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1Yhn 4 V1 V2 V3 V4 V5 V6 V7 V8 V9 V10 V11 V12 V13 V14 V15 V16 V17 V18 V19 V21
Note: This view shows ‘verses’ which are not natural language units and hence sometimes only part of a sentence will be visible. Normally the OET discourages the reading of individual ‘verses’, but this view is only designed for doing comparisons of different translations. Click on any Bible version abbreviation down the left-hand side to see the verse in more of its context. The OET segments on this page are still very early looks into the unfinished texts of the Open English Translation of the Bible. Please double-check these texts in advance before using in public.
Text critical issues=small word differences Clarity of original=clear Importance=normal (All still tentative.)
OET (OET-RV) Anyone who says that they are loving God but hates a fellow believer, that person is liar because if someone can’t love a fellow believer that they’ve seen, they can’t love God who they’ve never seen.
OET-LV If anyone may_say, that I_am_loving the god, and may_be_hating the brother of_him, is a_liar, because/for the one not loving the brother of_him, whom he_has_seen, is_ not _able to_be_loving the god, whom he_has_ not _seen.
SR-GNT Ἐάν τις εἴπῃ, ὅτι “Ἀγαπῶ τὸν ˚Θεόν”, καὶ τὸν ἀδελφὸν αὐτοῦ μισῇ, ψεύστης ἐστίν· ὁ γὰρ μὴ ἀγαπῶν τὸν ἀδελφὸν αὐτοῦ, ὃν ἑώρακεν, τὸν ˚Θεὸν, ὃν οὐχ ἑώρακεν, οὐ δύναται ἀγαπᾶν. ‡
(Ean tis eipaʸ, hoti “Agapō ton ˚Theon”, kai ton adelfon autou misaʸ, pseustaʸs estin; ho gar maʸ agapōn ton adelfon autou, hon heōraken, ton ˚Theon, hon ouⱪ heōraken, ou dunatai agapan.)
Key: khaki:verbs, light-green:nominative/subject, orange:accusative/object, pink:genitive/possessor, red:negative.
Note: Automatic aligning of the OET-RV to the LV is done by some temporary software, hence the OET-RV alignments are incomplete (and may occasionally be wrong).
ULT If anyone says, “I love God,” and hates his brother, he is a liar. For the one not loving his brother, whom he has seen, is not able to love God, whom he has not seen.
UST People are lying if they say that they love God but they also hate a fellow believer. After all, we can see our fellow believers. But we have not seen God. So those who do not love one of their fellow believers certainly cannot be loving God, because it is much easier to love someone whom you can see than someone whom you cannot see.
BSB § If anyone says, “I love God,” but hates his brother, he is a liar. For anyone who does not love his brother, whom he has seen, cannot love God, whom he has not seen.
BLB If anyone should say, "I love God," and should hate his brother, he is a liar. For the one not loving his brother, whom he has seen, is not able to love God, whom he has not seen.
AICNT If someone says, I love God, and hates his brother, he is a liar; for the one who does not love his brother whom he has seen, {cannot love God}[fn] whom he has not seen.
4:20, cannot love God: Later manuscripts read “how can he love God...?” BYZ TR
OEB If someone says “I love God,” and yet hates others, they are a liar. For the person who does not love their brother or sister, whom they have seen, cannot love God, whom they have not seen.
WEBBE If a man says, “I love God,” and hates his brother, he is a liar; for he who doesn’t love his brother whom he has seen, how can he love God whom he has not seen?
WMBB (Same as above)
NET If anyone says “I love God” and yet hates his fellow Christian, he is a liar, because the one who does not love his fellow Christian whom he has seen cannot love God whom he has not seen.
LSV if anyone may say, “I love God,” and may hate his brother, he is a liar; for he who is not loving his brother whom he has seen, how is he able to love God whom he has not seen?
FBV Anyone who says, “I love God,” but hates a Christian brother or sister, is a liar. Anyone who doesn't love a brother whom they can see, can't love God whom they can't see.
TCNT Whoever says, “I love God,” and yet hates his brother is a liar. For [fn]if anyone does not love his brother whom he has seen, how can he love God whom he has not seen?
4:20 if anyone … seen, how can he … seen? 95.5% ¦ he who … seen cannot … seen. ECM† NA SBL TH WH 4.3% [Note: In the main Greek this sentence literally reads, For he who does not love his brother whom he has seen, how can he love God whom he has not seen?]
T4T So those who say “I love God” but hate a fellow believer are lying. Those who do not love one of their fellow believers, whom they have seen, certainly cannot be loving God, whom they have not seen.
LEB If anyone says, “I love God,” and hates his brother, he is a liar, for the one who does not love his brother whom he has seen is not able to love God whom he has not seen.
BBE If a man says, I have love for God, and has hate for his brother, his words are false: for how is the man who has no love for his brother whom he has seen, able to have love for God whom he has not seen?
Moff No Moff 1YHN (1JHN) book available
Wymth If any one says that he loves God, while he hates his brother man, he is a liar; for he who does not love his brother man whom he has seen, cannot love God whom he has not seen.
ASV If a man say, I love God, and hateth his brother, he is a liar: for he that loveth not his brother whom he hath seen, cannot love God whom he hath not seen.
DRA If any man say, I love God, and hateth his brother; he is a liar. For he that loveth not his brother, whom he seeth, how can he love God, whom he seeth not?
YLT if any one may say — 'I love God,' and his brother he may hate, a liar he is; for he who is not loving his brother whom he hath seen, God — whom he hath not seen — how is he able to love?
Drby If any one say, I love [fn]God, and hate his brother, he is a liar: for he that loves not his brother whom he has seen, how can he love [fn]God whom he has not seen?
4.20 Elohim
RV If a man say, I love God, and hateth his brother, he is a liar: for he that loveth not his brother whom he hath seen, cannot love God whom he hath not seen.
Wbstr If a man sayeth, I love God, and hateth his brother, he is a liar. For he that loveth not his brother, whom he hath seen, how can he love God, whom he hath not seen?
KJB-1769 If a man say, I love God, and hateth his brother, he is a liar: for he that loveth not his brother whom he hath seen, how can he love God whom he hath not seen?
(If a man say, I love God, and hateth his brother, he is a liar: for he that loveth/loves not his brother whom he hath/has seen, how can he love God whom he hath/has not seen? )
KJB-1611 If a man say, I loue God, and hateth his brother, he is a lyar. For hee that loueth not his brother whom hee hath seene, how can he loue God whom he hath not seene?
(If a man say, I love God, and hateth his brother, he is a lyar. For he that loveth/loves not his brother whom he hath/has seen, how can he love God whom he hath/has not seen?)
Bshps If a man say, I loue God, & yet hate his brother, he is a lyer: For how can he yt loueth not his brother whom he hath seene, loue God who he hath not seene?
(If a man say, I love God, and yet hate his brother, he is a lyer: For how can he it loveth/loves not his brother whom he hath/has seen, love God who he hath/has not seen?)
Gnva If any man say, I loue God, and hate his brother, he is a liar: for how can he that loueth not his brother whom he hath seene, loue God whom he hath not seene?
(If any man say, I love God, and hate his brother, he is a liar: for how can he that loveth/loves not his brother whom he hath/has seen, love God whom he hath/has not seen? )
Cvdl Yf eny man saye: I loue God, & yet hateth his brother, he is a lyar. For he that loueth not his brother whom he seyth, how can he loue God, whom he seyth not?
(If any man say: I love God, and yet hateth his brother, he is a lyar. For he that loveth/loves not his brother whom he seyth, how can he love God, whom he seyth not?)
TNT Yf a man saye I love god and yet hate his brother he is a lyar. For how can he that loveth not his brother whom he hath sene love god whom he hath not sene?
(If a man say I love god and yet hate his brother he is a lyar. For how can he that loveth/loves not his brother whom he hath/has seen love god whom he hath/has not sene? )
Wyc If ony man seith, that `Y loue God, and hatith his brother, he is a liere. For he that loueth not his brothir, which he seeth, hou mai he loue God, whom he seeth not?
(If any man seith, that `I love God, and hatith his brother, he is a liere. For he that loveth/loves not his brothir, which he seeth, how mai he love God, whom he seeth not?)
Luth So jemand spricht: Ich liebe GOtt, und hasset seinen Bruder, der ist ein Lügner; denn wer seinen Bruder nicht liebet, den er siehet, wie kann er GOtt lieben, den er nicht siehet?
(So someone spricht: I liebe God, and hasset his brother, the/of_the is a Lügner; because who his brother not liebet, the he siehet, like kann he God lieben, the he not siehet?)
ClVg Si quis dixerit: Quoniam diligo Deum, et fratrem suum oderit, mendax est. Qui enim non diligit fratrem suum quem vidit, Deum, quem non vidit, quomodo potest diligere?
(When/But_if who/any dixerit: Quoniam diligo God, and brother his_own oderit, mendax it_is. Who because not/no diligit brother his_own which vidit, God, which not/no vidit, how potest diligere? )
UGNT ἐάν τις εἴπῃ, ὅτι ἀγαπῶ τὸν Θεόν, καὶ τὸν ἀδελφὸν αὐτοῦ μισῇ, ψεύστης ἐστίν; ὁ γὰρ μὴ ἀγαπῶν τὸν ἀδελφὸν αὐτοῦ, ὃν ἑώρακεν, τὸν Θεὸν, ὃν οὐχ ἑώρακεν, οὐ δύναται ἀγαπᾶν.
(ean tis eipaʸ, hoti agapō ton Theon, kai ton adelfon autou misaʸ, pseustaʸs estin; ho gar maʸ agapōn ton adelfon autou, hon heōraken, ton Theon, hon ouⱪ heōraken, ou dunatai agapan.)
SBL-GNT ἐάν τις εἴπῃ ὅτι Ἀγαπῶ τὸν θεόν, καὶ τὸν ἀδελφὸν αὐτοῦ μισῇ, ψεύστης ἐστίν· ὁ γὰρ μὴ ἀγαπῶν τὸν ἀδελφὸν αὐτοῦ ὃν ἑώρακεν, τὸν θεὸν ὃν οὐχ ἑώρακεν ⸀οὐ δύναται ἀγαπᾶν.
(ean tis eipaʸ hoti Agapō ton theon, kai ton adelfon autou misaʸ, pseustaʸs estin; ho gar maʸ agapōn ton adelfon autou hon heōraken, ton theon hon ouⱪ heōraken ⸀ou dunatai agapan.)
TC-GNT Ἐάν τις εἴπῃ ὅτι Ἀγαπῶ τὸν Θεόν, καὶ τὸν ἀδελφὸν αὐτοῦ [fn]μισῇ, ψεύστης ἐστίν· ὁ γὰρ μὴ ἀγαπῶν τὸν ἀδελφὸν [fn]αὐτοῦ ὃν ἑώρακε, τὸν Θεὸν ὃν οὐχ ἑώρακε [fn]πῶς δύναται ἀγαπᾷν;
(Ean tis eipaʸ hoti Agapō ton Theon, kai ton adelfon autou misaʸ, pseustaʸs estin; ho gar maʸ agapōn ton adelfon autou hon heōrake, ton Theon hon ouⱪ heōrake pōs dunatai agapan; )
Key for above GNTs: yellow:punctuation differs, red:words differ (from our SR-GNT base).
Note 1 topic: figures-of-speech / hypo
ἐάν τις εἴπῃ, ὅτι ἀγαπῶ τὸν Θεόν, καὶ τὸν ἀδελφὸν αὐτοῦ μισῇ, ψεύστης ἐστίν
if anyone /may/_say ¬that ˱I˲_/am/_loving ¬the God and the brother ˱of˲_him /may_be/_hating /a/_liar is
John is using a hypothetical situation to help his readers recognize the importance of consistency between their words and their actions. Alternate translation: “Suppose someone says, ‘I love God,’ but he hates his brother. Then he is a liar”
Note 2 topic: grammar-connect-logic-contrast
καὶ
and
John is using the word translated as and to introduce a contrast between what would be expected, that someone who loved God would also love his fellow believers, and what would actually be true of this hypothetical person. Alternate translation: “but”
Note 3 topic: figures-of-speech / metaphor
τὸν ἀδελφὸν αὐτοῦ
¬the the brother ˱of˲_him
See how you translated his brother in 2:9. Alternate translation: “one of his fellow believers”
Note 4 topic: figures-of-speech / doublenegatives
ὁ & μὴ ἀγαπῶν τὸν ἀδελφὸν αὐτοῦ & τὸν Θεὸν & οὐ δύναται ἀγαπᾶν
the_‹one› & not loving the brother ˱of˲_him & ¬the God & not /is/_able /to_be/_loving
If it would be helpful in your language, you could express this double negative by translating it as a positive statement. Alternate translation: “only the person who loves his fellow believers … is able to love God”
Note 5 topic: figures-of-speech / explicit
ὁ γὰρ μὴ ἀγαπῶν τὸν ἀδελφὸν αὐτοῦ, ὃν ἑώρακεν, τὸν Θεὸν, ὃν οὐχ ἑώρακεν, οὐ δύναται ἀγαπᾶν
the_‹one› for not loving the brother ˱of˲_him whom ˱he˲_/has/_seen ¬the God whom not ˱he˲_/has/_seen not /is/_able /to_be/_loving
If it would be helpful in your language, you could state explicitly why this is true. Alternate translation: “This is true because it is much easier to love your fellow believer who is right in front of you than to love God, whom you could not even see.”