The proper name of God in the Old Testament, Yahweh (YHWH), is rendered in most Chinese Bible translations as Yēhéhuá 耶和華 — Jehovah. According to Chinese naming conventions, Yēhéhuá could be interpreted as Yē Héhuá, in which Yē would be the family name and Héhuá — “harmonic and radiant” — the given name. In the same manner, Yē 耶 would be the family name of Jesus and Sū 稣 would be his given name. Because in China the children inherit the family name from the father, the sonship of Jesus to God the Father, Jehovah, would be illustrated through this. Though this line of argumentation sounds theologically unsound, it is indeed used effectively in the Chinese church (see Wright 1953, p. 298).

Moreover, the “given name” of Sū 稣 carries the meaning ‘to revive, to rise again’ and seems to point to the resurrected Jesus. (Source: J. Zetzsche in Malek 2002, p. 141ff., see also tetragrammaton (YHWH))

There are different ways that Bible translators have chosen historically and today in how to translate the name of Jesus in predominantly Muslim areas: with a form of the Arabic Isa (عيسى) (which is used for “Jesus” in the Qur’an), the Greek Iēsous, or, like major 20th century Bible translations into Standard Arabic, the Aramaic Yēšūaʿ: Yasua (يَسُوعَ). (Click or tap here to see more.)

Following are languages and language groups that use a form of Isa include the following (note that this list is not complete):

Indo-Iranian languages: Persian, Dari, Central Pashto, Southern Pashto all use Eysa (عيسی or عيسىٰ for Southern Pashto), Sindhi uses Eysey (عيسيٰ), Southern Balochi Issa (ایسّا), Central Kurdish (Sorani) and Northern Kurdish (Kurmanji) use Îsa (عیسای and Иса respectively), Turkmen has Isa, and Tajik Isoi (Исои — compare Iso/Исо in the Tajik Qur’an)
Turkic languages: Turkish uses İsa, Kazakh, Kumyk, Nogai, Crimean Tatar all have Isa (Иса), Kirghiz has Iysa (Ыйса), Uzbek has Iso (Исо — compare Iiso/Ийсо in the Uzbek Qur’an), Bashkir uses Aaisa (Ғайса), North Azerbaijani İsa, Uighur uses Eysa (ئەيسا), and Kara-Kalpak İysa (Ийса)
Caucasian languages: Bezhta and Lezghian use Isa (Иса), Avaric has Aisa (ГІиса), and Chechen Iza (Иза)
Various African languages: Somali, a Cushitic language, has Ciise, Kabyle has Ɛisa and Tahaggart Tamahaq has Yeswa (both Berber languages), the Saharan languages Central Kanuri, Manga Kanuri have Isa, the Atlantic-Congo languages Dagbani, Mampruli, and Bimoba use Yisa, and the Chadian Arabic Bible has Isa (عِيسَى)
In Indonesian, while most Bible translations had already used Yesus Kristus rather than Isa al Masih, three public holidays used to be described using the term Isa Al Masih. From 2024 on the government is using Yesus Kristus in those holiday names instead (see this article in Christianity Today ).
Some languages have additional “TAZI” editions (TAZI stands for “Tawrat, Anbiya, Zabur, and Injil” the “Torah, Prophets, Psalms and Gospel”) of the New Testament that are geared towards Muslim readers where there is also a translation in the same language for non-Muslims. In those editions, Isa is typically used as well (for example, the Khmer TAZI edition uses Isa (អ៊ីសា) rather than the commonly used Yesaou (យេស៊ូ), the Thai edition uses Isa (อีซา) rather than Yesu (เยซู), the Chinese edition uses Ěrsā (尔撒) vs. Yēsū (耶稣), and the English edition also has Isa rather than Jesus.)

In German the name Jesus (pronounced: /ˈjeːzʊs/) is distinguished by its grammatical forms. Into the 20th century the grammatical rules prescribed a unique Greek-Latin declination: Jesus (nominative), Jesu (genitive, dative, vocative), Jesum (accusative), from which today only the genitive case “Jesu” is still in active use. Likewise, in Seediq (Taroko), the morphological treatment of “Jesus” also occupies a special category by not falling under the normal rule of experiencing a vowel reduction when the object-specific suffix an is added “since it was felt that the readers might resent that the name has been changed that drastically.” (Compare Msian for “Moses” (Mosi) as an object, but Yisuan for “Jesus” (Yisu).) (Source: Covell 1998. p. 249)

In Lamba the name ŵaYesu consists of a transliteration Yesu and the prefix ŵa, a plural form for “proper names when addressing and referring to persons in any position of seniority or honor.” While this was avoided in early translations to avoid possible misunderstandings of more than one Jesus, once the church was established it was felt that it was both “safe” and respectful to use the honorific (pl.) prefix. (Source C. M. Doke in The Bible Translator 1958, p. 57ff. )

In virtually all sign languages, “Jesus” is signed with the middle finger of each hand pointing to the palm (or wrist) of the other in succession (signing the nails of the cross). In the context of Bible translation this has been pointed out as theologically problematic since the “semantic connections of the original name Jesus do point towards ‘salvation,’ they do not naturally lead to crucifixion.” (Source: Phil King in Journal of Translation 1 (2020), p. 33ff.)

“Jesus” in German Sign Language (source )

Following is the oldest remaining Ethiopian Orthodox icon of Jesus from the 14th or possibly 13th century (found in the Church of the Saviour of the World in Gurji, Ethiopia). As in many Orthodox icons, Jesus’ right hand forms the Greek letters I-C-X-C for IHCOYC XPICTOC or “Jesus Christ.” Another interpretation of the right hand is that it shows three fingers pointing to the Trinity, while the two other fingers point to Jesus’ two natures.

source (c) Jacques Mercier and Alain Mathieu

Orthodox icons are not drawings or creations of imagination. They are in fact writings of things not of this world. Icons can represent our Lord Jesus Christ, the Virgin Mary, and the Saints. They can also represent the Holy Trinity, Angels, the Heavenly hosts, and even events. Orthodox icons, unlike Western pictures, change the perspective and form of the image so that it is not naturalistic. This is done so that we can look beyond appearances of the world, and instead look to the spiritual truth of the holy person or event. (Source )

The following is the so-called “Wales Window for Alabama.” It is a stained-glass window by the artist John Petts from Carmarthenshire, Wales, created in response to the 16th Street Baptist Church bombing which took place in 1963:

Stained glass is not just highly decorative, it’s a medium which has been used to express important religious messages for centuries. Literacy was not widespread in the medieval and Renaissance periods and the Church used stained glass and other artworks to teach the central beliefs of Christianity. In Gothic churches, the windows were filled with extensive narrative scenes in stained glass — like huge and colorful picture storybooks — in which worshipers could ‘read’ the stories of Christ and the saints and learn what was required for their religious salvation. (Source: Victoria and Albert Museum )

The style of the following drawing of Jesus by Annie Vallotton is described by the artist as this: “By using few lines the readers fill in the outlines with their imagination and freedom. That is when the drawings begin to communicate.” (see here ; see also We All are One in Christ)

Illustration by Annie Vallotton, copyright by Donald and Patricia Griggs of Griggs Educational Service.

Other visual representation of Jesus in TIPs include several non-Western styles of art: traditional Korean art, traditional Chinese art, modern Chinese abstract art, northern and central Thailand’s popular art, Indian Hamzanama style, traditional Vietnamese art, or Japanese prints.

Father (address for God)

The Greek that is translated with the capitalized “Father” in English when referring to God is translated in Highland Totonac with the regular word for (biological) father to which a suffix is added to indicate respect. The same also is used for “Lord” when referring to Jesus. (Source: Hermann Aschmann in The Bible Translator 1950, p. 171ff. )

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Like a number of other East Asian languages, Japanese uses a complex system of honorifics, i.e. a system where a number of different levels of politeness are expressed in language via words, word forms or grammatical constructs. These can range from addressing someone or referring to someone with contempt (very informal) to expressing the highest level of reference (as used in addressing or referring to God) or any number of levels in-between. In the widely-used Japanese Shinkaiyaku (新改訳) Bible of 2017, God the Father is addressed with mi-chichi (御父). This form has the “divine” honorific prefix mi– preceding the archaic honorific form chichi for “father.”

If, however, Jesus addresses his Father, he is using chichi-o (父を) which is also highly respectful but does not have the “divine” honorific. (Source: S. E. Doi, see also S. E. Doi in Journal of Translation, 18/2022, p. 37ff. )

Translation commentary on Jude 1:1

The expression servant of Jesus Christ is a popular formula in the opening parts of letters in the New Testament (see Rom 1.1; Phil 1.1; James 1.1; 2 Peter 1.1; also Gal 1.10; 2 Tim 2.24; 1 Cor 7.22; Eph 6.6). Many Old Testament characters are identified as “servants of God,” which means that they understand their calling to be that of serving God and doing his will. In the New Testament this term is also used of Christians in general, suggesting that Christians have been freed by Christ from the slavery of sin and now belong to Jesus Christ as his slaves (1 Cor 7.23). In a special way the term is used of those who are called to a special task, indicating that the Christian leaders are an example in their life of the servant role that all of God’s people are supposed to play. The term therefore includes the components of service, obedience, and complete surrender to Jesus Christ and recognition of his authority. Those who use this title for themselves are recognized as having some kind of authority in the Christian community, but this authority is based primarily on their call to serve Christ rather than on their personal qualities. Certain languages maintain a clear distinction between a person who works for a fixed salary and one who is a personal servant or attendant supported by his master, but who does not have a fixed salary. It is this latter term that should be used in this context, if it is necessary to make such a distinction. There are also languages where people will say “I am Jesus Christ’s man,” meaning “I work for Jesus Christ.” In many languages it is impossible to maintain the structure Jude, a servant of Jesus Christ and brother of James, in which the descriptive expressions are simply placed alongside the name. In such a case we may translate this first section of the verse as “I, Jude, who am a servant of Jesus Christ, and a (younger) brother of James….”

Some translators will find it helpful to begin this epistle in a way that is natural to letter writing in their own languages. So it may be necessary to start this letter in a different way from the English or Greek. In particular it may be desirable to adjust the third person reference to the writer to a first person reference, and the third person reference to his readers to second person reference. Examples are: “I, Jude, who am a servant of Jesus Christ and brother of James, write this letter to you…” or “This letter comes from Jude, who is a servant….” It may also be necessary in certain languages to combine the opening clause with what follows and say, for example, “I, Jude, who am … write this letter to those people who…” or “to you who….”

Jesus Christ is the usual Greek form of the name of Jesus. The word Christ comes from the word “Messiah,” meaning God’s promised King, but when it follows the name Jesus, it can be treated simply as a name and not as a title. The term Christ is a title if it is used with the definite article (“the Christ” or “the Messiah”). In some cases “Christ” may also function as a title when it comes before “Jesus.” However, this doesn’t seem to be the case in this letter.

The word brother is understood by some to mean “co-worker”; most probably, however, it is used here in its natural biological sense, “blood-brother.” For identifying James see page 2. Since James is not described or identified in any way except by his name, this indicates that the readers of the letter had a very clear idea as to who he was, and that he was a famous personality at that time.

In some languages it is necessary to state whether Jude is the older or younger brother of James. This is not so with Greek, and therefore the text does not clearly give us this information. One clue is sometimes the order in which names are mentioned, and since in Matt 13.55 James is mentioned ahead of Jude, then perhaps Jude is the younger brother of James.

The intended readers of Jude’s letter are not identified, either in terms of who they are or where they come from. This is one reason why it has been suggested that this letter is a “general” letter, addressed to the whole church and to Christians everywhere. However, the letter deals with certain particular problems, as we shall see; and this seems to indicate that Jude had a particular audience in mind.

Although Jude does not identify his readers, he describes them in three ways: they are called, they are beloved in God the Father, and they are kept for Jesus Christ. It should be noted that these three expressions are influenced by and perhaps derived from the passages in Isaiah known as the Servant Songs, where Israel is described in the same manner, that is, called, loved, and kept by God (for “called,” see Isa 41.9; 42.6; 48.12; for “loved,” see 42.1; 43.4; for “kept,” see 42.6; 49.8). It is a common practice among New Testament writers to take descriptions of Israel as the people of God and apply these to Christians. They could do this because of the understanding that the Old Testament promises are fulfilled in Christ, and that those who believe in Christ are in a real sense God’s people.

In the Greek text, called comes last in the series, after beloved and kept. However, it is clear that called is intended both in grammar and in meaning to be primary in the series, and most translations therefore reflect this understanding (for instance, Phillips [Phillips] “to those who have obeyed the call, who are loved by God the Father and kept in the faith…”).

The word translated called is a technical term that in the New Testament is almost identical in meaning with “Christians.” In much the same way that the Israelites were called by God to become his people, and were called out of slavery in Egypt in order to possess the promised land, so also Christians are called by God from a life of sin and evil to a new life of godliness. The use of this term for Christians puts a focus on the fact that it is God who takes the initiative in calling people to trust in him, and that when people respond in faith to this call of God, then they become God’s children. In the New Testament God calls people primarily to trust in Christ and become Christ’s followers. In languages that do not use the passive, translators will need to restructure this event word and say “… whom God has called” or “God has called you.”

The expression beloved in God the Father is difficult to understand and has been the subject of much discussion. In the New Testament the expression “in God” is rarely used. A literal translation of the whole expression can give rise to the false meaning “loved (by Jude) in God the Father.” Jude of course was not referring to his love for his readers but to God’s love for them. The preposition “in” can be understood to mean either “by” (as the Revised Standard Version [Revised Standard Version] footnote indicates), hence “loved by God the Father” Phillips, or else “in the sphere of.” This latter meaning seems to be reflected in Good News Translation “who live in the love of God,” which means that they live in the consciousness of God’s love for them, and as a result they experience God’s love and presence with them. A similar expression appears in verse 21 of this same letter. Another way to render this expression is “who live knowing that God loves them (or, you)” or “who live with the certainty that God loves them (or, you).”

It should be noted further that beloved is a perfect participle in Greek, which includes as an element of its meaning the continuing effect of God’s love for these people.

The expression kept for Jesus Christ translates an expression in which the name Jesus Christ is in the dative case and no preposition is used. Since there are several prepositions that can go with the dative case when translated, this has resulted in various interpretations of this phrase:

1. Revised Standard Version represents one interpretation. In this case, kept has God as the unstated agent, and the whole expression can be understood as “kept safe by God until the coming of Jesus Christ,” during which time they will have full fellowship with him (Christ). A less likely sense is “kept safe by God for the sake of Jesus Christ.”

2. Good News Translation represents a second interpretation, where the dative is understood as instrumental: “kept by Jesus Christ,” hence “live … in the protection of Jesus Christ” or “whom Jesus Christ protects (or, keeps safe).” In this case the expression can mean that Christ keeps them safe from the influence of the godless people who threaten their faith (which Jude will discuss later in the letter). If we take the phrase as having a future sense, then it means that Christ keeps them safe in the present so that they can be with him when he comes again. This is probably the more likely interpretation.

3. A third interpretation takes “in” to be the preposition for the dative form. “In Christ” is a favorite expression in the letters of Paul and indicates the Christian’s close relationship with Christ; hence “living in union with (or, united to) Christ.” Some translations have echoed this position, as, for example, Goodspeed, An American Translation [An American Translation] “kept through union with Jesus Christ.”

Like beloved referred to above, kept is a perfect participle which carries the meaning that those addressed continue to be the object of Christ’s (or God’s) care and protection.

One further note: in the Greek text verses 1 and 2 form one rather long sentence; and it may be necessary to divide this into two or more sentences in order to achieve better communication with the audience. How this is done will depend on the requirements of the translator’s language.

Two translation models for the whole verse are:

• I, Jude, who am a servant of Jesus Christ and a (younger) brother of James, write this letter to you whom God has called. You live with the sure knowledge that God the Father loves you, and that you are protected by Jesus Christ (or, Jesus Christ protects you.)

Or:

• I, Jude, who am a servant of Jesus Christ and a (younger) brother of James, write this letter to all of you fellow believers in Christ, who are loved by God the Father and are protected by Jesus Christ.

An example of the way the whole verse is handled in one major Asian language is:

• Dear brothers and sisters, whom God the Father has called and loves very much, and whom Jesus Christ protects. I, Jude, write this letter to you and pray that God bestows his blessings, mercy, and peace on you bountifully.

It is also possible for the three elements (“God has called,” “live with the sure knowledge that God the Father loves you,” and “protected by Jesus Christ”) to be arranged in a different sequence in order to arrive at a more smooth and natural rendering in the translator’s language.

Quoted with permission from Arichea, Daniel C. and Hatton, Howard A. A Handbook on The Letter from Jude. (UBS Handbook Series). New York: UBS, 1993. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .

SIL Translator's Notes on Jude 1:1

In New Testament times the common way to begin a letter was to put the writer’s name first, then to mention something about the people who would receive the letter. After that, the writer included a prayer or blessing for their well-being. Jude followed this pattern.

Although Jude did not say where his readers lived, he did say three things about them. These three things are true of all believers:

(a) God had called them,

(b) God the Father loved them,

In these two verses Jude identified himself as the author of the letter and identified his readers by some of the things that God had done for them. Then he prayed that God would bless them. Jude chose a blessing which related well to the rest of the letter.

Jude: The Berean Standard Bible, like the Greek text, begins with the name of the writer and does not follow it with a verb. This was the common way to start a letter in New Testament times. In many languages today, including English, the writer’s name does not appear until the end of the letter. However, even if this is also true in your language, you should still include Jude’s name in this first verse. You may need to add a verb. For example:

Jude writes this letter to you.

In some languages, like Greek, it is acceptable for a writer to identify himself in the third person, as Jude did here. If this is not natural in your language, you could add a first person pronoun. For example,

It is I, Jude, who write this letter to you.

a servant of Jesus Christ: Even though Jude was the brother of Jesus, he described himself as a servant of Jesus Christ. His brother James wrote the same thing about himself (James 1:1). This was a common way for followers of Jesus to describe themselves. It is often found at the beginning of the letters in the New Testament. (Philippians 1:1; Titus 1:1; James 1:1; 2 Peter 1:1.)

servant: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as servant is doulos. This word may also be translated as “slave.” If your language does not have a noun for servant, you may use a verb instead. For example:

I serve Jesus Christ.
-or-
who works for Jesus Christ.

Christ: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates here as Christ may be translated as part of the name, Jesus Christ.

and a brother of James: We do not know which of the brothers was older, James (In these Notes, James refers to an important leader of the church at Jerusalem (Acts 12:17), the James who was the brother of Jesus (as Paul says in Galatians 2:19). Jude was another brother of Jesus.) or Jude. If your language requires that you say which brother was older, you may say that Jude is the younger brother of James. It is likely that James was older, because he was an important leader of the Christians in Jerusalem.

brother: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates here as brother can be used for different relationships. In some languages it is necessary to use a different expression for each of these relationships. James and Jude had the same mother and father.

James: This James was a leader of the church at Jerusalem (Acts 12:17). He was also the brother (Some Christians believe that Jude and James were children born to both Joseph and Mary. Jesus would then be their older half-brother, since Joseph was not Jesus’ biological father. Others believe that Jude and James were the children of Joseph by a wife who had died before he married Mary. This would make Jesus their younger stepbrother. Still others believe that the “brother” relationship was by adoption or as part of an extended family. Those who believe in the perpetual virginity of Mary do not believe that Jude and James were born to Mary.) of Jesus (as Paul says in Galatians 1:19). Jude was another brother of Jesus. In some languages it may be helpful to include this information in a footnote in your translation.

To those who are called: Here Jude began to say something about the people to whom he was writing. In some languages it may be necessary to introduce this clause by a phrase like:

I write to you, those who….

called: Jude used the Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as called to refer to the Christian people to whom he was writing. He described them as called, because God had called them to believe in him. This can be translated as:

To those people who have been called by God to believe in him
-or-
To you people whom God has called to believe in him.

See the general comment at the end of the notes for 1f for other suggestions on using active verbs to translate the ideas in this verse.

loved by God the Father: A literal translation of the Greek text here is “having been loved in (en) God the Father.” This phrase includes two ideas:

(a) God the Father loved these Christians.

(b) These Christians experienced God’s love in their relationship to him, united with him. (John 17 has other examples where “in” has this meaning.) Jude expressed the same idea again in 21a where he encouraged his readers “to keep yourselves in the love of God.”

If possible, it is best to include both ideas in your translation. For example:

who live in the love of God the Father (Good News Translation)
-or-
You are united with God the Father because you have been loved by him.
-or-
God the Father loves you with the result that you are united with him.

loved:

Copies of the Greek text are slightly different from each other. The King James Version has “sanctified” instead of “loved,” because it followed different copies than most other English versions followed. The best evidence supports “loved,” so it is recommended that you use the idea “loved” in your translation.

However, if the major language version in your area uses “sanctified,” you may include a footnote to say that “sanctified” can be found in some Greek copies, but that the best evidence supports “loved.”

kept in Jesus Christ: In this context there are two ways to interpret the Greek expression (Differences in interpretation arise, in part, because the Greek text has no preposition. In English, a preposition is required.) that the Berean Standard Bible translates as kept in Jesus Christ:

(1) It means kept for Jesus Christ. For example:

kept safe for Jesus Christ (New Jerusalem Bible)

(God’s Word, New American Standard Bible, NET Bible, New Jerusalem Bible, New Revised Standard Version, Revised English Bible, Revised Standard Version)

(2) It means kept by Jesus Christ. For example:

kept safe by Jesus Christ (Contemporary English Version)

(Contemporary English Version, Phillips’ New Testament in Modern English, New International Version (2011 Revision), Good News Translation)

It is recommended that you follow interpretation (1). (Similar ideas are expressed in John chapter 17, especially in John 17:9 and John 17:15.) It is likely that Jude meant that God was the one who was keeping the readers for Jesus Christ. Jude may be implying “for Jesus Christ when he returns.” Here is an example of how to make this explicit:

are kept safe for the coming of Jesus Christ.(Revised English Bible)

Jude may also imply: who are kept safe by God to give/present to Jesus Christ at his return.

kept: Jude frequently used the Greek verb, tēreō, which the Berean Standard Bible translates here as kept. He used a form of tēreō in 1f, 6a, 6c, 13d (where the Berean Standard Bible uses the verb “reserved”), and 21a. Though it was possible for Jude to use one verb in all these places, the meanings translated into natural English require the use of more than one English verb.

General Comment on 1d–f

In some languages it may be necessary to use more active verbs to translate 1d–f. For example:

God has called you to believe in him. You are united with God the Father because he loves you. God keeps you safe to present you to Jesus Christ when he returns.

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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.

Sung version of Jude

Living Water is produced for the Bible translation movement in association with Lutheran Bible Translators. Lyrics derived from the ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®).

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Verse: Jude 1:1