KJV: If a man say, I love God, and hateth his brother, he is a liar: for he that loveth not his brother whom he hath seen, how can he love God whom he hath not seen?
YLT: if any one may say -- 'I love God,' and his brother he may hate, a liar he is; for he who is not loving his brother whom he hath seen, God -- whom he hath not seen -- how is he able to love?
Darby: If any one say, I love God, and hate his brother, he is a liar: for he that loves not his brother whom he has seen, how can he love God whom he has not seen?
ASV: If a man say, I love God, and hateth his brother, he is a liar: for he that loveth not his brother whom he hath seen, cannot love God whom he hath not seen.
| τις | anyone |
|
Parse: Interrogative / Indefinite Pronoun, Nominative Masculine Singular Root: τὶς Sense: a certain, a certain one. |
|
| εἴπῃ | should say |
|
Parse: Verb, Aorist Subjunctive Active, 3rd Person Singular Root: λέγω Sense: to speak, say. |
|
| ὅτι | - |
|
Parse: Conjunction Root: ὅτι Sense: that, because, since. |
|
| Ἀγαπῶ | I love |
|
Parse: Verb, Present Indicative Active, 1st Person Singular Root: ἀγαπάω Sense: of persons. |
|
| τὸν | - |
|
Parse: Article, Accusative Masculine Singular Root: ὁ Sense: this, that, these, etc. |
|
| Θεόν | God |
|
Parse: Noun, Accusative Masculine Singular Root: θεός Sense: a god or goddess, a general name of deities or divinities. |
|
| ἀδελφὸν | brother |
|
Parse: Noun, Accusative Masculine Singular Root: ἀδελφός Sense: a brother, whether born of the same two parents or only of the same father or mother. |
|
| αὐτοῦ | of him |
|
Parse: Personal / Possessive Pronoun, Genitive Masculine 3rd Person Singular Root: αὐτός Sense: himself, herself, themselves, itself. |
|
| μισῇ | should hate |
|
Parse: Verb, Present Subjunctive Active, 3rd Person Singular Root: μισέω Sense: to hate, pursue with hatred, detest. |
|
| ψεύστης | a liar |
|
Parse: Noun, Nominative Masculine Singular Root: ψεύστης Sense: a liar. |
|
| ἐστίν | he is |
|
Parse: Verb, Present Indicative Active, 3rd Person Singular Root: εἰμί Sense: to be, to exist, to happen, to be present. |
|
| ὁ | The [one] |
|
Parse: Article, Nominative Masculine Singular Root: ὁ Sense: this, that, these, etc. |
|
| ἀγαπῶν | loving |
|
Parse: Verb, Present Participle Active, Nominative Masculine Singular Root: ἀγαπάω Sense: of persons. |
|
| ὃν | whom |
|
Parse: Personal / Relative Pronoun, Accusative Masculine Singular Root: ὅς Sense: who, which, what, that. |
|
| ἑώρακεν | he has seen |
|
Parse: Verb, Perfect Indicative Active, 3rd Person Singular Root: εἶδον Sense: to see with the eyes. |
|
| Θεὸν | God |
|
Parse: Noun, Accusative Masculine Singular Root: θεός Sense: a god or goddess, a general name of deities or divinities. |
|
| δύναται | is he able |
|
Parse: Verb, Present Indicative Middle or Passive, 3rd Person Singular Root: δύναμαι Sense: to be able, have power whether by virtue of one’s own ability and resources, or of a state of mind, or through favourable circumstances, or by permission of law or custom. |
|
| ἀγαπᾶν | to love |
|
Parse: Verb, Present Infinitive Active Root: ἀγαπάω Sense: of persons. |
|
Greek Commentary for 1 John 4:20
Condition of third class with εαν ean and second aorist active subjunctive. Suppose one say. Cf. 1 John 1:6. [source]
Quoting an imaginary disputant as in 1 John 2:4.And hateth (και μισει kai misei). Continuation of the same condition with εαν ean and the present active subjunctive, “and keep on hating.” See 1 John 2:9; 1 John 3:15 for use of μισεω miseō (hate) with αδελπος adelphos (brother). A liar (πσευστης pseustēs). Blunt and to the point as in 1 John 1:10; 1 John 2:4.That loveth not “The one who does not keep on loving” (present active negative articular participle).Hath seen (εωρακεν heōraken). Perfect active indicative of οραω horaō the form in John 1:18 used of seeing God.Cannot love “Is not able to go on loving,” with which compare 1 John 2:9, ου δυναται αμαρτανειν ou dunatai hamartanein (is not able to go on sinning). The best MSS. do not have πως pōs (how) here. [source]
Continuation of the same condition with εαν ean and the present active subjunctive, “and keep on hating.” See 1 John 2:9; 1 John 3:15 for use of μισεω miseō (hate) with αδελπος adelphos (brother). A liar Blunt and to the point as in 1 John 1:10; 1 John 2:4. [source]
“The one who does not keep on loving” (present active negative articular participle).Hath seen (εωρακεν heōraken). Perfect active indicative of οραω horaō the form in John 1:18 used of seeing God.Cannot love “Is not able to go on loving,” with which compare 1 John 2:9, ου δυναται αμαρτανειν ou dunatai hamartanein (is not able to go on sinning). The best MSS. do not have πως pōs (how) here. [source]
Perfect active indicative of οραω horaō the form in John 1:18 used of seeing God. [source]
“Is not able to go on loving,” with which compare 1 John 2:9, ου δυναται αμαρτανειν ou dunatai hamartanein (is not able to go on sinning). The best MSS. do not have πως pōs (how) here. [source]
Note the striking inversion of the clauses: He that loveth not his brother whom he hath seen, God whom he hath not seen cannot love. [source]
The best tests omit, and give the direct statement cannot love. So Rev. [source]
Reverse Greek Commentary Search for 1 John 4:20
Adversative use again of και kai = “and yet.” Perfect active indicative of γινωσκω ginōskō the verb for experiential knowledge. This was true of the κοσμος kosmos (John 1:10; John 17:25) and of the hostile Jews (John 16:3). Jesus prays that the world may know (John 17:23) and the handful of disciples had come to know (John 17:25). But I know him Equipped by eternal fellowship to reveal the Father (1:1-18). This peculiar intimate knowledge Jesus had already claimed (John 7:29). Jesus used οιδα oida (John 8:19; John 15:21) or γινωσκω ginōskō (John 17:23, John 17:25) for the knowledge of the Father. No undue distinction can be drawn here. And if I should say Third-class condition (concession), “even if I say,” with και εαν kai ean Apodosis of the condition. ομοιος Homoios (like) is followed by the associative-instrumental case υμιν humin The word πσευστης pseustēs (liar), in spite of the statement that they are the children of the devil, the father of lying (John 8:44), comes with a sudden jolt because it is a direct charge. This word liar is not considered polite today in public speech when hurled at definite individuals. There is a rather free use of the word in 1 John 2:4, 1 John 2:22; 1 John 4:20; 1 John 5:10. It is not hard to imagine the quick anger of these Pharisees. [source]
His fellow-Christian. The singular, brother, is characteristic of this Epistle. See 1 John 2:10, 1 John 2:11; 1 John 3:10, 1 John 3:15, 1 John 3:17; 1 John 4:20, 1 John 4:21; 1 John 5:16. Christians are called in the New Testament, Christians (Acts 11:26; Acts 26:28; 1 Peter 4:16), mainly by those outside of the Christian circle. Disciples, applied to all followers of Christ (John 2:11; John 6:61) and strictly to the twelve (John 13:5sqq.). In Acts 19:1, to those who had received only John's baptism. Not found in John's Epistles nor in Revelation. Brethren. The first title given to the body of believers after the Ascension (Acts 1:15, where the true reading is ἀδελφῶν brethrenfor μαθητῶν disciples). See Acts 9:30; Acts 10:23; Acts 11:29; 1 Thessalonians 4:10; 1 Thessalonians 5:26; 1 John 3:14; 3 John 1:5, 3 John 1:10; John 21:23. Peter has ἡ ἀδελφότης thebrotherhood (1 Peter 2:17; 1 Peter 5:9). The believers. Under three forms: The believers ( οἱ πιστοί ; Acts 10:45; 1 Timothy 4:12); they that believe ( οἱ πιστεύοντες ; 1 Peter 2:7; 1 Thessalonians 1:7; Ephesians 1:19); they that believed ( οἱ πιστεύσαντες ; Acts 2:44; Acts 4:32; Hebrews 4:3). The saints ( οἱ ἅγιοι ); characteristic of Paul and Revelation. Four times in the Acts (Acts 9:13, Acts 9:32, Acts 9:41; Acts 26:10), and once in Jude (Judges 1:3). Also Hebrews 6:10; Hebrews 13:24. In Paul, 1 Corinthians 6:1; 1 Corinthians 14:33; Ephesians 1:1, Ephesians 1:15, etc. In Revelation 5:8; Revelation 8:3, Revelation 8:4; Revelation 11:18, etc.|Until now ( ἕως ἄρτι )|Though the light has been increasing, and though he may claim that he has been in the light from the first. The phrase occurs in John 2:10; John 5:17; John 16:24; and is used by Paul, 1 Corinthians 4:13; 1 Corinthians 8:7; 1 Corinthians 15:6.| [source]
The sharp issue is maintained here as in Christ's words, “He that is not with me is against me” (Luke 11:23). Men fall into two classes, those who are in fellowship with God, and therefore walk in light and love, and those who are not in fellowship with God, and therefore walk in darkness and hatred. “A direct opposition,” says Bengel; where love is not, there is hatred. “The heart is not empty.” See John 3:20; John 7:7; John 15:18sqq.; John 17:14. The word hate is opposed both to the love of natural affection ( φιλεῖν ), and to the more discriminating sentiment - love founded on a just estimate ( ἀγαπᾶν ). For the former see John 12:25; John 15:18, John 15:19; compare Luke 14:26. For the latter, 1 John 3:14, 1 John 3:15; 1 John 4:20, Matthew 5:43; Matthew 6:24; Ephesians 5:28, Ephesians 5:29. “In the former case, hatred, which may become a moral duty, involves the subjection of an instinct. In the latter case it expresses a general determination of character” (Westcott). [source]
Explanatory use of ινα hina with αυτη hautē as in John 17:3, to show what “the love of God” (1 John 4:9, 1 John 4:12) in the objective sense is, not mere declamatory boasting (1 John 4:20), but obedience to God‘s commands, “that we keep on keeping (present active subjunctive as in 1 John 2:3) his commandments.” This is the supreme test. [source]