Passage

1 John 4.8-10

Book: 1 John · NASB95

Immediate context (±2 verses)

ASV

6. We are of God: he that knoweth God heareth us; he who is not of God heareth us not. By this we know the spirit of truth, and the spirit of error. 7. Beloved, let us love one another: for love is of God; and every one that loveth is begotten of God, and knoweth God.

8. He that loveth not knoweth not God; for God is love. 9. Herein was the love of God manifested in us, that God hath sent his only begotten Son into the world that we might live through him. 10. Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins.

Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. 12. No man hath beheld God at any time: if we love one another, God abideth in us, and his love is perfected in us: (1 John 4:6-12, ASV)

WEB

6. We are of God. He who knows God listens to us. He who is not of God doesn’t listen to us. By this we know the spirit of truth, and the spirit of error. 7. Beloved, let us love one another, for love is of God; and everyone who loves has been born of God, and knows God.

8. He who doesn’t love doesn’t know God, for God is love. 9. By this God’s love was revealed in us, that God has sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him. 10. In this is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and sent his Son as the atoning sacrifice for our sins.

Beloved, if God loved us in this way, we also ought to love one another. 12. No one has seen God at any time. If we love one another, God remains in us, and his love has been perfected in us. (1 John 4:6-12, WEB)

KJV

6. We are of God: he that knoweth God heareth us; he that is not of God heareth not us. Hereby know we the spirit of truth, and the spirit of error. 7. Beloved, let us love one another: for love is of God; and every one that loveth is born of God, and knoweth God.

8. He that loveth not knoweth not God; for God is love. 9. In this was manifested the love of God toward us, because that God sent his only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through him. 10. Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins.

Beloved, if God so loved us, we ought also to love one another. 12. No man hath seen God at any time. If we love one another, God dwelleth in us, and his love is perfected in us. (1 John 4:6-12, KJV)

YLT

6. we, of God we are; he who is knowing God doth hear us; he who is not of God, doth not hear us; from this we know the spirit of the truth, and the spirit of the error. 7. Beloved, may we love one another, because the love is of God, and every one who is loving, of God he hath been begotten, and doth know God;

8. he who is not loving did not know God, because God is love. 9. In this was manifested the love of God in us, because His Son, the only begotten, hath God sent to the world, that we may live through him; 10. in this is the love, not that we loved God, but that He did love us, and did send His Son a propitiation for our sins.

Beloved, if thus did God love us, we also ought one another to love; 12. God no one hath ever seen; if we may love one another, God in us doth remain, and His love is having been perfected in us; (1 John 4:6-12, YLT)

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Setting

Speaker: TBD
Audience: TBD
Location: TBD
Time period: TBD

Theological reading

Patristic / early-church-father exegesis, to be added.

Key words

Theologically-loaded Greek or Hebrew words in this verse may have entries in the lexicon. Curated to roughly 100 contested terms across the corpus, not every word.

None of the words in this verse has its own lexicon entry yet.

Quoted in

Arguments and defeaters:

Concepts:

100 Verses of Compassion and God's Goodness, via 1 John 4.8, 1 John 4.9-10
Atheism, via 1 John 4.9-10
Biblical Love, via 1 John 4.8, 1 John 4.9-10
Can God Have Lackful Emotions, via 1 John 4.8
Christians Behaving Badly, via 1 John 4.8
Divine Attributes, via 1 John 4.8
Divine Simplicity, via 1 John 4.8
Doctrine, via 1 John 4.8
God is Impossible Paradox Cluster, via 1 John 4.8
God Showed No Love in Eden Objection, via 1 John 4.8
God's Love for Creation
Hell and Eternal Punishment, via 1 John 4.8
Lesson 2.2, The Six Structural Commitments of Christianity, via 1 John 4.8
Lesson 2.3, The Doctrine of God, via 1 John 4.8
Morality, via 1 John 4.8
One and the Many Problem, via 1 John 4.8
OT vs NT God Objection, via 1 John 4.8, 1 John 4.9-10
Penal Substitutionary Atonement, via 1 John 4.10
Sikhism, via 1 John 4.10
The Muslim Defense, via 1 John 4.8
Trinity Common Objections, via 1 John 4.7-21
Trinity Love-Overflow Argument, via 1 John 4.8
Verses on Gods Goodness and Human Worth, via 1 John 4.8
World Religions Compared by Their Ultimate Ending, via 1 John 4.8

People:

Friedrich Nietzsche, via 1 John 4.8
John the Apostle, via 1 John 4.8

Lexicon:

G0025 - agapao, via 1 John 4.7-21, 1 John 4.8
G0026 - agape, via 1 John 4.8, 1 John 4.9-10
G1097 - ginosko, via 1 John 4.7-8
G2433 - hilaskomai, via 1 John 4.10
G2434 - hilasmos, via 1 John 4.10, 1 John 4.9-10
G3439 - monogenes, via 1 John 4.9
H2617 - hesed, via 1 John 4.7-21
H3173 - yachid, via 1 John 4.9

Notes

Your annotations.

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.