2 John 1:1
New International Version
The elder, To the lady chosen by God and to her children, whom I love in the truth—and not I only, but also all who know the truth—

New Living Translation
This letter is from John, the elder. I am writing to the chosen lady and to her children, whom I love in the truth—as does everyone else who knows the truth—

English Standard Version
The elder to the elect lady and her children, whom I love in truth, and not only I, but also all who know the truth,

Berean Standard Bible
The elder, To the chosen lady and her children, whom I love in the truth—and not I alone, but also all who know the truth—

Berean Literal Bible
The elder, To the elect lady and her children, whom I love in truth, and not only I, but also all those having known the truth--

King James Bible
The elder unto the elect lady and her children, whom I love in the truth; and not I only, but also all they that have known the truth;

New King James Version
The Elder, To the elect lady and her children, whom I love in truth, and not only I, but also all those who have known the truth,

New American Standard Bible
The elder to the chosen lady and her children, whom I love in truth; and not only I, but also all who know the truth,

NASB 1995
The elder to the chosen lady and her children, whom I love in truth; and not only I, but also all who know the truth,

NASB 1977
The elder to the chosen lady and her children, whom I love in truth; and not only I, but also all who know the truth,

Legacy Standard Bible
The elder to the elect lady and her children, whom I love in truth, and not only I, but also all who know the truth,

Amplified Bible
The elder [of the church addresses this letter] to the elect (chosen) lady and her children, whom I love in truth—and not only I, but also all who know and understand the truth—

Christian Standard Bible


Holman Christian Standard Bible
The Elder: To the elect lady and her children: I love all of you in the truth—and not only I, but also all who have come to know the truth—

American Standard Version
The elder unto the elect lady and her children, whom I love in truth; and not I only, but also all they that know the truth;

Aramaic Bible in Plain English
The Elder to The Elect lady and her children, those whom I love in the truth, but it is not I only, but also all those who know the truth,

Contemporary English Version
From the church leader. To a very special woman and her children. I truly love all of you, and so does everyone else who knows the truth.

Douay-Rheims Bible
The ancient to the lady Elect, and her children, whom I love in the truth, and not I only, but also all they that have known the truth,

English Revised Version
The elder unto the elect lady and her children, whom I love in truth; and not I only, but also all they that know the truth;

GOD'S WORD® Translation
From the church leader. To the chosen lady and her children, whom I love because we share the truth. I'm not the only one who loves you. Everyone who knows the truth also loves you.

Good News Translation
From the Elder--To the dear Lady and to her children, whom I truly love. And I am not the only one, but all who know the truth love you,

International Standard Version
From: The Elder To: The chosen lady and her children, whom I genuinely love, and not only I but also all who know the truth,

Literal Standard Version
The elder to the chosen lady, and to her children, whom I love in truth, and not only I, but also all those having known the truth,

Majority Standard Bible
The elder, To the chosen lady and her children, whom I love in the truth—and not I alone, but also all who know the truth—

New American Bible
The Presbyter to the chosen Lady and to her children whom I love in truth—and not only I but also all who know the truth—

NET Bible
From the elder, to an elect lady and her children, whom I love in truth (and not I alone, but also all those who know the truth),

New Revised Standard Version
The elder to the elect lady and her children, whom I love in the truth, and not only I but also all who know the truth,

New Heart English Bible
The elder, to the chosen lady and her children, whom I love in truth; and not I only, but also all those who know the truth;

Webster's Bible Translation
The elder to the elect lady, and her children, whom I love in the truth; and not I only, but also all they that have known the truth;

Weymouth New Testament
The Elder to the elect lady and her children. Truly I love you all, and not I alone, but also all who know the truth,

World English Bible
The elder, to the chosen lady and her children, whom I love in truth, and not I only, but also all those who know the truth,

Young's Literal Translation
The Elder to the choice Kyria, and to her children, whom I love in truth, and not I only, but also all those having known the truth,

Additional Translations ...
Audio Bible



Context
Greeting from the Elder
1The elder, To the chosen lady and her children, whom I love in the truth— and not I alone, but also all who know the truth— 2because of the truth that abides in us and will be with us forever:…

Cross References
John 8:32
Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free."

Acts 11:30
This they did, sending their gifts to the elders with Barnabas and Saul.

Romans 16:13
Greet Rufus, chosen in the Lord, and his mother, who has been a mother to me as well.

1 Timothy 2:4
who wants everyone to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth.

1 Peter 5:1
As a fellow elder, a witness of Christ's sufferings, and a partaker of the glory to be revealed, I appeal to the elders among you:

1 Peter 5:13
The church in Babylon, chosen together with you, sends you greetings, as does my son Mark.

1 John 3:18
Little children, let us love not in word and speech, but in action and truth.


Treasury of Scripture

The elder to the elect lady and her children, whom I love in the truth; and not I only, but also all they that have known the truth;

A.

1 Peter 5:1
The elders which are among you I exhort, who am also an elder, and a witness of the sufferings of Christ, and also a partaker of the glory that shall be revealed:

3 John 1:1
The elder unto the wellbeloved Gaius, whom I love in the truth.

the elect lady.

2 John 1:5,13
And now I beseech thee, lady, not as though I wrote a new commandment unto thee, but that which we had from the beginning, that we love one another…

Luke 1:3
It seemed good to me also, having had perfect understanding of all things from the very first, to write unto thee in order, most excellent Theophilus,

Ephesians 1:4,5
According as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before him in love: …

whom.

2 John 1:2,3
For the truth's sake, which dwelleth in us, and shall be with us for ever…

1 Peter 1:22,23
Seeing ye have purified your souls in obeying the truth through the Spirit unto unfeigned love of the brethren, see that ye love one another with a pure heart fervently: …

1 John 3:18
My little children, let us not love in word, neither in tongue; but in deed and in truth.

known.

John 8:32
And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.

Galatians 2:5,14
To whom we gave place by subjection, no, not for an hour; that the truth of the gospel might continue with you…

Galatians 3:1
O foolish Galatians, who hath bewitched you, that ye should not obey the truth, before whose eyes Jesus Christ hath been evidently set forth, crucified among you?

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2 John 1
1. He exhorts a certain honorable matron, with her children, to persevere in Christian love and belief,
8. lest they lose the reward of their former profession;
10. and to have nothing to do with those seducers that bring not the true doctrine of Christ Jesus.














(1) A man so well-known to his correspondent that he only calls himself "the old man," or, "the elder," writes to a mother, whose name is possibly Kyria, and to her children. Her sister's children are in the same place as the writer. The two mothers are both honoured with the religious title "elect." The writer (we assume from the introduction that he is the Apostle John) loves the family with true Christian love. All who are in the way of truth have the same feelings for them, for the truth is a bond of union between all such. He wishes them grace, mercy, and peace from the Father and the Son, in all their thoughts and all their affections (2John 1:1-3).

(1 a.) (1) The elder.--The word is used with reference to age in 1Timothy 5:2; 1Peter 5:5; with reference to office, Acts 11:30; Acts 14:23; Acts 15:4; Acts 15:6; Acts 15:23; Acts 16:4; Acts 20:17; 1Timothy 5:1; 1Timothy 5:17; 1Timothy 5:19; Titus 1:5; James 5:14; 1Peter 5:1. . . .

Verse 1. - The elder. Not an unlikely appellation to have been given to the last surviving apostle. Other apostles had been called elders; their successors also were called elders; but St. John was "the elder." That there was a second John at Ephesus, who was known as "the elder," to distinguish him from the apostle and evangelist, is a theory of Eusebius, based upon a doubtful interpretation of an awkwardly worded passage in Papias. But it is by no means certain that any such person ever existed. Irenaeus, who had read Papias, and been intimate with Polycarp, the disciple of St. John, seems to know nothing of any such person. Even if he existed, there is little reason for attributing this Epistle to him; it is too like the First Epistle to be by a different author. Unto the elect lady. This rendering of ἐκλεκτῇ κυρίᾳ should be retained: ἐκλεκτή cannot be a proper name, on account of verse 13; κυρία need not be one. We commit ourselves to nothing that is disputable if we render κυρία "lady;" whereas if we render it "Kyria" it is open to any one to object that perhaps the lady's name was not Kyria, and that perhaps she is not an individual at all, but a Church. She is elect, as being chosen out of the dominion of the evil one (1 John 5:19) into the Christian family. She is thus reminded at the outset of the relationship between them; she is a member of that elect company of believers of which he is the elder. It is futile to ask who this lady is. There have been various conjectures, some of them absurd; but we know no more than the letter itself tells us. Evidently the lady and her children were not among the great ones of the earth; they have made no name in the world. And herein lies one of the chief lessons of the Epistle. Those mentioned in it were ordinary people, such as any Church in any generation might produce. But because they were faithful, and endeavoured to live up to their calling, the apostle loved them, and all true Christians loved them, and he dared to assure them that "grace, mercy, and peace from God the Father and from Jesus Christ the Son of the Father" should be their portion. Any Christian minister may give the same assurance to faithful Christians, however humble and inconspicuous, still. They may win no place in the history of the world that is passing away; but they have a place in the heart of him who abideth for ever. Note the characteristic repetition of the characteristic word "truth," which occurs five times in the first four verses. All words respecting truth and bearing witness to it are characteristic of St. John. In two of the five cases "truth" has the article; "all they that know the truth; for the truth's sake which abideth in us." It is not impossible that "the truth" here means him who is the Way, the Truth and the Life. Christ is the Revelation of Divine truth to man. All who know him love all faithful Christians for his sake. To the apostle truth was not a mere notion, "or a set of notions, however large and accurate; it was no theory about God, but God himself, and God manifest in the flesh in order that we might know him and partake his life."

Parallel Commentaries ...


Greek
The
(Ho)
Article - Nominative Masculine Singular
Strong's 3588: The, the definite article. Including the feminine he, and the neuter to in all their inflections; the definite article; the.

elder,
πρεσβύτερος (presbyteros)
Adjective - Nominative Masculine Singular
Strong's 4245: Comparative of presbus; older; as noun, a senior; specially, an Israelite Sanhedrist or Christian 'presbyter'.

To [the] chosen
Ἐκλεκτῇ (Eklektē)
Adjective - Dative Feminine Singular
Strong's 1588: From eklegomai; select; by implication, favorite.

lady
κυρίᾳ (kyria)
Noun - Dative Feminine Singular
Strong's 2959: A lady. Feminine of kurios; Cyria, a Christian woman.

and
καὶ (kai)
Conjunction
Strong's 2532: And, even, also, namely.

her
αὐτῆς (autēs)
Personal / Possessive Pronoun - Genitive Feminine 3rd Person Singular
Strong's 846: He, she, it, they, them, same. From the particle au; the reflexive pronoun self, used of the third person, and of the other persons.

children,
τέκνοις (teknois)
Noun - Dative Neuter Plural
Strong's 5043: A child, descendent, inhabitant. From the base of timoria; a child.

whom
οὓς (hous)
Personal / Relative Pronoun - Accusative Masculine Plural
Strong's 3739: Who, which, what, that.

I
ἐγὼ (egō)
Personal / Possessive Pronoun - Nominative 1st Person Singular
Strong's 1473: I, the first-person pronoun. A primary pronoun of the first person I.

love
ἀγαπῶ (agapō)
Verb - Present Indicative Active - 1st Person Singular
Strong's 25: To love, wish well to, take pleasure in, long for; denotes the love of reason, esteem. Perhaps from agan; to love.

in
ἐν (en)
Preposition
Strong's 1722: In, on, among. A primary preposition denoting position, and instrumentality, i.e. A relation of rest; 'in, ' at, on, by, etc.

[the] truth—
ἀληθείᾳ (alētheia)
Noun - Dative Feminine Singular
Strong's 225: From alethes; truth.

and
καὶ (kai)
Conjunction
Strong's 2532: And, even, also, namely.

not
οὐκ (ouk)
Adverb
Strong's 3756: No, not. Also ouk, and ouch a primary word; the absolute negative adverb; no or not.

I
ἐγὼ (egō)
Personal / Possessive Pronoun - Nominative 1st Person Singular
Strong's 1473: I, the first-person pronoun. A primary pronoun of the first person I.

alone,
μόνος (monos)
Adjective - Nominative Masculine Singular
Strong's 3441: Only, solitary, desolate. Probably from meno; remaining, i.e. Sole or single; by implication, mere.

but
ἀλλὰ (alla)
Conjunction
Strong's 235: But, except, however. Neuter plural of allos; properly, other things, i.e. contrariwise.

also
καὶ (kai)
Conjunction
Strong's 2532: And, even, also, namely.

all
πάντες (pantes)
Adjective - Nominative Masculine Plural
Strong's 3956: All, the whole, every kind of. Including all the forms of declension; apparently a primary word; all, any, every, the whole.

who
οἱ (hoi)
Article - Nominative Masculine Plural
Strong's 3588: The, the definite article. Including the feminine he, and the neuter to in all their inflections; the definite article; the.

know
ἐγνωκότες (egnōkotes)
Verb - Perfect Participle Active - Nominative Masculine Plural
Strong's 1097: A prolonged form of a primary verb; to 'know' in a great variety of applications and with many implications.

the
τὴν (tēn)
Article - Accusative Feminine Singular
Strong's 3588: The, the definite article. Including the feminine he, and the neuter to in all their inflections; the definite article; the.

truth—
ἀλήθειαν (alētheian)
Noun - Accusative Feminine Singular
Strong's 225: From alethes; truth.


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NT Letters: 2 John 1:1 The elder to the chosen lady (2J iiJ 2Jn ii jn 2 jo)
1 John 5:21
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