2 John 1:1

Ὁ πρεσβύτερος ἐκλεκτῇ κυρίᾳ καὶ τοῖς τέκνοις αὐτῆς, οὓς ἐγὼ ἀγαπῶ ἐν ἀληθείᾳ, καὶ οὐκ ἐγὼ μόνος ἀλλὰ καὶ πάντες οἱ ἐγνωκότες τὴν ἀλήθειαν,

Translation:

1 The elder to the chosen lady and her children, whom I myself love in truth, and not I alone but also all who know the truth,

Characters:

1.      The elder – John the Apostle.

2.      The chosen lady – A local church.

3.      Her children – Members of the church.

4.      All who know the truth – All Christians.

Commentary:

Ὁ πρεσβύτερος is in the nominative case which indicates that the elder is the subject of the sentence. He is the one:

1.      Writing the letter.

2.      Expressing his feelings.

3.      Offering Encouragement.

There is no stated verb in the first clause. The first piece of this verse is merely offering an introduction. Further, every clause in this verse is dependent upon the whole.

οὓς is a relative pronoun meaning “whom” and introduces a relative clause [οὓς ἐγὼ ἀγαπῶ ἐν ἀληθείᾳ]. οὓς modifies the noun “lady” and is in itself accusative plural. Whom does the elder love? The elder loves both the lady and her children. The pronoun is accusative which shows that it is the object/recipient of the elder’s love. It is plural because the lady [i.e. the local church] consists of many members.

ἀγαπῶ is the first verb in the sentence meaning “love”. However, the 1^st person singular case ending (ῶ) shows us that the subject is held within the verb. Thus, ἀγαπῶ means “I love”. Yet, ἐγὼ ἀγαπῶ also means “I love” since ἐγὼ is the 1^st person singular personal pronoun. Therefore, since the subject is expressed on the inside and outside of the verbal form, I am drawn to translate it as “I myself love” in order to add emphasis to the elder’s statement.

The elder continues by saying “καὶ οὐκ ἐγὼ μόνος ἀλλὰ καὶ πάντες οἱ ἐγνωκότες τὴν ἀλήθειαν”.

οὐκ adds the negation. What the elder is saying is that “…it is not only I who love you, but also all who know the truth.” This is where ἀλλὰ comes into play which means “but” here in this context. The elder encourages either this lady or these believers [depending upon which interpretation you lean toward] with the fact that there is a universal love that all of us Christians share in the truth and have for one another. This love is neither sourced in the elder nor is it his expression alone, but it is a common Christian love that is sourced in and expressed through the truth which is something that all believers share in Christ.

*Continue on with 2 John 1:2