1 John 4:21

New Living Translation

And he has given us this command: Those who love God must also love their fellow believers.

Parallel Translations

New American Standard Bible (1995)
And this commandment we have from Him, that the one who loves God should 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.

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.

Darby Translation
And this commandment have we from him, That he that loves God love also his brother.

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.

King James Version (1611)
And this commandement haue we from him, that he who loueth God, loue his brother also.

Literal Translation
And we have this commandment from Him, that the one who loves God also loves 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.

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.

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.

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.

Young's Literal Translation
and this [is] the command we have from Him, that he who is loving God, may also love his brother.

New Century Version
And God gave us this command: Those who love God must also love their brothers and sisters.

New English Translation
And the commandment we have from him is this: that the one who loves God should love his fellow Christian too.

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.

English Standard Version
And this commandment we have from him: whoever loves God must also love his brother.

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.

Christian Standard Bible®
And we have this command from Him: The one who loves God must also love 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.

New King James Version
And this commandment we have from Him: that he who loves God must love his brother also.

New Life Bible
We have these words from Him. If you love God, love your brother also.

English Revised Version
And this commandment have we from him, that he who loveth God love his 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.

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

Lexham English Bible
And this is the commandment we have from him: that the one who loves God should love his brother also.

Bishop's Bible (1568)
And this commaundement haue we of hym: that he which loueth God, shoulde loue his brother also.

Easy-to-Read Version
God gave us this command: If we love God, we must also love each other as brothers and sisters.

New American Standard Bible
And this commandment we have from Him, that the one who loves God must also love his brother and sister.

Good News Translation
The command that Christ has given us is this: whoever loves God must love others also.

Wycliffe Bible (1395)
And we han this comaundement of God, that he that loueth God, loue also his brothir.

Contextual Overview

¹⁷ And as we live in God, our love grows more perfect. So we will not be afraid on the day of judgment, but we can face him with confidence because we live like Jesus here in this world. ¹⁸ Such love has no fear, because perfect love expels all fear. If we are afraid, it is for fear of punishment, and this shows that we have not fully experienced his perfect love. ¹⁹ We love each other because he loved us first. ²⁰ If someone says, "I love God," but hates a fellow believer, that person is a liar; for if we don't love people we can see, how can we love God, whom we cannot see? ²¹ And he has given us this command: Those who love God must also love their fellow believers.

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
Now you are cursed and banished from the ground, which has swallowed your brother's blood.

Genesis 4:12
No longer will the ground yield good crops for you, no matter how hard you work! From now on you will be a homeless wanderer on the earth."

Genesis 31:27
Why did you slip away secretly? Why did you deceive me? And why didn't you say you wanted to leave? I would have given you a farewell feast, with singing and music, accompanied by tambourines and harps.

Job 21:12
They sing with tambourine and harp. They celebrate to the sound of the flute.

Isaiah 5:12
They furnish wine and lovely music at their grand parties— lyre and harp, tambourine and flute— but they never think about the Lord or notice what he is doing.

Amos 6:5
You sing trivial songs to the sound of the harp and fancy yourselves to be great musicians 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.