1 John 4:6

1 John 4:6 in other versions

• King James Version (KJV)We are of God: he that knoweth God heareth us; he that is not of God heareth not us. Hereby know we the spirit of truth, and the spirit of error.
• New International Version (NIV)We are from God, and whoever knows God listens to us; but whoever is not from God does not listen to us. This is how we recognize the Spirit of truth and the spirit of falsehood.
• English Standard Version (ESV)We are from God. Whoever knows God listens to us; whoever is not from God does not listen to us. By this we know the Spirit of truth and the spirit of error.
• New Living Translation (NLT)But we belong to God, and those who know God listen to us. If they do not belong to God, they do not listen to us. That is how we know if someone has the Spirit of truth or the spirit of deception.

Context of 1 John 4:6

4You are of God, little children, and have overcome them, because He who is in you is greater than he who is in the world. 5They are of the world. Therefore they speak as of the world, and the world hears them. We are of God. He who knows God hears us; he who is not of God does not hear us. By this we know the spirit of truth and the spirit of error. 7Beloved, let us love one another, for love is of God; and everyone who loves is born of God and knows God. 8He who does not love does not know God, for God is love.

1 John 4:6 word by word

ἡμεῖς ἐκ τοῦ θεοῦ ἐσμεν· ὁ γινώσκων τὸν θεὸν ἀκούει ἡμῶν· ὃς οὐκ ἔστιν ἐκ τοῦ θεοῦ οὐκ ἀκούει ἡμῶν. ἐκ τούτου γινώσκομεν τὸ πνεῦμα τῆς ἀληθείας καὶ τὸ πνεῦμα τῆς πλάνης.¶Read the interlinear

Words taken from the KJV.

• Weἐγώegō · I/weG1473
• areεἰμίeimi · to beG1510
• ofἐκek ex · out fromG1537
• Godὁho hē to · the/this/whoG3588
• Godθεόςtheos · GodG2316
• he that knowethγινώσκωginōskō · to knowG1097
• hearethἀκούωakouō · to hearG191
• he thatὅςhos hē ho · whichG3739
• notοὐou · noG3756
• ·οὗτοςhoutos houtoi hautē hautai · this/he/she/itG3778
• the spiritπνεῦμαpneuma · spirit/breath: spiritG4151
• of truthἀλήθειαalētheia · truthG225
• andκαίkai · andG2532
• of errorπλάνηplanē · errorG4106

Cross-references for 1 John 4:6

• 1 John 4:4You are of God, little children, and have overcome them, because He who is in you is greater than he who is in the world.
• Micah 3:8But truly I am full of power by the Spirit of the Lord, And of justice and might, To declare to Jacob his transgression And to Israel his sin.
• Romans 1:1Paul, a bondservant of Jesus Christ, called to be an apostle, separated to the gospel of God
• 1 Corinthians 2:12Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, that we might know the things that have been freely given to us by God.
• 2 Peter 3:2that you may be mindful of the words which were spoken before by the holy prophets, and of the commandment of us, the apostles of the Lord and Savior,
• Jude 1:17But you, beloved, remember the words which were spoken before by the apostles of our Lord Jesus Christ:
• 1 John 4:8He who does not love does not know God, for God is love.
• Luke 10:22All things have been delivered to Me by My Father, and no one knows who the Son is except the Father, and who the Father is except the Son, and the one to whom the Son wills to reveal Him.”
• John 8:19Then they said to Him, “Where is Your Father?” Jesus answered, “You know neither Me nor My Father. If you had known Me, you would have known My Father also.”
• John 10:27My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me.
• John 13:20Most assuredly, I say to you, he who receives whomever I send receives Me; and he who receives Me receives Him who sent Me.”
• John 18:37Pilate therefore said to Him, “Are You a king then?” Jesus answered, “You say rightly that I am a king. For this cause I was born, and for this cause I have come into the world, that I should bear witness to the truth. Everyone who is of the truth hears My voice.”
• John 20:21So Jesus said to them again, “Peace to you! As the Father has sent Me, I also send you.”
• 1 Corinthians 14:37If anyone thinks himself to be a prophet or spiritual, let him acknowledge that the things which I write to you are the commandments of the Lord.
• 2 Corinthians 10:7Do you look at things according to the outward appearance? If anyone is convinced in himself that he is Christ’s, let him again consider this in himself, that just as he is Christ’s, even so we are Christ’s.
• 2 Thessalonians 1:8in flaming fire taking vengeance on those who do not know God, and on those who do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Commentaries on 1 John 4:6

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 6We are of God - We, apostles, have the Spirit of God, and speak and teach by that Spirit. He that knoweth God - who has a truly spiritual discernment, heareth us - acknowledges that our doctrine is from God; that it is spiritual, and leads from earth to heaven. Hereby know we the Spirit of truth - The doctrine and teacher most prized and followed by worldly men, and by the gay, giddy, and garish multitude, are not from God; they savor of the flesh, lay on…Read the comment
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 6We are of God - John here, doubtless, refers to himself, and to those who taught the same doctrines which he did. He takes it for granted that those to whom he wrote would admit this, and argues from it as an indisputable truth. He had given them such evidence of this, as to establish his character and claims beyond a doubt; and he often refers to the fact that he was what he claimed to be, as a point which was so well established that no one would call…Read the comment
• Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 6We are from God: John tests whether a person truly belongs to Christ by seeing if that person listens to the teachings of the apostles and agrees with them. The Spirit of truth is the Holy Spirit (John 14:17, 26; 15:26; 16:13–15). The Holy Spirit teaches the truth about Christ (1 John 2:20, 27). False prophets have a spirit of deception. This is the spirit of antichrist, which leads people away from Christ (see study note on 2:22). For this reason…Read the comment
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 66. We--true teachers of Christ: in contrast to them. are of God--and therefore speak of God: in contrast to "speak they of the world," 1Jo 4:5. knoweth God--as his Father, being a child "of God" (1Jo 2:13, 14). heareth us--Compare Joh 18:37, "Every one that is of the truth, heareth My voice." Hereby--(1Jo 4:2-6); by their confessing, or not confessing, Jesus; by the kind of reception given them respectively by those who know God, and by those who are of…Read the comment

Topics related to 1 John 4:6

• Righteousness
• Wisdom

In the dictionaries

• God
• Benevolence
• Fear
• Love
• Perfect
• Err; Error
• Hereby
• John, the Epistles of

Commentaries on 1 John 4

• 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