1 John 3:8

1 John 3:8 in other versions

• King James Version (KJV)He that committeth sin is of the devil; for the devil sinneth from the beginning. For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that he might destroy the works of the devil.
• New International Version (NIV)The one who does what is sinful is of the devil, because the devil has been sinning from the beginning. The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the devil’s work.
• English Standard Version (ESV)Whoever makes a practice of sinning is of the devil, for the devil has been sinning from the beginning. The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the works of the devil.
• New King James Version (NKJV)He who sins is of the devil, for the devil has sinned from the beginning. For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that He might destroy the works of the devil.

Context of 1 John 3:8

6Everyone who resides in him does not sin; everyone who sins has neither seen him nor known him. 7Little children, let no one deceive you: The one who practices righteousness is righteous, just as Jesus is righteous. The one who practices sin is of the devil, because the devil has been sinning from the beginning. For this purpose the Son of God was revealed: to destroy the works of the devil. 9Everyone who has been fathered by God does not practice sin, because God’s seed resides in him, and thus he is not able to sin, because he has been fathered by God. 10By this the children of God and the children of the devil are revealed: Everyone who does not practice righteousness – the one who does not love his fellow Christian – is not of God.

1 John 3:8 word by word

ὁ ποιῶν τὴν ἁμαρτίαν ἐκ τοῦ διαβόλου ἐστίν, ὅτι ἀπ᾽ ἀρχῆς ὁ διάβολος ἁμαρτάνει. εἰς τοῦτο ἐφανερώθη ὁ υἱὸς τοῦ θεοῦ ἵνα λύσῃ τὰ ἔργα τοῦ διαβόλου.Read the interlinear

Words taken from the KJV.

• He that committethὁho hē to · the/this/whoG3588
• He that committethποιέωpoieō · to do/make: doG4160
• sinἁμαρτίαhamartia · sinG266
• isεἰμίeimi · to beG1510
• ofἐκek ex · out fromG1537
• the devilδιάβολοςdiabolos · devilish/the DevilG1228
• forὅτιhoti · that/since: sinceG3754
• sinnethἁμαρτάνωhamartanō · to sinG264
• fromἀπόapo · away fromG575
• the beginningἀρχήarchē · beginningG746
• Forεἰςeis · towardG1519
• this purposeοὗτοςhoutos houtoi hautē hautai · this/he/she/itG3778
• the Sonυἱόςuihos · sonG5207
• of Godθεόςtheos · GodG2316
• was manifestedφανερόωphaneroō · to revealG5319
• thatἵναhina · in order that/toG2443
• he might destroyλύωluō · to looseG3089
• the worksἔργονergon · workG2041

Cross-references for 1 John 3:8

• 1 John 3:10By this the children of God and the children of the devil are revealed: Everyone who does not practice righteousness – the one who does not love his fellow Christian – is not of God.
• 1 John 5:19We know that we are from God, and the whole world lies in the power of the evil one.
• Matthew 13:38The field is the world and the good seed are the people of the kingdom. The weeds are the people of the evil one,
• John 8:44You people are from your father the devil, and you want to do what your father desires. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not uphold the truth, because there is no truth in him. Whenever he lies, he speaks according to his own nature, because he is a liar and the father of lies.
• Ephesians 2:2in which you formerly lived according to this world’s present path, according to the ruler of the kingdom of the air, the ruler of the spirit that is now energizing the sons of disobedience,
• 2 Peter 2:4For if God did not spare the angels who sinned, but threw them into hell and locked them up in chains in utter darkness, to be kept until the judgment,
• Jude 1:6You also know that the angels who did not keep within their proper domain but abandoned their own place of residence, he has kept in eternal chains in utter darkness, locked up for the judgment of the great Day.
• 1 John 3:5And you know that Jesus was revealed to take away sins, and in him there is no sin.
• Genesis 3:15And I will put hostility between you and the woman and between your offspring and her offspring; her offspring will attack your head, and you will attack her offspring’s heel.”
• Isaiah 27:1At that time the Lord will punish with his destructive, great, and powerful sword Leviathan the fast-moving serpent, Leviathan the squirming serpent; he will kill the sea monster.
• Mark 1:24“Leave us alone, Jesus the Nazarene! Have you come to destroy us? I know who you are – the Holy One of God!”
• Luke 10:18So he said to them, “I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven.
• John 12:31Now is the judgment of this world; now the ruler of this world will be driven out.
• John 16:11and concerning judgment, because the ruler of this world has been condemned.
• Romans 16:20The God of peace will quickly crush Satan under your feet. The grace of our Lord Jesus be with you.
• Colossians 2:15Disarming the rulers and authorities, he has made a public disgrace of them, triumphing over them by the cross.

Commentaries on 1 John 3:8

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 8He that committeth sin is of the devil - Hear this, also, ye who plead for Baal, and cannot bear the thought of that doctrine that states believers are to be saved from all sin in this life! He who committeth sin is a child of the devil, and shows that he has still the nature of the devil in him; for the devil sinneth from the beginning - he was the father of sin, brought sin into the world, and maintains sin in the world by living in the hearts of his…Read the comment
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 8He that committeth sin - Habitually, willfully, characteristically. Is of the devil - This cannot mean that no one who commits any sin, or who is not absolutely perfect, can be a Christian, for this would cut off the great mass, even according to the belief of those who hold that the Christian may be perfectly holy, from all claim to the Christian character. But what the apostle here says is true in two senses: (1)That all who commit sin, even true…Read the comment
• Matthew Henry Concise Commentary · v. 3-10Verses 3-10 The sons of God know that their Lord is of purer eyes than to allow any thing unholy and impure to dwell with him. It is the hope of hypocrites, not of the sons of God, that makes allowance for gratifying impure desires and lusts. May we be followers of him as his dear children, thus show our sense of his unspeakable mercy, and express that obedient, grateful, humble mind which becomes us. Sin is the rejecting the Divine law. In him, that is…Read the comment
• Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 8destroy: This word does not mean “to destroy completely.” It means “to break down,” “to undo,” or “to make ineffective” (see Ephesians 2:14). Christ did not completely destroy Satan. Instead, he came to undo the works of the devil by freeing people from sin and from the terrible results of sin.Read the comment
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 7-87-8. The same truth stated, with the addition that he who sins is, so far as he sins, "of the devil." let no man deceive you--as Antinomians try to mislead men. righteousness--Greek, "the righteousness," namely, of Christ or God. he that doeth ... is righteous--Not his doing makes him righteous, but his being righteous (justified by the righteousness of God in Christ, Ro 10:3-10) makes him to do righteousness: an inversion common in familiar language…Read the comment

Topics related to 1 John 3:8

• Holiness
• Jesus Continued
• Jesus, the Christ
• Perfection
• Power
• Satan
• Sin
• Wicked (People)

In the dictionaries

• God
• god, false god, goddess, idol, idolater, idolatrous, idolatry
• Son of God
• Appear
• Assure
• Condemn
• Pleasing
• Sin
• Word
• Begin

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