InterlinearVerse GEN EXO LEV NUM DEUT JOB YEHO (JOS) HERO (JDG) RUTH 1 SAM 2 SAM PSA AMOS HOS 1 KI 2 KI 1 CHR 2 CHR PROV ECC SNG YOEL (JOEL) MIC ISA ZEP HAB YIR (JER) LAM YNA (JNA) NAH OBAD DAN EZEK EZRA EST NEH HAG ZEC MAL 2 PS WIS TOB MAN BAR G DAN G ESD L ESD ESG JDT 3 MAC SIR 1 MAC 2 MAC 4 MAC YHN (JHN) MARK MAT LUKE ACTs YAC (JAM) GAL 1 TH 2 TH 1 COR 2 COR ROM COL LAOD PHM EPH PHP 1 TIM TIT 1 PET 2 PET 2 TIM HEB YUD (JUD) 1 YHN (1 JHN) 2 YHN (2 JHN) 3 YHN (3 JHN) REV
InterlinearVerse 1 Yhn C2 C3 C4 C5
1 Yhn 1 V1 V2 V3 V4 V5 V6 V7 V9 V10
← 1 YHN (1 JHN) 1:8 ↓ → ► ║ ≡ ©
Used in these topics: Sin and our need of salvation
OET-LV If we_may_say that we_are_ not _having sin, we_are_deceiving ourselves and the truth is not.
in us.
OET (OET-RV) If we say that we don’t have any sin, then we’re just fooling ourselves and haven’t embraced the truth.
Read 1:5–2:27 carefully.
Section Theme: In this section John is appealing to his readers to live morally pure lives and to remain united with God. He gives the following reasons for this:
1:5–2:2 | God has made it possible for us to be morally pure just as he is. |
2:3–11 | We ought to love our fellow Christians as Christ did. |
2:12–27 | The readers ought not to love the non-Christian world but they should live according to the truth that God has shown to them. |
Read 1:5–10 in both BSB and GNT. Compare the two versions.
Paragraph Theme: In the previous verses John expresses the desire that his readers should share the fellowship which he has with God. In 1:5–10 he makes the point that God is morally pure and holy, and therefore those who sin cannot have fellowship with God unless they confess their sins and God forgives them. His purpose is to persuade his readers to confess their sins.
If we say we have no sin,
If we(incl) were to say that we never sin,
If we claimed that we are people who never do wrong,
If we say: (Expression) See the note on 1:6.
have no sin: (Meaning) Here John is referring to those who claim that whatever Christians do is right and therefore Christians cannot be said to commit sin.
we deceive ourselves,
then what we are saying is deceiving us,
we deceive ourselves: (Meaning) It is not true that Christians never sin. So if we say things like this we are confusing or deceiving ourselves and others.
and the truth is not in us.
and we do not know the true things which God has revealed at all.
the truth is not in us: (Collocation) In some languages it is not natural to say that an abstract idea like “truth” is “in” someone. John means that if we say that we have no sin, then it is clear that we do not know the truth which God has revealed. God has shown in the Old Testament and the Gospels what sin is. So if we say something different about sin it cannot be true.
Note 1 topic: figures-of-speech / hypo
ἐὰν εἴπωμεν ὅτι ἁμαρτίαν οὐκ ἔχομεν, ἑαυτοὺς πλανῶμεν καὶ ἡ ἀλήθεια οὐκ ἔστιν ἐν ἡμῖν
(Some words not found in SR-GNT: Ἐάν εἴπωμεν ὅτι ἁμαρτίαν οὐκ ἔχομεν ἑαυτούς πλανῶμεν καί ἡ ἀλήθεια οὐκ ἐστίν ἐν ἡμῖν)
John is using another hypothetical situation to help his readers recognize the importance of consistency between their words and their actions. Alternate translation: [Suppose we say that we have no sin. Then we are leading ourselves astray, and the truth is not in us]
Note 2 topic: figures-of-speech / metaphor
ἑαυτοὺς πλανῶμεν
(Some words not found in SR-GNT: Ἐάν εἴπωμεν ὅτι ἁμαρτίαν οὐκ ἔχομεν ἑαυτούς πλανῶμεν καί ἡ ἀλήθεια οὐκ ἐστίν ἐν ἡμῖν)
John speaks of those who say this as if they were guides who were leading people—themselves, actually—in the wrong direction. Alternate translation: [we are deceiving ourselves]
Note 3 topic: figures-of-speech / metaphor
ἡ ἀλήθεια οὐκ ἔστιν ἐν ἡμῖν
the truth not (Some words not found in SR-GNT: Ἐάν εἴπωμεν ὅτι ἁμαρτίαν οὐκ ἔχομεν ἑαυτούς πλανῶμεν καί ἡ ἀλήθεια οὐκ ἐστίν ἐν ἡμῖν)
John speaks of the truth as if it were an object that could be inside believers. Alternate translation: [we do not believe that what God says is true]
Note 4 topic: figures-of-speech / abstractnouns
ἡ ἀλήθεια οὐκ ἔστιν ἐν ἡμῖν
the truth not (Some words not found in SR-GNT: Ἐάν εἴπωμεν ὅτι ἁμαρτίαν οὐκ ἔχομεν ἑαυτούς πλανῶμεν καί ἡ ἀλήθεια οὐκ ἐστίν ἐν ἡμῖν)
If your language does not use an abstract noun for the idea of truth, you could express the same idea in another way. Alternate translation: [we do not believe that what God says is true]
OET-LV If we_may_say that we_are_ not _having sin, we_are_deceiving ourselves and the truth is not.
in us.
OET (OET-RV) If we say that we don’t have any sin, then we’re just fooling ourselves and haven’t embraced the truth.
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 CNTR.
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