1 John 4:12

1 John 4:12 in other versions

• King James Version (KJV)No man hath seen God at any time. If we love one another, God dwelleth in us, and his love is perfected in us.
• New International Version (NIV)No one has ever seen God; but if we love one another, God lives in us and his love is made complete in us.
• English Standard Version (ESV)No one has ever seen God; if we love one another, God abides in us and his love is perfected in us.
• New King James Version (NKJV)No one has seen God at any time. If we love one another, God abides in us, and His love has been perfected in us.

Context of 1 John 4:12

10This is love—not that we have loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son as an atonement for our sins. 11Loved ones, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. No one has ever seen God. If we love one another, God abides in us and His love is made perfect in us. 13We know that we abide in Him and He in us by this—because He has given us of His Spirit. 14We have seen and testify that the Father has sent His Son as Savior of the world.

1 John 4:12 word by word

θεὸν οὐδεὶς πώποτε τεθέαται· ἐὰν ἀγαπῶμεν ἀλλήλους, ὁ θεὸς ἐν ἡμῖν μένει καὶ ἡ ἀγάπη αὐτοῦ ἐν ἡμῖν τετελειωμένη ἐστίν.Read the interlinear

Words taken from the KJV.

• No manοὐδείςoudeis · noneG3762
• hath seenθεάομαιtheaomai · to look atG2300
• Godθεόςtheos · GodG2316
• at any timeπώποτεpōpote · everG4455
• Ifἐάνean · ifG1437
• we loveἀγαπάωagapaō · to loveG25
• one anotherἀλλήλωνallēlōn · one anotherG240
• Godὁho hē to · the/this/whoG3588
• dwellethμένωmenō · to stayG3306
• inἐνen · in/on/amongG1722
• usἐγώegō · I/weG1473
• andκαίkai · andG2532
• hisαὐτόςautos · it/s/heG846
• loveἀγάπηagapē · loveG26
• isεἰμίeimi · to beG1510
• perfectedτελειόωteleioō · to perfectG5048

Cross-references for 1 John 4:12

• 1 John 4:20If anyone says, “I love God,” and hates his brother, he is a liar. For the one who does not love his brother, whom he has seen, cannot love God, whom he has not seen.
• Genesis 32:30Then Jacob asked and said, “Please tell me Your name.” But He said, “What’s this—you are asking My name?” Then He blessed him there.
• Exodus 33:20But He also said, “You cannot see My face, for no man can see Me and live.”
• Numbers 12:8I speak with him face to face, plainly and not in riddles. He even looks at the form of Adonai! Why then were you not afraid to speak against My servant Moses?”
• John 1:18No one has ever seen God; but the one and only God, in the Father’s embrace, has made Him known.
• 1 Timothy 1:17Now to the King eternal, immortal, invisible, the only God, be honor and glory forever and ever. Amen.
• 1 Timothy 6:16who alone has immortality, dwelling in unapproachable light, whom no man has seen or is able to see. To Him be honor and eternal dominion! Amen.
• Hebrews 11:27By faith he left Egypt, not fearing the king’s anger—for he persevered as if seeing the One who is invisible.
• 1 John 4:6We are from God; whoever knows God listens to us, but whoever is not from God does not listen to us. By this we know the Spirit of truth and the spirit of error.
• 1 John 3:24The one who keeps His commandments abides in God, and God in him. We know that He abides in us by this—by the Spirit He has given us.
• 1 John 4:17In this way, love is made perfect among us, so that we should have boldness on the Day of Judgment. For just as He is, so also are we in this world.
• 1 John 2:5But whoever keeps His word, in him the love of God is truly made perfect. We know that we are in Him by this—
• 1 Corinthians 13:13But now these three remain— faith, hope, and love. And the greatest of these is love.

Commentaries on 1 John 4:12

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 12No man hath seen God at any time - The very words, with the change of ̔ for , of this apostle in his gospel, John 1:18. We may feel him, though we cannot see him; and if we love one another he dwelleth in us, and his love is perfected in us - it has then its full accomplishment, having moulded us according to its own nature.Read the comment
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 12No man hath seen God at any time - See the notes at John 1:18, where the same declaration occurs. The statement seems to be made here in order to introduce a remark to show in what way we may know that we have any true knowledge of God. The idea is, “He has never indeed been seen by mortal eyes. We are not, then, to expect to become acquainted with what he is in that way. But there is a method by which we may be assured that we have a true knowledge of…Read the comment
• Matthew Henry Concise Commentary · v. 7-13Verses 7-13 The Spirit of God is the Spirit of love. He that does not love the image of God in his people, has no saving knowledge of God. For it is God's nature to be kind, and to give happiness. The law of God is love; and all would have been perfectly happy, had all obeyed it. The provision of the gospel, for the forgiveness of sin, and the salvation of sinners, consistently with God's glory and justice, shows that God is love. Mystery and darkness…Read the comment
• Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 11-12Those who have received God’s love will also love others who belong to God. When we show love to one another, it becomes clear that we truly love God.Read the comment
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 1212. God, whom no man hath seen at any time, hath appointed His children as the visible recipients of our outward kindness which flows from love to Himself, "whom not having seen, we love," compare Notes, 1Jo 4:11, 1Jo 4:19, 20. Thus 1Jo 4:12 explains why, instead (in 1Jo 4:11) of saying, "If God so loved us, we ought also to love God," he said, "We ought also to love one another." If we love one another, God dwelleth in us--for God is love; and it must…Read the comment

Topics related to 1 John 4:12

• Commandments
• Fellowship
• God Continued...
• Love
• Perfection
• Righteousness

In the dictionaries

• God
• god, false god, goddess, idol, idolater, idolatrous, idolatry
• Benevolence
• Dwell
• Fear
• Love
• Perfect
• Brotherly Kindness; Brotherly Love
• Johannine Theology
• 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