1st John Chapter 3 verse 18 Holy Bible
`My' Little children, let us not love in word, neither with the tongue; but in deed and truth.
read chapter 3 in ASV
My little children, do not let our love be in word and in tongue, but let it be in act and in good faith.
read chapter 3 in BBE
Children, let us not love with word, nor with tongue, but in deed and in truth.
read chapter 3 in DARBY
My little children, let us not love in word, neither in tongue; but in deed and in truth.
read chapter 3 in KJV
read chapter 3 in WBT
My little children, let's not love in word only, neither with the tongue only, but in deed and truth.
read chapter 3 in WEB
My little children, may we not love in word nor in tongue, but in word and in truth!
read chapter 3 in YLT
1st John 3 : 18 Bible Verse Songs
Pulpit Commentary
Pulpit CommentaryVerses 18-24. - As in chapter 1 John 2:28, St. John bursts out into personal exhortation (comp. verse 13; chapter 1 John 4:1, 7), based upon the preceding statements. He then restates the motive in a new form both positively and negatively. Verse 18. - Little children (τεκνία, the μου being spurious). This address, as in 1 John 2:28, introduces the summing up of the section. It may be doubted whether the absence of ἐν with the first pair λόγῳ μηδὲ τῇ γλώσσῃ and its presence with the second ἐν ἔργῳ καὶ ἀληθείᾳ indicates any marked difference, as if λόγῳ expressed the instrument, and ἐν ἔργῳ the element or sphere. This introduces a false antithesis, like "Do not dig with a stick, but dig in the earth." (For the Hebraic ἐν to express the instrument, comp. Revelation 13:10.) "Nor yet with the tongue" is not a tautological addition. One may love in word only, and yet the affectionate words may be quite sincere; and this is a common case. People say kind things which they mean at the moment, but afterwards they do not take the trouble to act kindly. But to love with the tongue only is far worse. This is to say kind things which one does not mean, and which one knows to be unreal. Deeds are needed to complete the kind word; truth is needed to correct the insincere tongue.
