1 John 4:20 BSB — MannaFest

1 John 4:20

If anyone says, “I love God,” but hates his brother, he is a liar. For anyone who does not love his brother, whom he has seen, cannot love God, whom he has not seen.

BSB

Parallel translations (2) ▾

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.

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?

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Commentary

2 voices

Adam Clarke

1762–1832

Commentary on the Bible (1832)

If a man say, I love God, and hateth his brother - This, as well as many other parts of this epistle, seems levelled against the Jews, who pretended much love to God while they hated the Gentiles; and even some of them who were brought into the Christian Church brought this leaven with them. It required a miracle to redeem St. Peter’s mind from the influence of this principle. See Acts 10. Whom he hath seen - We may have our love excited towards our brother, 1. By a consideration of his excellences or amiable qualities.

The record, by era

The Puritans and the Awakening1 voice

Matthew Henry

1662–1714

Commentary on the Whole Bible (1710)

The eye is wont to affect the heart; things unseen less catch the mind, and thereby the heart. The incomprehensibleness of God very much arises from his invisibility; the member of Christ has much of God visible in him. How then shall the hater of a visible image of God pretend to love the unseen original, the invisible God himself?

The Nineteenth Century1 voice

Jamieson, Fausset & Brown

1802–1910

Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871)

The true ideal of man, lost in Adam, is realized in Christ, in whom God is revealed as He is, and man as he ought to be. Thus, by faith in Christ, we learn to love both the true God, and the true man, and so to love the brethren as bearing His image. hath seen--and continually sees.

Voices on this verse

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Original language & word study

31 tagged words

Original	Transliteration	Meaning	Word study
ἐάν	ean	If	G1437 →
τις	tis	anyone	G5100 →
εἴπῃ	eipē	shall say	G2036 →
ὅτι	hoti	that	G3754 →
ἀγαπῶ	agapō	I love	G25 →
τὸν	ton	<the>	G3588 →
θεὸν	theon	God	G2316 →
καὶ	kai	and	G2532 →
τὸν	ton	the	G3588 →
ἀδελφὸν	adelphon	brother	G80 →
αὐτοῦ	autou	of him	G846 →
μισῇ,	misēa	may hate,	G3404 →
ψεύστης	pseustēs	a liar	G5583 →
ἐστίν·	estin	he is;	G1510 →
ὁ	ho	The [one]	G3588 →
γὰρ	gar	for	G1063 →
μὴ	mē	not	G3361 →
ἀγαπῶν	agapōn	loving	G25 →
τὸν	ton	the	G3588 →
ἀδελφὸν	adelphon	brother	G80 →
αὐτοῦ	autou	of him	G846 →
ὃν	hon	whom	G3739 →
ἑώρακεν,	he'ōraken	he has seen,	G3708 →
τὸν	ton	<the>	G3588 →
θεὸν	theon	God	G2316 →
ὃν	hon	whom	G3739 →
οὐχ	ouch	not	G3756 →
ἑώρακεν	he'ōraken	he has seen	G3708 →
οὐ	ou	not	G3756 →
δύναται	dunatai	is he able	G1410 →
ἀγαπᾶν·	agapan	to love;	G25 →

Rare words are the text's own signal of a deliberate thread: the fewer the occurrences, the more the places it appears belong together.

The walk

The walk8

Where the connections lead

Follow this verse’s cross-references two steps out. Each card is a verse this one points to, and beneath it the verses that one points to in turn. Where several different paths arrive at the same place, that place is listed first: the text keeps returning to it. Every stop shows its own words, and every stop is a page.

Through
1 John 2:4
If anyone says, “I know Him,” but does not keep His commandments, he is a liar, and the truth is not in him.
leads to
- 1 John 1:6
  If we say we have fellowship with Him yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth.
  Reached by 2 independent paths from here.
- Titus 1:16
  They profess to know God, but by their actions they deny Him. They are detestable, disobedient, and unfit for any good deed.
- James 2:14–16
  What good is it, my brothers, if someone claims to have faith, but has no deeds? Can such faith save him?
Through
1 John 3:17
If anyone with earthly possessions sees his brother in need, but withholds his compassion from him, how can the love of God abide in him?
leads to
- Hebrews 13:16
  And do not neglect to do good and to share with others, for with such sacrifices God is pleased.
- Isaiah 58:7–10
  Isn’t it to share your bread with the hungry, to bring the poor and homeless into your home, to clothe the naked when you see him, and not to turn away from your own…
- Deuteronomy 15:7–11
  If there is a poor man among your brothers within any of the gates in the land that the LORD your God is giving you, then you are not to harden your heart or…
- Proverbs 19:17
  Kindness to the poor is a loan to the LORD, and He will repay the lender.
- Luke 3:11
  John replied, “Whoever has two tunics should share with him who has none, and whoever has food should do the same.”

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About 1 John

The Last Supper — Gustave Doré (engraving, public domain)

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Continue: 1 John 4 →

01Commentary

The record, by era

Voices on this verse

02Original language & word study

03The walk

Where the connections lead

04Related verses

05Featured studies on this passage

06About 1 John

The record, by era

Where the connections lead

Commentary

Original language & word study

The walk

Related verses

Featured studies on this passage

About 1 John