7
Beloved,ἈγαπητοίI am notοὐκwritingγράφωto youὑμῖνa newκαινὴνcommandment,ἐντολὴνbutἀλλ’an oldπαλαιὰνcommandmentἐντολὴνthatἣνyou have hadεἴχετεfromἀπ’the beginning.ἀρχῆςThe oldἡ παλαιάcommandmentἡ ἐντολὴisἐστινthe wordὁ λόγοςthatὃνyou heard.ἠκούσατε
1 John 2:7
Study it in the app“Beloved, I am not writing to you a new commandment, but an old commandment that you have had from the beginning. The old commandment is the word that you heard.”
With the Greek beneath
1 John 2:7, word by word
- BelovedἈγαπητοίAgapētoi
beloved
Beloved, dear.
Where else “Agapētoi” appears- writingγράφωgraphō
write
To set down words in writing: letters, laws, books.
Where else “graphō” appears- a newκαινὴνkainēn
new
New, different from what was before.
Where else “kainēn” appears- commandmentἐντολὴνentolēn
commandment
What God or Jesus orders to be done, with his authority, to be carried out.
Where else “entolēn” appears- an oldπαλαιὰνpalaian
old
Old, ancient.
Where else “palaian” appears- you have hadεἴχετεeichete
have
To count something or someone as one's own: goods, family, faith, power.
Where else “eichete” appears- the beginningἀρχῆςarchēs
beginning
The point where something starts: its first moment.
Where else “archēs” appears- isἐστινestin
be
To be: says who or what something is.
Where else “estin” appears- the wordλόγοςlogos
message
What God says, proclaimed to people.
Where else “logos” appears- you heardἠκούσατεēkousate
hear
To perceive a sound, a voice or words with the ears.
Where else “ēkousate” appears
Translation note· on the manuscripts
Many manuscripts read “Brothers” and add at the end “from the beginning.”
The context
6Whoever says he remains in him ought himself to walk just as he walked.
7 · This verse (above)
8Yet I am writing to you a new commandment, which is true in him and in you, because the darkness is passing away and the true light is already shining.
To study 1 John 2 in a group
1. What it says
What does John say about the one who says "I have known him" but does not keep his commandments, and about the one who keeps his word (v. 3-6)?
2. What it means
John says the commandment is both old and new (v. 7-8). How does he explain it?
3. How I live it
John warns about loving the world (v. 15-17). What today competes for your attention against what really matters?