1 John 3.18

type: passage created: 2026-05-06 updated: 2026-05-06 book: 1 John chapter: 3 verses: "18" translation_default: ASV / WEB / KJV / YLT tags: [scripture] citation_count: 1 enriched: false

Quoted in

Biblical Love

1 John 3.18

Book: 1 John · ASV / WEB / KJV / YLT

Immediate context (±2 verses)

ASV (ASV)

"16. Hereby know we love, because he laid down his life for us: and we ought to lay down our lives for the brethren. 17. But whoso hath the world's goods, and beholdeth his brother in need, and shutteth up his compassion from him, how doth the love of God abide in him?"

"18. My Little children, let us not love in word, neither with the tongue; but in deed and truth."

"19. Hereby shall we know that we are of the truth, and shall assure our heart before him: 20. because if our heart condemn us, God is greater than our heart, and knoweth all things." (1 John 3:16-20, ASV)

WEB (WEB)

"16. By this we know love, because he laid down his life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for the brothers. 17. But whoever has the world’s goods, and sees his brother in need, and closes his heart of compassion against him, how does God’s love remain in him?"

"18. My little children, let’s not love in word only, or with the tongue only, but in deed and truth."

"19. And by this we know that we are of the truth, and persuade our hearts before him, 20. because if our heart condemns us, God is greater than our heart, and knows all things." (1 John 3:16-20, WEB)

KJV (KJV)

"16. Hereby perceive we the love of God, because he laid down his life for us: and we ought to lay down our lives for the brethren. 17. But whoso hath this world's good, and seeth his brother have need, and shutteth up his bowels of compassion from him, how dwelleth the love of God in him?"

"18. My little children, let us not love in word, neither in tongue; but in deed and in truth."

"19. And hereby we know that we are of the truth, and shall assure our hearts before him. ^{assure: Gr. persuade} 20. For if our heart condemn us, God is greater than our heart, and knoweth all things." (1 John 3:16-20, KJV)

YLT (YLT)

"16. in this we have known the love, because he for us his life did lay down, and we ought for the brethren the lives to lay down; 17. and whoever may have the goods of the world, and may view his brother having need, and may shut up his bowels from him, how doth the love of God remain in him?"

"18. My little children, may we not love in word nor in tongue, but in word and in truth!"

"19. and in this we know that of the truth we are, and before Him we shall assure our hearts, 20. because if our heart may condemn, because greater is God than our heart, and He doth know all things." (1 John 3:16-20, YLT)

Setting

Speaker: John the Apostle (traditionally)
Audience: Christian believers (countering proto-gnostic influences)
Location: Ephesus (composition)
Time period: composed c. AD 85-95

Theological reading

Key words

G0225 - aletheia, aletheia (Strong's G225). Also appears in: Mark 12, Luke 22.54-62, John 1.14.
G3056 - logos, logos (Strong's G3056). Also appears in: Matthew 7.24-27, Matthew 8.5-12, Matthew 8.16.

Why these four translations

ris3n chose ASV, WEB, KJV, and YLT for two reasons together. They are the most literal English translations available (formal-equivalence: word-for-word renderings that preserve the Hebrew and Greek grammar rather than smoothing it into modern dynamic-equivalence idiom). And they are in the public domain in the United States, which means fair-use quotation at any length requires no publisher license. Modern licensed translations (NASB95, ESV, NIV) restrict volume of quotation under their copyright terms, so they are not used at stub-level coverage here. NASB95 appears only on hand-curated rich passage hubs under Lockman Foundation's fair-use allowance.

The four:

ASV (American Standard Version, 1901). The basis of the modern critical-text English tradition.
WEB (World English Bible, contemporary). Public-domain revision in the ASV line, in current English.
KJV (King James Version, 1611). Reformation-era, Textus Receptus base.
YLT (Young's Literal Translation, Robert Young, 1862). Hyper-literal preservation of Hebrew and Greek grammar; useful for word-study work even where English reads stiff.

See Bibles for the full per-translation history, translators, textual basis, strengths, and weaknesses.