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Read the Bible

George Lamsa Translation

1 John 4:5

They are of the world; therefore they speak of the world, and the world hears them.

Bible Study Resources

Concordances:

- Nave's Topical Bible - Minister, Christian;   Righteousness;   Scofield Reference Index - Apostasy;   The Topic Concordance - Hearing;   World;  

Dictionaries:

- Baker Evangelical Dictionary of Biblical Theology - John, Theology of;   Charles Buck Theological Dictionary - Adoption;   Fausset Bible Dictionary - Canaan;   John, the Epistles of;   Holman Bible Dictionary - John, the Letters of;   Hastings' Dictionary of the Bible - John, Epistles of;   Spiritual Gifts;   Hastings' Dictionary of the New Testament - John Epistles of;   Truth;   World;   Worldliness;   Worldliness (2);  

Encyclopedias:

- International Standard Bible Encyclopedia - John, the Epistles of;   Spiritual Gifts;  

Parallel Translations

Christian Standard Bible®
They are from the world. Therefore what they say is from the world, and the world listens to them.
King James Version (1611)
They are of the world: therefore speake they of the world, and the world heareth them.
King James Version
They are of the world: therefore speak they of the world, and the world heareth them.
English Standard Version
They are from the world; therefore they speak from the world, and the world listens to them.
New American Standard Bible
They are from the world, therefore they speak as from the world, and the world listens to them.
New Century Version
And they belong to the world, so what they say is from the world, and the world listens to them.
New American Standard Bible (1995)
They are from the world; therefore they speak as from the world, and the world listens to them.
Berean Standard Bible
They are of the world. That is why they speak from the world's perspective, and the world listens to them.
Contemporary English Version
These enemies belong to this world, and the world listens to them, because they speak its language.
Complete Jewish Bible
They are from the world; therefore, they speak from the world's viewpoint; and the world listens to them.
Darby Translation
*They* are of the world; for this reason they speak [as] of the world, and the world hears them.
Easy-to-Read Version
And they belong to the world, so what they say is from the world too. And the world listens to what they say.
Geneva Bible (1587)
They are of this worlde, therefore speake they of this world, and this world heareth them.
Good News Translation
Those false prophets speak about matters of the world, and the world listens to them because they belong to the world.
Lexham English Bible
They are from the world; therefore they speak from the world and the world listens to them.
Literal Translation
They are of the world; because of this they speak of the world, and the world hears them.
Amplified Bible
They [who teach twisted doctrine] are of the world and belong to it; therefore they speak from the [viewpoint of the] world [with its immoral freedom and baseless theories—demanding compliance with their opinions and ridiculing the values of the upright], and the [gullible people of the] world listen closely and pay attention to them.
American Standard Version
They are of the world: therefore speak they as of the world, and the world heareth them.
Bible in Basic English
They are of the world, so their talk is the world's talk, and the world gives ear to them.
Hebrew Names Version
They are of the world. Therefore they speak of the world, and the world hears them.
International Standard Version
These people belong to the world. That is why they speak from the world's perspective,from the world
">[fn] and the world listens to them.John 3:31; 15:19; 17:14;">[xr]
Etheridge Translation
And these are of the world, therefore the world heareth them. But we are of Aloha; and he who knoweth Aloha heareth us;
Murdock Translation
And they are of the world: therefore they speak from the world, and the world heareth them.
Bishop's Bible (1568)
They are of the world, therfore speake they of the worlde, & the world heareth them.
English Revised Version
They are of the world: therefore speak they [as] of the world, and the world heareth them.
World English Bible
They are of the world. Therefore they speak of the world, and the world hears them.
Wesley's New Testament (1755)
They are of the world; therefore speak they of the world, and the world heareth them.
Weymouth's New Testament
They are the world's children, and so their language is that of the world, and the world listens to them. We are God's children.
Wycliffe Bible (1395)
Thei ben of the world, therfor thei speken of the world, and the world herith hem.
Update Bible Version
They are of the world: therefore they speak [as] of the world, and the world hears them.
Webster's Bible Translation
They are of the world: therefore they speak from the world, and the world heareth them.
New English Translation
They are from the world; therefore they speak from the world's perspective and the world listens to them.
New King James Version
They are of the world. Therefore they speak as of the world, and the world hears them.
New Living Translation
Those people belong to this world, so they speak from the world's viewpoint, and the world listens to them.
New Life Bible
Those false teachers are a part of the world. They speak about the things of the world. The world listens to them.
New Revised Standard
They are from the world; therefore what they say is from the world, and the world listens to them.
J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
They, are, of the world: For this cause, of the world, they speak, and the world, unto them, doth hearken.
Douay-Rheims Bible
They are of the world. Therefore of the world they speak: and the world heareth them.
Revised Standard Version
They are of the world, therefore what they say is of the world, and the world listens to them.
Tyndale New Testament (1525)
They are of the worlde and therfore speake they of the worlde and the worlde heareth them.
Young's Literal Translation
They -- of the world they are; because of this from the world they speak, and the world doth hear them;
Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
They are off the worlde, therfore speake they off the worlde, and the worlde herkeneth vnto them.
Mace New Testament (1729)
they are of the world: therefore their doctrine is worldly, and the world are their disciples.
Simplified Cowboy Version
These counterfeit cowboys talk only of things in this world and how to get them. That's because they are slaves to this world, not God.

Contextual Overview

4 But you are of God, my children, and have overcome them: because he who is among you is greater than he who is in the world. 5 They are of the world; therefore they speak of the world, and the world hears them. 6 But we are of God: he who knows God hears us; he who is not of God does not hear us. By this we know the spirit of truth and the spirit of error.

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

are: Psalms 17:4, Luke 16:8, John 3:31, John 7:6, John 7:7, John 8:23, John 15:19, John 15:20, John 17:14, John 17:16, Revelation 12:9

and: Isaiah 30:10, Isaiah 30:11, Jeremiah 5:31, Jeremiah 29:8, Micah 2:11, John 15:19, John 17:14, 2 Timothy 4:3, 2 Peter 2:2, 2 Peter 2:3

Reciprocal: Nehemiah 6:19 - they reported Psalms 17:14 - men of Proverbs 17:4 - General Proverbs 28:4 - that Daniel 11:34 - cleave Hosea 7:3 - General Luke 6:26 - when John 10:5 - General Acts 17:11 - and searched Romans 12:2 - be not 1 Corinthians 2:12 - not 1 Corinthians 5:10 - of this 1 John 2:15 - Love not 1 John 5:19 - and the

Cross-References

Genesis 4:10
And the LORD said, What have you done? The voice of your brothers blood cries to me from the ground.
Genesis 4:11
And from henceforth, you are cursed from the earth, which has opened its mouth to receive your brothers blood from your hand;
Genesis 31:2
And Jacob saw that Labans countenance toward him was not as it had been yesterday and the day before.
Genesis 31:5
And said to them, I see that your fathers countenance toward me is not as it has been yesterday and the day before; but the God of my father has been with me.
Numbers 16:15
And Moses was greatly displeased, and said to the LORD, Respect not thou their offerings, because I have not taken an ass from one of them, neither have I hurt one of them.
Job 5:2
For anger kills the foolish man, and enmity slays the silly one.
Psalms 20:3
Let the LORD remember all your offerings, and make acceptable your burnt sacrifices.
Matthew 20:15
Have I no right to do what I wish with mine own? Or are you jealous because I am generous?
Acts 13:45
But when the Jews saw the great crowd, they were filled with envy, and they bitterly opposed the words of Paul, and they blasphemed.
Hebrews 11:4
It was by faith, Abel offered a more excellent sacrifice to God than Cain, and because of this, he received a testimonial that he was righteous, and God testified to his offering: therefore, even though he is dead, he speaks.

Gill's Notes on the Bible

They are of the world,.... That is, the false prophets and teachers that were gone into the world, and had the spirit of antichrist in them; these were as they were when they came into the world, under the pollution, guilt, and dominion of sin, in a state of unregeneracy, carnality, and darkness; they properly belonged unto it, and walked after the course of it, and were under the influence of the god of it, who led them into error; and were sensual, and indulged themselves in worldly lusts, and were seeking after worldly things; supposed that gain was godliness, and had men's persons in admiration because of advantage; their nature and disposition, their principles and practices, and their ends and views, were worldly; and were quite different from Christ and his apostles, John 17:14,

therefore speak they of the world; they speak the wisdom of the world, or that in which the world thinks wisdom lies, and cry up for true knowledge, and right principles; and this they do with the enticing words of man's wisdom, or in words which man's wisdom teacheth; speaking great swelling words of vanity, which take with vain and carnal minds; and preach doctrines suited to their own taste, and the taste of others, as carnal and worldly men; such as the purity of human nature, in its first conception and birth, its freedom from any original corruption, and from any concern with the sin of Adam, only with actual sin of its own; and the power of it to do that which is good, keep the law of God, and obtain his favour; the non-necessity of any internal work of efficacious grace, a reformation of life and manners being thought sufficient to render a man acceptable to God, and prepare him for eternal happiness; the doctrine of justification and salvation by works; all which are pleasing to carnal men: hence it follows,

and the world heareth them; the wicked of the world; worldly and unregenerate men attend on their ministry, approve of what they deliver, and receive it with pleasure, and believe it: this expresses both the quality of the hearers of false teachers, that they are that part of the world, the worse part of it, which lies in wickedness; and the quantity of them, the greater part of the world, as it was foretold by Christ, and his apostles, that they should deceive many, that many should follow their pernicious ways, and that they should draw many disciples after them; wherefore the numbers that attend such persons, as it need not be wondered at, since both preachers and hearers, and the doctrines preached and heard, are all alike, they are of the world, so it should not be stumbling to the people of God.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

They are of the world - This was one of the marks by which those who had the spirit of antichrist might be known. They belonged not to the church of God, but to the world. They had its spirit; they acted on its principles; they lived for it. Compare the notes at 1 John 2:15.

Therefore speak they of the world - Compare the notes at John 3:31. This may mean either that their conversation pertained to the things of this world, or that they were wholly influenced by the love of the world, and not by the Spirit of God, in the doctrines which they taught. The general sense is, that they had no higher ends and aims than they have who are influenced only by worldly plans and expectations. It is not difficult to distinguish, even among professed Christians and Christian teachers, those who are heavenly in their conversation from those who are influenced solely by the spirit of the world. “Out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh,” and the general turn of a man’s conversation will show what “spirit is within him.”

And the world heareth them - The people of the world - the frivoulous ones, the rich, the proud, the ambitious, the sensual - receive their instructions, and recognize them as teachers and guides, for their views accord with their own. See the notes at John 15:19. A professedly religious teacher may always determine much about himself by knowing what class of people are pleased with him. A professed Christian of any station in life may determine much about his evidences of piety, by asking himself what kind of persons desire his friendship, and wish him for a companion.


 
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