Christian Standard Bible
1 John 5:16
16If anyone sees a fellow believer committing a sin that doesn’t lead to death, he should ask, and God will give life to him — to those who commit sin that doesn’t lead to death. There is sin that leads to death. I am not saying he should pray about that.
1 John 5:16 in other versions
- King James Version (KJV)If any man see his brother sin a sin which is not unto death, he shall ask, and he shall give him life for them that sin not unto death. There is a sin unto death: I do not say that he shall pray for it.
- New International Version (NIV)If you see any brother or sister commit a sin that does not lead to death, you should pray and God will give them life. I refer to those whose sin does not lead to death. There is a sin that leads to death. I am not saying that you should pray about that.
- English Standard Version (ESV)If anyone sees his brother committing a sin not leading to death, he shall ask, and God will give him life—to those who commit sins that do not lead to death. There is sin that leads to death; I do not say that one should pray for that.
- New King James Version (NKJV)If anyone sees his brother sinning a sin which does not lead to death, he will ask, and He will give him life for those who commit sin not leading to death. There is sin leading to death. I do not say that he should pray about that.
Context of 1 John 5:16
14This is the confidence we have before him: If we ask anything according to his will, he hears us. 15And if we know that he hears whatever we ask, we know that we have what we have asked of him. If anyone sees a fellow believer committing a sin that doesn’t lead to death, he should ask, and God will give life to him — to those who commit sin that doesn’t lead to death. There is sin that leads to death. I am not saying he should pray about that. 17All unrighteousness is sin, and there is sin that doesn’t lead to death. 18We know that everyone who has been born of God does not sin, but the one who is born of God keeps him, and the evil one does not touch him.
Read all of 1 John 51 John 5:16 word by word
Ἐάν τις ἴδῃ τὸν ἀδελφὸν αὐτοῦ ἁμαρτάνοντα ἁμαρτίαν μὴ πρὸς θάνατον, αἰτήσει καὶ δώσει αὐτῷ ζωήν, τοῖς ἁμαρτάνουσιν μὴ πρὸς θάνατον.¶ Ἔστιν ἁμαρτία πρὸς θάνατον· οὐ περὶ ἐκείνης λέγω ἵνα ἐρωτήσῃ.Read the interlinear
Words taken from the KJV.
- Ifἐάνean · ifG1437
- any manτιςtis · oneG5100
- seeὁράωhoraō · to see: seeG3708
- hisαὐτόςautos · it/s/heG846
- brotherὁho hē to · the/this/whoG3588
- brotherἀδελφόςadelphos · brotherG80
- sinἁμαρτάνωhamartanō · to sinG264
- a sinἁμαρτίαhamartia · sinG266
- notμήmē · notG3361
- untoπρόςpros · to/withG4314
- deathθάνατοςthanatos · deathG2288
- he shall askαἰτέωaiteō · to askG154
- andκαίkai · andG2532
- he shall giveδίδωμιdidōmi · to giveG1325
- lifeζωήzōē · lifeG2222
- There isεἰμίeimi · to beG1510
- I doλέγωlegō · to sayG3004
- notοὐou · noG3756
- sayλέγωlegō · to sayG3004
- thatἵναhina · in order that/toG2443
- he shall prayἐρωτάωerōtaō · to askG2065
- forπερίperi · aboutG4012
- itἐκεῖνοςekeinos · thatG1565
Cross-references for 1 John 5:16
- Genesis 20:7Now return the man’s wife, for he is a prophet, and he will pray for you and you will live. But if you do not return her, know that you will certainly die, you and all who are yours.”
- Exodus 32:10Now leave me alone, so that my anger can burn against them and I can destroy them. Then I will make you into a great nation.”
- Exodus 34:9Then he said, “My Lord, if I have indeed found favor with you, my Lord, please go with us (even though this is a stiff-necked people), forgive our iniquity and our sin, and accept us as your own possession.”
- Numbers 12:13Then Moses cried out to the Lord, “God, please heal her!”
- Numbers 14:11The Lord said to Moses, “How long will these people despise me? How long will they not trust in me despite all the signs I have performed among them?
- Deuteronomy 9:18I fell down like the first time in the presence of the Lord for forty days and forty nights; I did not eat food or drink water because of all the sin you committed, doing what was evil in the Lord’s sight and angering him.
- 2 Chronicles 30:18A large number of the people — many from Ephraim, Manasseh, Issachar, and Zebulun — were ritually unclean, yet they had eaten the Passover contrary to what was written. But Hezekiah had interceded for them, saying, “May the good Lord provide atonement on behalf of
- Job 42:7After the Lord had finished speaking to Job, he said to Eliphaz the Temanite, “I am angry with you and your two friends, for you have not spoken the truth about me, as my servant Job has.
- Psalms 106:23So he said he would have destroyed them — if Moses his chosen one had not stood before him in the breach to turn his wrath away from destroying them.
- Ezekiel 22:30I searched for a man among them who would repair the wall and stand in the gap before me on behalf of the land so that I might not destroy it, but I found no one.
- Amos 7:1The Lord God showed me this: He was forming a swarm of locusts at the time the spring crop first began to sprout — after the cutting of the king’s hay.
- James 5:14Is anyone among you sick? He should call for the elders of the church, and they are to pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord.
- Numbers 15:30“But the person who acts defiantly, whether native or resident alien, blasphemes the Lord. That person is to be cut off from his people.
- Numbers 16:26He warned the community, “Get away now from the tents of these wicked men. Don’t touch anything that belongs to them, or you will be swept away because of all their sins.”
- 1 Samuel 2:25If one person sins against another, God can intercede for him, but if a person sins against the Lord, who can intercede for him?” But they would not listen to their father, since the Lord intended to kill them.
- Jeremiah 15:1Then the Lord said to me, “Even if Moses and Samuel should stand before me, my compassions would not reach out to these people. Send them from my presence, and let them go.
Commentaries on 1 John 5:16
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 16A sin which is not unto death - This is an extremely difficult passage, and has been variously interpreted. What is the sin not unto death, for which we should ask, and life shall be given to him that commits it? And what is the sin unto death, for which we should not pray? I shall note three of the chief opinions on this subject: - It is supposed that there is here an allusion to a distinction in the Jewish law, where there was למיתה חטאה chattaah…Read the comment
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 16If a man see his brother sin a sin - From the general assurance that God hears prayer, the apostle turns to a particular case in which it may be benevolently and effectually employed, in rescuing a brother from death. There has been great diversity of opinion in regard to the meaning of this passage, and the views of expositors of the New Testament are by no means settled as to its true sense. It does not comport with the design of these notes to…Read the comment
- Matthew Henry Concise Commentary · v. 13-17Verses 13-17 Upon all this evidence, it is but right that we believe on the name of the Son of God. Believers have eternal life in the covenant of the gospel. Then let us thankfully receive the record of Scripture. Always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that our labour is not in vain in the Lord. The Lord Christ invites us to come to him in all circumstances, with our supplications and requests, notwithstanding the sin that besets us. Our…Read the comment
- Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 16Sins that lead to death are sins of apostasy, which means turning away from the true faith and rejecting Christ (see Matthew 12:31–32; Hebrews 6:4–6). In the context of this letter, apostasy means leaving the teaching of the apostles and joining a false, anti-Christian group like the ones John warns about in his letters.Read the comment
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 1616. If any ... see--on any particular occasion; Greek aorist. his brother--a fellow Christian. sin a sin--in the act of sinning, and continuing in the sin: present. not unto death--provided that it is not unto death. he shall give--The asker shall be the means, by his intercessory prayer, of God giving life to the sinning brother. Kindly reproof ought to accompany his intercessions. Life was in process of being forfeited by the sinning brother when the…Read the comment
Topics related to 1 John 5:16
In the dictionaries
Commentaries on 1 John 5
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
- Matthew Henry Concise Commentary
- Tyndale Open Study Notes
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary
- Calvin’s Commentaries
- John Wesley’s Notes
- Illustrated New Testament
- Burkitt’s Expository Notes
- Darby Translation Notes
- Family Bible Notes
- Geneva Bible Translation Notes
- Kingcomments
- Luther’s Commentary on Selected Bible Passages
- Matthew Henry’s Complete Commentary
- Matthew Henry’s Modern English Commentary
- The People’s New Testament
- Robertson’s Word Pictures
- Scofield Reference Notes, 1917 Edition
- Original Douay–Rheims Annotations
- Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary
- EGW Writings
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