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InterlinearVerse GEN EXO LEV NUM DEU JOB JOS JDG RUTH 1 SAM 2 SAM PSA AMOS HOS 1 KI 2 KI 1 CHR 2 CHR PROV ECC SNG JOEL MIC ISA ZEP HAB JER LAM YNA (JNA) NAH OBA DAN EZE EZRA EST NEH HAG ZEC MAL LAO GES LES ESG DNG 2 PS TOB JDT WIS SIR BAR LJE PAZ SUS BEL MAN 1 MAC 2 MAC 3 MAC 4 MAC YHN (JHN) MARK MAT LUKE ACTs YAC (JAM) GAL 1 TH 2 TH 1 COR 2 COR ROM COL PHM EPH PHP 1 TIM TIT 1 PET 2 PET 2 TIM HEB YUD (JUD) 1 YHN 2 YHN (2 JHN) 3 YHN (3 JHN) REV
1 Yhn 4 V1 V2 V3 V4 V5 V6 V7 V8 V9 V10 V11 V12 V13 V14 V15 V16 V17 V19 V20 V21
◄ ← 1 YHN (1 JHN) 4:18 ↓ → ► ║ ©
OET (OET-LV) Fear is not in the love, but the perfect love is_throwing out the fear, because the fear is_having punishment, and the one fearing, has_ not _˓been˒_perfected in the love.
OET (OET-RV) There’s no fear in love, but rather perfect love drives away fear, because our fear is that of being punished but the one fearing has not been perfected in love.
Read 4:7–5:12 carefully.
Section Theme: In this section John gives two reasons why we should love one another:
4:7–12 | God has shown us what true love is by sending his Son to die for us. |
4:13–21 | God has loved us so much that we have a duty to love others. |
At the end of the section, in 5:1–12, he shows how it is believing in Jesus that enables us to both love and obey God.
Read 4:17–18 in both BSB and GNT. Compare the two versions.
Paragraph Theme: These verses concentrate on another theme from 4:12, namely God’s love being complete in us.
There is no fear in love,
Any person who
God loves will not be afraid
of God.
There is no fear: (Event Idea) Here John uses a noun, fear, to express the idea of being afraid. The rest of the verse makes it clear that he is talking about being afraid of God, so if the verb “fear” requires an object in your language, “God” can be made explicit here.
in love: (Event Idea) Again a noun, love, is used to express an event idea, “loving.” Here it probably means “when God loves someone/us.”
but perfect love
So if/when God’s love is doing the work he intends it to do in us(incl)
So when God is loving people through us(incl) just as he wishes
drives out fear,
we cannot be afraid of God at all.
perfect love drives out fear: (Metaphor) This clause repeats the meaning of the previous one, using the metaphor of someone expelling an enemy from a place. For a restatement of this clause without the metaphor see the Display.
because fear involves punishment.
This is because people are afraid of God since they know he will punish them.
fear involves punishment: (Alternative Interpretations) There are two views of what this means:
It probably means “the reason why people are afraid of God is that they know he will punish them on the day of judgement.” (JB, LB)
Some think it means “when someone is afraid of God he is causing himself to suffer just as if God was punishing him.” (NEB, JBP)
The one who fears
So if someone is afraid of God,
who fears: (Lexical Problem) Again the implied object of this verb is God.
has not been perfected in love.
it shows that God’s love is not doing the work God intends it to do in him.
he is clearly not letting God love people through him as God wants to.
been perfected in love: (Meaning) This means the same as “love has been perfected” in 4:17a and “love is perfected” in 4:12c. See the note on 4:12c.
Note 1 topic: grammar-connect-logic-result
φόβος οὐκ ἔστιν ἐν τῇ ἀγάπῃ, ἀλλ’ ἡ τελεία ἀγάπη ἔξω βάλλει τὸν φόβον, ὅτι ὁ φόβος κόλασιν ἔχει
fear (Some words not found in SR-GNT: Φόβος οὐκ ἐστίν ἐν τῇ ἀγάπῃ ἀλλʼ ἡ τελεία ἀγάπη ἔξω βάλλει τόν φόβον ὅτι ὁ φόβος κόλασιν ἔχει ὁ δέ φοβούμενος οὒ τετελείωται ἐν τῇ ἀγάπῃ)
If it would be helpful in your language, you could put the third clause before the first clause, since the third clause gives the reason for the result that the first clause describes. Alternate translation: [Because fear has punishment, fear is not in love, but perfect love throws fear outside]
Note 2 topic: figures-of-speech / explicit
φόβος οὐκ ἔστιν ἐν τῇ ἀγάπῃ, ἀλλ’ ἡ τελεία ἀγάπη ἔξω βάλλει τὸν φόβον, ὅτι ὁ φόβος κόλασιν ἔχει
fear (Some words not found in SR-GNT: Φόβος οὐκ ἐστίν ἐν τῇ ἀγάπῃ ἀλλʼ ἡ τελεία ἀγάπη ἔξω βάλλει τόν φόβον ὅτι ὁ φόβος κόλασιν ἔχει ὁ δέ φοβούμενος οὒ τετελείωται ἐν τῇ ἀγάπῃ)
If it would be helpful in your language, you could state explicitly what John means by fear, perfect love, and punishment, particularly in light of what he says in the previous verse. Alternate translation: [A person who thinks he is going to be punished is afraid, but no one who truly understands how much God loves him will be afraid, because when God’s love has achieved its purpose in our lives, we are confident that he has forgiven us and will accept us]
Note 3 topic: figures-of-speech / metaphor
φόβος οὐκ ἔστιν ἐν τῇ ἀγάπῃ
fear (Some words not found in SR-GNT: Φόβος οὐκ ἐστίν ἐν τῇ ἀγάπῃ ἀλλʼ ἡ τελεία ἀγάπη ἔξω βάλλει τόν φόβον ὅτι ὁ φόβος κόλασιν ἔχει ὁ δέ φοβούμενος οὒ τετελείωται ἐν τῇ ἀγάπῃ)
John speaks as if Fear could be inside of love. Alternate translation: [no one who truly understands how much God loves him will be afraid]
Note 4 topic: figures-of-speech / explicit
ἡ τελεία ἀγάπη ἔξω βάλλει τὸν φόβον
the perfect love out ˓is˒_casting (Some words not found in SR-GNT: Φόβος οὐκ ἐστίν ἐν τῇ ἀγάπῃ ἀλλʼ ἡ τελεία ἀγάπη ἔξω βάλλει τόν φόβον ὅτι ὁ φόβος κόλασιν ἔχει ὁ δέ φοβούμενος οὒ τετελείωται ἐν τῇ ἀγάπῃ)
By perfect love, John means the same thing as when he speaks in the previous verse of love that “has been perfected.” See how you translated that expression. Alternate translation: [when God’s love has achieved its purpose in our lives, it keeps us from being afraid]
Note 5 topic: figures-of-speech / personification
ἡ τελεία ἀγάπη ἔξω βάλλει τὸν φόβον
the perfect love out ˓is˒_casting (Some words not found in SR-GNT: Φόβος οὐκ ἐστίν ἐν τῇ ἀγάπῃ ἀλλʼ ἡ τελεία ἀγάπη ἔξω βάλλει τόν φόβον ὅτι ὁ φόβος κόλασιν ἔχει ὁ δέ φοβούμενος οὒ τετελείωται ἐν τῇ ἀγάπῃ)
John speaks of love as if it could actively throw fear far away from us. Alternate translation: [when God’s love has achieved its purpose in our lives, it keeps us from being afraid]
Note 6 topic: figures-of-speech / explicit
ὁ φόβος κόλασιν ἔχει
the fear punishment ˓is˒_having
If it would be helpful in your language, you could clarify the relationship between fear and punishment. Alternate translation: [fear has to do with punishment] or [people are afraid when they think they will be punished]
Note 7 topic: figures-of-speech / activepassive
ὁ δὲ φοβούμενος, οὐ τετελείωται ἐν τῇ ἀγάπῃ
the the_‹one› (Some words not found in SR-GNT: Φόβος οὐκ ἐστίν ἐν τῇ ἀγάπῃ ἀλλʼ ἡ τελεία ἀγάπη ἔξω βάλλει τόν φόβον ὅτι ὁ φόβος κόλασιν ἔχει ὁ δέ φοβούμενος οὒ τετελείωται ἐν τῇ ἀγάπῃ)
See how you translated the similar expression in [2:5](../02/05.md). Here, as there, love could mean: (1) God’s love for us. Alternate translation: [So if someone is afraid, then God’s love has not achieved its purpose in his life] (2) our love for God. Alternate translation: [So if someone is afraid, then he does not yet love God perfectly] It could also mean both things, as in [3:17](../03/17.md). If you must choose, then we recommend option (1). But if your translation can leave both possibilities open, that would be best. Alternate translation: [So if someone is afraid, then love is not yet fully working in his life]
Note 8 topic: figures-of-speech / explicit
ὁ δὲ φοβούμενος, οὐ τετελείωται ἐν τῇ ἀγάπῃ
the the_‹one› (Some words not found in SR-GNT: Φόβος οὐκ ἐστίν ἐν τῇ ἀγάπῃ ἀλλʼ ἡ τελεία ἀγάπη ἔξω βάλλει τόν φόβον ὅτι ὁ φόβος κόλασιν ἔχει ὁ δέ φοβούμενος οὒ τετελείωται ἐν τῇ ἀγάπῃ)
If it would be helpful to your readers, you could state explicitly what such a person fears. This is clear from the previous verse. Alternate translation: [So if someone is afraid that God has not forgiven him and that God will not accept him, then God’s love has not achieved its purpose in his life]
4:18 perfect love expels all fear: As we live with Christ and grow more mature and complete in God’s love, we have confidence in facing the day of judgment, which will be terrifying for those who don’t know God (Acts 24:25; Rom 2:16).
• Based on consciousness of guilt, fear anticipates a deserved punishment, producing dread that is itself a foretaste of that punishment. Christ died to set us free from this dread (Heb 2:14-15).
OET (OET-LV) Fear is not in the love, but the perfect love is_throwing out the fear, because the fear is_having punishment, and the one fearing, has_ not _˓been˒_perfected in the love.
OET (OET-RV) There’s no fear in love, but rather perfect love drives away fear, because our fear is that of being punished but the one fearing has not been perfected in love.
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.