Lectionary Calendar
Thursday, September 11th, 2025
the Week of Proper 18 / Ordinary 23
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Read the Bible

New Life Version

1 John 2:9

Whoever says he is in the light but hates his brother is still in darkness.

Bible Study Resources

Concordances:

- Nave's Topical Bible - Blindness;   Darkness;   Fraternity;   Hatred;   Hypocrisy;   Love;   Malice;   Thompson Chain Reference - Hatred;   John, Beloved Disciple;   Love-Hatred;   The Topic Concordance - Commandment;   Darkness;   Hate;   Light;   Torrey's Topical Textbook - Blindness, Spiritual;   Hatred;   Love to Man;  

Dictionaries:

- Bridgeway Bible Dictionary - Assurance;   Brother;   Light;   Baker Evangelical Dictionary of Biblical Theology - Love;   Charles Buck Theological Dictionary - Adoption;   Holman Bible Dictionary - Brotherly Love;   Church;   Darkness;   John, the Letters of;   Love;   Hastings' Dictionary of the Bible - John, Epistles of;   John, Theology of;   Love, Lover, Lovely, Beloved;   Hastings' Dictionary of the New Testament - Brotherhood (2);   Brotherly Love;   Gnosticism;   Hating, Hatred;   Hatred;   John Epistles of;   Love (2);   Mercy;   Night (2);   Regeneration;   Walk (2);   Worldliness (2);   Wilson's Dictionary of Bible Types - Brother;   Watson's Biblical & Theological Dictionary - John the Baptist;  

Encyclopedias:

- International Standard Bible Encyclopedia - Brother;   Commandment, the New;   Johannine Theology, the;   John, the Epistles of;   Love;   Sons of God (New Testament);  

Parallel Translations

Christian Standard Bible®
The one who says he is in the light but hates his brother or sister is in the darkness until now.
King James Version (1611)
He that saith he is in the light, and hateth his brother, is in darkenesse euen vntill now.
King James Version
He that saith he is in the light, and hateth his brother, is in darkness even until now.
English Standard Version
Whoever says he is in the light and hates his brother is still in darkness.
New American Standard Bible
The one who says that he is in the Light and yet hates his brother or sister is in the darkness until now.
New Century Version
Anyone who says, "I am in the light," but hates a brother or sister, is still in the darkness.
THE MESSAGE
Anyone who claims to live in God's light and hates a brother or sister is still in the dark. It's the person who loves brother and sister who dwells in God's light and doesn't block the light from others. But whoever hates is still in the dark, stumbles around in the dark, doesn't know which end is up, blinded by the darkness.
New American Standard Bible (1995)
The one who says he is in the Light and yet hates his brother is in the darkness until now.
Berean Standard Bible
If anyone claims to be in the light but hates his brother, he is still in the darkness.
Contemporary English Version
If we claim to be in the light and hate someone, we are still in the dark.
Complete Jewish Bible
Anyone who claims to be in this light while hating his brother is still in the dark.
Darby Translation
He who says he is in the light, and hates his brother, is in the darkness until now.
Easy-to-Read Version
Someone might say, "I am in the light," but if they hate any of their brothers or sisters in God's family, they are still in the darkness.
Geneva Bible (1587)
He that saith that hee is in that light, and hateth his brother, is in darkenes, vntill this time.
George Lamsa Translation
He who says he is in the light but hates his brother, is therefore in darkness even until now.
Good News Translation
If we say that we are in the light, yet hate others, we are in the darkness to this very hour.
Lexham English Bible
The one who says he is in the light and hates his brother is in the darkness until now.
Literal Translation
The one claiming to be in the light, and hating his brother, is in the darkness until now.
Amplified Bible
The one who says he is in the Light [in consistent fellowship with Christ] and yet habitually hates (works against) his brother [in Christ] is in the darkness until now.
American Standard Version
He that saith he is in the light and hateth his brother, is in the darkness even until now.
Bible in Basic English
He who says that he is in the light, and has hate in his heart for his brother, is still in the dark.
Hebrew Names Version
He who says he is in the light and hates his brother, is in the darkness even until now.
International Standard Version
The person who says that he is in the light but hates his brother is still in the darkness.1 Corinthians 13:2; 2 Peter 1:9; 1 John 3:14-15;">[xr]
Etheridge Translation
Whoever saith, then, that he is in the light, and hateth his brother, is in darkness until now.
Murdock Translation
Whoever therefore shall say that he is in the light, and hateth his brother, is in darkness until now.
Bishop's Bible (1568)
He that sayth howe that he is in the lyght, and yet hateth his brother, is in darkenesse, euen vntyll this tyme.
English Revised Version
He that saith he is in the light, and hateth his brother, is in the darkness even until now.
World English Bible
He who says he is in the light and hates his brother, is in the darkness even until now.
Wesley's New Testament (1755)
He that saith, he is in the light, and hateth his brother, is in darkness until now.
Weymouth's New Testament
Any one who professes to be in the light and yet hates his brother man is still in darkness.
Wycliffe Bible (1395)
He that seith, that he is in liyt, and hatith his brother, is in derknesse yit.
Update Bible Version
He that says he is in the light and hates his brother, is in the darkness even until now.
Webster's Bible Translation
He that saith he is in the light, and hateth his brother, is in darkness even until now.
New English Translation
The one who says he is in the light but still hates his fellow Christian is still in the darkness.
New King James Version
He who says he is in the light, and hates his brother, is in darkness until now.
New Living Translation
If anyone claims, "I am living in the light," but hates a fellow believer, that person is still living in darkness.
New Revised Standard
Whoever says, "I am in the light," while hating a brother or sister, is still in the darkness.
J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
He that saith he is, in the light, and hateth, his brother, is, in the darkness, until even now!
Douay-Rheims Bible
He that saith he is in the light and hateth his brother is in darkness even until now.
Revised Standard Version
He who says he is in the light and hates his brother is in the darkness still.
Tyndale New Testament (1525)
He that sayth how that he is in the light and yet hateth his brother is in darknes even vntyll this tyme.
Young's Literal Translation
he who is saying, in the light he is, and his brother is hating, in the darkness he is till now;
Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
He that sayeth he is in lighte, and hateth his brother, is yet in darknesse.
Mace New Testament (1729)
he that says, he is in the light, and yet hates his brother, is still in darkness.
Simplified Cowboy Version
If we say we ride in the light, but hate others, we are liars in darkness.

Contextual Overview

7 Dear friends, I am not writing a new Law for you to obey. It is an old Law you have had from the beginning. The old Law is the Word that you have heard. 8 And yet it is a new Law that I am writing to you. It is truth. It was seen in Christ and it is seen in you also. The darkness is passing away and the true Light shines instead. 9 Whoever says he is in the light but hates his brother is still in darkness. 10 But whoever loves his brother is in the light. And there will be no reason to sin because of him. 11 Whoever hates his brother is not in the light but lives in darkness. He does not know where he is going because the darkness has blinded his eyes.

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

that saith: 1 John 2:4

he is: 1 John 1:6, John 9:41, Romans 2:18-21

and hateth: 1 John 3:13-17

is in: 1 John 2:11, Psalms 82:5, 1 Corinthians 13:1-3, 2 Peter 1:9

Reciprocal: Genesis 13:8 - brethren Leviticus 19:17 - hate Joshua 23:12 - go back Matthew 5:22 - his brother John 12:36 - the children John 12:46 - am Acts 26:18 - and to Romans 12:10 - kindly Romans 13:12 - works 1 Corinthians 6:6 - brother Ephesians 5:8 - but Hebrews 13:1 - General 1 John 1:7 - If we 1 John 3:10 - neither 1 John 3:14 - that loveth 1 John 4:8 - knoweth

Cross-References

Genesis 2:8
The Lord God planted a garden to the east in Eden. He put the man there whom He had made.
Genesis 2:9
And the Lord God made to grow out of the ground every tree that is pleasing to the eyes and good for food. And He made the tree of life grow in the center of the garden, and the tree of learning of good and bad.
Genesis 2:17
But do not eat from the tree of learning of good and bad. For the day you eat from it you will die for sure."
Genesis 3:3
But from the tree which is in the center of the garden, God has said, ‘Do not eat from it or touch it, or you will die.'"
Deuteronomy 6:25
We will be right with the Lord our God if we are careful to obey all of the Law before Him, just as He told us.
Proverbs 3:18
She is a tree of life to those who take hold of her. Happy are all who hold her near.
Proverbs 11:30
The fruit of those who are right with God is a tree of life, and he who wins souls is wise.
Isaiah 44:25
I allow trouble to come on the special things done by men who lie and speak in pride. I make fools out of those who tell the future using their secret ways. I turn back wise men, and make their learning foolish.
Isaiah 47:10
You trusted in your sin and said, ‘No one sees me.' Your wisdom and learning have led you the wrong way, for you have said in your heart, ‘I am, and there is no one besides me.'
Ezekiel 31:16
I will make the nations shake in fear at the sound of its fall when I send it to the place of the dead with those who go down to the grave. Then all the well-watered trees of Eden, the best of Lebanon, will be comforted in the earth below.

Gill's Notes on the Bible

He that saith he is in the light,.... Is in Christ the light, or has the true knowledge of the light of the Gospel, or is illuminated by the Spirit of God; for persons may profess to be enlightened ones, and not be so: wherefore the apostle does not say, he that is in the light, but he that says he is,

and hateth his brother; who is so either by creation, as all men are brethren, having one Father, that has made them, and brought them up; or by regeneration, being born of God the Father, and in the same family and household of faith; and so regards such who are in a spiritual relation, whom to hate internally, or not to love, is inconsistent with being in the light, or having faith, which is always naturally and necessarily accompanied with the heat of love; for as light and heat, so faith and love go together: wherefore, let a man's profession of light be what it will, if love to his brother is wanting, he

is in darkness even until now; he is in a state of nature and unregeneracy, which is a state of darkness and ignorance; he is under the power of darkness, and in the kingdom of Satan; who is the ruler of the darkness of this world; he ever was so from his birth; he never was called nor delivered out of it, but is still in it to this moment, and so remains. This seems to be very much levelled against the Jews, who make hatred of the brother in some cases lawful: for they say d,

"if one man observes sin in another, and reproves him for it, and he does not receive his reproof, מותר לשנאותו, "it is lawful to hate him";''

:-.

d Moses Kotsensis Mitzvot Tora, pr. neg. 5.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

He that saith he is in the light - That he has true religion, or is a Christian. See 1 John 1:7.

And hateth his brother - The word “brother” seems here to refer to those who professed the same religion. The word is indeed sometimes used in a larger sense, but the reference here appears to be to that which is properly brotherly love among Christians. Compare Lucke, in loc.

Is in darkness even until now - That is, he cannot have true religion unless he has love to the brethren. The command to love one another was one of the most solemn and earnest which Christ ever enjoined, John 15:17; he made it the special badge of discipleship, or that by which his followers were to be everywhere known, John 13:35; and it is, therefore, impossible to have any true religion without love to those who are sincerely and truly his followers. If a man has not that, he is in deep darkness, whatever else he may have, on the whole subject of religion. Compare the notes at 1 Thessalonians 4:9.

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse 9. He that saith he is in the light — He that professes to be a convert to Christianity, even in the lowest degree; and hateth his brother-not only does not love him, but wills and does him evil, as the Jews did the Gentiles; is in darkness-has received no saving knowledge of the truth; and, whatever he may pretend, is in heathen ignorance, or even worse than heathen ignorance, to the present time, notwithstanding the clear shining of the light of the Gospel.


 
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