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Ezekiel 45-46

The Lord’s Portion of the Land

45 “‘When you allot the land as an inheritance, you will offer an allotment^[a] to the Lord, a holy portion from the land; the length will be 8¼ miles^[b] and the width 3⅓ miles.^[c] This entire area will be holy.^[d] ²Of this area a square 875 feet^[e] by 875 feet will be designated for the sanctuary, with 87½ feet^[f] set aside for its open space round about. ³From this measured area you will measure a length of 8¼ miles^[g] and a width of 3⅓ miles;^[h] in it will be the sanctuary, the Most Holy Place. ⁴It will be a holy portion of the land; it will be for the priests, the ministers of the sanctuary who approach the Lord to minister to him. It will be a place for their houses and a holy place for the sanctuary.^[i] ⁵An area 8¼ miles^[j] in length and 3⅓ miles^[k] in width will be for the Levites, who minister at the temple, as the place for the cities^[l] in which they will live.

⁶“‘Alongside the portion set apart as the holy allotment, you will allot for the city an area 1⅔ miles^[m] wide and 8¼ miles^[n] long; it will be for the whole house of Israel.

⁷“‘For the prince there will be land on both sides of the holy allotment and the allotted city, on the west side and on the east side; it will be comparable in length to one of the portions, from the west border to the east border ⁸of the land. This will be his property in Israel. My princes will no longer oppress my people, but the land will be allotted to the house of Israel according to their tribes.

⁹“‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says: Enough, you princes of Israel! Put away violence and destruction and do what is just and right. Put an end to your evictions of my people,^[o] declares the Sovereign Lord. ¹⁰You must use just balances,^[p] a just dry measure (an ephah),^[q] and a just liquid measure (a bath).^[r] ¹¹The dry and liquid measures will be the same: The bath will contain a tenth of a homer,^[s] and the ephah a tenth of a homer; the homer will be the standard measure. ¹²The shekel will be twenty gerahs. Sixty shekels^[t] will be a mina for you.

¹³“‘This is the offering you must offer: a sixth of an ephah from a homer of wheat, a sixth of an ephah from a homer of barley, ¹⁴and as the prescribed portion of olive oil, one-tenth of a bath from each cor (which is ten baths or a homer, for ten baths make a homer); ¹⁵and one sheep from each flock of 200, from the watered places of Israel, for a grain offering, burnt offering, and peace offering, to make atonement for them, declares the Sovereign Lord. ¹⁶All the people of the land will contribute^[u] to this offering for the prince of Israel. ¹⁷It will be the duty of the prince to provide the burnt offerings, the grain offering, and the drink offering at festivals, on the new moons and Sabbaths, at all the appointed feasts of the house of Israel; he will provide the sin offering, the grain offering, the burnt offering, and the peace offerings to make atonement for the house of Israel.

¹⁸“‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says: In the first month, on the first day of the month, you must take an unblemished young bull and purify the sanctuary. ¹⁹The priest will take some of the blood of the sin offering and place it on the doorpost of the temple, on the four corners of the ledge of the altar, and on the doorpost of the gate of the inner court. ²⁰This is what you must do on the seventh day of the month for anyone who sins inadvertently or through ignorance; so you will make atonement for the temple.

²¹“‘In the first month, on the fourteenth day of the month, you will celebrate the Passover, and for the seven days of the festival bread made without yeast will be eaten. ²²On that day the prince will provide for himself and for all the people of the land a bull for a sin offering. ²³And during the seven days of the feast he will provide as a burnt offering to the Lord seven bulls and seven rams, all without blemish, on each of the seven days, and a male goat daily for a sin offering. ²⁴He will provide as a grain offering an ephah for each bull, an ephah for each ram, and a gallon^[v] of olive oil for each ephah of grain.^[w] ²⁵In the seventh month, on the fifteenth day of the month, at the feast,^[x] he will make the same provisions for the sin offering, burnt offering, and grain offering, and for the olive oil, for the seven days.

The Prince’s Offerings

46 “‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says: The gate of the inner court that faces east^[y] will be closed six working days, but on the Sabbath day it will be opened and on the day of the new moon it will be opened. ²The prince will enter by way of the porch of the gate from the outside and will stand by the doorpost of the gate. The priests will provide his burnt offering and his peace offerings, and he will bow down at the threshold of the gate and then go out. But the gate will not be closed until evening. ³The people of the land will bow down at the entrance of that gate before the Lord on the Sabbaths and on the new moons. ⁴The burnt offering that the prince will offer to the Lord on the Sabbath day will be six unblemished lambs and one unblemished ram. ⁵The grain offering will be an ephah with the ram, and the grain offering with the lambs will be as much as he is able to give,^[z] and a gallon^[aa] of olive oil with an ephah. ⁶On the day of the new moon he will offer^[ab] an unblemished young bull and six lambs and a ram, all without blemish. ⁷He will provide a grain offering: an ephah with the bull and an ephah with the ram, and with the lambs as much as he wishes,^[ac] and a gallon^[ad] of olive oil with each ephah of grain.^[ae] ⁸When the prince enters, he will come by way of the porch of the gate and will go out the same way.

⁹“‘When the people of the land come before the Lord at the appointed feasts, whoever enters by way of the north gate to worship will go out by way of the south gate; whoever enters by way of the south gate will go out by way of the north gate. No one will return by way of the gate they entered but will go out straight ahead. ¹⁰When they come in, the prince will come in with them, and when they go out, he will go out.

¹¹“‘At the festivals and at the appointed feasts the grain offering will be an ephah with the bull and an ephah with the ram, and with the lambs as much as one is able,^[af] and a gallon^[ag] of olive oil with each ephah of grain.^[ah] ¹²When the prince provides a freewill offering, a burnt offering, or peace offerings as a voluntary offering to the Lord, the gate facing east will be opened for him, and he will provide his burnt offering and his peace offerings just as he did on the Sabbath. Then he will go out, and the gate will be closed after he goes out.^[ai]

¹³“‘You^[aj] will provide a lamb a year old without blemish for a burnt offering daily to the Lord; morning by morning he will provide it. ¹⁴And you^[ak] will provide a grain offering with it morning by morning, a sixth of an ephah, and a third of a gallon^[al] of olive oil to moisten the choice flour, as a grain offering to the Lord; this is a perpetual statute. ¹⁵Thus they will provide the lamb, the grain offering, and the olive oil morning by morning, as a perpetual burnt offering.

¹⁶“‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says: If the prince should give a gift to one of his sons as^[am] his inheritance, it will belong to his sons; it is their property by inheritance. ¹⁷But if he gives a gift from his inheritance to one of his servants, it will be his until the year of liberty;^[an] then it will revert to the prince. His inheritance will only remain with his sons. ¹⁸The prince will not take away any of the people’s inheritance by oppressively removing them from their property. He will give his sons an inheritance from his own possessions so that my people will not be scattered, each from his own property.’”

¹⁹Then he brought me through the entrance, which was at the side of the gate, into the holy chambers for the priests, which faced north. There I saw^[ao] a place at the extreme western end. ²⁰He said to me, “This is the place where the priests will boil the guilt offering and the sin offering, and where they will bake the grain offering, so that they do not bring them out to the outer court to transmit holiness to the people.”

²¹Then he brought me out to the outer court and led me past the four corners of the court, and I noticed^[ap] that in every corner of the court there was a court. ²²In the four corners of the court were small^[aq] courts, 70 feet^[ar] in length and 52½ feet^[as] in width; the four were all the same size. ²³There was a row of masonry around each of the four courts, and places for boiling offerings were made under the rows all around. ²⁴Then he said to me, “These are the houses for boiling, where the ministers of the temple boil the sacrifices of the people.”

Footnotes

Ezekiel 45:1 tn Heb “a contribution.”
Ezekiel 45:1 tn Heb “25,000 cubits” (i.e., 13.125 kilometers). The measuring units here are the Hebrew “long” cubit, consisting of a cubit (about 18 inches or 45 cm) and a handbreadth (about 3 inches or 7.5 cm), for a total of 21 inches (52.5 cm). Because modern readers are not familiar with the cubit as a unit of measurement, and due to the additional complication of the “long” cubit as opposed to the regular cubit, all measurements have been converted to American standard miles (one mile = 5,280 feet), with the Hebrew measurements and the metric equivalents given in the notes.
Ezekiel 45:1 tc The LXX reads “20,000 cubits.”tn Heb “10,000 cubits” (i.e., 5.25 kilometers).
Ezekiel 45:1 tn Heb “holy it is in all its territory round about.”
Ezekiel 45:2 tn Heb “500 cubits” (i.e., 262.5 meters); the phrase occurs twice in this verse.
Ezekiel 45:2 tn Heb “50 cubits” (i.e., 26.25 meters).
Ezekiel 45:3 tn Heb “25,000 cubits” (i.e., 13.125 kilometers).
Ezekiel 45:3 tn Heb “10,000 cubits” (i.e., 5.25 kilometers).
Ezekiel 45:4 tc The LXX apparently understood “open land” instead of “sanctuary.”
Ezekiel 45:5 tn Heb “25,000 cubits” (i.e., 13.125 kilometers).
Ezekiel 45:5 tn Heb “10,000 cubits” (i.e., 5.25 kilometers).
Ezekiel 45:5 tc The translation follows the LXX here. The MT reads “twenty.” See L. C. Allen, Ezekiel (WBC), 2:246.
Ezekiel 45:6 tn Heb “5,000 cubits” (i.e., 2.625 kilometers).
Ezekiel 45:6 tn Heb “25,000 cubits” (i.e., 13.125 kilometers).
Ezekiel 45:9 sn Evictions of the less fortunate by the powerful are described in 1 Kgs 21:1-16; Jer 22:1-5, 13-17; Ezek 22:25.
Ezekiel 45:10 sn Previous legislation regarding this practice may be found in Lev 19:35-36; Deut 25:13-16; Mic 6:10-12.
Ezekiel 45:10 tn Heb “ephah,” which was 1/2 bushel.
Ezekiel 45:10 tn Heb “bath,” a liquid measure, was 5 1/2 gallons.
Ezekiel 45:11 sn The homer was about 5 bushels as a dry measure and 55 gallons as a liquid measure.
Ezekiel 45:12 tn Heb “twenty shekels, twenty-five shekels, fifteen shekels.”
Ezekiel 45:16 tn Heb “will be.”
Ezekiel 45:24 tn Heb “a hin of oil.” A hin was about 1/16 of a bath. See L. C. Allen, Ezekiel (WBC), 2:266, and O. R. Sellers, “Weights,” IDB 4:835 g.
Ezekiel 45:24 tn Heb “ephah.” The words “of grain” are supplied in the translation as a clarification.
Ezekiel 45:25 sn That is, the Feast of Temporary Shelters, traditionally known as the Feast of Tabernacles (Exod 23:16; 34:22; Deut 16:16).
Ezekiel 46:1 sn The east gate of the outer court was permanently closed (Ezek 44:2).
Ezekiel 46:5 tn Or “as much as he wishes.” Heb “a gift of his hand.”
Ezekiel 46:5 tn Heb “a hin of oil.” A hin was about 1/16 of a bath. See L. C. Allen, Ezekiel (WBC), 2:266, and O. R. Sellers, “Weights,” IDB 4:835 g.
Ezekiel 46:6 tn The phrase “he will offer” is not in the Hebrew text but is warranted from the context.
Ezekiel 46:7 tn Heb “with the lambs as his hand can reach.”
Ezekiel 46:7 tn Heb “a hin of oil.” A hin was about 1/16 of a bath. See L. C. Allen, Ezekiel (WBC), 2:266, and O. R. Sellers, “Weights,” IDB 4:835 g.
Ezekiel 46:7 tn Heb “ephah.” The words “of grain” are supplied in the translation as a clarification.
Ezekiel 46:11 tn Or “as much as he wishes.” Heb “a gift of his hand.”
Ezekiel 46:11 tn Heb “a hin of oil.” A hin was about 1/16 of a bath. See L. C. Allen, Ezekiel (WBC), 2:266, and O. R. Sellers, “Weights,” IDB 4:835 g.
Ezekiel 46:11 tn Heb “ephah.” The words “of grain” are supplied in the translation as a clarification.
Ezekiel 46:12 tn Heb “he shall shut the gate after he goes out.”
Ezekiel 46:13 tc A few Hebrew mss, the LXX, and the Vulgate read the verb as third person singular (referring to the prince), both here and later in the verse.
Ezekiel 46:14 tc Two medieval Hebrew mss, the LXX, the Syriac, and the Vulgate read the verb as third person singular.
Ezekiel 46:14 tn Heb “a hin of oil.” A hin was about 1/16 of a bath. See L. C. Allen, Ezekiel (WBC), 2:266, and O. R. Sellers, “Weights,” IDB 4:835 g.
Ezekiel 46:16 tn The Hebrew text has no preposition; the LXX reads “from” (see v. 17).
Ezekiel 46:17 sn That is, the Year of Jubilee (Lev 25:8-15).
Ezekiel 46:19 tn The word הִנֵּה (hinneh, traditionally “behold”) indicates becoming aware of something and has been translated here as a verb.
Ezekiel 46:21 tn The word הִנֵּה (hinneh, traditionally “behold”) indicates becoming aware of something and has been translated here as a verb.
Ezekiel 46:22 tc The meaning of the Hebrew term is unclear. The LXX and Syriac render: “small.”
Ezekiel 46:22 tn Heb “40 cubits” (i.e., 21 meters).
Ezekiel 46:22 tn Heb “30 cubits” (i.e., 15.75 meters).

1 John 2

2 ¹(My little children,^[a] I am writing these things to you so that you may not sin.^[b]) But if anyone does sin, we have an advocate^[c] with the Father, Jesus Christ the Righteous One,^[d] ²and he himself is the atoning sacrifice^[e] for our sins, and not only for our sins but also for the whole world.^[f]

Keeping God’s Commandments

³Now^[g] by this we know that we have come to know God:^[h] if we keep his commandments. ⁴The one who says “I have come to know God”^[i] and yet does not keep his commandments is a liar, and the truth is not in such a person. ⁵But whoever obeys his^[j] word, truly in this person^[k] the love of God has been perfected. By this we know that we are in him. ⁶The one who says he resides^[l] in God^[m] ought himself to walk^[n] just as Jesus^[o] walked.

⁷Dear friends, I am not writing a new commandment to you, but an old commandment which you have had from the beginning.^[p] The old commandment is the word that you have already^[q] heard. ⁸On the other hand, I am writing a new commandment to you which is true in him^[r] and in you, because^[s] the darkness is passing away and the true light is already shining.^[t] ⁹The one who says he is in the light but still hates^[u] his fellow Christian^[v] is still in the darkness. ¹⁰The one who loves his fellow Christian^[w] resides in the light, and there is no cause for stumbling in him.^[x] ¹¹But the one who hates his fellow Christian^[y] is in the darkness, walks in the darkness, and does not know where he is going, because the darkness has blinded his eyes.^[z]

Words of Reassurance

¹²I am writing to you,^[aa] little children, that^[ab] your sins have been forgiven because of his^[ac] name. ¹³I am writing to you, fathers, that^[ad] you have known him who has been from the beginning. I am writing to you, young people, that^[ae] you have conquered the evil one.^[af] ¹⁴I have written to you, children, that^[ag] you have known the Father.^[ah] I have written to you, fathers, that^[ai] you have known him who has been from the beginning. I have written to you, young people, that^[aj] you are strong, and the word of God resides in you, and you have conquered the evil one.

¹⁵Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him, ¹⁶because all that is in the world (the desire of the flesh and the desire of the eyes and the arrogance produced by material possessions)^[ak] is not from the Father, but is from the world. ¹⁷And the world is passing away with all its desires, but the person who does the will of God remains^[al] forever.

Warning About False Teachers

¹⁸Children, it is the last hour, and just as you heard that the antichrist is coming, so now many antichrists^[am] have appeared. We know from this that it is the last hour. ¹⁹They went out from us, but they did not really belong to us, because if they had belonged to us, they would have remained^[an] with us. But^[ao] they went out from us^[ap] to demonstrate^[aq] that all of them do not belong to us.^[ar]

²⁰Nevertheless you have an anointing from the Holy One, and you all know.^[as] ²¹I have not written to you that^[at] you do not know the truth, but that^[au] you do know it, and that^[av] no lie is of the truth. ²²Who is the liar but the person who denies that Jesus is the Christ^[aw] ? This one is the antichrist: the person who denies the Father and the Son. ²³Everyone who denies the Son does not have the Father either. The person who confesses the Son has the Father also.^[ax]

²⁴As for you, what you have heard from the beginning must remain^[ay] in you. If what you heard from the beginning remains in you, you also will remain in the Son and in the Father. ²⁵Now this^[az] is the promise that he^[ba] himself made to^[bb] us: eternal life.^[bc] ²⁶These things I have written to you about those who are trying to deceive you.^[bd]

²⁷Now as for you, the anointing^[be] that you received from him^[bf] resides^[bg] in you, and you have no need for anyone to teach you. But as his^[bh] anointing teaches you about all things, it is true and is not a lie. Just as^[bi] it^[bj] has taught you, you reside^[bk] in him.

Children of God

²⁸And now, little children, remain^[bl] in him,^[bm] so that when^[bn] he appears we may have confidence and not shrink away from him in shame when he comes back.^[bo] ²⁹If you know that he is righteous, you also know^[bp] that everyone who practices righteousness has been fathered^[bq] by him.

Footnotes

1 John 2:1 sn My little children. The direct address by the author to his readers at the beginning of 2:1 marks a break in the pattern of the opponents’ claims (indicated by the phrase if we say followed by a negative statement in the apodosis, the “then” clause) and the author’s counterclaims (represented by if with a positive statement in the apodosis) made so far in 1:6-10. The seriousness of this last claim (in 1:10) causes the author to interrupt himself to address the readers as his faithful children and to explain to them that while he wants them not to sin, they may be assured that if they do, they can look to Jesus Christ, as their advocate with the Father, to intercede for them. After this, the last of the author’s three counter-claims in 1:5-2:2 is found in the if clause in 2:1b.
1 John 2:1 tn There is some dispute over the significance of the aorist tense of ἁμάρτητε (hamartēte): (1) F. Stagg (“Orthodoxy and Orthopraxy in the Johannine Epistles,” RevExp 67 [1970]:423-32, esp. 428) holds that the aorist is nondescriptive, saying nothing about the nature of the action itself, but only that the action has happened. This is indeed the normal aspectual value of the aorist tense in general, but there is some disagreement over whether with this particular verb there are more specific nuances of meaning. (2) M. Zerwick (Biblical Greek §251) and N. Turner (MHT 3:72) agree that the present tense of ἁμαρτάνω (hamartanō) means “to be in a state of sin” (i.e., a sinner) while the aorist refers to specific acts of sin. Without attempting to sort out this particular dispute, it should be noted that certain verbs do have different nuances of meaning in different tenses, nuances which do not derive solely from the aspectual value of the tense per se, but from a combination of semantic factors which vary from word to word.sn So that you may not sin. It is clear the author is not simply exhorting the readers not to be habitual or repetitive sinners, as if to imply that occasional acts of sin would be acceptable. The purpose of the author here is that the readers not sin at all, just as Jesus told the man he healed in John 5:14 “Don’t sin any more.”
1 John 2:1 tn The description of the Holy Spirit as “Paraclete” is unique to the Gospel of John (14:16, 26; 15:26; and 16:7). Here, in the only other use of the word in the NT, it is Jesus, not the Spirit, who is described as παράκλητος (paraklētos). The reader should have been prepared for this interchangeability of terminology, however, by John 14:16, where Jesus told the disciples that he would ask the Father to send them ‘another’ paraclete (ἄλλος, allos, “another of the same kind”). This implies that Jesus himself had been a paraclete in his earthly ministry to the disciples. This does not answer all the questions about the meaning of the word here, though, since it is not Jesus’ role as an advocate during his earthly ministry which is in view, but his role as an advocate in heaven before the Father. The context suggests intercession in the sense of legal advocacy, as stress is placed upon the righteousness of Jesus (᾿Ιησοῦν Χριστὸν δίκαιον, Iēsoun Christon dikaion). The concept of Jesus’ intercession on behalf of believers does occur elsewhere in the NT, notably in Rom 8:34 and Heb 7:25. Something similar is taking place here, and is the best explanation of 1 John 2:1. An English translation like “advocate” or “intercessor” conveys this.
1 John 2:1 tn Or “Jesus Christ the righteous.”
1 John 2:2 tn A suitable English translation for this word (ἱλασμός, hilasmos) is a difficult and even controversial problem. “Expiation,” “propitiation,” and “atonement” have all been suggested. L. Morris, in a study that has become central to discussions of this topic (The Apostolic Preaching of the Cross, 140), sees as an integral part of the meaning of the word (as in the other words in the ἱλάσκομαι [hilaskomai] group) the idea of turning away the divine wrath, suggesting that “propitiation” is the closest English equivalent. It is certainly possible to see an averting of divine wrath in this context, where the sins of believers are in view and Jesus is said to be acting as Advocate on behalf of believers. R. E. Brown’s point (Epistles of John [AB], 220-21), that it is essentially cleansing from sin which is in view here and in the other use of the word in 4:10, is well taken, but the two connotations (averting wrath and cleansing) are not mutually exclusive and it is unlikely that the propitiatory aspect of Jesus’ work should be ruled out entirely in the usage in 2:2. Nevertheless, the English word “propitiation” is too technical to communicate to many modern readers, and a term like “atoning sacrifice” (given by Webster’s New International Dictionary as a definition of “propitiation”) is more appropriate here. Another term, “satisfaction,” might also convey the idea, but “satisfaction” in Roman Catholic theology is a technical term for the performance of the penance imposed by the priest on a penitent.sn The Greek word (ἱλασμός, hilasmos) behind the phrase atoning sacrifice conveys both the idea of “turning aside divine wrath” and the idea of “cleansing from sin.”
1 John 2:2 tn Many translations supply an understood repetition of the word “sins” here, thus: “but also for the sins of the whole world.”
1 John 2:3 tn The translation of καί (kai) at the beginning of 2:3 is important for understanding the argument, because a similar καί occurs at the beginning of 1:5. The use here is not just a simple continuative or connective use, but has more of a resumptive force, pointing back to the previous use in 1:5.sn Now. The author, after discussing three claims of the opponents in 1:6, 8, and 10 and putting forward three counterclaims of his own in 1:7; 1:9, and 2:1, now returns to the theme of “God as light” introduced in 1:5. The author will now discuss how a Christian may have assurance that he or she has come to know the God who is light, again by contrast with the opponents who make the same profession of knowing God, but lack the reality of such knowledge, as their behavior makes clear.
1 John 2:3 tn Grk “know him.” (1) Many take the third person pronoun αὐτον (auton) to refer to Jesus Christ, since he is mentioned in 2:1 and the pronoun αὐτός (autos) at the beginning of 2:2 clearly refers to him. But (2) it is more likely that God is the referent here, since (a) the assurance the author is discussing here is assurance that one has come to know God (all the claims of the opponents in 1:5-2:11 concern knowing and having fellowship with the God who is light); (b) when Jesus Christ is explicitly mentioned as an example to follow in 1 John 2:6, the pronoun ἐκεῖνος (ekeinos) is used to distinguish this from previous references with αὐτός; (c) the καί (kai) which begins 2:3 is parallel to the καί which begins 1:5, suggesting that the author is now returning to the discussion of God who is light, a theme introduced in 1:5. The author will now discuss how a Christian may have assurance that he or she has come to know the God who is light.
1 John 2:4 tn Grk “know him.” See the note on the phrase “know God” in 1 John 2:3 for explanation.
1 John 2:5 tn The referent of this pronoun is probably to be understood as God, since God is the nearest previous antecedent.
1 John 2:5 tn Grk “in him.”
1 John 2:6 tn The Greek verb μένω (menō) is commonly translated into contemporary English as “remain” or “abide,” but both of these translations have some problems: (1) “Abide” has become in some circles almost a “technical term” for some sort of special intimate fellowship or close relationship between the Christian and God, so that one may speak of Christians who are “abiding” and Christians who are not. It is accurate to say the word indicates a close, intimate (and permanent) relationship between the believer and God. However, it is very important to note that for the author of the Gospel of John and the Johannine Epistles every genuine Christian has this type of relationship with God, and the person who does not have this type of relationship (cf. 2 John 9) is not a believer at all (in spite of what he or she may claim). (2) On the other hand, to translate μένω as “remain” removes some of these problems, but creates others: In certain contexts, such a translation can give the impression that those who currently “remain” in this relationship with God can at some point choose not to “remain”, that is, to abandon their faith and return to an unsaved condition. While one may easily think in terms of the author’s opponents in 1 John as not “remaining,” the author makes it inescapably clear in 2:19 that these people, in spite of their claims to know God and be in fellowship with God, never really were genuine believers. (3) In an attempt to avoid both these misconceptions, this translation renders μένω as “reside” except in cases where the context indicates that “remain” is a more accurate nuance, that is, in contexts where a specific change of status or movement from one position to another is in view.sn The Greek word μένω (menō) translated resides indicates a close, intimate (and permanent) relationship between the believer and God. It is very important to note that for the author of the Gospel of John and the Johannine Epistles every genuine Christian has this type of relationship with God, and the person who does not have this type of relationship (cf. 2 John 9) is not a believer at all (in spite of what he or she may claim).
1 John 2:6 tn Grk “in him.” Context indicates a reference to God since a different pronoun, ἐκεινος (ekeinos), is used later in the same verse to indicate a reference to Jesus. See the note on “Jesus” later in this verse.
1 John 2:6 tn That is, ought to behave in the same way Jesus did. “Walking” is a common NT idiom for one’s behavior or conduct.
1 John 2:6 tn Grk “that one.” Context indicates a reference to Jesus here. It is clear that ἐκεῖνος (ekeinos) here does not refer to the same person as αὐτῷ (autō) in 2:6a. The switch to ἐκεῖνος indicates a change in the referent, and a reference to Jesus Christ is confirmed by the verb περιεπάτησεν (periepatēsen), an activity which can only describe Jesus’ earthly life and ministry, the significance of which is one of the points of contention the author has with the opponents. In fact, ἐκεῖνος occurs 6 times in 1 John (2:6; 3:3, 5, 7, 16; and 4:17), and each one refers to Jesus Christ.
1 John 2:7 sn See John 13:34-35.
1 John 2:7 tn “Already” is not in the Greek text, but is supplied for clarity.
1 John 2:8 tn “In him” probably refers to Jesus Christ since the last third person pronoun in 2:6 referred to Jesus Christ and there is no indication in the context of a change in referent.
1 John 2:8 tn The clause beginning with ὅτι (hoti) is often taken as (1) epexegetical or (2) appositional to the commandment (ἐντολήν, entolēn) giving a further explanation or clarification of it. But the statement following the ὅτι is about light and darkness, and it is difficult to see how this has anything to do with the commandment, especially as the commandment is related to the “new commandment” of John 13:34 for believers to love one another. It is far more likely that (3) the ὅτι clause should be understood as causal, but this still does not answer the question of whether it offers the reason for writing the “new commandment” itself or the reason for the relative clause (“that is true in him and in you”). It probably gives the reason for the writing of the commandment, although R. E. Brown (Epistles of John [AB], 268) thinks it refers to both.
1 John 2:8 sn The reference to the darkness…passing away and the true light…already shining is an allusion to John 1:5, 9, and 8:12. Because the author sees the victory of light over darkness as something already begun, he is writing Jesus’ commandment to love one another to the readers as a reminder to (1) hold fast to what they have already heard (see 1 John 2:7) and (2) not be influenced by the teaching of the opponents.
1 John 2:9 tn Grk “the one saying he is in the light and hating his brother.” Here καί (kai) has been translated as “but” because of the contrast present in the two clauses.
1 John 2:9 tn Grk “his brother.” Here the term “brother” means “fellow believer” or “fellow Christian” (cf. BDAG 18 s.v. ἀδελφός 2.a). In the repeated uses of this form of address throughout the letter, it is important to remember that sometimes it refers (1) to genuine Christians (those who have remained faithful to the apostolic eyewitness testimony about who Jesus is, as outlined in the Prologue to the letter, 1:1-4; examples of this usage are 2:10; 3:14, 16), but often it refers (2) to the secessionist opponents whose views the author rejects (examples are found here at 2:9, as well as 2:11; 3:10; 3:15; 3:17; 4:20). Of course, to be technically accurate, in the latter case the reference is really to a “fellow member of the community”; the use of the term “fellow Christian” in the translation no more implies that such an individual is genuinely saved than the literal term “brother” which the author uses for such people. But a translation like “fellow member of the community” or “fellow member of the congregation” is extremely awkward and simply cannot be employed consistently throughout.
1 John 2:10 tn See note on the term “fellow Christian” in 2:9.
1 John 2:10 tn The third person pronoun αὐτῷ (autō) could refer either (1) to the person who loves his brother or (2) to the light itself which has no cause for stumbling “in it.” The following verse (2:11) views darkness as operative within a person, and the analogy with Ps 119:165, which says that the person who loves God’s law does not stumble, expresses a similar concept in relation to an individual. This evidence suggests that the person is the referent here.
1 John 2:11 sn The one who hates his fellow Christian. The author’s paradigm for the opponents portrays them as those who show hatred for fellow Christians (Grk “brothers,” but not referring to one’s physical siblings). This charge will be much more fully developed in chap. 3, where the author will compare the opponents to Cain (who is the model for one who hates a brother, since he ultimately murdered his own brother). In 1 John 3:17 the specific charge against the opponents will be failing to give material aid to a brother in need.
1 John 2:11 sn 1 John 2:3-11. The section 2:3-11 contains three claims to intimate knowledge of God, each introduced by the phrase the one who says (participles in the Greek text) in 2:4, 6, and 9. As with the three claims beginning with “if” in the previous section (1:6, 8, 10), these indirectly reflect the claims of the opponents. Each claim is followed by the author’s evaluation and its implications.
1 John 2:12 sn I am writing to you. The author appears to have been concerned that some of his readers, at least, would accept the claims of the opponents as voiced in 1:6, 8, and 10. The counterclaims the author has made in 1:7, 9, and 2:1 seem intended to strengthen the readers and reassure them (among other things) that their sins are forgiven. Further assurances of their position here is in keeping with such a theme, and indeed, the topic of reassurance runs throughout the entire letter (see the purpose statement in 5:13). Finally, in such a context the warning which follows in 2:15-17 is not out of place because the author is dealing with a community that is discouraged by the controversy which has arisen within it and that is in need of exhortation.
1 John 2:12 tn The ὅτι (hoti) that follows all six occurrences of γράφω/ἔγραψα (graphō/egrapsa) in 2:12-14 can be understood as introducing either (1) a causal clause or (2) a content clause (if content, it could be said to introduce a direct object clause or an indirect discourse clause). Many interpreters have favored a causal translation, so that in each of the six cases what follows the ὅτι gives the reason why the author is writing to the recipients. Usage in similar constructions is not decisive because only one other instance of γράφω followed by ὅτι occurs in 1 John (2:21), and that context is just as ambiguous as this one. On other occasions γράφω does tend to be followed by a noun or pronoun functioning as direct object. This might argue for the content usage here, but it could also be argued that the direct object in the six instances in these verses is understood, namely, the content of the entire letter itself. Thus the following ὅτι clause could still be causal. Grammatical considerations aside, these uses of ὅτι are more likely introducing content clauses here rather than causal clauses because such a meaning better fits the context. If the uses of ὅτι are understood as causal, it is difficult to see why the author immediately gives a warning in the section that follows about loving the world. The confidence he has expressed in his readers (if the ὅτι clauses are understood as causal) would appear to be ill-founded if he is so concerned about their relationship to the world as 2:15-17 seems to indicate. On the other hand, understanding the ὅτι clauses as content clauses fits very well the context of reassurance which runs throughout the letter.
1 John 2:12 tn “His” probably refers to Jesus Christ. Note the last reference was to Jesus in 2:8 and before that in 2:6; also the mention of sins being forgiven suggests Jesus’ work on the cross.
1 John 2:13 tn See the note on “that” in v. 12.
1 John 2:13 tn See the note on “that” in v. 12.
1 John 2:13 sn The phrase the evil one is used in John 17:15 as a reference to Satan. Satan is also the referent here and in the four other occurrences in 1 John (2:14; 3:12; 5:18, 19).
1 John 2:14 tn See the note on “that” in v. 12.
1 John 2:14 sn The versification of vv. 13 and 14 (so also NAB, NRSV, NLT) follows that of the NA^27/28 and UBS^4/5 editions of the Greek text. Some English translations, however, break the verses between the sentence addressed to children and the sentence addressed to fathers (KJV, NKJV, NASB, NIV). The same material has been translated in each case; the only difference is the versification of that material.
1 John 2:14 tn See the note on “that” in v. 12.
1 John 2:14 tn See the note on “that” in v. 12.
1 John 2:16 tn The genitive βίου (biou) is difficult to translate: (1) Many understand it as objective, so that βίος (bios, “material life”) becomes the object of one’s ἀλαζονεία (alazoneia; “pride” or “boastfulness”). Various interpretations along these lines refer to boasting about one’s wealth, showing off one’s possessions, boasting of one’s social status or lifestyle. (2) It is also possible to understand the genitive as subjective, however, in which case the βίος itself produces the ἀλαζονεία. In this case, the material security of one’s life and possessions produces a boastful overconfidence. This understanding better fits the context here: The focus is on people who operate purely on a human level and have no spiritual dimension to their existence. This is the person who loves the world, whose affections are all centered on the world, who has no love for God or spiritual things (“the love of the Father is not in him,” 2:15).sn The arrogance produced by material possessions. The person who thinks he has enough wealth and property to protect himself and insure his security has no need for God (or anything outside himself).
1 John 2:17 tn See note on the translation of the Greek verb μένω (menō) in 2:6. The translation “remain” is used for μένω (menō) here because the context contrasts the transience of the world and its desires with the permanence of the person who does God’s will.
1 John 2:18 sn Antichrists are John’s description for the opponents and their false teaching, which is at variance with the apostolic eyewitness testimony about who Jesus is (cf. 1:1-4). The identity of these opponents has been variously debated by scholars, with some contending (1) that these false teachers originally belonged to the group of apostolic leaders, but departed from it (“went out from us,” v. 19). It is much more likely (2) that they arose from within the Christian communities to which John is writing, however, and with which he identifies himself. This identification can be seen in the interchange of the pronouns “we” and “you” between 1:10 and 2:1, for example, where “we” does not refer only to John and the other apostles, but is inclusive, referring to both himself and the Christians he is writing to (2:1, “you”).
1 John 2:19 tn See note on the translation of the Greek verb μένω (menō) in 2:6. Here μένω has been translated as “remained” since it is clear that a change of status or position is involved. The opponents departed from the author’s congregation(s) and showed by this departure that they never really belonged. Had they really belonged, they would have stayed (“remained”).
1 John 2:19 tn Because of the length and complexity of the Greek sentence, a new sentence was started here in the translation.
1 John 2:19 tn The phrase “they went out from us” is not repeated a second time in the Greek text, but constitutes an ellipsis. For clarity it is necessary to repeat it in the English translation.
1 John 2:19 tn Grk “in order that it may be demonstrated.” The passive infinitive has been translated as active and the purpose clause translated by an infinitive in keeping with contemporary English style.
1 John 2:19 sn All of them do not belong to us. The opponents chose to depart rather than remain in fellowship with the community to which the author writes and with which he associates himself. This demonstrates conclusively to the author that they never really belonged to that community at all (in spite of what they were claiming). 1 John 2:19 indicates that the departure was apparently the opponents’ own decision rather than being thrown out or excommunicated. But for John, if they had been genuine believers, they would have remained in fellowship. Now they have gone out into the world, where they belong (compare 1 John 4:5).
1 John 2:20 tc A two-letter difference in Greek creates two quite diverse readings: πάντες (pantes, nominative plural in “you all know”) is read by א B P Ψ 1852 sy sa; A C 049 5 33 81 436 1175 1243 1611 1735 1739 1881 2344 2492 M latt bo have the accusative πάντα (panta, “you know all things”). The external evidence favors the nominative reading, but it is not overwhelming. The internal evidence is more compelling in favor of the nominative. Scribes would naturally tend to give the transitive verb a direct object, especially because of the parallel in the first half of the verse. And intrinsically, the argument seems to be in balance with v. 19: The “all” who have gone out and are not “in the know” with the “all” who have an anointing and know that they are true believers. Further, as R. E. Brown points out, “the fact of their knowledge (pantes), not the extent of its object (panta), seems best to fit the reassurance” (Epistles of John [AB], 349). Brown further points out the connection with the new covenant in Jer 31 with this section of 1 John, esp. Jer 31:34—“they all [pantes] shall know me.” Since 1 John alludes to Jer 31, without directly quoting it, this is all the more reason to see the nominative as autographic: Allusions are often overlooked by scribes (transcriptional evidence), but support the intrinsic evidence. Thus, the evidence is solidly, though not overwhelmingly, behind the nominative reading.sn The statement you all know probably constitutes an indirect allusion to the provisions of the new covenant mentioned in Jer 31 (see especially Jer 31:34). See also R. E. Brown, The Epistles of John [AB], 349.
1 John 2:21 tn The interpretation of the three ὅτι clauses in v. 21 is very difficult: (1) All three instances of ὅτι (hoti) may be causal (so NASB, NIV, NEB). (2) The first two may be causal while the third indicates content (declarative or recitative ὅτι, so KJV, RSV, TEV, NRSV). (3) However, it is best to take all three instances as indicating content because this allows all three to be subordinate to the verb ἔγραψα (egrapsa) as compound direct objects. The author writes to reassure his readers (a) that they do indeed know the truth (first two uses of ὅτι) and (b) that no lie is of the truth (third use).
1 John 2:21 tn See the note on the first occurrence of “that” in v. 21.
1 John 2:21 tn See the note on the first occurrence of “that” in v. 21.
1 John 2:22 tn Or “the Messiah”
1 John 2:23 tc The Byzantine text, with a handful of other mss (81 642 1175 2492 M), lacks the last eight words of this verse, “The person who confesses the Son has the Father also” (ὁ ὁμολογῶν τὸν υἱὸν καὶ τὸν πατέρα ἔχει, ho homologōn ton huion kai ton patera echei). Although shorter readings are often preferred (since scribes would tend to add material rather than delete it), if an unintentional error is likely, shorter readings are generally considered secondary. This is a classic example of such an unintentional omission: The τὸν πατέρα ἔχει of the preceding clause occasioned the haplography, with the scribe’s eye skipping from one τὸν πατέρα ἔχει to the other.
1 John 2:24 tn The word translated “remain” may also be translated “reside” (3 times in 2:24). See also the notes on the translation of the Greek verb μένω (menō) in 2:6 and in 2:19. Here the word can really have both nuances of “residing” and “remaining” and it is impossible for the English reader to catch both nuances if the translation provides only one. This occurs three times in 2:24.
1 John 2:25 tn It is difficult to know whether the phrase καὶ αὕτη ἐστιν (kai hautē estin) refers (1) to the preceding or (2) to the following material, or (3) to both. The same phrase occurs at the beginning of 1:5, where it serves as a transitional link between the prologue (1:1-4) and the first major section of the letter (1:5-3:10). It is probably best to see the phrase here as transitional as well; thus καί (kai) has been translated “now” rather than “and.” The accusative phrase at the end of v. 25, τὴν ζωὴν τὴν αἰώνιον (tēn zōēn tēn aiōnion), stands in apposition to the relative pronoun ἥν (hēn), whose antecedent is ἡ ἐπαγγελία (hē epangelia; see BDF §295). Thus the “promise” consists of “eternal life.”
1 John 2:25 tn The pronoun could refer to God or Jesus Christ, but a reference to Jesus Christ is more likely here.
1 John 2:25 tn Grk “he himself promised.” The repetition of the cognate verb “promised” after the noun “promise” is redundant in English.
1 John 2:25 sn The promise consists of eternal life, but it is also related to the concept of “remaining” in 2:24. The person who “remains in the Son and in the Father” thus has this promise of eternal life from Jesus himself. Consistent with this, 1 John 5:12 implies that the believer has this eternal life now, not just in the future, and this in turn agrees with John 5:24.
1 John 2:26 sn The phrase those who are trying to deceive you in 1 John 2:26 is a clear reference to the secessionist opponents mentioned earlier in 1 John 2:19, who are attempting to deceive the people the author is writing to.
1 John 2:27 sn The anointing. The “anointing” (χρῖσμα, chrisma) which believers have received refers to the indwelling Holy Spirit which has been given to them at their conversion.
1 John 2:27 sn The pronoun could refer to God or Jesus Christ, but a reference to Jesus Christ is more likely here.
1 John 2:27 tn This use of μένω (menō) has been translated “reside” both times in 2:27 because it refers to the current status of believers.
1 John 2:27 sn The pronoun could refer (1) to God or (2) to Jesus Christ, but a reference to Jesus Christ is more likely here.
1 John 2:27 tn Grk “and is not a lie, and just as.” Because of the length and complexity of the Greek sentence, a new sentence was started here in the translation.
1 John 2:27 tn Or “he.”
1 John 2:27 tn The verb may be read as either (1) indicative or (2) imperative mood. The same verb is found in the following verse, 2:28, but the address to the readers there seems clearly to indicate an imperative. On analogy some have called for an imperative here, but others have seen this as suggesting an indicative here, so that the author is not repeating himself. An indicative is slightly more likely here. Up to this point the thrust of the author has been reassurance rather than exhortation, and an indicative here (“…you reside in him”) balances the indicative in the first part of 2:27 (“the anointing which you received from him resides in you…”). With the following verse the author switches from reassurance (the readers at the time he is writing still ‘remain’; they have not yet adopted the teaching of the opponents) to exhortation (he is writing so that they will ‘remain’ and not succumb to the deception of the opponents).
1 John 2:28 tn Again, as at the end of 2:27, the verb μένετε (menete) may be read as either (1) indicative or (2) imperative mood. At the end of 2:27 the translation opted for an indicative because the author had been attempting to reassure his readers that they did indeed possess eternal life, and also because an indicative at the end of 2:27 balances the indicative reference to the “anointing” residing in the readers at the beginning of the verse. With the return in 2:28 to the eschatological note introduced in 2:18, however, it appears that the author switches from reassurance to exhortation. At the time he is writing them, the readers do still “remain” since they have not yet adopted the heretical teaching of the opponents. But now the author wants to forestall the possibility that they might do so at some point, and so he begins this section with an exhortation to the readers to “reside/remain” in Christ. This suggests that μένετε in the present verse should be read as imperative rather than indicative, a view made even more probable by the following ἵνα (hina) clause which states the purpose for the exhortation: in order that at the parousia (second advent) when Jesus Christ is revealed, the readers may have confidence and not shrink back from him in shame when he appears.
1 John 2:28 sn A reference to Jesus Christ is more likely here. Note the mention of the second coming (second advent) at the end of this verse.
1 John 2:28 tn In this context ἐάν (ean) does not indicate uncertainty about whether or not Christ will return, but rather uncertainty about the exact time when the event will take place. In the Koine period ἐάν could mean “when” or “whenever” and was virtually the equivalent of ὅταν (hotan; see BDAG 268 s.v. ἐάν 2). It has this meaning in John 12:32 and 14:3.
1 John 2:28 tn Grk “at his coming.” sn Have confidence…shrink away from him in shame when he comes back. Once again in the antithetical framework of Johannine thought (that is, the author’s tendency to think in terms of polar opposites), there are only two alternatives, just as there are only two alternatives in John 3:18-21, a key section for the understanding of the present passage in 1 John. Anyone who does not ‘remain’ demonstrates (just as the opponents demonstrated by their departure from the community in 2:19) that whatever profession he has made is false and he is not truly a believer.
1 John 2:29 tn The mood of γινώσκετε (ginōskete) may be understood as (1) indicative or (2) imperative. It is better to understand the verb here as indicative, because in 1 John “knowledge” is something one has as a result of being a believer (2:3, 5, 20, 21; 3:16, 19, 24; 4:2, 13; 5:2) rather than something one has to be exhorted about. The change in verbs from οἶδα (oida) to γινώσκω (ginōskō) is another example of Johannine stylistic variation.
1 John 2:29 tn The verb γεννάω (gennaō) presents a translation problem: (1) should the passive be translated archaically “be begotten” (the action of the male parent; see BDAG 193 s.v. 1.a) or (2) should it be translated “be born” (as from a female parent; see BDAG 194 s.v. 2)? A number of modern translations (RSV, NASB, NIV) have opted for the latter, but (3) the imagery expressed in 1 John 3:9 clearly refers to the action of the male parent in procreating a child, as does 5:1 (“everyone who loves the father loves the child fathered by him”), and so a word reflecting the action of the male parent is called for here. The contemporary expression “fathered by” captures this idea.

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The Lord’s Portion of the Land

The Prince’s Offerings

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Keeping God’s Commandments

Words of Reassurance

Warning About False Teachers

Children of God

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