1 John 5:17
in 1 John 5All unrighteousness is sin, yet there is sin that does not lead to death.
BSB
The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾
ASV
All unrighteousness is sin: and there is a sin not unto death.
KJV
All unrighteousness is sin: and there is a sin not unto death.
⋯
This verse in 1 John 5
Commentary
12 notes on this verseA commentator
Albert Barnes1798–1870
Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869)
All unrighteousness is sin ... - This seems to be thrown in to guard what he had just said, and there is “one” great and enormous sin, a sin which could not be forgiven. But he says also that there are many other forms and degrees of sin, sin for which prayer may be made.
This site's exposition
a sin not leading to death
on 1 John 5:16-17
Prayer is put to work for a brother committing a sin not leading to death. For a sin that leads to death three readings stand: denial of the Son, blasphemy Jesus named, sin judged by bodily death as at Corinth. John stops short of forbidding prayer.
This site's exposition
All unrighteousness is sin
John guards against taking any sin lightly. Every wrong is sin, even the sin that does not lead to death. The distinction of verse 16 gives no license, only hope for prayer.
The record, by era
The Church Fathers1 voice
If anyone sees his brother sinning a sin not leading to death, he will ask, and He will give him life for those who commit sin not leading to death. There is sin leading to death; I do not say that he should pray about …
The Medieval Church2 voices
Having said that God fulfills our requests that are in accordance with His will, the apostle now clearly expresses his desire concerning what we should ask for according to God's will. And since he spoke much, almost throughout the entire epistle, about love for one's …
All iniquity is sin, etc. Such is the diversity of sins, he says, that everything which deviates from the rule of equity is counted among the sins, although small sins cannot in any way take away or diminish the merit of righteousness from the just, …
The Puritans and the Awakening2 voices
All deviation from perfect holiness is sin; but all sin is not unpardonable.
All sin, as to the merit and legal sentence of it, is unto death. The wages of sin is death; and cursed is every one that continueth not in all things that are written in the book of the law, to do them, Gal. iii. But there is a sin unto death in opposition to such sin as is here said not to be unto death.
4 more voices on this verse
The Puritans and the Awakening2 voices
All unrighteousness is sin,....
And we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only-begotten of the Father, John i. Thirdly, In raising him from the dead. 19 , Destroy this temple, and in three days will I raise it up. [3.] The third witness is the Holy Ghost, or the Holy Spirit, and august, venerable name, the possessor, proprietor, and author of holiness.
The Nineteenth Century2 voices
A commentator
Jamieson, Fausset & Brown1802–1910
Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871)
proposed
Every coming short of right) is sin"; (but) not every sin is the sin unto death. and there is a sin not unto death--in the case of which, therefore, believers may intercede. Death and life stand in correlative opposition (1Jo 5:11-13). The sin unto death must be one tending "towards" (so the Greek), and so resulting in, death.
quarantine:debris (2026-07-29) — unbalanced-parens+odd-straight-quotes
All unrighteousness is sin - Πασα αδικια, Every act contrary to justice is sin - is a transgression of the law which condemns all injustice.
The words behind it
10 Greek wordsEvery Greek word of this verse in the order it stands, with what it means and the door to its own study. The last column counts the times a word stands in the whole Bible: the rarer the word, the more the places it appears belong together.
| Greek | Sound | Meaning | Word study | In the Bible |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| πᾶσα | pasa | All | G3956 → | 1235 times |
| ἀδικία | adikia | unrighteousness | G93 → | |
| ἁμαρτία | hamartia | sin | G266 → | 173 times |
| ἐστίν, | estin | is, | G1510 → | 2333 times |
| καὶ | kai | and | G2532 → | 9120 times |
| ἔστιν | estin | there is | G1510 → | 2333 times |
| ἁμαρτία | hamartia | sin | G266 → | 173 times |
| οὐ | ou | not | G3756 → | 1664 times |
| πρὸς | pros | unto | G4314 → | 700 times |
| θάνατον. | thanaton | death. | G2288 → | 120 times |
πᾶσαAll
pasaG3956 →1235 times
ἀδικίαunrighteousness
adikiaG93 →
ἁμαρτίαsin
hamartiaG266 →173 times
ἐστίν,is,
estinG1510 →2333 times
καὶand
kaiG2532 →9120 times
ἔστινthere is
estinG1510 →2333 times
ἁμαρτίαsin
hamartiaG266 →173 times
οὐnot
ouG3756 →1664 times
πρὸςunto
prosG4314 →700 times
θάνατον.death.
thanatonG2288 →120 times
A shaded row is a word that stands 400 times or fewer in the Bible.
The walk
8 stopsEach card is a verse this one points to, and under it the verses that one points to in turn. Where several paths arrive at the same place, that place is listed first: the text keeps returning to it.
Through
1 John 5:16If anyone sees his brother committing a sin not leading to death, he should ask God, who will give life to those who commit this kind of sin. There is a sin that leads…
it leads to
- Hebrews 6:4–6
It is impossible for those who have once been enlightened, who have tasted the heavenly gift, who have shared in the Holy Spirit,
- 1 Samuel 2:25
If a man sins against another man, God can intercede for him; but if a man sins against the LORD, who can intercede for him?” But they would not listen to their father, since…
- Jeremiah 11:14
As for you, do not pray for these people. Do not raise up a cry or a prayer on their behalf, for I will not be listening when they call out to Me in…
- Hebrews 10:26–31
If we deliberately go on sinning after we have received the knowledge of the truth, no further sacrifice for sins remains,
- Hebrews 6:4–6
Through
James 1:15Then after desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, gives birth to death.
it leads to
- Psalms 7:14
Behold, the wicked man travails with evil; he conceives trouble and births falsehood.
- Job 15:35
They conceive trouble and give birth to evil; their womb is pregnant with deceit.”
- Psalms 7:14
Through
1 John 3:4Everyone who practices sin practices lawlessness as well. Indeed, sin is lawlessness.
it leads to
- Romans 3:20
Therefore no one will be justified in His sight by works of the law. For the law merely brings awareness of sin.
- Romans 4:15
because the law brings wrath. And where there is no law, there is no transgression.
- Romans 3:20
Where this verse is studied
On this page
Studies4
On this verse
On this chapter
About 1 John
This page draws on 12 works. Open the list of works
This page draws on Adam Clarke, Commentary on the Bible; Albert Barnes, Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869); Albert Barnes, Notes on the New Testament; Bede, Commentary on the Catholic Epistles; Jamieson, Fausset & Brown, Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible; John Calvin, Commentary on 1 John; John Gill, Exposition of the New Testament; John Gill, Exposition of the New Testament (1746-1748); John Wesley, Explanatory Notes upon the New Testament; Matthew Henry, Commentary on the Whole Bible; Oecumenius, Commentary on 1 John and Theophylact of Ohrid, Commentary on 1 John.