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Read the Bible

King James Version

1 John 4:21

And this commandment have we from him, That he who loveth God love his brother also.

Bible Study Resources

Concordances:

- Nave's Topical Bible - Commandments;   Love;   Righteousness;   Thompson Chain Reference - Brotherly Love;   Love;   Love-Hatred;   The Topic Concordance - Commandment;   Love;   Torrey's Topical Textbook - Love to Man;  

Dictionaries:

- Bridgeway Bible Dictionary - Love;   Baker Evangelical Dictionary of Biblical Theology - Command, Commandment;   Holy, Holiness;   Holman Bible Dictionary - John, the Letters of;   Hastings' Dictionary of the Bible - Brotherly Love;   John, Epistles of;   Love, Lover, Lovely, Beloved;   Sin;   Hastings' Dictionary of the New Testament - Commandment;   Example;   Fellowship (2);   John Epistles of;   Justice (2);   Neighbour (2);   Sacrifice (2);   Sanctify, Sanctification;   Watson's Biblical & Theological Dictionary - John the Baptist;  

Encyclopedias:

- International Standard Bible Encyclopedia - Also;   John, the Epistles of;   Love;  

Devotionals:

- Every Day Light - Devotion for November 28;  

Parallel Translations

Christian Standard Bible®
And we have this command from him: The one who loves God must also love his brother and sister.
King James Version (1611)
And this commandement haue we from him, that he who loueth God, loue his brother also.
English Standard Version
And this commandment we have from him: whoever loves God must also love his brother.
New American Standard Bible
And this commandment we have from Him, that the one who loves God must also love his brother and sister.
New Century Version
And God gave us this command: Those who love God must also love their brothers and sisters.
New American Standard Bible (1995)
And this commandment we have from Him, that the one who loves God should love his brother also.
Berean Standard Bible
And we have this commandment from Him: Whoever loves God must love his brother as well.
Contemporary English Version
The commandment that God has given us is: "Love God and love each other!"
Complete Jewish Bible
Yes, this is the command we have from him: whoever loves God must love his brother too.
Darby Translation
And this commandment have we from him, That he that loves God love also his brother.
Easy-to-Read Version
God gave us this command: If we love God, we must also love each other as brothers and sisters.
Geneva Bible (1587)
And this comandemet haue we of him, that he yt loueth God, should loue his brother also.
George Lamsa Translation
And this commandment we have from him, That he who loves God loves his brother also.
Good News Translation
The command that Christ has given us is this: whoever loves God must love others also.
Lexham English Bible
And this is the commandment we have from him: that the one who loves God should love his brother also.
Literal Translation
And we have this commandment from Him, that the one who loves God also loves his brother.
Amplified Bible
And this commandment we have from Him, that the one who loves God should also [unselfishly] love his brother and seek the best for him.
American Standard Version
And this commandment have we from him, that he who loveth God love his brother also.
Bible in Basic English
And this is the word which we have from him, that he who has love for God is to have the same love for his brother.
Hebrew Names Version
This mitzvah have we from him, that he who loves God should also love his brother.
International Standard Version
And this is the commandment that we have from him: the person who loves God must also love his brother.Matthew 22:37,39; John 13:34; 15:12; 1 John 3:23;">[xr]
Etheridge Translation
And this commandment we have received from him, That every one who loveth Aloha shall love also his brother.
Murdock Translation
And this command we have received from him, that whoever loveth God, must love also his brother.
Bishop's Bible (1568)
And this commaundement haue we of hym: that he which loueth God, shoulde loue his brother also.
English Revised Version
And this commandment have we from him, that he who loveth God love his brother also.
World English Bible
This commandment have we from him, that he who loves God should also love his brother.
Wesley's New Testament (1755)
And this commandment have we from him, that he who loveth God, love his brother also.
Weymouth's New Testament
And the command which we have from Him is that he who loves God must love his brother man also.
Wycliffe Bible (1395)
And we han this comaundement of God, that he that loueth God, loue also his brothir.
Update Bible Version
And this commandment we have from him, that he who loves God love his brother also.
Webster's Bible Translation
And this commandment have we from him, That he who loveth God, love his brother also.
New English Translation
And the commandment we have from him is this: that the one who loves God should love his fellow Christian too.
New King James Version
And this commandment we have from Him: that he who loves God must love his brother also.
New Living Translation
And he has given us this command: Those who love God must also love their fellow believers.
New Life Bible
We have these words from Him. If you love God, love your brother also.
New Revised Standard
The commandment we have from him is this: those who love God must love their brothers and sisters also.
J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
And, this commandment, have we from him, - that, he who loveth God, love, his brother also.
Douay-Rheims Bible
And this commandment we have from God, that he who loveth God love also his brother.
Revised Standard Version
And this commandment we have from him, that he who loves God should love his brother also.
Tyndale New Testament (1525)
And this commaundemet have we of him: that he which loveth God shuld love his brother also.
Young's Literal Translation
and this [is] the command we have from Him, that he who is loving God, may also love his brother.
Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
And this comaundement haue we of him, that he which loueth God, shulde loue his brother also.
Mace New Testament (1729)
besides, 'tis a commandment we have receiv'd from him, that he who would love God, must love his brother also.
Simplified Cowboy Version
It all boils down to what Jesus told us, if you love God then you'll love others.

Contextual Overview

17 Herein is our love made perfect, that we may have boldness in the day of judgment: because as he is, so are we in this world. 18 There is no fear in love; but perfect love casteth out fear: because fear hath torment. He that feareth is not made perfect in love. 19 We love him, because he first loved us. 20 If a man say, I love God, and hateth his brother, he is a liar: for he that loveth not his brother whom he hath seen, how can he love God whom he hath not seen? 21 And this commandment have we from him, That he who loveth God love his brother also.

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

1 John 4:11, 1 John 3:11, 1 John 3:14, 1 John 3:18, 1 John 3:23, Leviticus 19:18, Matthew 22:37-39, Mark 12:29-33, Luke 10:37, John 13:34, John 13:35, John 15:12, Romans 12:9, Romans 12:10, Romans 13:9, Romans 13:10, Galatians 5:6, Galatians 5:14, 1 Thessalonians 4:9, 1 Peter 3:8, 1 Peter 4:8

Reciprocal: Genesis 13:8 - brethren Proverbs 14:31 - but Matthew 5:22 - his brother Matthew 25:40 - Inasmuch Mark 12:31 - Thou 1 Corinthians 13:2 - and have Galatians 6:2 - the law Ephesians 1:15 - love Ephesians 5:2 - walk Colossians 3:14 - charity Hebrews 13:1 - General 1 Peter 1:22 - unto 2 Peter 1:7 - charity 1 John 2:8 - a new 1 John 3:10 - neither 1 John 4:7 - let 1 John 5:2 - General

Cross-References

Genesis 4:11
And now art thou cursed from the earth, which hath opened her mouth to receive thy brother's blood from thy hand;
Genesis 4:12
When thou tillest the ground, it shall not henceforth yield unto thee her strength; a fugitive and a vagabond shalt thou be in the earth.
Genesis 31:27
Wherefore didst thou flee away secretly, and steal away from me; and didst not tell me, that I might have sent thee away with mirth, and with songs, with tabret, and with harp?
Job 21:12
They take the timbrel and harp, and rejoice at the sound of the organ.
Isaiah 5:12
And the harp, and the viol, the tabret, and pipe, and wine, are in their feasts: but they regard not the work of the Lord , neither consider the operation of his hands.
Amos 6:5
That chant to the sound of the viol, and invent to themselves instruments of musick, like David;

Gill's Notes on the Bible

And this commandment have we from him,.... Either "from God", as the Alexandrian copy and the Vulgate Latin version read; and that to love the brethren is a commandment of God, is clear from 1 John 3:23; or from Christ, for it is also a command of his, even his new commandment, which he has given, and his people have received from him:

that he who loveth God, love his brother also; see John 13:34; which is an argument persuading to attend to the one as well as to the other; for the same command that requires the one, requires the other: and he that transgresses it in one case, is a transgressor of it, as well as in the other.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

And this commandment have we from him - That is, the command to love a brother is as obligatory as that to love God. If one is obeyed, the other ought to be also; if a man feels that one is binding on him, he should feel that the other is also; and he can never have evidence that he is a true Christian, unless he manifests love to his brethren as well as love to God. See the notes at James 2:10.

That he who loveth God love his brother also - See the notes at John 13:34-35. Compare John 15:12, John 15:17.

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse 1 John 4:21. This commandment have we — We should love one another, and love our neighbour as ourselves. The love of God and the love of man can never be separated; he who loves God will love his brother; he who loves his brother gives this proof that he loves God, because he loves with a measure of that love which, in its infinitude, dwells in God.


 
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