1 John 5:21

1 John 5:21 in other versions

• King James Version (KJV)Little children, keep yourselves from idols. Amen.
• New International Version (NIV)Dear children, keep yourselves from idols.
• English Standard Version (ESV)Little children, keep yourselves from idols.
• New King James Version (NKJV)Little children, keep yourselves from idols. Amen.

Context of 1 John 5:21

19We know that we are children of God and that the world around us is under the control of the evil one. 20And we know that the Son of God has come, and he has given us understanding so that we can know the true God. And now we live in fellowship with the true God because we live in fellowship with his Son, Jesus Christ. He is the only true God, and he is eternal life. Dear children, keep away from anything that might take God’s place in your hearts.

1 John 5:21 word by word

τεκνία, φυλάξατε ἑαυτὰ ἀπὸ τῶν εἰδώλωνRead the interlinear

Words taken from the KJV.

• Little childrenτεκνίονteknion · childrenG5040
• keepφυλάσσωphulassō · to keep/guard: protectG5442
• yourselvesἑαυτοῦheautou · themselfG1438
• fromἀπόapo · away fromG575
• idolsὁho hē to · the/this/whoG3588
• idolsεἴδωλονeidōlon · idolG1497
• Amenἀμήνamēn · amenG281

Cross-references for 1 John 5:21

• 1 John 2:1My dear children, I am writing this to you so that you will not sin. But if anyone does sin, we have an advocate who pleads our case before the Father. He is Jesus Christ, the one who is truly righteous.
• Exodus 20:3“You must not have any other god but me.
• 1 Corinthians 10:7or worship idols as some of them did. As the Scriptures say, “The people celebrated with feasting and drinking, and they indulged in pagan revelry.”
• 2 Corinthians 6:16And what union can there be between God’s temple and idols? For we are the temple of the living God. As God said: “I will live in them and walk among them. I will be their God, and they will be my people.
• Revelation 9:20But the people who did not die in these plagues still refused to repent of their evil deeds and turn to God. They continued to worship demons and idols made of gold, silver, bronze, stone, and wood—idols that can neither see nor hear nor walk!
• Revelation 13:14And with all the miracles he was allowed to perform on behalf of the first beast, he deceived all the people who belong to this world. He ordered the people to make a great statue of the first beast, who was fatally wounded and then came back to life.
• Revelation 14:11The smoke of their torment will rise forever and ever, and they will have no relief day or night, for they have worshiped the beast and his statue and have accepted the mark of his name.”
• Matthew 6:13And don’t let us yield to temptation, but rescue us from the evil one.

Commentaries on 1 John 5:21

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 21Little children - · Beloved children; he concludes with the same affectionate feeling with which he commenced. Keep yourselves from idols - Avoid the idolatry of the heathens; not only have no false gods, but have the true God. Have no idols in your houses, none in your churches, none in your hearts. Have no object of idolatrous worship; no pictures, relics, consecrated tapers, wafers, crosses, etc., by attending to which your minds may be divided, and…Read the comment
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 21Little children - This is a favorite mode of address with John, (see the notes at 1 John 2:1), and it was proper to use it in giving his parting counsel; embracing, in fact, all that he had to say - that they should keep themselves from idols, and suffer nothing to alienate their affections from the true God. His great object had been to lead them to the knowledge and love of God, and all his counsels would be practically followed, if, amidst the…Read the comment
• Matthew Henry Concise Commentary · v. 18-21Verses 18-21 All mankind are divided into two parties or dominions; that which belongs to God, and that which belongs to the wicked one. True believers belong to God: they are of God, and from him, and to him, and for him; while the rest, by far the greater number, are in the power of the wicked one; they do his works, and support his cause. This general declaration includes all unbelievers, whatever their profession, station, or situation, or by whatever…Read the comment
• Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 21In his closing words, John urges his community to stay away from anything that might take God’s place in their hearts. The literal wording is “keep yourselves from idols.” In the context of 1 John, the main “idol” would be any false teaching that leads people away from Jesus Christ, who is fully human and fully God.Read the comment
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 2121. Affectionate parting caution. from idols--Christians were then everywhere surrounded by idolaters, with whom it was impossible to avoid intercourse. Hence the need of being on their guard against any even indirect compromise or act of communion with idolatry. Some at Pergamos, in the region whence John wrote, fell into the snare of eating things sacrificed to idols. The moment we cease to abide "in Him that is true (by abiding) in Jesus Christ," we…Read the comment

Topics related to 1 John 5:21

• Commandments
• Holiness
• Idolatry

In the dictionaries

• Idol
• Child; Children
• Hebrews, Epistle to the
• Hope
• John, the Epistles of

Commentaries on 1 John 5

• 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