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 Living Translation (NLT)But when people keep on sinning, it shows that they belong to the devil, who has been sinning since the beginning. But the Son of God came to destroy the works of the devil.

Context of 1 John 3:8

6Whoever abides in Him does not sin. Whoever sins has neither seen Him nor known Him. 7Little children, let no one deceive you. He who practices righteousness is righteous, just as He is righteous. 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. 9Whoever has been born of God does not sin, for His seed remains in him; and he cannot sin, because he has been born of God. 10In this the children of God and the children of the devil are manifest: Whoever does not practice righteousness is not of God, nor is he who does not love his brother.

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 3:10In this the children of God and the children of the devil are manifest: Whoever does not practice righteousness is not of God, nor is he who does not love his brother.
• 1 John 5:19We know that we are of God, and the whole world lies under the sway of the wicked one.
• Matthew 13:38The field is the world, the good seeds are the sons of the kingdom, but the tares are the sons of the wicked one.
• John 8:44You are of your father the devil, and the desires of your father you want to do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaks a lie, he speaks from his own resources, for he is a liar and the father of it.
• Ephesians 2:2in which you once walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit who now works in the sons of disobedience,
• 2 Peter 2:4For if God did not spare the angels who sinned, but cast them down to hell and delivered them into chains of darkness, to be reserved for judgment;
• Jude 1:6And the angels who did not keep their proper domain, but left their own abode, He has reserved in everlasting chains under darkness for the judgment of the great day;
• 1 John 3:5And you know that He was manifested to take away our sins, and in Him there is no sin.
• Genesis 3:15And I will put enmity Between you and the woman, And between your seed and her Seed; He shall bruise your head, And you shall bruise His heel.”
• Isaiah 27:1In that day the Lord with His severe sword, great and strong, Will punish Leviathan the fleeing serpent, Leviathan that twisted serpent; And He will slay the reptile that is in the sea.
• Mark 1:24saying, “Let us alone! What have we to do with You, Jesus of Nazareth? Did You come to destroy us? I know who You are—the Holy One of God!”
• Luke 10:18And 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 cast out.
• John 16:11of judgment, because the ruler of this world is judged.
• Romans 16:20And the God of peace will crush Satan under your feet shortly. The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you. Amen.
• Colossians 2:15Having disarmed principalities and powers, He made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them in it.

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
• Son of God
• Appear
• Assure
• Condemn
• Pleasing
• Sin
• Word
• Begin
• Commit

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