notes
Main point summary
John states three things about loving one another: 1) we are to love one another, not following the example of Cain; 2) loving one another is a sign that we have eternal life; and 3) we are to love one another in deed and not just words, following Christ's example of self-sacrifice.
Arc
editing
NT
1 John 3:11-18
na28
nasb
schl
Ὅτι αὕτη ἐστὶν ἡ ἀγγελία ἣν ἠκούσατε ἀπʼ ἀρχῆς,
a For this is the message b which you have heard from the beginning,
Denn das ist die Botschaft, die ihr von Anfang an gehört habt,
ἵνα ἀγαπῶμεν ἀλλήλους,
c that we should love one another;
daß wir einander lieben sollen;
οὐ καθὼς Κάϊν ἐκ τοῦ πονηροῦ ἦν καὶ ἔσφαξεν τὸν ἀδελφὸν αὐτοῦ•
not as a Cain, who was of b the evil one and slew his brother.
nicht wie Kain, der von dem Argen war und seinen Bruder erschlug!
καὶ χάριν τίνος ἔσφαξεν αὐτόν;
And for what reason did he slay him?
Und warum erschlug er ihn?
ὅτι τὰ ἔργα αὐτοῦ πονηρὰ ἦν
Because c his deeds were evil,
Weil seine Werke böse waren,
τὰ δὲ τοῦ ἀδελφοῦ αὐτοῦ δίκαια.
and his brother’s were righteous.
die seines Bruders aber gerecht.
negativepositive
questionanswer
ideaexplanation
comparison
[Καὶ] μὴ θαυμάζετε, ἀδελφοί,
Do not be surprised, brethren,
Verwundert euch nicht, Brüder,
εἰ μισεῖ ὑμᾶς ὁ κόσμος.
if a the world hates you.
wenn euch die Welt haßt!
conditional
inference
ἡμεῖς οἴδαμεν ὅτι μεταβεβήκαμεν ἐκ τοῦ θανάτου εἰς τὴν ζωήν,
We know that we have a passed out of death into life,
Wir wissen, daß wir aus dem Tode zum Leben gelangt sind;
ὅτι ἀγαπῶμεν τοὺς ἀδελφούς•
b because we love the brethren.
denn wir lieben die Brüder.
ground
ὁ μὴ ἀγαπῶν μένει ἐν τῷ θανάτῳ.
He who does not love abides in death.
Wer nicht liebt, bleibt im Tode.
πᾶς ὁ μισῶν τὸν ἀδελφὸν αὐτοῦ ἀνθρωποκτόνος ἐστίν,
Everyone who a hates his brother is a murderer;
Jeder, der seinen Bruder haßt, ist ein Totschläger;
καὶ οἴδατε ὅτι πᾶς ἀνθρωποκτόνος οὐκ ἔχει ζωὴν αἰώνιον ἐν αὐτῷ μένουσαν.
and you know that b no murderer has eternal life abiding in him.
und ihr wisset, daß kein Totschläger ewiges Leben bleibend in sich hat.
series
ἐν τούτῳ ἐγνώκαμεν τὴν ἀγάπην,
We know love by this,
Daran haben wir die Liebe erkannt,
ὅτι ἐκεῖνος ὑπὲρ ἡμῶν τὴν ψυχὴν αὐτοῦ ἔθηκεν•
that a He laid down His life for us;
daß er sein Leben für uns eingesetzt hat;
καὶ ἡμεῖς ὀφείλομεν ὑπὲρ τῶν ἀδελφῶν τὰς ψυχὰς θεῖναι.
and b we ought to lay down our lives for the c brethren.
auch wir sind schuldig, für die Brüder das Leben einzusetzen.
ὃς δʼ ἂν ἔχῃ τὸν βίον τοῦ κόσμου
But a whoever has the world’s goods,
Wer aber den zeitlichen Lebensunterhalt hat
καὶ θεωρῇ τὸν ἀδελφὸν αὐτοῦ χρείαν ἔχοντα
and sees his brother in need
und seinen Bruder darben sieht
καὶ κλείσῃ τὰ σπλάγχνα αὐτοῦ ἀπʼ αὐτοῦ,
and b closes his 1 heart 2 against him,
und sein Herz vor ihm zuschließt,
progression
πῶς ἡ ἀγάπη τοῦ θεοῦ μένει ἐν αὐτῷ;
c how does the love of God abide in him?
wie bleibt die Liebe Gottes in ihm?
actionresult
alternative
Τεκνία, μὴ ἀγαπῶμεν λόγῳ μηδὲ τῇ γλώσσῃ
a Little children, let us not love with word or with tongue,
Kindlein, lasset uns nicht mit Worten lieben, noch mit der Zunge,
ἀλλʼ ἐν ἔργῳ καὶ ἀληθείᾳ.
but in deed and b truth.
sondern in der Tat und Wahrheit!
First class conditional assumed to be true from the author's perspective.
Rhetorical question: The love of God does not abide in him.
We should love one another and not be as Cain who slew his brother. He did this because he was of the evil one and knew only evil deeds. Note: although not explicitly stated, it may be that here envy or jealously is involved. Stott writes: "Jealousy-hatred-murder is a natural and terrible sequence."
This is -/+ in the sense of contrasting statements.
Cain represents the world. Since Cain hated his brother due to his righteous deeds, it should be no surprise that the world hates us.
We should love one another, not following the example of Cain who slew his brother because his deeds were righteous. This is why we should not be surprised that the world hates us.
Loving one another is a sign that we have eternal life.
We know what true love is through Christ's example of self sacrifice. We should love by action and not just words.
We are to love one another, not following the example of Cain. Loving one another is a sign that we have eternal life. We are to love one another in deed and not just words, following Christ's example of self-sacrifice.
na28
discourse
Phrase
1 John 3:11-18
A. Love One Another - Not Like Cain
For this is the message which you have heard from the beginning,
that we should love one another;
not as Cain, who was of the evil one and slew his brother.
And for what reason did he slay him?
Because his deeds were evil,
and his brother’s were righteous.
Do not be surprised, brethren,
if the world hates you.
B. Love One Another - A Sign of Eternal Life
We know that we have passed out of death into life,
because we love the brethren.
He who does not love abides in death.
Everyone who hates his brother is a murderer;
and you know that no murderer has eternal life abiding in him.
A'. Love One Another - Like Jesus
We know love by this,
that He laid down His life for us;
and we ought to lay down our lives for the brethren.
But whoever has the world’s goods,
and sees his brother in need
and closes his heart against him,
how does the love of God abide in him?
Little children, let us not love with word or with tongue,
but in deed and truth.
phrasing
Phrase Greek
1 John 3:11-18
na28
Ὅτι αὕτη ἐστὶν ἡ ἀγγελία
For this is the message which you have heard from the beginning, that we should love one another;
Denn das ist die Botschaft, die ihr von Anfang an gehört habt, daß wir einander lieben sollen;
ἣν ἠκούσατε ἀπʼ ἀρχῆς,
ἵνα ἀγαπῶμεν ἀλλήλους,
οὐ καθὼς Κάϊν ἐκ τοῦ πονηροῦ ἦν
not as Cain, who was of the evil one and slew his brother. And for what reason did he slay him? Because his deeds were evil, and his brother’s were righteous.
nicht wie Kain, der von dem Argen war und seinen Bruder erschlug! Und warum erschlug er ihn? Weil seine Werke böse waren, die seines Bruders aber gerecht.
καὶ ἔσφαξεν τὸν ἀδελφὸν αὐτοῦ•
καὶ χάριν τίνος ἔσφαξεν αὐτόν;
ὅτι τὰ ἔργα αὐτοῦ πονηρὰ ἦν
τὰ δὲ τοῦ ἀδελφοῦ αὐτοῦ δίκαια.
[Καὶ] μὴ θαυμάζετε, ἀδελφοί,
Do not be surprised, brethren, if the world hates you.
Verwundert euch nicht, Brüder, wenn euch die Welt haßt!
εἰ μισεῖ ὑμᾶς ὁ κόσμος.
ἡμεῖς οἴδαμεν
We know that we have passed out of death into life, because we love the brethren. He who does not love abides in death.
Wir wissen, daß wir aus dem Tode zum Leben gelangt sind; denn wir lieben die Brüder. Wer nicht liebt, bleibt im Tode.
ὅτι μεταβεβήκαμεν ἐκ τοῦ θανάτου εἰς τὴν ζωήν,
ὅτι ἀγαπῶμεν τοὺς ἀδελφούς•
ὁ μὴ ἀγαπῶν μένει ἐν τῷ θανάτῳ.
πᾶς ὁ μισῶν τὸν ἀδελφὸν αὐτοῦ ἀνθρωποκτόνος ἐστίν,
Everyone who hates his brother is a murderer; and you know that no murderer has eternal life abiding in him.
Jeder, der seinen Bruder haßt, ist ein Totschläger; und ihr wisset, daß kein Totschläger ewiges Leben bleibend in sich hat.
καὶ οἴδατε
ὅτι πᾶς ἀνθρωποκτόνος οὐκ ἔχει ζωὴν αἰώνιον ἐν αὐτῷ μένουσαν.
ἐν τούτῳ ἐγνώκαμεν τὴν ἀγάπην,
We know love by this, that He laid down His life for us; and we ought to lay down our lives for the brethren.
Daran haben wir die Liebe erkannt, daß er sein Leben für uns eingesetzt hat; auch wir sind schuldig, für die Brüder das Leben einzusetzen.
ὅτι ἐκεῖνος ὑπὲρ ἡμῶν τὴν ψυχὴν αὐτοῦ ἔθηκεν•
καὶ ἡμεῖς ὀφείλομεν ὑπὲρ τῶν ἀδελφῶν τὰς ψυχὰς θεῖναι.
ὃς δʼ ἂν ἔχῃ τὸν βίον τοῦ κόσμου
But whoever has the world’s goods, and sees his brother in need and closes his heart against him, how does the love of God abide in him?
Wer aber den zeitlichen Lebensunterhalt hat und seinen Bruder darben sieht und sein Herz vor ihm zuschließt, wie bleibt die Liebe Gottes in ihm?
καὶ θεωρῇ τὸν ἀδελφὸν αὐτοῦ χρείαν ἔχοντα
καὶ κλείσῃ τὰ σπλάγχνα αὐτοῦ ἀπʼ αὐτοῦ,
πῶς ἡ ἀγάπη τοῦ θεοῦ μένει ἐν αὐτῷ;
Τεκνία, μὴ ἀγαπῶμεν λόγῳ μηδὲ τῇ γλώσσῃ
Little children, let us not love with word or with tongue, but in deed and truth.
Kindlein, lasset uns nicht mit Worten lieben, noch mit der Zunge, sondern in der Tat und Wahrheit!
ἀλλʼ ἐν ἔργῳ καὶ ἀληθείᾳ.
Ὅτι αὕτη ἐστὶν ἡ ἀγγελία ἣν ἠκούσατε ἀπʼ ἀρχῆς, ἵνα ἀγαπῶμεν ἀλλήλους,
οὐ καθὼς Κάϊν ἐκ τοῦ πονηροῦ ἦν καὶ ἔσφαξεν τὸν ἀδελφὸν αὐτοῦ• καὶ χάριν τίνος ἔσφαξεν αὐτόν; ὅτι τὰ ἔργα αὐτοῦ πονηρὰ ἦν τὰ δὲ τοῦ ἀδελφοῦ αὐτοῦ δίκαια.
[Καὶ] μὴ θαυμάζετε, ἀδελφοί, εἰ μισεῖ ὑμᾶς ὁ κόσμος.
ἡμεῖς οἴδαμεν ὅτι μεταβεβήκαμεν ἐκ τοῦ θανάτου εἰς τὴν ζωήν, ὅτι ἀγαπῶμεν τοὺς ἀδελφούς• ὁ μὴ ἀγαπῶν μένει ἐν τῷ θανάτῳ.
πᾶς ὁ μισῶν τὸν ἀδελφὸν αὐτοῦ ἀνθρωποκτόνος ἐστίν, καὶ οἴδατε ὅτι πᾶς ἀνθρωποκτόνος οὐκ ἔχει ζωὴν αἰώνιον ἐν αὐτῷ μένουσαν.
ἐν τούτῳ ἐγνώκαμεν τὴν ἀγάπην, ὅτι ἐκεῖνος ὑπὲρ ἡμῶν τὴν ψυχὴν αὐτοῦ ἔθηκεν• καὶ ἡμεῖς ὀφείλομεν ὑπὲρ τῶν ἀδελφῶν τὰς ψυχὰς θεῖναι.
ὃς δʼ ἂν ἔχῃ τὸν βίον τοῦ κόσμου καὶ θεωρῇ τὸν ἀδελφὸν αὐτοῦ χρείαν ἔχοντα καὶ κλείσῃ τὰ σπλάγχνα αὐτοῦ ἀπʼ αὐτοῦ, πῶς ἡ ἀγάπη τοῦ θεοῦ μένει ἐν αὐτῷ;
Τεκνία, μὴ ἀγαπῶμεν λόγῳ μηδὲ τῇ γλώσσῃ ἀλλʼ ἐν ἔργῳ καὶ ἀληθείᾳ.
Diagram
scripturetext
components
1 John 3:11-18
na28
subjectverb
αὕτη
solid
drop
equal
revrocket
line
pred
ἐστὶν
predicate
ἡ
ἀγγελία
quoteshelf
cword
vertical
ἀγαπῶμεν
directobject
ἀλλήλους
obtuse
pstack
Κάϊν
οὐ
καθὼς
ἵνα
table
Ὅτι
ἠκούσατε
ἣν
prepphrase
ἀπʼ
ἀρχῆς
smartline
dashed
free
ttext
text
v11a
v11b
v11c
[Κάϊν]
rocketship
ἦν
ἔσφαξεν
ἐκ
τοῦ
πονηροῦ
τὸν
ἀδελφὸν
αὐτοῦ
καὶ
v12a
v12c
v12b
καὶ
ἔσφαξεν
αὐτόν
χάριν
τίνος
τὰ
ἔργα
ἦν
πονηρὰ
αὐτοῦ
τὰ
[ἦν]
τοῦ
ἀδελφοῦ
αὐτοῦ
δίκαια
δὲ
ὅτι
v12d
v12e
v12f
[Καὶ]
ἀδελφοί
θαυμάζετε
μὴ
ὁ
κόσμος
μισεῖ
ὑμᾶς
εἰ
v13a
v13b
ἡμεῖς
οἴδαμεν
shelf
μεταβεβήκαμεν
ἐκ
τοῦ
θανάτου
εἰς
τὴν
ζωήν
ἀγαπῶμεν
τοὺς
ἀδελφούς
ὅτι
ὅτι
ὁ
μένει
participle
ἀγαπῶν
μὴ
ἐν
τῷ
θανάτῳ
v14a
v14b
v14c
v14d
ὁ
πᾶς
ἐστίν
μισῶν
τὸν
ἀδελφὸν
αὐτοῦ
ἀνθρωποκτόνος
καὶ
οἴδατε
ἀνθρωποκτόνος
πᾶς
ἔχει
οὐκ
ζωὴν
αἰώνιον
μένουσαν
ἐν
αὐτῷ
ὅτι
v15a
v15b
v15c
ἐγνώκαμεν
τὴν
ἀγάπην
ἐν
τούτῳ
equals
ἐκεῖνος
ἔθηκεν
τὴν
ψυχὴν
αὐτοῦ
ὑπὲρ
ἡμῶν
ὅτι
ἡμεῖς
ὀφείλομεν
infinitive
θεῖναι
τὰς
ψυχὰς
ὑπὲρ
τῶν
ἀδελφῶν
καὶ
v16a
v16b
v16c
δʼ
ὃς
ἂν
ἔχῃ
κλείσῃ
θεωρῇ
τὸν
βίον
τοῦ
κόσμου
τὸν
ἀδελφὸν
αὐτοῦ
ἔχοντα
χρείαν
τὰ
σπλάγχνα
αὐτοῦ
ἀπʼ
αὐτοῦ
καὶ
καὶ
ἡ
ἀγάπη
μένει
πῶς
τοῦ
θεοῦ
ἐν
αὐτῷ
v17a
v17b
v17c
v17d
Τεκνία
ἀγαπῶμεν
μὴ
indirectobj
λόγῳ
τῇ
γλώσσῃ
μηδὲ
[ἀγαπῶμεν]
ἐν
ἔργῳ
ἀληθείᾳ
καὶ
ἀλλʼ
v18a
v18b
From Herbert Weir Smyth, A Greek Grammar for Colleges: "A neuter plural subject is regarded as a collective, and has its verb in the singular"
diagram