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interlinearVerse INT GEN EXO LEV NUM DEU JOS JDG RUTH 1SA 2SA PSA AMOS HOS 1KI 2KI 1CH 2CH PRO ECC SNG JOEL MIC ISA ZEP HAB JER LAM YNA NAH OBA DAN EZE EZRA EST NEH HAG ZEC MAL JOB YHN MARK MAT LUKE ACTs YAC GAL 1TH 2TH 1COR 2COR ROM COL PHM EPH PHP 1TIM TIT 1PET 2PET 2TIM HEB YUD 1YHN 2YHN 3YHN REV
OET (OET-LV) And this is the message which we_have_heard from him and we_are_declaring to_you_all, that the god is light, and darkness is not in him, not_one.
OET (OET-RV) This is the message that we heard from him and which we are declaring to you all: God is light and there is no darkness in him—none at all.
Note 1 topic: headings
If you are using section headings, you could put one here before verse 5. Suggested heading: “Sin Prevents Fellowship with God”
Note 2 topic: figures-of-speech / exclusive
ἀκηκόαμεν
˱we˲_/have/_heard
The pronoun we is exclusive, since John is speaking on behalf of himself and the other eyewitnesses to the earthly life of Jesus.
Note 3 topic: writing-pronouns
ἀπ’ αὐτοῦ
from him
The pronoun him in this first instance in the verse refers to Jesus, since John is speaking of the message that he and the other eyewitnesses heard from Jesus. Alternate translation: “from Jesus”
Note 4 topic: figures-of-speech / parallelism
ὁ Θεὸς φῶς ἐστιν, καὶ σκοτία ἐν αὐτῷ, οὐκ ἔστιν οὐδεμία
¬the God light is and darkness in him not is not_one
These two phrases mean similar things. John is likely using repetition for emphasis. If it would be helpful in your language, you could combine these phrases and express the emphasis in another way. Alternate translation: “God is entirely light” or, if you represent these metaphors plainly (See: next two notes), “God is completely holy”
Note 5 topic: figures-of-speech / metaphor
ὁ Θεὸς φῶς ἐστιν
¬the God light is
John often uses light in this letter to mean what is holy, right, and good. Here, in reference to God, it indicates holiness. Alternate translation: “God is holy”
Note 6 topic: figures-of-speech / metaphor
σκοτία ἐν αὐτῷ, οὐκ ἔστιν οὐδεμία
darkness in him not is not_one
John often uses the word darkness in this letter to mean what is evil. Alternate translation: “God is not evil at all”
Note 7 topic: figures-of-speech / doublenegatives
σκοτία ἐν αὐτῷ, οὐκ ἔστιν οὐδεμία
darkness in him not is not_one
John is using a double negative in Greek for emphasis. In English it would translate as “darkness is not in him not at all.” In Greek, the second negative does not cancel the first negative to create a positive meaning. In English, the meaning would inaccurately be positive, which is why ULT uses only one negative and says “darkness is not in him at all.” But if your language uses double negatives for emphasis that do not cancel one another, it would be appropriate to use that construction in your translation.
Note 8 topic: writing-pronouns
ἐν αὐτῷ
in him
In this second instance in the verse, the pronoun him refers to God. Alternate translation: “in God”
1:5–2:6 Here John focuses on the first aspect of living in fellowship with God. Living in the light means that the believers will see that they are sinners, but they will also realize that Jesus is their Advocate to make them right with God (see Eph 5:6-13).
1:5 God is light: This light shone through Jesus Christ to all he came in contact with, to expose their sin and to illumine the moral nature and character of God (see John 1:4-5, 9; 3:19-21; 8:12; 9:5; 12:35-36, 46). In the writings of John, “light” represents God’s holiness and revelation. It is the opposite of false teaching and undisciplined living, which is “darkness” (1 Jn 1:6).
OET (OET-LV) And this is the message which we_have_heard from him and we_are_declaring to_you_all, that the god is light, and darkness is not in him, not_one.
OET (OET-RV) This is the message that we heard from him and which we are declaring to you all: God is light and there is no darkness in him—none at all.
Note: The OET-RV is still only a first draft, and so far only a few words have been (mostly automatically) matched to the Hebrew or Greek words that they’re translated from.
Acknowledgements: The SR Greek text, lemmas, morphology, and VLT gloss are all thanks to the SR-GNT.