Week 8—1st John Bible Nerd-Study
*Missed last week? Click here for 1st John Bible Nerd-Study - Week 7
Read 1st John in the Revised Version (RV) and compare it with the King James Version (KJV). (See link below) On the attached document of 1st John you'll notice that KJV differences are crossed out in red and RV differences are in blue. This way you can quickly see what was "revised."
Read 1st John in the Revised Version (RV) and compare it with the King James Version (KJV). (See link below) On the attached document of 1st John you'll notice that KJV differences are crossed out in red and RV differences are in blue. This way you can quickly see what was "revised."
The Revised Version is really the first recognized attempt to update KJV. It came out around 1885 in different sections. Some of the famous translators were Westcott and Hort (which some would recognize as the names on the famous Greek Text of the NT - WH. This RV version (or the American update to it ASV) was used by many of the famous students of the Bible up until recent times.
Please continue to ask the Lord for something to share as you're reading. Also, remember that each time we're reading we are open for the Lord to adjust our understanding of the outline and reveal any other side things to do further study on.
Notes:
(RV version with KJV comparison). I really appreciate reading outside of paragraphs and definitely subheadings for the sake of directly discovering topic breaks or the flow of 1st John. Reading while comparing two translations is a mind-exercise that is slightly distracting from the normal open-hearted devotional reading. But this type of mental distraction or extra-focus is part of studying the Bible. We study the Scriptures not always for the benefit we gain while studying. Usually, it's the opposite. Bible study benefits us at other times if we do it well. We remember in a time of need and the word comes through. We meditate on what our minds remember in a time while we're waiting or driving or walking or praying. Then while considering the Scriptures the edification or enlightenment comes. So there is always a general edification that happens just by reading the word, but it's helpful to remember that we study to hide the word in our hearts so it may dwell there richly.
This time I especially was caught with the switch of "write to" in KJV to "have written to" that happens with the little children (or children depending on the translation) in 1 John 2:13c. Normally it's the word "grapho" for "write to you" in verses 12-13. Then it switches in v.14 to "egrapha" for "have written to you". They're both the same Greek word (Strongs # G1125). In the Textus Receptus Greek text (TR) it's all grapho until verse 14. But in the Westcott & Hort Greek text (WH) it switches at the end of verse 13(c) like I mentioned.
Sorry for the nerd-notes, this is what I noticed this time and it caught my attention. It's a very very small change that's different in various Greek texts. And I can really see why anyone would feel to adjust it and not think anything of it. It's like a small edit where you're just fixing something. If you don't realize that 1 John 2:12's "children" is a different word for children than in verse 13 then it seems like the order goes: 1) children, 2) fathers, 3) young men. But it's just not true. I'll share more on this another time. But verse 12 has a general word for children (Teknia) which is used all throughout 1 John for all spiritual ages. Whereas verse 13 uses the word specific to a younger aged child (paidia) which is only used in chapter 2 in relation to the fathers and young men. It happens in verse 13 and in verse 18. In my normal translation, Darby, Teknia is always "children" and paidia is always "little children". It wouldn't matter which way it goes but it's right to make some difference between the two.
The order goes like this:
"I write to you" Children (general) (v.12)
"I write to you" Fathers, young men, little children - age (v.13)
"I have written to you" fathers (v.14a) young men (v.14b-17), little children - age (v.18-27)
And now Children (general) abide (v.28)
This is like a sandwich where the two buns are v.12 and v.28. Without this little children word study it would be difficult to see. But once you have that it really unlocks this section. The young men have an exhortation which includes verses 15-17. Those comments about not loving the world are what they need in order to grow into being fathers in the faith. Then the notes to the "little children" are long but they are specific to that age. Helpful to all of us, but uniquely written to that spiritual age of a new believer. They have the unction, the anointing, even if they don't know all of the teachings they know intuitively when something is wrong. That is a safety net for a new believer. This also helps you see the end of the section is v.28.
All of those notes are too much info I know but we're studying, right? And the reason I wanted to point those out was to show why the RV switch of "written to you" caught my attention. It really seems like this little switch is a mistake to try to make sense of the fathers/young men/ little children issue without noticing that the young men's exhortation goes on until v.17 and the little children's exhortation begins in v.18. It is not easy to see because the "I have written to you" phrase doesn't show up the same in verse 18. It shows up shortly afterward as "I have not written to you ..."
It seems we need to keep the "I write to you" phrase for the whole of verse 13.
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Done with this week's assignment? Click here for the next assignment.
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