2nd John Chapter 1 verse 1 Holy Bible

ASV 2ndJohn 1:1

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;
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BBE 2ndJohn 1:1

I, a ruler in the church, send word to the noble sister who is of God's selection, and to her children, for whom I have true love; and not only I, but all who have knowledge of what is true;
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DARBY 2ndJohn 1:1

The elder to [the] elect lady and her children, whom *I* love in truth, and not *I* only but also all who have known the truth,
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KJV 2ndJohn 1:1

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;
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WBT 2ndJohn 1:1


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WEB 2ndJohn 1:1

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;
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YLT 2ndJohn 1:1

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,
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Pulpit Commentary

Pulpit CommentaryVerse 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."

Ellicott's Commentary

Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers(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. . . .