3 John

BAD SOURCE LINE NOT CONVERTED: ['3JN', 'front', 'intro', 'kwv9', '', '', '0', '', '# Introduction to 3 John


## Part 1: General Introduction

### Outline of the Book of 3 John

1. Introduction (1:1)
2. Encouragement and instructions to show hospitality (1:2-8)
3. Diotrephes and Demetrius (1:9-12)
4. Conclusion (1:13-14)

### Who wrote the Book of 3 John?

The letter does not give the name of the author. The author only identified himself as **The elder** (1:1). The letter was probably written by the apostle John near the end of his life.

### What is the Book of 3 John about?

John wrote this letter to a believer named Gaius. He instructed Gaius to be hospitable to fellow believers who were traveling through his area.

### How should the title of this book be translated?

Translators may choose to call this book by its traditional title, “3 John” or “Third John.” Or they may choose a clearer title, such as “The Third Letter from John” or “The Third Letter John Wrote”. (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/translate-names]])

## Part 2: Important Religious and Cultural Concepts

### What is hospitality?

Hospitality was an important concept in the ancient Near East. It was important to be friendly towards foreigners or outsiders and provide help to them if they needed it. In 2 John, John discouraged Christians from showing hospitality to false teachers. In 3 John, John encouraged Christians to show hospitality to faithful teachers.

## Part 3: Important Translation Issues

### How does the author use family relationships in his letter?

The author used the terms **brother** and **children** in a way that can be confusing. The scriptures often used the term **brothers** to refer to Jews. But in this letter, John used the word to refer to Christians. Also, John called some believers his **children**. These were believers he taught to obey Christ.

John also used the term **Gentile** in a way that could be confusing. The scriptures often used the term **Gentile** to refer to people who are not Jews. But in this letter, John used the word to refer to those who did not believe in Jesus.']

BAD SOURCE LINE NOT CONVERTED: ['3JN', '1', '1', 'rni7', 'figs-you', '', '0', 'General Information:', 'This is a personal letter from John to Gaius. All instances of **you** and **your** refer to Gaius and are singular. (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-you]])']

BAD SOURCE LINE NOT CONVERTED: ['3JN', '1', '1', 'w99t', 'figs-explicit', 'ὁ πρεσβύτερος', '1', 'The elder', 'This refers to John, the apostle and disciple of Jesus. He refers to himself as the **elder** either because of his old age or because he is a leader in the church. The name of the author can be made explicit: “I, John the elder, am writing” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-explicit]])']

BAD SOURCE LINE NOT CONVERTED: ['3JN', '1', '1', 'lls6', 'translate-names', 'Γαΐῳ', '1', 'to … Gaius', 'This is a fellow believer to whom John is writing this letter. (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/translate-names]])']

BAD SOURCE LINE NOT CONVERTED: ['3JN', '1', '1', 'mp9w', '', 'ὃν ἐγὼ ἀγαπῶ ἐν ἀληθείᾳ', '1', 'whom I love in truth', '“whom I truly love”']

BAD SOURCE LINE NOT CONVERTED: ['3JN', '1', '2', 'v6dv', '', 'περὶ πάντων εὔχομαί σε εὐοδοῦσθαι καὶ ὑγιαίνειν', '1', 'I pray concerning everything for you to prosper and to be healthy', '“I pray that you may do well in all things and be healthy”']

BAD SOURCE LINE NOT CONVERTED: ['3JN', '1', '2', 'i269', '', 'καθὼς εὐοδοῦταί σου ἡ ψυχή', '1', 'just as your soul prospers', '“just as you are doing well spiritually”']

BAD SOURCE LINE NOT CONVERTED: ['3JN', '1', '3', 'b4zh', '', 'ἐρχομένων ἀδελφῶν', '1', 'when brothers came', '“when fellow believers came.” These people were probably all male.']

BAD SOURCE LINE NOT CONVERTED: ['3JN', '1', '3', 'y7q3', 'figs-metaphor', 'σὺ ἐν ἀληθείᾳ περιπατεῖς', '1', 'you are walking in truth', 'Here, **walking** on a path is a metaphor for how a person lives his life. Alternate translation: “you are living your life according to God’s truth” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor]])']

BAD SOURCE LINE NOT CONVERTED: ['3JN', '1', '4', 'w79m', 'figs-metaphor', 'τὰ ἐμὰ τέκνα', '1', 'my children', 'John speaks of those he taught to believe in Jesus as though they were his children. This emphasizes his love and concern for them. It could also be that he himself led them to the Lord. Alternate translation: “my spiritual children” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor]])']

BAD SOURCE LINE NOT CONVERTED: ['3JN', '1', '5', 'vl13', '', '', '0', 'Connecting Statement:', 'John’s purpose in writing this letter is to commend Gaius for taking care of people who are traveling to serve God; then he talks about two people, one evil and one good.']

BAD SOURCE LINE NOT CONVERTED: ['3JN', '1', '5', 'tmh1', '', 'ἀγαπητέ', '1', 'Beloved', 'Here, **Beloved** is used as a term of endearment for Gaius as a fellow believer. Use a term here for a dear friend in your language.']

BAD SOURCE LINE NOT CONVERTED: ['3JN', '1', '5', 'gs6x', '', 'πιστὸν ποιεῖς', '1', 'you are doing a faithful thing', '“you are doing what is faithful to God” or “you are being loyal to God”']

BAD SOURCE LINE NOT CONVERTED: ['3JN', '1', '5', 'g4gz', '', 'ὃ, ἐὰν ἐργάσῃ εἰς τοὺς ἀδελφοὺς καὶ τοῦτο ξένους', '1', 'whenever you work for the brothers, and this for strangers', '“when you help fellow believers, especially those whom you do not know”']

BAD SOURCE LINE NOT CONVERTED: ['3JN', '1', '6', 'wzf6', '', 'οἳ ἐμαρτύρησάν σου τῇ ἀγάπῃ ἐνώπιον ἐκκλησίας', '1', 'who have borne witness of your love in the presence of the church', 'These words describe the “strangers” (verse 5). “strangers who have told the believers in the church about how you have loved them”']

BAD SOURCE LINE NOT CONVERTED: ['3JN', '1', '6', 'pb64', '', 'οὓς καλῶς ποιήσεις, προπέμψας', '1', 'You do well to send them on their journey', 'John is commending Gaius for his normal practice of helping believers who are traveling. Translate this in a way that shows that this is something that Gaius does continually.']

BAD SOURCE LINE NOT CONVERTED: ['3JN', '1', '7', 'd8y1', 'figs-metonymy', 'ὑπὲρ γὰρ τοῦ ὀνόματος ἐξῆλθον', '1', 'because they went out for the sake of the name', 'Here, **the name** refers to Jesus. This could mean: (1) they left where they were in order to tell others about Jesus. (2) they left where they were because others forced them to leave because of their belief in Jesus. (3) both of these things. Alternate translation: “since they have gone out to tell people about Jesus” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-metonymy]])']

BAD SOURCE LINE NOT CONVERTED: ['3JN', '1', '7', 'yzc8', '', 'μηδὲν λαμβάνοντες', '1', 'receiving nothing', 'This could mean: (1) unbelievers have not helped them by giving them anything. (2) they did not accept any help or gifts from unbelievers.']

BAD SOURCE LINE NOT CONVERTED: ['3JN', '1', '7', 'hk3p', '', 'τῶν ἐθνικῶν', '1', 'the Gentiles', 'Here, **Gentiles** does not just mean people who are not Jewish. It refers to any people who do not trust in Jesus.']

BAD SOURCE LINE NOT CONVERTED: ['3JN', '1', '8', 'd2l7', '', 'ἵνα συνεργοὶ γινώμεθα τῇ ἀληθείᾳ', '1', 'so that we become fellow workers for the truth', '“so that we will cooperate with them in announcing God’s truth to people”']

BAD SOURCE LINE NOT CONVERTED: ['3JN', '1', '8', 'ab01', 'figs-personification', 'τῇ ἀληθείᾳ', '1', 'for the truth', 'Here, **the truth** is spoken of here as though it were a person that John, Gaius, and others worked for. This could refer to: (1) “the true message from God” as in the UST. (2) “God, who is Truth.” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-personification]])']

BAD SOURCE LINE NOT CONVERTED: ['3JN', '1', '9', 'tm9q', '', 'τῇ ἐκκλησίᾳ', '1', 'to the church', 'Here, **the church** refers to Gaius and the group of believers who met together to worship God.']

BAD SOURCE LINE NOT CONVERTED: ['3JN', '1', '9', 'cz9d', 'translate-names', 'Διοτρέφης', '1', 'Diotrephes', 'He was a member of the congregation. (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/translate-names]])']

BAD SOURCE LINE NOT CONVERTED: ['3JN', '1', '9', 's82w', '', 'ὁ φιλοπρωτεύων αὐτῶν', '1', 'who loves to be first among them', '“who loves to be the most important one among them” or “who loves to act as though he is their leader”']

BAD SOURCE LINE NOT CONVERTED: ['3JN', '1', '9', 'dp1v', 'figs-exclusive', 'ἡμᾶς', '1', 'us', 'The word **us** is exclusive; it refers to John and those with him and does not include Gaius. It may also be a polite way for John to refer to himself. See the UST. (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-exclusive]])']

BAD SOURCE LINE NOT CONVERTED: ['3JN', '1', '9', 'rrgg', 'figs-metonymy', 'Διοτρέφης, οὐκ ἐπιδέχεται ἡμᾶς', '1', 'Diotrophes … does not receive us', 'Saying **Diotrephes … does not accept us** does not mean that he has physically rejected John and those with John, but it is a shorter way of saying that he does not accept John’s authority or the instructions that John gives. See the UST. (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-metonymy]])']

BAD SOURCE LINE NOT CONVERTED: ['3JN', '1', '10', 'f6qj', '', 'λόγοις πονηροῖς φλυαρῶν ἡμᾶς', '1', 'accusing us with evil words', '“that is, that he says evil things about us that certainly are not true”']

BAD SOURCE LINE NOT CONVERTED: ['3JN', '1', '10', 'wi6a', '', 'οὔτε αὐτὸς ἐπιδέχεται τοὺς ἀδελφοὺς', '1', 'he does not receive the brothers', '“he does not welcome the fellow believers”']

BAD SOURCE LINE NOT CONVERTED: ['3JN', '1', '10', 'it7p', 'figs-ellipsis', 'τοὺς βουλομένους κωλύει', '1', 'stops those who are willing', 'There are words left out but they are understood from the previous clause. Alternate translation: “he stops those who want to welcome the believers” See the UST. (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-ellipsis]])']

BAD SOURCE LINE NOT CONVERTED: ['3JN', '1', '10', 'g98b', '', 'ἐκ τῆς ἐκκλησίας ἐκβάλλει', '1', 'puts them out of the church', '“forces them to leave the group of believers”']

BAD SOURCE LINE NOT CONVERTED: ['3JN', '1', '11', 'a3z8', '', 'ἀγαπητέ', '1', 'Beloved', 'Here, **Beloved** is used as a term of endearment for Gaius as a fellow believer. See how you translated this in [3 John 1:5](../01/05.md).']

BAD SOURCE LINE NOT CONVERTED: ['3JN', '1', '11', 'pv24', '', 'μὴ μιμοῦ τὸ κακὸν', '1', 'do not imitate what is evil', '“do not copy the evil things that people do”']

BAD SOURCE LINE NOT CONVERTED: ['3JN', '1', '11', 'sz2h', 'figs-ellipsis', 'ἀλλὰ τὸ ἀγαθόν', '1', 'but what is good', 'There are words left out but they are understood from the previous clause. Alternate translation: “but imitate the good things that people do” See the UST. (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-ellipsis]])']

BAD SOURCE LINE NOT CONVERTED: ['3JN', '1', '11', 'cm8t', '', 'ἐκ τοῦ Θεοῦ ἐστιν', '1', 'is from God', '“comes from God”']

BAD SOURCE LINE NOT CONVERTED: ['3JN', '1', '11', 'zan2', 'figs-metaphor', 'οὐχ ἑώρακεν τὸν Θεόν', '1', 'has not seen God', '“Seeing” here is a metaphor that stands for knowing or understanding. Alternate translation: “has not experienced God” or “has not believed in God” Also see the UST. (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor]])']

BAD SOURCE LINE NOT CONVERTED: ['3JN', '1', '12', 'pl7i', 'figs-activepassive', 'Δημητρίῳ μεμαρτύρηται ὑπὸ πάντων', '1', 'Demetrius is borne witness to by all', 'You can state this in active form. Alternate translation: “All who know Demetrius bear witness of him” or “Every believer who knows Demetrius speaks well of him” See the UST. (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-activepassive]])']

BAD SOURCE LINE NOT CONVERTED: ['3JN', '1', '12', 'm22h', 'translate-names', 'Δημητρίῳ', '1', 'Demetrius', 'This is probably a man whom John wants Gaius and the congregation to welcome when he comes to visit. He may be the person delivering this letter. (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/translate-names]])']

BAD SOURCE LINE NOT CONVERTED: ['3JN', '1', '12', 'rad4', 'figs-personification', 'ὑπὸ αὐτῆς τῆς ἀληθείας', '1', 'by the truth itself', '“the truth itself speaks well of him.” Here, **truth** is described as though it were a person speaking. Here, **truth** refers to “the true message from God.” Alternate translation: “everyone who knows the truth knows that he is a good person” Also see the UST. (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-personification]])']

BAD SOURCE LINE NOT CONVERTED: ['3JN', '1', '12', 'mftm', 'figs-ellipsis', 'ὑπὸ αὐτῆς τῆς ἀληθείας', '1', 'by the truth itself', 'There are words left out of this clause but they are understood from the previous clause. Alternate translation: “he is borne witness to by the truth itself” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-ellipsis]])']

BAD SOURCE LINE NOT CONVERTED: ['3JN', '1', '12', 's712', 'figs-explicit', 'ἡμεῖς δὲ μαρτυροῦμεν', '1', 'we also bear witness', 'What John is confirming is implied and can be made explicit here. Alternate translation: “we also speak well of Demetrius” Also see the UST. (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-explicit]])']

BAD SOURCE LINE NOT CONVERTED: ['3JN', '1', '12', 'a16a', 'figs-exclusive', 'ἡμεῖς', '1', 'we', 'Here, **we** refers to John and those with him and does not include Gaius. (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-exclusive]])']

BAD SOURCE LINE NOT CONVERTED: ['3JN', '1', '13', 'v27c', '', '', '0', 'General Information:', 'This is the end of John’s letter to Gaius. In this section, he mentions coming to see him and closes with a greeting.']

BAD SOURCE LINE NOT CONVERTED: ['3JN', '1', '13', 'am6k', 'figs-doublet', 'οὐ θέλω διὰ μέλανος καὶ καλάμου σοι γράφειν', '1', 'I do not wish to write them to you with ink and pen', 'This is a doublet, because **ink and pen** stand for the process of writing that was already mentioned. John is not saying that he would write them with something other than ink and pen. He is saying that he does not wish to write these other things at all. Alternate translation: “I do not want to write about them to you” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-doublet]])']

BAD SOURCE LINE NOT CONVERTED: ['3JN', '1', '14', 'r8i4', 'figs-idiom', 'στόμα πρὸς στόμα', '1', 'mouth to mouth', 'Here, **mouth to mouth** is an idiom meaning “in person.” Alternate translation: “in person” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-idiom]])']

BAD SOURCE LINE NOT CONVERTED: ['3JN', '1', '15', 'v8yj', '', 'εἰρήνη σοι', '1', 'Peace to you', '“May God give you peace”']

BAD SOURCE LINE NOT CONVERTED: ['3JN', '1', '15', 'mhs1', '', 'ἀσπάζονταί σε οἱ φίλοι', '1', 'The friends greet you', '“The believers here greet you”']

BAD SOURCE LINE NOT CONVERTED: ['3JN', '1', '15', 'lq8r', '', 'ἀσπάζου τοὺς φίλους κατ’ ὄνομα', '1', 'Greet the friends by name', '“Greet each of the believers there for me”']