2 John 1:6

1:6 (Now this is love: that we walk ¹  according to his commandments.) This is the commandment, just as you have heard from the beginning; thus ²  you should walk in it. ³ 

2 John 1:2-3

1:2 because of the truth ⁴  that resides in us and will be with us forever. 1:3 Grace, mercy, and ⁵  peace will be with us from God the Father and from ⁶  Jesus Christ the Son of the Father, in truth and love.

2 John 1:7

1:7 For ⁷  many deceivers have gone out into the world, people who do not confess Jesus as ⁸  Christ ⁹  coming in the flesh. ¹⁰  This person is the deceiver and the antichrist! ¹¹ 

2 John 1:12

Conclusion

1:12 Though I have many other ¹²  things to write to you, I do not want to do so with ¹³  paper and ink, ¹⁴  but I hope to come visit you and speak face to face, ¹⁵  so that our joy may be complete. ¹⁶ 

[1:6]  ¹ tn Or “that we live.”

[1:6]  ² tn The ἵνα (Jina) clause indicates result, parallel to John 13:34 where the final ἵνα clause also indicates result.

[1:6]  ³ tn Or “should live in obedience to it.”

[1:2]  ⁴ tc The prepositional phrase that begins v. 2, διὰ τὴν ἀλήθειαν (dia thn alhqeian, “because of the truth”), is missing in a number of significant mss, among them Ψ 614 1241 1505 1739 al. However, it looks to be a simple case of homoioteleuton, for v. 1 ends with τὴν ἀλήθειαν. For some of these mss it could be an intentional omission, for the sense of the passage is largely the same without the prepositional phrase (the following adjectival participle, in this case, would simply attach itself to the previous τὴν ἀλήθειαν). The phrase could thus have been viewed as redundant and for this reason expunged from the text.

[1:3]  ⁷ tn “And” is not in the Greek text. It is supplied for smoothness in English.

[1:3]  ⁸ tc Most witnesses, including some early and important ones (א P 33 Ï sy), have κυρίου (kuriou, “Lord”) before ᾿Ιησοῦ Χριστοῦ (Ihsou Cristou, “Jesus Christ”), but this is a typical scribal addition, motivated by pietistic and liturgical concerns. Further, early and excellent mss (A B Ψ 048 0232 81 323 1739 al) lack κυρίου. Thus, both internally and externally, the shorter reading is strongly preferred.

[1:7]  ¹⁰ tn Technically this ὅτι (Joti) clause is subordinate to the verb περιπατῆτε (peripathte) at the end of v. 6, giving the reason why the readers should walk in the commandment to love one another. But BDF §456.1 notes that subordination “is often very loose” in such cases and can be translated “for.” Thus the ὅτι assumes something of an inferential sense, drawing an inference based on what has preceded.

[1:7]  ¹¹ tn “As” is not in the Greek text. It is supplied for clarity in English, since (like in the same confession in 1 John 4:2) ᾿Ιησοῦν (Ihsoun) should be understood as object and Χριστόν (Criston) as complement of an object-complement double accusative construction.

[1:7]  ¹² tn Or “Messiah.”

[1:7]  ¹³ tn This is the same confession as in 1 John 4:2 except the perfect participle used there is replaced by a present participle (ἐρχόμενον, ercomenon) here. It is not clear why the author changed from a perfect participle in 1 John 4:2 to a present participle here. The perfect participle suggests a reference to the incarnation (past). The present participle could suggest a reference to the (future) second advent, but based on the similarity to 1 John 4:2 it is probably best to take it as referring to the incarnation.

[1:7]  ¹⁴ sn The statement This person is the Deceiver and the Antichrist! is a metaphor (metonymy). The author does not mean that each individual is to be identified as the Antichrist. The opponents are compared to the Deceiver (Satan) and the Antichrist since they are accomplishing Satan’s work and preparing the way for the Antichrist.

[1:12]  ¹³ tn “Other” is not in the Greek text but is supplied for clarity in English.

[1:12]  ¹⁴ tn Grk “by means of.”

[1:12]  ¹⁵ sn Presumably the author means he would rather say the additional things he wants to say to the recipients in person rather than by letter (with paper and ink).

[1:12]  ¹⁶ tn Grk “speak mouth to mouth,” an idiom for which the English equivalent is “speak face to face.”

[1:12]  ¹⁷ tn Grk “be fulfilled.”