Passage

1 John 5.21

Book: 1 John · ASV / WEB / KJV / YLT

Immediate context (±2 verses)

ASV (ASV)

"19. We know that we are of God, and the whole world lieth in the evil one. 20. And we know that the Son of God is come, and hath given us an understanding, that we know him that is true, and we are in him that is true, even in his Son Jesus Christ. This is the true God, and eternal life."

"21. My little children, guard yourselves from idols. amen." (1 John 5:19-21, ASV)

WEB (WEB)

"19. We know that we are of God, and the whole world lies in the power of the evil one. 20. We know that the Son of God has come, and has given us an understanding, that we know him who is true, and we are in him who is true, in his Son Jesus Christ. This is the true God, and eternal life."

"21. Little children, keep yourselves from idols." (1 John 5:19-21, WEB)

KJV (KJV)

"19. And we know that we are of God, and the whole world lieth in wickedness. 20. And we know that the Son of God is come, and hath given us an understanding, that we may know him that is true, and we are in him that is true, even in his Son Jesus Christ. This is the true God, and eternal life."

"21. Little children, keep yourselves from idols. Amen." (1 John 5:19-21, KJV)

YLT (YLT)

"19. we have known that of God we are, and the whole world in the evil doth lie; 20. and we have known that the Son of God is come, and hath given us a mind, that we may know Him who is true, and we are in Him who is true, in His Son Jesus Christ; this one is the true God and the life age-during!"

"21. Little children, guard yourselves from the idols! Amen." (1 John 5:19-21, 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

No Strong's-tagged lexicon matches found in this passage. (Lexicon coverage is curated, ~159 of the most apologetically-loaded Greek/Hebrew terms.)

Quoted in

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.