New English Translation
1 John 3:17
17But whoever has the world’s possessions and sees his fellow Christian in need and shuts off his compassion against him, how can the love of God reside in such a person?
1 John 3:17 in other versions
- King James Version (KJV)But whoso hath this world’s good, and seeth his brother have need, and shutteth up his bowels of compassion from him, how dwelleth the love of God in him?
- New International Version (NIV)If anyone has material possessions and sees a brother or sister in need but has no pity on them, how can the love of God be in that person?
- English Standard Version (ESV)But if anyone has the world's goods and sees his brother in need, yet closes his heart against him, how does God's love abide in him?
- New King James Version (NKJV)But whoever has this world’s goods, and sees his brother in need, and shuts up his heart from him, how does the love of God abide in him?
Context of 1 John 3:17
15Everyone who hates his fellow Christian is a murderer, and you know that no murderer has eternal life residing in him. 16We have come to know love by this: that Jesus laid down his life for us; thus we ought to lay down our lives for our fellow Christians. But whoever has the world’s possessions and sees his fellow Christian in need and shuts off his compassion against him, how can the love of God reside in such a person? 18Little children, let us not love with word or with tongue but in deed and truth. 19And by this we will know that we are of the truth and will convince our conscience in his presence,
Read all of 1 John 31 John 3:17 word by word
Ὃς δ᾽ ἂν ἔχῃ τὸν βίον τοῦ κόσμου καὶ θεωρῇ τὸν ἀδελφὸν αὐτοῦ χρείαν ἔχοντα καὶ κλείσῃ τὰ σπλάγχνα αὐτοῦ ἀπ᾽ αὐτοῦ, πῶς ἡ ἀγάπη τοῦ θεοῦ μένει ἐν αὐτῷ;¶Read the interlinear
Words taken from the KJV.
- Butδέde · thenG1161
- whosoὅςhos hē ho · whichG3739
- ·ἄνan · ifG302
- hathἔχωechō · to have/beG2192
- this world’sὁho hē to · the/this/whoG3588
- this world’sκόσμοςkosmos · worldG2889
- goodβίοςbios · lifeG979
- andκαίkai · andG2532
- seethθεωρέωtheōreō · to see/experienceG2334
- hisαὐτόςautos · it/s/heG846
- brotherἀδελφόςadelphos · brotherG80
- needχρείαchreia · needG5532
- shutteth upκλείωkleiō · to shutG2808
- bowelsσπλάγχνονsplagchnon · affection/entrailsG4698
- fromἀπόapo · away fromG575
- howπῶςpōs · how?!G4459
- dwellethμένωmenō · to stayG3306
- the loveἀγάπηagapē · loveG26
- of Godθεόςtheos · GodG2316
- inἐνen · in/on/amongG1722
Cross-references for 1 John 3:17
- Deuteronomy 15:7If a fellow Israelite from one of your villages in the land that the Lord your God is giving you should be poor, you must not harden your heart or be insensitive to his impoverished condition.
- Proverbs 19:17The one who is gracious to the poor lends to the Lord, and the Lord will repay him for his good deed.
- Isaiah 58:7I want you to share your food with the hungry and to provide shelter for homeless, oppressed people. When you see someone naked, clothe him! Don’t turn your back on your own flesh and blood!
- Luke 3:11John answered them, “The person who has two tunics must share with the person who has none, and the person who has food must do likewise.”
- 2 Corinthians 8:9For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that although he was rich, he became poor for your sakes, so that you by his poverty could become rich.
- 2 Corinthians 9:5Therefore I thought it necessary to urge these brothers to go to you in advance and to arrange ahead of time the generous contribution you had promised, so this may be ready as a generous gift and not as something you feel forced to do.
- 1 Timothy 6:17Command those who are rich in this world’s goods not to be haughty or to set their hope on riches, which are uncertain, but on God who richly provides us with all things for our enjoyment.
- Hebrews 13:16And do not neglect to do good and to share what you have, for God is pleased with such sacrifices.
- Proverbs 12:10A righteous person cares for the life of his animal, but even the most compassionate acts of the wicked are cruel.
- Proverbs 28:9The one who turns away his ear from hearing the law, even his prayer is an abomination.
- 1 John 4:20If anyone says “I love God” and yet hates his fellow Christian, he is a liar, because the one who does not love his fellow Christian whom he has seen cannot love God whom he has not seen.
- 1 John 5:1Everyone who believes that Jesus is the Christ has been fathered by God, and everyone who loves the father loves the child fathered by him.
Commentaries on 1 John 3:17
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 17But whoso hath this worlds good - Here is a test of this love; if we do not divide our bread with the hungry, we certainly would not lay down our life for him. Whatever love we may pretend to mankind, if we are not charitable and benevolent, we give the lie to our profession. If we have not bowels of compassion, we have not the love of God in us; if we shut up our bowels against the poor, we shut Christ out of our hearts, and ourselves out of heaven. This…Read the comment
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 17But whoso hath this world‘s good - Has property - called “this world‘s good,” or a good pertaining to this world, because it is of value to us only as it meets our wants this side of the grave; and perhaps also because it is sought supremely by the people of the world. The general meaning of this verse, in connection with the previous verse, is, that if we ought to be willing to lay down our lives for others, we ought to be willing to make those…Read the comment
- Matthew Henry Concise Commentary · v. 16-21Verses 16-21 Here is the condescension, the miracle, the mystery of Divine love, that God would redeem the church with his own blood. Surely we should love those whom God has loved, and so loved. The Holy Spirit, grieved at selfishness, will leave the selfish heart without comfort, and full of darkness and terror. By what can it be known that a man has a true sense of the love of Christ for perishing sinners, or that the love of God has been planted in…Read the comment
- Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 16-18Christ’s example shows that real love requires self-sacrifice. We follow his example when we care deeply about the needs of other people. This means giving our time, effort, prayers, and possessions to help them. In some cases, it may even mean giving our lives to meet their needs.Read the comment
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 1717. this world's good--literally, "livelihood" or substance. If we ought to lay down our lives for the brethren (1Jo 3:16), how much more ought we not to withhold our substance? seeth--not merely casually, but deliberately contemplates as a spectator; Greek, "beholds." shutteth up his bowels of compassion--which had been momentarily opened by the spectacle of his brother's need. The "bowels" mean the heart, the seat of compassion. how--How is it possible…Read the comment
Topics related to 1 John 3:17
In the dictionaries
Commentaries on 1 John 3
- 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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