Language Studies

Greek Thoughts

entolen kainen didomi humin - A New Commandment I give to you (John 13:34)

This week let us consider the construction entolen kainen didomi humin, "A new commandment I give to you" (John 13:34), as expressed by our Lord, during his passion week. Before we delve into the above construction, there are several things that we need to note in this chapter.

First, Jesus has his last supper with his disciples (vv.1-3); second, as their "Teacher and Lord," he washes the disciples feet and then taught them a lasting lesson in servanthood leadership (vv. 5-20); third, he predicts his betrayal by the hands of Judas (vv. 21-30); fourth, he speaks of the time of his glorification and then issues "a new commandment" (vv. 31-35), and finally, he predicts Peter's denial (vv. 36-38).

Now let us consider our construction entolen kainen didomi humin, "A new commandment I give to you." First, our construction has been thrown forward for emphasis. If John wishes to convey emphasis for his readers by this construction, we must not let this literary device escape us.

Second, the word "new" comes from the Greek adjective kainos. A special word must be said about the term kainos, in light of another Greek adjective, neos, which is usually translated, "new." A distinction must be observed between these two Greek adjectives. Kainos refers to what is new in form and in substance.^F1 Joseph H. Thayer makes this observation that neos denotes the new primarily in reference to time, the young and the recent. And kainos denotes the "new" primarily in reference to quality, the refresh, and the unworn.^F2

Commenting on this verse, Thayer notes that the commandment (entole) is given now for the first time, never given before.^F3 What makes this commandment of love new is its nature: "That you love one another, even as I have loved you, that you also love one another." The Hebrew people were told to love their neighbor as themselves (Leviticus 19:18). But it was not a command to love as Christ loved--Christ's love was sacrificial and obedient.

Furthermore, as if to reiterate his command on love, Jesus would say to his disciples: "This is My commandment, that you love one another, just as I have loved you. Greater love has no one than this, that one lay down his life for his friends" (hina tis ten psuche autou the huper ton philon autou). This is the difference: Jesus was willing to lay down his life—that is sacrificial and obedient love. Listen to Paul: "For while we were still helpless, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly. For one will hardly die for a righteous man; though perhaps for the good man someone would dare even to die. But (de) God demonstrated His own love toward us, in that (hoti) while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us" (Romans 5:6-8)--that's sacrificial and obedient love!

Third, a word must be said about the term "one another" (allelon). This expression is used some 100 hundred times in the Greek NT. It appears two times in this verse and once in the following verse--there is no doubt in my mind that Jesus wished to stress the importance of "one another." In a culture that thrives on individualism, the command of our Lord seems to be insurmountable. But we must learn to love like He loved.

Fourth, Jesus says: "By this all men will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another." This verse deserves some syntactical attention. "By this" (en touto, literally, "in this")--this prepositional phrase has been thrown to the front for emphasis--thus, "By this love all people will know..." Again, if John documents Jesus as placing emphasis on this command "to love one another," we must not allow this emphasis to escape us.

Next, John documents the words of Jesus in verse 34, as a conditional clause. "By this" no doubt stands for "if you have love for one another." Now let's analyze further this conditional clause: we have a protasis, the "if" clause, "If you have love for one another," and an apodasis, the "then" clause, "All men will know that you are My disciples." Here we have what is called the third class condition: "Eav with the subjunctive denotes that which under certain circumstances is expected from an existing general or concrete standpoint in the present: 'case of expectation' and 'iterative case inn present time.'"^F4 If the disciples of Jesus were to love as Jesus loved, then all people will know that they are His disciples.

Finally, in a world where the concept of genuine love, as portrayed by Jesus, has been diluted and even in a fading phase, except among a few, the command of Jesus still rings true. I pray that every believer everywhere be controlled by the love of Christ ([he agape tou Christou, Professor Daniel B. Wallace refers to this as a plenary [full] genitive, "The love that comes from Christ produces our love for Christ--and this [the whole package] constrains us"^F5 ], 2 Corinthians 5:14). And remember, there is no I in one another.

FOOTNOTES:
F1: Joseph H. Thayer, Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament (Peabody, MA: Hendrickson, 1996), p. 317.
F2: Ibid., p. 318.
F3: Ibid., p. 317.
F4: F. Blass and A. Debrunner, A Greek Grammar of the New Testament and Other Early Christian Literature, trans. and rev. R.W. Funk (Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1961), p. 188.
F5: Daniel B. Wallace, The Basics of New Testament Syntax (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2000), p. 59.

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