So my husband believes the wording in John 13:35 is wrong. Instead of saying, "By this all will know that you are my disciples-if you have love AMONG yourselves". It should say "By this all will know that you are my disciples-if you have love FOR yourselves".
John 13:35.
by Sabin 5 Replies latest watchtower beliefs
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CalebInFloroda
The text reads in Greek:
EN TOUTO GNOSONTAI PANTES HOTI EMOI MATHETAI ESTAN EAN AGAPEN ECHETE EN ALLELOIS.
In English that would be:
By this will know all that my disciples you are if love you have among one another.
Or as the Common English Bible puts it:
This is how everyone will know that you are my disciples, when you love each other.
The word in question would therefore be the Greek word EN, which literally means "in" but as a preposition in connection with ALLELOIS which means "one another" or "people together" specifies being "in among."
While the word is not "for," as EN only means "in, among, at, with, on, by," it would not be wrong to render the verse: "...as long as you have love for one another." The meaning of the original Greek would not be lost in such an instance.
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Sabin
Yeah! he was being sarcastic. Cause They are so selfish, all they care about is themselves. -
FayeDunaway
I didn't catch the sarcasm either and thought it was a strange comment, but yeah, they do act as if it says 'for' yourselves, especially in all their self congratulation and adoration, 'oh, we are sooo special!!'
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CalebInFloroda
Actually, this is the problem with reading the Bible as if it were written in English.
The expression in Greek to have love "among" or "for yourselves" means to love among humans or other mortals, not love just among Christ's followers or members of your particular group.
This gets lost in the translation due to the fact that people read the text as if it was written from their point of view. AGAPEN ECHETE EN ALLELOIS means to "posses love for those you are among" not love those who belong to you. That would be AGAPEN ECHETE DE ALLELOIS, "posses love those of yourselves."
Recognizing that there was sarcasm at the center of this comment, it does show how JWs have distorted the words simply because there is no one among them who really understands Greek.