1 John 2:8

1 John 2:8 in other versions

• King James Version (KJV)Again, a new commandment I write unto you, which thing is true in him and in you: because the darkness is past, and the true light now shineth.
• New International Version (NIV)Yet I am writing you a new command; its truth is seen in him and in you, because the darkness is passing and the true light is already shining.
• English Standard Version (ESV)At the same time, it is a new commandment that I am writing to you, which is true in him and in you, because the darkness is passing away and the true light is already shining.
• New King James Version (NKJV)Again, a new commandment I write to you, which thing is true in Him and in you, because the darkness is passing away, and the true light is already shining.

Context of 1 John 2:8

6Those who say they live in God should live their lives as Jesus did. 7Dear friends, I am not writing a new commandment for you; rather it is an old one you have had from the very beginning. This old commandment—to love one another—is the same message you heard before. Yet it is also new. Jesus lived the truth of this commandment, and you also are living it. For the darkness is disappearing, and the true light is already shining. 9If anyone claims, “I am living in the light,” but hates a fellow believer, that person is still living in darkness. 10Anyone who loves a fellow believer is living in the light and does not cause others to stumble.

1 John 2:8 word by word

πάλιν ἐντολὴν καινὴν γράφω ὑμῖν ὅ ἐστιν ἀληθὲς ἐν αὐτῷ καὶ ἐν ὑμῖν, ὅτι ἡ σκοτία παράγεται καὶ τὸ φῶς τὸ ἀληθινὸν ἤδη φαίνει.Read the interlinear

Words taken from the KJV.

• Againπάλινpalin · againG3825
• aἐντολήentolē · commandmentG1785
• newκαινόςkainos · newG2537
• I writeγράφωgraphō · to writeG1125
• unto youσύsu · youG4771
• which thingὅςhos hē ho · whichG3739
• isεἰμίeimi · to beG1510
• trueἀληθήςalēthēs · trueG227
• inἐνen · in/on/amongG1722
• himαὐτόςautos · it/s/heG846
• andκαίkai · andG2532
• becauseὅτιhoti · that/since: sinceG3754
• the darknessὁho hē to · the/this/whoG3588
• the darknessσκοτίαskotia · darknessG4653
• is pastπαράγωparagō · to passG3855
• theφῶςphōs · lightG5457
• trueἀληθινόςalēthinos · trueG228
• nowἤδηēdē · alreadyG2235
• shinethφαίνωphainō · to shine/appearG5316

Cross-references for 1 John 2:8

• 1 John 4:21And he has given us this command: Those who love God must also love their fellow believers.
• John 13:34So now I am giving you a new commandment: Love each other. Just as I have loved you, you should love each other.
• John 15:12This is my commandment: Love each other in the same way I have loved you.
• 1 John 3:14If we love our brothers and sisters who are believers, it proves that we have passed from death to life. But a person who has no love is still dead.
• 1 John 4:11Dear friends, since God loved us that much, we surely ought to love each other.
• 2 Corinthians 8:9You know the generous grace of our Lord Jesus Christ. Though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor, so that by his poverty he could make you rich.
• Ephesians 5:1Imitate God, therefore, in everything you do, because you are his dear children.
• 1 Peter 1:21Through Christ you have come to trust in God. And you have placed your faith and hope in God because he raised Christ from the dead and gave him great glory.
• 1 Peter 4:1So then, since Christ suffered physical pain, you must arm yourselves with the same attitude he had, and be ready to suffer, too. For if you have suffered physically for Christ, you have finished with sin.
• Isaiah 9:2The people who walk in darkness will see a great light. For those who live in a land of deep darkness, a light will shine.
• Isaiah 60:1“Arise, Jerusalem! Let your light shine for all to see. For the glory of the Lord rises to shine on you.
• Matthew 4:16the people who sat in darkness have seen a great light. And for those who lived in the land where death casts its shadow, a light has shined.”
• Luke 1:79to give light to those who sit in darkness and in the shadow of death, and to guide us to the path of peace.”
• John 12:46I have come as a light to shine in this dark world, so that all who put their trust in me will no longer remain in the dark.
• Acts 17:30“God overlooked people’s ignorance about these things in earlier times, but now he commands everyone everywhere to repent of their sins and turn to him.
• Acts 26:18to open their eyes, so they may turn from darkness to light and from the power of Satan to God. Then they will receive forgiveness for their sins and be given a place among God’s people, who are set apart by faith in me.’

Commentaries on 1 John 2:8

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 8Which thing is true in him and in you - It is true that Christ loved the world so well as to lay down his life for it; and it was true in them, in all his faithful followers at that time, who were ready to lay down their lives for the testimony of Jesus. There is a saying in Synopsis Sohar, p. 94, n. 51, that may cast some light on this passage: That way in which the just have walked, although it be Old, yet may be said to be New in the love of the…Read the comment
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 8Again, a new commandment I write unto you - “And yet, that which I write to you, and particularly enjoin on you, deserves in another sense to be called a new commandment, though it has been also inculcated from the beginning, for it was called new by the Saviour himself.” Or the meaning may be, “In addition to the general precepts which I have referred to, I do now call your attention to the new commandment of the Saviour, that which he himself called…Read the comment
• Matthew Henry Concise Commentary · v. 3-11Verses 3-11 What knowledge of Christ can that be, which sees not that he is most worthy of our entire obedience? And a disobedient life shows there is neither religion nor honesty in the professor. The love of God is perfected in him that keeps his commandments. God's grace in him attains its true mark, and produces its sovereign effect as far as may be in this world, and this is man's regeneration; though never absolutely perfect here. Yet this observing…Read the comment
• Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 8a new commandment: Jesus gave a new basis for their love by showing love to his disciples through his actions (John 13:1–17). the darkness is fading and the true light is already shining: The light of the good news about Jesus pushes back the darkness. Darkness cannot defeat this light, especially when believers live out the love that is in Christ.Read the comment
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 88. a new commandment--It was "old," in that Christians as such had heard it from the first; but "new" (Greek, "kaine," not "nea": new and different from the old legal precept) in that it was first clearly promulgated with Christianity; though the inner spirit of the law was love even to enemies, yet it was enveloped in some bitter precepts which caused it to be temporarily almost unrecognized, till the Gospel came. Christianity first put love to brethren…Read the comment

Topics related to 1 John 2:8

• Darkness
• Gospel
• Word of God

In the dictionaries

• New Commandment
• Acknowledge
• Advocate
• Lie
• Stumble
• Commandment, the New
• 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