Bible Commentaries

2. Exhortation to walk in truth and love

2 John 1:4-11

4I rejoiced greatly that I found⁷ of thy children walking in truth, as we have received a commandment from the Father.⁸ 5And now I beseech thee, lady, not as though I wrote⁹ a new commandment unto thee, but that which¹⁰ we had from the beginning, that we love one another 6 And this is love, that we walk after his commandments. This is the commandment,¹¹ That, as ye have heard from the beginning, ye should walk in it.¹² 7For many deceivers are entered¹³ into the world; who confess not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh.¹⁴ This is a deceiver and an antichrist.¹⁵ 8Look to yourselves, that we lose¹⁶ not those things which we have wrought,10 but that 9 we receive a full reward10 Whosoever transgresseth,¹⁷ and abideth not in the doctrine of Christ, hath not God. He that abideth in the doctrine¹⁸ of Christ, he hath both the Father and the Son.¹⁹ 10If there come any unto you, and bring not this doctrine, 11receive him not into your house, neither bid him God speed:²⁰ For²¹ he that biddeth him²² God speed is partaker of his evil deeds.²³

EXEGETICAL AND CRITICAL

2 John 1:4. Joy in [the lady’s children—M.] walking in the truth. I rejoiced greatly.—The Aorist ἐχάρην answers to the Perfect εὕρηκα and notes the time, when he did make the discovery, hence it is not=I rejoice (Luther). The Pauline Epistles begin with similar expressions of joy in the Christian standing of Churches; we have here, however, not an imitation but only the expression of the same Christian mode of viewing things. Cf. Romans 1:8 sqq.; 1 Corinthians 1:4 sqq.; 2 Corinthians 1:3 sqq.; Ephesians 1:3 sqq.; Philippians 1:3 sqq.; Colossians 1:3 sqq.—

That I have found of thy children walking in truth.—The first reference here is to ἐν ἀληθείᾳ [Alford: “not only in honesty and uprightness, but in that truth which is derived from and is part of the truth of God in Christ.”—M.].—Ἐκ τῶν τεκνῶν σου is not=τὰ σέκνα σου, but should be taken in a partitive sense, though there is no need of supplying τίνας (Beza), as in 1 John 4:13; John 16:17; Matthew 23:34. The omission of the Article before περιπατοῦντας does not import that her other children did not walk ἐν ἀληθείᾳ. Ebrard’s remark—“It is a delicate way, how the presbyter conceals the censure he has to express in a mere limitation of praise”—is overfine, for it cannot be maintained that the same praise of walking in truth could not be accorded to all. Εὕρηκα simply states that the Apostle had found them, but there is here no intimation how he found them, whether accidentally, or in consequence of inquiries to that effect. But περιπατοῦντας denotes sons, whom the Apostle was more likely to encounter on his missionary journeys than daughters; hence the reference seems to be rather to an accidental meeting. Lücke, not without some ground ( 2 John 1:12), thinks that he met the children without their mother, elsewhere than in the family. Bengel: Hos liberos in domo materteræ eorum invenerat Johannes, 2 John 1:13. But this uncertainty does not favour, as Huther thinks, the hypothesis of a Church, but [rather] that of a lady.—On περιπατεῖν ἐν ἀληθείᾳ, denoting not only the Christian state, but true, vital Christianity, see 1 John 1:6-7; 1 John 2:6; cf. 3 John 1:3-4; John 8:12.—

According as we received commandment from the Father.—The clause introduced by καθώς expressly refers to objective Divine truth, as the ground of Christian walking. Ebrard falsely understands καθώς in the sense of “even as we,” and turns the thought “even as we have (indeed) a command from the Father (that we should walk in the truth).” But the clause in question should not be taken argumentatively, but as an apposition and explanation. Ἐντολὴν does not refer to the commandment of brotherly love (Lücke), but denotes the περιπατεῖν ἐν ἀληθείᾳ taken as ἐντολή (de Wette, Huther, Düsterdieck).—On παρὰ τοῦ πατρός see 2 John 1:3. The interpretation of Oecumenius that Christ is here referred to as the Father of believers cannot be upheld by Isaiah 8:18; Hebrews 2:13. But the mediation of Christ is to be supplied [Huther—M.].

Reference to ἐν ἀγάπῃ ( 2 John 1:3). 2 John 1:5-6.

2 John 1:5. And now I beseech thee, lady.—Καὶ νῦν as in 1 John 2:28. The connection is not temporal but logical, and moreover with the whole of 2 John 1:4, not with the subordinate clause beginning with καθὼς only (as Düsterdieck thinks); nor does it belong to ἐρωτῶ in order to mark the point of time. On ἐρωτῶ Schlichting says: “blandior quædam admonendi ratio;” Düsterdieck calls it an entreaty with a reference to the inviolable authority of the Divine law of love. Hence the Apostle adds:

Not as writing to thee a new commandment, but that which we had from the beginning.—Cf. 1 John 2:7 : that we should love one another.—Ἵνα ἀγαπῶμεν ἀλλήλους, as the object of ἐρωτῶ, indicates its end and aim. Hence it does not describe or specify the substance of ἐντολή (Baumgarten-Crusius).

2 John 1:6. And this is love, that we should walk according to His commandments.—Ἀγάπη is left undefined and nothing is said beyond its being exhibited in our walking according to the commandments of God; so that the reference is neither to love to the brethren (Benson), nor to love to God (Grotius, Carpzov, and al.), but to love in general, as in 1 John 4:7; 1 John 4:16 sqq.—This is the view of most and the best commentators. The end of all the commandments of God regulating the conduct of men, is love; hence ἵνα, as at 1 John 5:3. Hence also κατὰ τὰς ἐντολὰς αὐτοῦ, is here followed by ἐντολή in the Singular, as denoting their unity.

The commandment is this,—cf. 1 John 3:22-23; it is further described as to its contents.

As ye heard from the beginning, as in 2 John 1:5. It is not a secondary aim of the commandment, as such (de Wette, Lücke).

That ye should walk in it.—Ἵνα denotes the aim and scope; ἐν αὐτῇ refers to ἀγάπῃ which should be supplied; for ἐν ἐντολῇ περιπατεῖν does not occur, and would be an intolerable tautology (against Sander). Thus the Apostle describes the identity of love, especially of brotherly love, and of obedience to God; both stand and fall together.

Description of the false teachers: 2 John 1:7.

For many deceivers.—Ὅτι grounds the reason of this exhortation to brotherly love on the Apostle’s fear of its being marred by the influence of false teachers (Huther). But ὅτι is not governed by ἐρωτῶ σε (Lücke, Ewald), nor should there be mentally repeated ἐρωτῶ σε (de Wette), nor should any thought be supplied, e.g. “seeing that ye have the true Christianity, I have to warn you, for” (Heumann), or “hoc non temere dixi, nam” (Beza); nor does ὅι introduce a protasis, followed by 2 John 1:8 as apodosis (Grotius, Carpzov), wholly unlike the Johannean diction. Bengel’s remark also is wrong: “ratio cur jubeat retinere audita a principio.” The love required ( 2 John 1:5-6) rests on the truth ( 2 John 1:7), and the ἐντολή ( 2 John 1:6) embraces also the truth ( 2 John 1:7, Düsterdieck). Cf. 2 John 1:1-3, and 1 John 3:23; 1 John 3:16. The false teachers are called πλάνοι on account of their influence and effect on belie 2 John1 : 1 John 2:26; 1 Timothy 4:1.

Went out into the world.— 1 John 2:19; 1 John 4:1; Who do not confess Jesus Christ coming in flesh.—Οἱ μὴ ὁμολογοῦντες denotes that whereby, or how these are πλάνοι. Winer, p146. But Winer (p405) errs in assuming a genus on account of μή: all those who do not confess, quicunque non profitentur. If we had οὐχ it would be equal to: οἱ ἀρνούμενοι. But the reference here is not to simple, open denial, but to a contradicting, which by various turnings and twistings, evades and endangers the definite confession. Cf. 1 John 4:2-3. Ἐρχόμενον ἐν σαρκί is different both from ἐληλυθότα ( 1 John 4:2), and from ὁ ἐλθών ( 1 John 5:6). The Present denotes the thought per se “without any reference to time” 1 Corinthians 15:35 (Düsterdieck), “separate from all consideration of time” (Huther); so also Lücke, de Wette, Sander and al.—This may intimate that the false teachers denied the possibility of the Incarnation (Lücke). Bengel [qui veniebat) is beside the Mark, for 3 John 1:3, where the Participle Imperfect is clearly indicated by ἐχάρην, is not apposite here; and so is Oecumenius, who per enallagen temporis suggests the second advent of Christ.

This is the deceiver and the antichrist.—Οὖτος refers to οἱ μὴ ὁμολογοῦντες, and expresses plurality (πολλοὶ πλάνοι) in unity: ἐστιν ὁ πλάνος; it is a transition from the Plural to the distributive Singular; Winer, pp186, 654. The words καὶ ὁ ἀντίχριστος give prominence to a further characteristic of πλάνος (Huther); we must not say, however, that the πλάνος is in reality only in the many that have the πνεῦμα πλάνης (Lücke, Huther); but he is personally behind the many, who are his forerunners. Cf. 1 John 2:18; 1 John 2:22.

Warning against the false teachers, 2 John 1:8-9.

2 John 1:8. Look to yourselves, βλέπετε ἑαυτούς. They are to consider what would be the loss entailed upon themselves by being deceived, viz, the loss of fellowship with the Father and the Song of Solomon, the loss of truth and love. Bengel’s explanatory clauses “me absente” would be in point, if we had here: βλέπετε ὑμεῖς ἑαυτούς, as in Mark 13:9. Moreover they themselves had to look to themselves, even though the Apostles were present.

That ye do not lose.—Ἵνα μή denotes the end and aim of their precaution. Matthew 12:16; Matthew 26:5; Luke 18:5; John 7:23; 1 Corinthians 16:10. The object is to avoid a loss, even a loss on the part of the readers. But of what?

What things we have wrought.—The Apostles of Jesus Christ had done, wrought and accomplished something by their labours and preaching, even a possession of truth and love with their fruits (ἃ εἰργασάμεθα), which possession will be lost, if they give ear to false teachers (Düsterdieck, Huther). This a bold self-testimony ( 1 John 1:3; 1 John 4:6). It is unnecessary to add ἐν ὑμῖν, as Lücke thinks, for the context supplies it. The first person does not require us to understand that the Apostle must have converted the children of the κυρία; he only includes himself in the number of the Apostles and genuine witnesses of Christ, whom he opposes to the recipients of their preaching, without determining through whose instrumentality the children of the κυρία were converted; but the teachers and their hearers are not taken together.

But that ye receive full reward.—Μισθός denotes the blessing of truth and love in one’s own heart, in life with its joys and sorrows, and in eternity; μισθὸν πλήρη is the full reward, uncurtailed, as it falls to the lot of perfect fidelity (Huther, Düsterdieck); it is not=πολὺν (Carpzov), nor is it said that they had only received it in part, and that they were to receive it fully in eternity (Grotius, Ebrard), for this fulness is relative; there is even here on earth a full reward, a full peace, a full παῤῥησία, etc, in conformity to the relations of this present time. But Bengel rightly observes: “nulla merces dimidia Esther, aut tota amittitur, aut plena accipitur,” but his next remark is irrelevant, viz, “consideranda diversitas graduum in gloria;” for the blessed have their full reward on the lowest grade. But ἀπολάβητε designates the receiving as a gift, a present ( Colossians 3:24; Galatians 4:2; Luke 16:25). Taking all the verbs in the first person, weakens the thought as much as taking them all in the second person (see Apparatus Crit. Note10); in the former case the teachers and hearers are taken together, in the latter the teachers are wholly excluded, and the delicate touches, the Apostle’s right of warning them, and the weight of the Apostolical warning are all lost.

2 John 1:9. Every one that progresseth and abideth not in the doctrine of Christ.—This describes him who does not receive the full reward, of whom they are warned, whereby they lose the reward. Ὁ προάγων and μὴ μένων designate the same persons, positively and negatively. Προάγειν denotes a progression, a going before, which in the opinion of the προάγων is the reaching of a higher degree of knowledge, a decided progress, but in reality is a departure from the truth, ἐν διδαχῇ τοῦ χριστοῦ, a going beyond the limits of Christian doctrine. Huther errs in seeing here an ironical allusion (Düsterdieck); it is a bitter truth of the actual fact. On προάγειν cf. Matthew 21:9; 1 Timothy 1:18; 1 Timothy 5:24. On the characteristics of those who know and learn without knowledge, see 2 Timothy 3:7. The lectio rec. παραβαίνων, passing by, τὴν διδαχήν (according to Matthew 15:3), or ἐκ τῆς διδαχῆς ( Acts 1:25), and the exposition: “ἀπάγων ἑαυτόν” (Oecumenius), are clearly untenable; and in the variation of the Vulgate recedit instead of præcedit, it is more probable that the former arose from the latter, than that the latter arose from the former. St. Paul also insists upon the μένειν, 2 Timothy 3:14; 2 Timothy 1:13; Titus 1:9.—Ἡ διδαχὴ τοῦ χριστοῦ signifies that Paul calls the ὑγιαίνοντες λόγοι ( 2 Timothy 1:13); the Genitive is subjective (Düsterdieck, Huther al.). Agreeably to constant usage ( Matthew 7:28; Matthew 16:12; Matthew 22:33; Mark 1:22; Mark 4:2; Mark 12:38; Acts 2:42; Acts 5:28), it cannot be the Genitive of the object (Bengel, Lücke, Sander, al.). Cf. John 8:31 : μείνητε ἐν τῷ λόγῳ τῷ ἐμῷ. It is the doctrine which Christ Himself brought and taught and caused to be propagated by His Apostles. But, of course, the principal part of its contents, is Christology.

Hath not God.—cf. 1 John 2:23; 1 John 5:12.—Truth, life and God are inseparable.

He that abideth in the doctrine hath both the Father and the Son.—The same thought, not only repeated positively, but completed by the addition of καὶ τὸν υἱὸν, as in [Alford: “The order in the text is the theological one, the Father being mentioned first, then the Son. That in A. etc. is the logical and contextual one, seeing that the test is, abiding in the doctrine of Christ. Thus he has Christ, and through Him, the Father: which of the two is original, it is impossible to decide.”—M.].

Warning against fellowship with the false teachers. 2 John 1:10-11.

2 John 1:10. If any cometh to you.—Εἴ τις ἔρχεται shows that the case supposed actually existed. Winer, p307. Ἐὰν with the subjunctive denotes a possibility. There is hence no occasion for surprise, as if this were unjohannean (de Wette, Ebrard), since it cannot be unjohannean to suppose a case as actually existing. Πρὸς ὑμᾶς, as in 2 Timothy 3:6, refers to the forwardness of the false teachers and their calculating on the greater receptivity and mouldableness of women.

And bringeth not this doctrine.—Καὶ adds the capacity and character in which such persons come, not as soliciting aid, as necessitous persons, but as false teachers (Bengel: quasi doctor aut frater). The use of οὐ φέρει, instead of μή, also shows that the case mentioned is actually true, and imports the simple denial of φέρειν. Similar is φέρειν κατηγορίαν, John 18:29 ( Acts 25:7). It is unnecessary to supply here that the contrary doctrine is brought (de Lyra), and that the true doctrine is disputed (Tirinus); this is self-evident from 1 John 4:2-3. Ταύτην τὴν διδαχήν is τὴν διδαχὴν τοῦ χριστοῦ. Non de iis, qui alieni semper fuerunt ab ecclesia ( 1 Corinthians 5:10), sed de iis qui volunt fratres haberi et doctrinam evertunt (Grotius).

Receive him not into (your) house.—On the above supposition the point in question is not an act of φιλοξενία ( Hebrews 13:2; Romans 12:13); for the reference is not to the necessitous. The injunction simply bears upon the false teachers not being received into the house (αὐτὸν εἰς οἰκίαν λαμβάνειν), on account of the danger per se.

And do not bid him welcome, which was unavoidable if they were received into the house; the two circumstances should be taken together; for while the former would be dangerous, the latter would be untrue; χαίρειν, joy, good speed, prosperity, cannot be said to the false teacher; only to ὁμοτρόποις and ὁμοπίστοις is due the Christian, fraternal greeting, in its deeper import (Oecumenius, Calov, Bengel, Lücke, de Wette, Huther, Düsterdieck and al). This χαίρειν μὴ λέγετε must therefore not be limited to the salutatio as a conventional form of politeness (Clemens Alex.), or as an expression of friendship (Grotius), or be taken quite generally: velut hic Joannes omne colloquium, omne consortium, omne commercium cum hæreticis (a Lapide), or applied to excommunication (Vitringa, de syn. vet. p759); nor must it be referred to the κρίσις which was necessary only at that time (Lücke), nor must it be construed, according to the now prevailing loftier view that man, all his errors notwithstanding, remains man and an object of esteem and love, as an act of intolerance which may have been justifiable at that time (de Wette), or be charged to the fiery temperament of the Apostle, according to the notices contained in Luke 9:54 and Euseb. Hist. Ecclesiastes 3:28; 4:14. The reference is simply to the cultivation of personal acquaintance and fraternal intercourse with the false teachers; this is, and continues to be, forbidden; brotherly love in its depth, truth and blessedness has its limits. Hofmann, Schriftbeweis II:2, p339.

2 John 1:11. For he that biddeth him welcome, partaketh in his deeds, the evil ones.—Γὰρ gives the reason of the injunction: in the words ὁ λέγων αὐτῷ χαίρειν the Apostle gives prominence to the one point which is closely connected with the other: αὐτὸν εἰς οἰκίαν λαμβάνειν. The clause κοινωνεῖ τοῖς ἔργοις αὐτοῦ shows that we have here not simply an outward conventional form of politeness, but an “inward relation of communion” (Huther), which is fostered. The ἔργα τὰ πονηρά are primarily acts of communicating false doctrine, but secondarily also the whole ethical conduct connected with it, which injures God, Christ, the Church, the truth, individual communities, believers and their souls.

DOCTRINAL AND ETHICAL

1. The knowledge of the truth from God is acquired in the way of obedience to the will of God ( 2 John 1:4).

2. The law of God should only be viewed as the revelation of His love, and as it originates in love, so it impels to love ( 2 John 1:5-6).

3. The acme and ground of all error is the denial of the Incarnation of Christ ( 2 John 1:7). He that breaks with Christ come in the flesh and as the Son of man ever the Coming One, breaks brotherhood with believers and forces them to break brotherhood with him. Besser truly says: “The doctrine of Christ is through and through from Christ. ‘It is I,’ is the fundamental theme of the Gospel, preached by Himself and the holy Apostles, from beginning to end.” Believing Catholics, Lutherans, Reformed, United, are brethren and remain brethren, because they are living Christians, the children of God and coheirs with Christ. But he ought hardly to have used this passage for the purpose of warning against the union nor to have said: “Yes, people reverse the meaning of John and are perchance afraid to hold private intercourse with manifest blasphemers and revilers of the Divine truth, perhaps to take coffee with them, but—alas! our table has become more holy to us than God’s table.” For these things occur, inside the same communion, every where and at all times, if instead of putting blasphemers, he had said: hypocrites or adulterers.

4. False teachers corrupt not only the christological truth, but also the work of the Church and the salvation of individual church-members ( 2 John 1:7-8).

5. The promised reward is not a merit of good works, but a consequence of Divine appointment, and a communicated gift ( 2 John 1:8).

6. True progress is only possible in the maintenance and on the foundation of Christian truth ( 2 John 1:9). For men come short not so much in the desire to be furthered, as in the judgment as to what constitutes true progress, and what is the true mode of progressing. A striving forward with a good conscience will always be a diligent and faithful road-maker bridging over the chasm between himself and signal successes, by the most faithful and scrupulous discharge of duty.

7. In the converse among Christians love must not be practised at the expense of truth and truthfulness ( 2 John 1:10-11), nor must the truth be spoken at the expense of love!

HOMILETICAL AND PRACTICAL

Compare Doctrinal and Ethical.

Starke:—Preachers should rejoice most when they see that young children are well trained, grow in grace and make the beginning of their wisdom in the fear of the Lord.—Christians have also their joy in the world, though not of the world.—Godly children are their parents’ joy, the ornament of the Church and the joy of all godly people. Young plants of righteousness look more beautiful in the garden of the Lord, than old trees on the point of decaying.—Truth is not only to be investigated and meditated upon, but it must be practised, and men should walk in it.—A preacher should not always use severity and earnestness, but also lenity and gentleness, not command but entreat his people to become godly.—Whenever thou lackest the mind to follow, thou art wont to cry: it is a novelty! Thou utterest a falsehood! Hear what St. John says: To love, which contains all the commandments, has been from the beginning.—Christianity needs no new commandments, but it requires the constantly renewed inculcation of the old commandments.—It is not enough that the truth be preached, falsehood must also be denounced. The heresies, persecutions and abuses in the Church of God must not cause us to waver, and doubt the truth of the Christian religion, but rather strengthen and confirm us while we are exposed to their danger.—Alas, by nature we all have an antichristian mind and antichrist in our hearts; he who does not know and expel him, will nevermore know or avoid the outward antichrist.—Ye that are wise overmuch and are anxious about unnecessary things, ye that judge and censure every thing, hear what St. John says: “Look to yourselves.”—Delightful reward of faithful ministers, if they see in their hearers the fruit of their labour arranged according to the mind of Christ.—The less regard a minister pays to the temporal reward in his office, the more is he faithful, and the greater will be the reward which he shall receive from Christ, the Great Shepherd.—What can a man lack who has God, and what can a man possess who has not God? If none may receive into their houses wicked and false teachers, how much the more ought they not to be introduced into the sheepfold of Christ, which would be like taking wolves among sheep! It is injurious to have fellowship with false people, but still more injurious to open to them the door of our heart; where the first is done, the latter is wont not to be wanting.—Who enters into a pest-house? Do we not flee a bedfellow affected with a venomous disease? Why not likewise a deceiver, a servant of Satan? The opposite takes place in the world: be friendly to everybody except to Christ in His members!—The greetings of Christians should not be merely conventional, but spring from the ground of truth and love.—A Christian should be on his guard not only against his own sins, but also against those of others, of which he may easily and in various ways become partaker.

Heubner:—The children of the same family are not always of one mind; a godly mother may have unbelieving children.—Christian mothers, Christian families are a blessing to the world.—Those also who run already in the Christian course need stirring up.—A Christian’s treasure is liable to be lost as long as he continues to live among deceivers and enemies; hence the necessity of foresight, courage and fidelity of vigilance over himself and in respect of temptation: the more precious the treasure, the more carefully should it be guarded. It is slowly acquired, but may be lost at once. The number of those who once had grace and then lost it, will one day appear very great.—John teaches us what we should ask of every one that comes to us, to wit: do you bring Christ with you or not? Reception was denied to a false teacher, because it would have been a token of brotherly acknowledgment; but this was so much the more to be denied, because such reception took place in the name of the Church, and hence would have been a declaration that the whole Church did receive him as a brother. But on that account we need not in a case of emergency deny to such an one our bounden private love.—Love should never be prejudicial to the confession of our faith. Love at the expense of faith, to its injury or with its denial is no love. This commandment was falsely applied in the case of John a Lasco, who having been expelled from England in the reign of Mary, A. D, 1553, was denied reception in Denmark, both he and his congregation (Salig, Hist. Conf. Aug. II, 1090).

Besser:—It is an idle speech that Christians and antichristians have one and the same God. “We are believers in one God” is sung in truth by those only who continue: “We also believe in Jesus Christ, His Son and our Lord.”

Footnotes

THE CONCLUSION

2 John 1:12-13

12Having many things to write unto you, I would not write²⁴ with paper and ink; but²⁵ I trust to come²⁶ unto you, and speak face to face,²⁷ that our²⁸ joy may be full 13 The children of thy elect sister greet thee.²⁹ Amen.³⁰

EXEGETICAL AND CRITICAL

Breaking off. 2 John 1:12.

2 John 1:12. Having many things to write to you.—His heart is full; he had only written very little of what he had in his heart. Hence it is unwarrantable to see, with Ebrard, in most of these verses, simply citations from the First Epistle.

I would not [write them] with paper and ink.—The Infinitive from the preceding clause: πολλὰ ἔχων ὑμῖν γράφειν should, of course, be supplied here. Διὰ χάρτου καὶ μέλανος denotes the written character of his communication; the more common phrase is: διὰ μέλανος—καὶ καλάου, 3 John 1:13.—Ὁ χάρτης is the Egyptian papyrus, probably the Song of Solomon -called Augustan or Claudian, for letters; τὸ μέλαν, also 2 Corinthians 3:3, ink made of soot, water and gum; ὁ κάλαμος, the writing reed, probably split (μεσοσχιδής, μεσότομος). Cf. Lücke on this passage. The Aorist οὐκ ἐβουλήθην, from the standpoint of the readers on receiving the Epistle, because he wished to communicate it personally, orally.

But I hope to come to you and to speak [say it] mouth to mouth.—The antithesis of γράφειν διὰ χάρτου καὶ μέλανος is πρὸς ὑμᾶς γενέσθαι καὶ στόμα πρὸς στόμα λαλῆσαι; because he hopes for the latter, he has broken off the former; but this does not import that he did reserve part of the doctrine necessary to salvation for oral tradition (Barth. Petrus); for he surely spoke only what he had written in the first Epistle. On στόμα πρὸς στόμα λαλῆσαι see John 6:21; John 6:25; Acts 20:16; Acts 21:17; Acts 25:15; 1 Corinthians 16:10; John 10:35; Acts 10:13=to turn towards a person or place. On στόμα πρὸς στόμα λαλῆσαι, cf. 1 Corinthians 13:12; Xenoph. Mem. II, 6, 32; and פֶּח אֶל־פֶּה, Numbers 12:8.

That our joy may be fulfilled [filled full].—The aim (ἵνα) is to fill up his own and the readers’ joy, and then that of the hearers. Cf. notes on 1 John 1:4. The object of joy is not the personal presence of the Apostle (Bengel), but the full communication of the truth in oral intercourse.

The greetings, 2 John 1:13.

2 John 1:13. There greet thee the children of thy sister, the elect one.—To explain τῆς ἀδελφῆς of a Church, and τέκνα of church-members is not warranted by any thing found here; the reason why the sister herself does not send greetings, may be death, or absence, but “can neither be ascertained, nor is it a proper question” (Düsterdieck versus Huther). Bengel: “Suavissima communitas! Comitas apostoli, minorum verbis salutem nunciantis.”

HOMILETICAL AND PRACTICAL

Starke:—Both what the Apostles wrote and what they spoke is the word of God, and we do well to bear this in mind.—A true reader is Hebrews, who not satisfied with the written Epistle or the printer’s work on paper, suffers the Holy Spirit to write in his heart and thus becomes himself an Epistle of the living God.—It is a blessing of God if we have the opportunity given to us of conferring with friends on matters of importance and of enjoying the benefit of their counsel.—The children of the world imagine that the life of the godly consists in nothing but dejected looks and constant sorrowing; but here applies that saying: as sorrowful, yet always rejoicing.—He is the servant of his belly, but not the servant of Christ, who seeks in his office other joy than the salvation of his hearers.—It is and ever will be a beautiful custom to interchange cordial greetings with friends in Epistles and in other ways, and thus to desire for them all temporal and spiritual prosperity.—Happy are those sisters and brothers who besides being united by the ties of nature, are also firmly united by the tie of Divine grace. For it is eternal grace only, which works alliances of eternal friendship.

Heubner:—With us it is often the opposite; we have much to write and little to speak, when we do meet.—When those who are one in faith, meet and converse together of the grace of God, of which they have made experience, they have a foretaste of heavenly joy.

Footnotes