1 John 2:19

1 John 2:19 in other versions

• King James Version (KJV)They went out from us, but they were not of us; for if they had been of us, they would no doubt have continued with us: but they went out, that they might be made manifest that they were not all of us.
• New International Version (NIV)They went out from us, but they did not really belong to us. For if they had belonged to us, they would have remained with us; but their going showed that none of them belonged to us.
• English Standard Version (ESV)They went out from us, but they were not of us; for if they had been of us, they would have continued with us. But they went out, that it might become plain that they all are not of us.
• New King James Version (NKJV)They went out from us, but they were not of us; for if they had been of us, they would have continued with us; but they went out that they might be made manifest, that none of them were of us.

Context of 1 John 2:19

17And this world is fading away, along with everything that people crave. But anyone who does what pleases God will live forever. 18Dear children, the last hour is here. You have heard that the Antichrist is coming, and already many such antichrists have appeared. From this we know that the last hour has come. These people left our churches, but they never really belonged with us; otherwise they would have stayed with us. When they left, it proved that they did not belong with us. 20But you are not like that, for the Holy One has given you his Spirit, and all of you know the truth. 21So I am writing to you not because you don’t know the truth but because you know the difference between truth and lies.

1 John 2:19 word by word

ἐξ ἡμῶν ἐξῆλθαν ἀλλ᾽ οὐκ ἦσαν ἐξ ἡμῶν· εἰ γὰρ ἐξ ἡμῶν ἦσαν, μεμενήκεισαν ἂν μεθ᾽ ἡμῶν· ἀλλ᾽ ἵνα φανερωθῶσιν ὅτι οὐκ εἰσὶν πάντες ἐξ ἡμῶν.Read the interlinear

Words taken from the KJV.

• They wentἐξέρχομαιexerchomai · to go outG1831
• out fromἐκek ex · out fromG1537
• usἐγώegō · I/weG1473
• butἀλλάalla · butG235
• they wereεἰμίeimi · to beG1510
• notοὐou · noG3756
• forγάρgar · forG1063
• ifεἰei · ifG1487
• they wouldἄνan · ifG302
• have continuedμένωmenō · to stayG3306
• withμετάmeta · with/afterG3326
• thatἵναhina · in order that/toG2443
• they might be made manifestφανερόωphaneroō · to revealG5319
• thatὅτιhoti · that/since: thatG3754
• allπᾶςpas · allG3956

Cross-references for 1 John 2:19

• Deuteronomy 13:13that scoundrels among you are leading their fellow citizens astray by saying, ‘Let us go worship other gods’—gods you have not known before.
• Psalms 41:9Even my best friend, the one I trusted completely, the one who shared my food, has turned against me.
• Matthew 13:20The seed on the rocky soil represents those who hear the message and immediately receive it with joy.
• Mark 4:5Other seed fell on shallow soil with underlying rock. The seed sprouted quickly because the soil was shallow.
• Luke 8:13The seeds on the rocky soil represent those who hear the message and receive it with joy. But since they don’t have deep roots, they believe for a while, then they fall away when they face temptation.
• John 15:2He cuts off every branch of mine that doesn’t produce fruit, and he prunes the branches that do bear fruit so they will produce even more.
• Acts 15:24“We understand that some men from here have troubled you and upset you with their teaching, but we did not send them!
• Acts 20:30Even some men from your own group will rise up and distort the truth in order to draw a following.
• 2 Peter 2:20And when people escape from the wickedness of the world by knowing our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ and then get tangled up and enslaved by sin again, they are worse off than before.
• Jude 1:19These people are the ones who are creating divisions among you. They follow their natural instincts because they do not have God’s Spirit in them.
• Job 17:9The righteous keep moving forward, and those with clean hands become stronger and stronger.
• Psalms 37:28For the Lord loves justice, and he will never abandon the godly. He will keep them safe forever, but the children of the wicked will die.
• Psalms 125:1Those who trust in the Lord are as secure as Mount Zion; they will not be defeated but will endure forever.
• Jeremiah 32:38They will be my people, and I will be their God.
• Matthew 24:24For false messiahs and false prophets will rise up and perform great signs and wonders so as to deceive, if possible, even God’s chosen ones.
• Mark 13:22For false messiahs and false prophets will rise up and perform signs and wonders so as to deceive, if possible, even God’s chosen ones.

Commentaries on 1 John 2:19

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 19They went out from us - These heretics had belonged to our Christian assemblies, they professed Christianity, and do so still; but we apostles did not commission them to preach to you, for they have disgraced the Divine doctrine with the most pernicious opinions; they have given up or explained away its most essential principles; they have mingled the rest with heathenish rites and Jewish glosses. While, therefore, we acknowledge that they once belonged…Read the comment
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 19They went out from us - From the church. That is, they had once been professors of the religion of the Saviour, though their apostasy showed that they never had any true piety. John refers to the fact that they had once been in the church, perhaps to remind those to whom he wrote that they knew them well, and could readily appreciate their character. It was a humiliating statement that those who showed themselves to be so utterly opposed to religion had…Read the comment
• Matthew Henry Concise Commentary · v. 18-23Verses 18-23 Every man is an antichrist, who denies the Person, or any of the offices of Christ; and in denying the Son, he denies the Father also, and has no part in his favour while he rejects his great salvation. Let this prophecy that seducers would rise in the Christian world, keep us from being seduced. The church knows not well who are its true members, and who are not, but thus true Christians were proved, and rendered more watchful and humble…Read the comment
• Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 19They went out from us: This is John’s first clear statement about the false teachers. At one time, these teachers were part of the church community. They shared fellowship with John and with the other apostles. Later, they chose to leave that fellowship. They also formed a separate and exclusive group that followed false teachings about Jesus (see 4:1; 2 John 1:7; 3 John 1:9–10). none of them belonged to us: True Christians would have remained in…Read the comment
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 1919. out from us--from our Christian communion. Not necessarily a formal secession or going out: thus Rome has spiritually gone out, though formally still of the Christian Church. not of us--by spiritual fellowship (1Jo 1:3). "They are like bad humors in the body of Christ, the Church: when they are vomited out, then the body is relieved; the body of Christ is now still under treatment, and has not yet attained the perfect soundness which it shall have…Read the comment

Topics related to 1 John 2:19

• Hypocrisy
• Perseverance

In the dictionaries

• Acknowledge
• Advocate
• Lie
• Stumble
• Johannine Theology
• John, the Epistles of

Commentaries on 1 John 2

• 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
• 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