1 John 3:16
New International Version
This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers and sisters.

New Living Translation
We know what real love is because Jesus gave up his life for us. So we also ought to give up our lives for our brothers and sisters.

English Standard Version
By this we know love, that he laid down his life for us, and we ought to lay down our lives for the brothers.

Berean Standard Bible
By this we know what love is: Jesus laid down His life for us, and we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers.

Berean Literal Bible
By this we have known love, because He laid down His life for us; and we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers.

King James Bible
Hereby perceive we the love of God, because he laid down his life for us: and we ought to lay down our lives for the brethren.

New King James Version
By this we know love, because He laid down His life for us. And we also ought to lay down our lives for the brethren.

New American Standard Bible
We know love by this, that He laid down His life for us; and we ought to lay down our lives for the brothers and sisters.

NASB 1995
We know love by this, that He laid down His life for us; and we ought to lay down our lives for the brethren.

NASB 1977
We know love by this, that He laid down His life for us; and we ought to lay down our lives for the brethren.

Legacy Standard Bible
By this we have known love, that He laid down His life for us; and we ought to lay down our lives for the brothers.

Amplified Bible
By this we know [and have come to understand the depth and essence of His precious] love: that He [willingly] laid down His life for us [because He loved us]. And we ought to lay down our lives for the believers.

Christian Standard Bible
This is how we have come to know love: He laid down his life for us. We should also lay down our lives for our brothers and sisters.

Holman Christian Standard Bible
This is how we have come to know love: He laid down His life for us. We should also lay down our lives for our brothers.

American Standard Version
Hereby know we love, because he laid down his life for us: and we ought to lay down our lives for the brethren.

Aramaic Bible in Plain English
By this we know his love toward us, for he gave his Life in our place, and it is right for us that we would give our lives for the sake of our brothers.

Contemporary English Version
We know what love is because Jesus gave his life for us. This is why we must give our lives for each other.

Douay-Rheims Bible
In this we have known the charity of God, because he hath laid down his life for us: and we ought to lay down our lives for the brethren.

English Revised Version
Hereby know we love, because he laid down his life for us: and we ought to lay down our lives for the brethren.

GOD'S WORD® Translation
We understand what love is when we realize that Christ gave his life for us. That means we must give our lives for other believers.

Good News Translation
This is how we know what love is: Christ gave his life for us. We too, then, ought to give our lives for others!

International Standard Version
This is how we have come to know love: the Messiah gave his life for us. We, too, ought to give our lives for our brothers.

Literal Standard Version
in this we have known love, because He laid down His life for us, and we ought to lay down [our] lives for the brothers;

Majority Standard Bible
By this we know what love is: Jesus laid down His life for us, and we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers.

New American Bible
The way we came to know love was that he laid down his life for us; so we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers.

NET Bible
We have come to know love by this: that Jesus laid down his life for us; thus we ought to lay down our lives for our fellow Christians.

New Revised Standard Version
We know love by this, that he laid down his life for us—and we ought to lay down our lives for one another.

New Heart English Bible
By this we know love, because he laid down his life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for the brothers.

Webster's Bible Translation
By this we perceive the love of God, because he laid down his life for us: and we ought to lay down our lives for the brethren.

Weymouth New Testament
We know what love is--through Christ's having laid down His life on our behalf; and in the same way we ought to lay down our lives for our brother men.

World English Bible
By this we know love, because he laid down his life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for the brothers.

Young's Literal Translation
in this we have known the love, because he for us his life did lay down, and we ought for the brethren the lives to lay down;

Additional Translations ...
Audio Bible



Context
Love One Another
15Everyone who hates his brother is a murderer, and you know that eternal life does not reside in a murderer. 16By this we know what love is: Jesus laid down His life for us, and we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers. 17If anyone with earthly possessions sees his brother in need, but withholds his compassion from him, how can the love of God abide in him?…

Cross References
John 10:11
I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down His life for the sheep.

John 15:13
Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends.

Philippians 2:17
But even if I am being poured out like a drink offering on the sacrifice and service of your faith, I am glad and rejoice with all of you.

1 Thessalonians 2:8
We cared so deeply that we were delighted to share with you not only the gospel of God, but our own lives as well. That is how beloved you have become to us.

1 John 2:9
If anyone claims to be in the light but hates his brother, he is still in the darkness.


Treasury of Scripture

Hereby perceive we the love of God, because he laid down his life for us: and we ought to lay down our lives for the brothers.

perceive.

1 John 4:9,10
In this was manifested the love of God toward us, because that God sent his only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through him…

Matthew 20:28
Even as the Son of man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give his life a ransom for many.

John 3:16
For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.

and we.

1 John 2:6
He that saith he abideth in him ought himself also so to walk, even as he walked.

1 John 4:11
Beloved, if God so loved us, we ought also to love one another.

John 13:34
A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another.

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1 John 3
1. He declares the singular love of God toward us, in making us his sons;
3. who therefore ought obediently to keep his commandments;
11. as also to love one another as brothers.














Verses 16, 17. - The nature of love as shown by Christ, and its obligation on Christians. Love has been declared the criterion for distinguishing the children of God from the children of the devil. It remains to show what love is; and this is best seen in a concrete example. "The Eternal Word, incarnate and dying for the truth, inspires St. John to guard it with apostolic chivalry; but also this revelation of the heart of God melts him into tenderness towards the race which Jesus has loved so well. To St. John a lack of love for men seems sheer dishonour to the love of Christ" (Liddon). Verse 16. - In this (verse 10; 1 John 2:3)we have come to know (have acquired and possess the knowledge of) love (what love is), in that he laid down his life for us. This is better than "We have come to know love as consisting in this, that he laid down his life for us," which would have been ἐν τούτῳ οϋσαν. Cain is the type of hate; Christ, of love. Cain took his brother's life to benefit himself; Christ laid down his own life to benefit his enemies (see on John 10:12). This realized ideal of love we must imitate; ready to sacrifice ourselves, and even our lives, for the good of others. The effacement of another's rights and perhaps existence for one's own sake is the essence of hatred; the effacement of one's self for another's sake is the essence of love. Christ died for those who hated him; and the Christian must confront the hatred of the world with a love that is ready even to die for the haters. This shows that the "brethren" here and in verse 14, though used primarily of Christians, does not exclude unbelievers; otherwise the parallel with Christ would be spoiled (see on verse 10).

Parallel Commentaries ...


Greek
By
Ἐν (En)
Preposition
Strong's 1722: In, on, among. A primary preposition denoting position, and instrumentality, i.e. A relation of rest; 'in, ' at, on, by, etc.

this
τούτῳ (toutō)
Demonstrative Pronoun - Dative Neuter Singular
Strong's 3778: This; he, she, it.

we know
ἐγνώκαμεν (egnōkamen)
Verb - Perfect Indicative Active - 1st Person Plural
Strong's 1097: A prolonged form of a primary verb; to 'know' in a great variety of applications and with many implications.

what
τὴν (tēn)
Article - Accusative Feminine Singular
Strong's 3588: The, the definite article. Including the feminine he, and the neuter to in all their inflections; the definite article; the.

love [is]:
ἀγάπην (agapēn)
Noun - Accusative Feminine Singular
Strong's 26: From agapao; love, i.e. Affection or benevolence; specially a love-feast.

[Jesus]
ἐκεῖνος (ekeinos)
Demonstrative Pronoun - Nominative Masculine Singular
Strong's 1565: That, that one there, yonder. From ekei; that one (neuter) thing); often intensified by the article prefixed.

laid down
ἔθηκεν (ethēken)
Verb - Aorist Indicative Active - 3rd Person Singular
Strong's 5087: To put, place, lay, set, fix, establish. A prolonged form of a primary theo to place.

His
αὐτοῦ (autou)
Personal / Possessive Pronoun - Genitive Masculine 3rd Person Singular
Strong's 846: He, she, it, they, them, same. From the particle au; the reflexive pronoun self, used of the third person, and of the other persons.

life
ψυχὴν (psychēn)
Noun - Accusative Feminine Singular
Strong's 5590: From psucho; breath, i.e. spirit, abstractly or concretely.

for
ὑπὲρ (hyper)
Preposition
Strong's 5228: Gen: in behalf of; acc: above.

us,
ἡμῶν (hēmōn)
Personal / Possessive Pronoun - Genitive 1st Person Plural
Strong's 1473: I, the first-person pronoun. A primary pronoun of the first person I.

and
καὶ (kai)
Conjunction
Strong's 2532: And, even, also, namely.

we
ἡμεῖς (hēmeis)
Personal / Possessive Pronoun - Nominative 1st Person Plural
Strong's 1473: I, the first-person pronoun. A primary pronoun of the first person I.

ought
ὀφείλομεν (opheilomen)
Verb - Present Indicative Active - 1st Person Plural
Strong's 3784: Or, its prolonged form opheileo probably from the base of ophelos; to owe; figuratively, to be under obligation; morally, to fail in duty.

to lay down
θεῖναι (theinai)
Verb - Aorist Infinitive Active
Strong's 5087: To put, place, lay, set, fix, establish. A prolonged form of a primary theo to place.

[our]
τὰς (tas)
Article - Accusative Feminine Plural
Strong's 3588: The, the definite article. Including the feminine he, and the neuter to in all their inflections; the definite article; the.

lives
ψυχὰς (psychas)
Noun - Accusative Feminine Plural
Strong's 5590: From psucho; breath, i.e. spirit, abstractly or concretely.

for
ὑπὲρ (hyper)
Preposition
Strong's 5228: Gen: in behalf of; acc: above.

[our]
τῶν (tōn)
Article - Genitive Masculine Plural
Strong's 3588: The, the definite article. Including the feminine he, and the neuter to in all their inflections; the definite article; the.

brothers.
ἀδελφῶν (adelphōn)
Noun - Genitive Masculine Plural
Strong's 80: A brother, member of the same religious community, especially a fellow-Christian. A brother near or remote.


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NT Letters: 1 John 3:16 By this we know love because he (1J iJ 1Jn i jn 1 jo)
1 John 3:15
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