1 John 5:18
ContextNETBible | We know that everyone fathered 1 by God does not sin, but God 2 protects 3 the one he has fathered, and the evil one cannot touch him. |
XREF | Ps 17:4; Ps 18:23; Ps 39:1; Ps 119:101; Pr 4:23; Joh 1:13; Joh 3:2-5; Joh 15:4,7,9; Ac 11:23; Jas 1:18; Jas 1:27; 1Pe 1:23; 1Jo 2:13,14; 1Jo 2:29; 1Jo 3:3; 1Jo 3:9; 1Jo 3:12; 1Jo 4:6; 1Jo 5:1,4; 1Jo 5:21; Jude 1:21,24; Re 2:13; Re 3:8-10 |
NET © Notes |
1 tn The concept represented by the verb γεννάω (gennaw) here means to be fathered by God and thus a child of God. The imagery in 1 John is that of the male parent who fathers children (see 2:29). 2 tn Grk “he”; see the note on the following word “protects.” 3 tn The meaning of the phrase ὁ γεννηθεὶς ἐκ τοῦ θεοῦ τηρεῖ αὐτόν (Jo gennhqeis ek tou qeou threi auton) in 5:18 is extraordinarily difficult. Again the author’s capacity for making obscure statements results in several possible meanings for this phrase: (1) “The fathering by God protects him [the Christian].” Here a textual variant for ὁ γεννηθείς (ἡ γέννησις, Jh gennhsi") has suggested to some that the passive participle should be understood as a noun (“fathering” or perhaps “birth”), but the ms evidence is extremely slight (1505 1852 2138 latt [syh] bo). This almost certainly represents a scribal attempt to clarify an obscure phrase. (2) “The One fathered by God [Jesus] protects him [the Christian].” This is a popular interpretation, and is certainly possible grammatically. Yet the introduction of a reference to Jesus in this context is sudden; to be unambiguous the author could have mentioned the “Son of God” here, or used the pronoun ἐκεῖνος (ekeinos) as a reference to Jesus as he consistently does elsewhere in 1 John. This interpretation, while possible, seems in context highly unlikely. (3) “The one fathered by God [the Christian] protects himself.” Again a textual problem is behind this alternative, since a number of |