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Read the Bible

Amplified Bible

3 John 1:4

I have no greater joy than this, to hear that my [spiritual] children are living [their lives] in the truth.

Bible Study Resources

Concordances:

- Nave's Topical Bible - Hospitality;   Zeal, Religious;   Torrey's Topical Textbook - Missionary Work by Ministers;  

Dictionaries:

- Bridgeway Bible Dictionary - Gaius;   Truth;   Baker Evangelical Dictionary of Biblical Theology - Walk;   Fausset Bible Dictionary - Diotrephes;   Gaius;   John the Apostle;   John, the Epistles of;   Timothy, the First Epistle to;   Holman Bible Dictionary - Love;   Truth;   Hastings' Dictionary of the Bible - Brotherly Love;   Diotrephes;   Excommunication;   Hastings' Dictionary of the New Testament - Joy;   Walk (2);   Watson's Biblical & Theological Dictionary - John the Baptist;  

Parallel Translations

Christian Standard Bible®
I have no greater joy than this: to hear that my children are walking in truth.
King James Version (1611)
I haue no greater ioy, then to heare that my children walke in truth.
King James Version
I have no greater joy than to hear that my children walk in truth.
English Standard Version
I have no greater joy than to hear that my children are walking in the truth.
New American Standard Bible
I have no greater joy than this, to hear of my children walking in the truth.
New Century Version
Nothing gives me greater joy than to hear that my children are following the way of truth.
New American Standard Bible (1995)
I have no greater joy than this, to hear of my children walking in the truth.
Berean Standard Bible
I have no greater joy than to hear that my children are walking in the truth.
Contemporary English Version
Nothing brings me greater happiness than to hear that my children are obeying the truth.
Complete Jewish Bible
Nothing gives me greater joy than hearing that my children are living in the truth.
Darby Translation
I have no greater joy than these things that I hear of my children walking in the truth.
Easy-to-Read Version
It always gives me the greatest joy when I hear that my children are following the way of truth.
Geneva Bible (1587)
I haue no greater ioy then these, that is, to heare that my sonnes walke in veritie.
George Lamsa Translation
I have no greater joy than to hear that my children follow the truth.
Good News Translation
Nothing makes me happier than to hear that my children live in the truth.
Lexham English Bible
I have no greater joy than this: that I hear my children are walking in the truth.
Literal Translation
I have no greater joy than these things, that I hear my children are walking in truth.
American Standard Version
Greater joy have I none than this, to hear of my children walking in the truth.
Bible in Basic English
I have no greater joy than to have news that my children are walking in the true way.
Hebrew Names Version
I have no greater joy than this, to hear about my children walking in truth.
International Standard Version
I have no greater joy than to hear that my children are living according to the truth.[xr]
Etheridge Translation
And greater joy than this I have not (than) when I hear that my sons walk in the truth.
Murdock Translation
And I have no greater joy, than to hear that my children walk in the truth.
Bishop's Bible (1568)
I haue no greater ioy, the for to heare how that my sonnes walke in veritie.
English Revised Version
Greater joy have I none than this, to hear of my children walking in the truth.
World English Bible
I have no greater joy than this, to hear about my children walking in truth.
Wesley's New Testament (1755)
I have no greater joy than this, to hear that my children walk in the truth.
Weymouth's New Testament
I have no greater joy than to hear that my children are living in obedience to the truth.
Wycliffe Bible (1395)
Y haue not more grace of these thingis, than that Y here that my sones walke in treuthe.
Update Bible Version
I have no greater joy than this, to hear of my children walking in the truth.
Webster's Bible Translation
I have no greater joy than to hear that my children walk in truth.
New English Translation
I have no greater joy than this: to hear that my children are living according to the truth.
New King James Version
I have no greater joy than to hear that my children walk in truth. [fn]
New Living Translation
I could have no greater joy than to hear that my children are following the truth.
New Life Bible
I can have no greater joy than to hear that my children are following the truth.
New Revised Standard
I have no greater joy than this, to hear that my children are walking in the truth.
J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
I have no, greater, favour than these things, that I should be hearing that, my own children, in the truth, are walking.
Douay-Rheims Bible
I have no greater grace than this, to hear that my children walk in truth.
Revised Standard Version
No greater joy can I have than this, to hear that my children follow the truth.
Tyndale New Testament (1525)
I have no greater ioye then for to heare howe that my sonnes walke in veritie.
Young's Literal Translation
greater than these things I have no joy, that I may hear of my children in truth walking.
Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
I haue no greater ioye, the to heare that my childre walke in the trueth.
Mace New Testament (1729)
greater joy I cannot have, than to hear that my children are attach'd to the truth.
Simplified Cowboy Version
It sure didn't surprise me any, but I was glad about it nonetheless.

Contextual Overview

3For I was greatly pleased when [some of the] brothers came [from time to time] and testified to your [faithfulness to the] truth [of the gospel message], that is, how you are walking in truth. 4I have no greater joy than this, to hear that my [spiritual] children are living [their lives] in the truth.5Beloved, you are acting faithfully in what you are providing for the brothers, and especially when they are strangers; 6and they have testified before the church of your love and friendship. You will do well to [assist them and] send them on their way in a manner worthy of God. 7For these [traveling missionaries] went out for the sake of the Name [of Christ], accepting nothing [in the way of assistance] from the Gentiles. 8So we ought to support such people [welcoming them as guests and providing for them], so that we may be fellow workers for the truth [that is, for the gospel message of salvation].

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

have: Proverbs 23:24

that: Isaiah 8:18, 1 Corinthians 4:15, Galatians 4:19, Philemon 1:10

walk: 1 Kings 2:4, 1 Kings 3:6, 2 Kings 20:3, Psalms 26:1-3, Isaiah 38:3, John 12:35, John 12:36, Galatians 2:14

Reciprocal: Psalms 26:3 - and Psalms 86:11 - I will Proverbs 17:21 - hath Proverbs 20:7 - just Proverbs 23:15 - if Acts 11:23 - seen Romans 1:12 - that I may 1 Corinthians 16:18 - they 2 Corinthians 6:13 - I speak Philippians 1:27 - I may Philippians 2:2 - Fulfil Philippians 2:19 - that I Colossians 1:4 - we Philemon 1:20 - let me 1 John 1:7 - If we 2 John 1:4 - rejoiced 3 John 1:3 - I

Cross-References

Genesis 1:10
God called the dry land earth, and the gathering of the waters He called seas; and God saw that this was good (pleasing, useful) and He affirmed and sustained it.
Genesis 1:12
The earth sprouted and abundantly produced vegetation, plants yielding seed according to their kind, and trees bearing fruit with seed in them, according to their kind; and God saw that it was good and He affirmed and sustained it.
Genesis 1:18
to rule over the day and the night, and to separate the light from the darkness; and God saw that it was good and He affirmed and sustained it.
Genesis 1:25
So God made the wild animals of the earth according to their kind, and the cattle according to their kind, and everything that creeps and crawls on the earth according to its kind; and God saw that it was good (pleasing, useful) and He affirmed and sustained it.
Genesis 1:31
God saw everything that He had made, and behold, it was very good and He validated it completely. And there was evening and there was morning, a sixth day.
Ecclesiastes 2:13
Then I saw that [even secular] wisdom [that brings sorrow] is better than [the pleasures of] folly and self-indulgence as light excels darkness.
Ecclesiastes 11:7
The light is sweet and pleasant, and it is good for the eyes to see the sun.

Gill's Notes on the Bible

I have no greater joy,.... Nothing that causes greater joy. The Vulgate Latin version reads "grace" or "thanks"; and then the sense is, that he had nothing to be more thankful for:

than to hear that my children walk in truth; meaning his spiritual children, those whose conversion he had been the instrument of; and among these it seems Gaius was one.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

I have no greater joy than to hear that my children walk in truth - That they adhere steadfastly to the truth, and that they live in accordance with it. This is such language as would be used by an aged apostle when speaking of those who had been converted by his instrumentality, and who looked up to him as a father; and we may, therefore, infer that Gaius had been converted under the ministry of John, and that he was probably a much younger man than he was. John, the aged apostle, says that he had no higher happiness than to learn, respecting those who regarded him as their spiritual father, that they were steadfast in their adherence to the doctrines of religion. The same thing may be:

(a) of all the ministers of the gospel, that their highest comfort is found in the fact that those to whom they minister, whether still under their care or removed from them, persevere in a steadfast attachment to the true doctrines of religion, and live accordingly; and,

(b) of all Christian parents respecting their own children. the highest joy that a Christian parent can have is to know that his children, whether at home or abroad, adhere to the truths of religion, and live in accordance with the requirements of the gospel of Christ.

If a child wished to confer the highest possible happiness upon his parents when with them, it would be by becoming a decided Christian; if, when abroad, in foreign lands or his own, he wished to convey intelligence to them that would most thrill their hearts with joy, it would be to announce to them that he had given his heart to God. There is no joy in a family like that when children are converted; there is no news that comes from abroad that diffuses so much happiness through the domestic circle as the intelligence that a child is truly converted to the Saviour. There is nothing that would give more peace to the dying pillow of the Christian parent, than to be able to leave the world with the assurance that his children would always walk in truth.

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse 3 John 1:4. To hear that my children — From this it has been inferred that Caius was one of St. John's converts, and consequently not the Corinthian Caius, who was converted, most probably, by St. Paul. But the apostle might use the term children here as implying those who were immediately under his pastoral care, and, being an old man, he had a right to use such terms in addressing his juniors both in age and grace; and there is much both of propriety and dignity in the appellation coming from such a person.


 
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