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1 John 2:7-11

King James Version (KJV)

“In our prayers we talk to God, in our Bible study God talks to us, and we had better let God do most of the talking.”
— D.L. Moody

Scripture focus

7. Brethren, I write no new commandment unto you, but an old commandment which ye had from the beginning. The old commandment is the word which ye have heard from the beginning. 8. Again, a new commandment I write unto you, which thing is true in him and in you: because the darkness is past, and the true light now shineth. 9. He that saith he is in the light, and hateth his brother, is in darkness even until now. 10. He that loveth his brother abideth in the light, and there is none occasion of stumbling in him. 11. But he that hateth his brother is in darkness, and walketh in darkness, and knoweth not whither he goeth, because that darkness hath blinded his eyes.

1 John 2:7-11 — KJV

Commentary

Commentary on 1 John 2:7

Theological / Devotional

Brethren. Textual evidence favors (cf. p. 10) the reading “beloved.” Here it would be fitting for John, by way of introducing a section dealing with love for the brethren (vs. 7-11), to address his readers by either term of endearment, “brethren” or “beloved.”

New. Gr. kainos, “new” in quality rather than age. Here it may be rendered “new kind of.” In the next clause the word used for “old” (palaios) refers to age, to the “commandment” that was given long ago. Here John disclaims any intention of giving his readers a new kind of “commandment” because of the old is adequate. The context (vs. 9-11) indicates that the “commandment” spoken of is love toward one’s brother (see on John 13:34).

From the beginning. Probably, from the beginning of the readers’ Christian experience, though some suggest that it refers to the giving of this “commandment” by Christ, or even earlier at Sinai (see on Matt. 22:39, 40).

Word. Gr. logos, here, “a body of teaching,” “a message.” John refers to earlier instruction as a result of which the “brethren” had embraced the Christian faith.

By SdaBc