1 John 2:4

THE MESSAGE

If someone claims, "I know him well!" but doesn't keep his commandments, he's obviously a liar. His life doesn't match his words. But the one who keeps God's word is the person in whom we see God's mature love. This is the only way to be sure we're in God. Anyone who claims to be intimate with God ought to live the same kind of life Jesus lived.

Parallel Translations

Christian Standard Bible®
The one who says, “I have come to know him,” and yet doesn’t keep his commands, is a liar, and the truth is not in him.

King James Version (1611)
He that saith, I knowe him, and keepeth not his commandements, is a lyer, and the trueth is not in him.

King James Version
He that saith, I know him, and keepeth not his commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him.

English Standard Version
Whoever says "I know him" but does not keep his commandments is a liar, and the truth is not in him,

New American Standard Bible
The one who says, "I have come to know Him," and does not keep His commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him;

New Century Version
Anyone who says, "I know God," but does not obey God's commands is a liar, and the truth is not in that person.

New American Standard Bible (1995)
The one who says, "I have come to know Him," and does not keep His commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him;

Berean Standard Bible
If anyone says, "I know Him," but does not keep His commandments, he is a liar, and the truth is not in him.

Contemporary English Version
But if we claim to know him and don't obey him, we are lying and the truth isn't in our hearts.

Complete Jewish Bible
Anyone who says, "I know him," but isn't obeying his commands is a liar — the truth is not in him.

Darby Translation
He that says, I know him, and does not keep his commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him;

Easy-to-Read Version
If we say we know God but do not obey his commands, we are lying. The truth is not in us.

Geneva Bible (1587)
Hee that saith, I knowe him, and keepeth not his commaundements, is a liar, and the trueth is not in him.

George Lamsa Translation
He who says, I know him, and does not keep his commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him.

Good News Translation
If we say that we know him, but do not obey his commands, we are liars and there is no truth in us.

Lexham English Bible
The one who says "I have come to know him," and does not keep his commandments is a liar, and the truth is not in this person.

Literal Translation
The one saying, I have known Him, and not keeping His commands is a liar, and the truth is not in that one.

Amplified Bible
Whoever says, "I have come to know Him," but does not habitually keep [focused on His precepts and obey] His commandments (teachings), is a liar, and the truth [of the divine word] is not in him.

American Standard Version
He that saith, I know him, and keepeth not his commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him;

Bible in Basic English
The man who says, I have knowledge of him, and does not keep his laws, is false, and there is nothing true in him:

Hebrew Names Version
He who says, "I know him," and doesn't keep his mitzvot, is a liar, and the truth is not in him.

International Standard Version
The person who says, "I have come to know him," but does not continually keep his commandments is a liar, and the truth is not in that person.1 John 1:6,8; 4:20;">[xr]

Etheridge Translation
For he who saith that he knoweth him, and his commandments keepeth not, is a liar, and the truth is not in him.

Murdock Translation
For he that saith, I know him, and doth not keep his commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him.

Bishop's Bible (1568)
He that sayth I knowe hym, and kepeth not his commaundementes, is a lyer, and the veritie is not in hym:

English Revised Version
He that saith, I know him, and keepeth not his commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him:

World English Bible
He who says, "I know him," and doesn't keep his commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him.

Wesley's New Testament (1755)
He that faith, I know him, and keepeth not his commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him.

Weymouth's New Testament
He who professes to know Him, and yet does not obey His commands, is a liar, and the truth has no place in his heart.

Wycliffe Bible (1395)
He that seith that he knowith God, and kepith not hise comaundementis, is a liere, and trewthe is not in hym.

Update Bible Version
He that says, I know him, and doesn't keep his commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him;

Webster's Bible Translation
He that saith, I know him, and keepeth not his commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him.

New English Translation
The one who says "I have come to know God" and yet does not keep his commandments is a liar, and the truth is not in such a person.

New King James Version
He who says, "I know Him," and does not keep His commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him.

New Living Translation
If someone claims, "I know God," but doesn't obey God's commandments, that person is a liar and is not living in the truth.

New Life Bible
Anyone who says, "I know Him," but does not obey His teaching is a liar. There is no truth in him.

New Revised Standard
Whoever says, "I have come to know him," but does not obey his commandments, is a liar, and in such a person the truth does not exist;

J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
He that saith - I understand him! And, his commandments, is not keeping, is false, and, in him, the truth is not!

Douay-Rheims Bible
He who saith that he knoweth him and keepeth not his commandments is a liar: and the truth is not in him.

Revised Standard Version
He who says "I know him" but disobeys his commandments is a liar, and the truth is not in him;

Tyndale New Testament (1525)
He that sayth I knowe him and kepeth not his commaundementes is a lyar and the veritie is not in him.

Young's Literal Translation
he who is saying, `I have known him,' and his command is not keeping, a liar he is, and in him the truth is not;

Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
He that sayeth: I knowe him, and kepeth not his comaundemetes, is a lyar, and the trueth is not in him,

Mace New Testament (1729)
he that says, he knows him, and does not keep his commandments, is a lyar, and an enemy to the truth:

Simplified Cowboy Version
If we say we ride for him, but we don't do what he says, then we are counterfeits and fakes and there is no truth in us at all.

Contextual Overview

³ I write this, dear children, to guide you out of sin. But if anyone does sin, we have a Priest-Friend in the presence of the Father: Jesus Christ, righteous Jesus. When he served as a sacrifice for our sins, he solved the sin problem for good—not only ours, but the whole world's. Here's how we can be sure that we know God in the right way: Keep his commandments. ⁴If someone claims, "I know him well!" but doesn't keep his commandments, he's obviously a liar. His life doesn't match his words. But the one who keeps God's word is the person in whom we see God's mature love. This is the only way to be sure we're in God. Anyone who claims to be intimate with God ought to live the same kind of life Jesus lived.

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

that saith: 1 John 2:9, 1 John 1:6, 1 John 1:8, 1 John 1:10, 1 John 4:20, James 2:14-16

I know: Hosea 8:2, Hosea 8:3, Titus 1:16

is a: 1 John 1:6, 1 John 1:8

Reciprocal: Psalms 119:29 - Remove Psalms 119:166 - and done Proverbs 7:2 - Keep Proverbs 19:16 - keepeth the Jeremiah 22:16 - was not Daniel 11:32 - the people Hosea 5:4 - and Matthew 28:20 - them Luke 6:49 - that heareth John 7:28 - whom John 8:55 - shall John 15:21 - because 1 Corinthians 7:19 - but Galatians 4:9 - ye have Ephesians 1:17 - in the knowledge 1 John 2:3 - hereby 1 John 2:5 - whoso 1 John 2:6 - that saith 1 John 2:13 - because 1 John 2:22 - Who 1 John 3:6 - whosoever 1 John 4:8 - knoweth

Cross-References

Genesis 1:1
First this: God created the Heavens and Earth—all you see, all you don't see. Earth was a soup of nothingness, a bottomless emptiness, an inky blackness. God's Spirit brooded like a bird above the watery abyss.

Genesis 1:31
God looked over everything he had made; it was so good, so very good! It was evening, it was morning— Day Six.

Genesis 2:1
Heaven and Earth were finished, down to the last detail.

Genesis 2:2
By the seventh day God had finished his work. On the seventh day he rested from all his work. God blessed the seventh day. He made it a Holy Day Because on that day he rested from his work, all the creating God had done. This is the story of how it all started, of Heaven and Earth when they were created.

Genesis 5:1
This is the family tree of the human race: When God created the human race, he made it godlike, with a nature akin to God. He created both male and female and blessed them, the whole human race.

Genesis 10:1
This is the family tree of the sons of Noah: Shem, Ham, and Japheth. After the flood, they themselves had sons.

Genesis 11:10
This is the story of Shem. When Shem was 100 years old, he had Arphaxad. It was two years after the flood. After he had Arphaxad, he lived 500 more years and had other sons and daughters.

Genesis 25:12
This is the family tree of Ishmael son of Abraham, the son that Hagar the Egyptian, Sarah's maid, bore to Abraham.

Genesis 25:19
This is the family tree of Isaac son of Abraham: Abraham had Isaac. Isaac was forty years old when he married Rebekah daughter of Bethuel the Aramean of Paddan Aram. She was the sister of Laban the Aramean.

Genesis 36:1
This is the family tree of Esau, who is also called Edom.

Gill's Notes on the Bible

He that saith I know him,.... God or Christ, as the Gnostics did, who pretended to great, even perfect, knowledge of divine things:

and keepeth not his commandments; which the above persons had no regard to, and as many who profess great light and knowledge in our days show no concern for:

is a liar; he contradicts what he says, and gives the lie to it; for though in words he professes to know God, in works he denies him, and which betrays his ignorance of him:

and the truth is not in him; there is no true knowledge of God and Christ in him; nor is the truth of the Gospel in his heart, however it may be in his head; nor is the truth of grace in him, for each of these lead persons to obedience. The Ethiopic version renders it, "the truth of God is not with him"; :-.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

He that saith, I know Him - He who professes to be acquainted with the Saviour, or who professes to be a Christian.

And keepeth not his commandments - What he has appointed to be observed by his people; that is, he who does not obey him.

Is a liar - Makes a false profession; professes to have that which he really has not. Such a profession is a falsehood, because there can be no true religion where one does not obey the law of God.

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse 1 John 2:4. He that saith, I know him — This is a severe blow against those false teachers, and against all pretenders to religious knowledge, who live under the power of their sins; and against all Antinomians, and false boasters in the righteousness of Christ as a covering for their personal unholiness. They are all liars, and no truth of God is in them.