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Text and Translation
Greek Text
12 Δημητρίῳ μεμαρτύρηται ὑπὸ πάντων, καὶ ὑπʼ αὐτῆς τῆς ἀληθείας· καὶ ἡμεῖς δὲ μαρτυροῦμεν, καὶ οἴδατε ὅτι ἡ μαρτυρία ἡμῶν ἀληθής ἐστι.
13 Πολλὰ εἶχον γράφειν, ἀλλʼ οὐ θέλω διὰ μέλανος καὶ καλάμου σοι γράψαι·
14 ἐλπίζω δὲ εὐθέως ἰδεῖν σε, καὶ στόμα πρὸς στόμα λαλήσομεν. εἰρήνη σοι. ἀσπάζονταί σε οἱ φίλοι. ἀσπάζου τοὺς φίλους κατʼ ὄνομα.
My English Translation
12 Demetrius has been attested by all and by the truth itself, and we also testify, and you know that our testimony is true.
13 I had many things to write, but I do not want to write to you with ink and reed.
14 But I hope to see you at once, and I will speak to you face to face. Peace to you. The friends greet you. Greet the friends by name.
Graphical Grammar
Weighty Words
- μεμαρτύρηται. Perfect passive indicative → μαρτυρέω: enduring state of testimony.
- μέλανος. Adj neut sg gen → μέλας: black, ink
- καλάμου. Noun masc sg gen → κάλαμος: reed pen (reed, measuring rod)
- στόμα. Noun neut sg. acc. → στόμα: mouth
Perfect Pronunciation
Syntax Sense
Verse 12
| Element | Rendering | Analysis |
|---|---|---|
| μεμαρτύρηται | “has been attested” | “Has been testified to” is literal, but “attested” is concise and idiomatic. |
| ὑπὸ πάντων | “by all” | πάντων is neuter plural → “by all” or “by everyone.” Some translations include “men,” which adds a gender not in the Greek. |
| καὶ ὑπʼ αὐτῆς τῆς ἀληθείας | “and by the truth itself” | Captures the personification of ἀλήθεια (Johannine motif: truth as active witness). “Itself” preserves αὐτῆς. |
| καὶ ἡμεῖς δὲ μαρτυροῦμεν | “and we also testify” | δὲ = “also” in contrastive addition. Present tense μαρτυροῦμεν = ongoing witness. |
| καὶ οἴδατε ὅτι | “and you know that” | Supplies οἴδατε (perfect tense: “you know and continue to know”). |
| ἡ μαρτυρία ἡμῶν ἀληθής ἐστι | “our testimony is true” | Word order mirrors Greek; ἀληθής = “true, truthful.” |
Note also the polysyndetic1 construction with the three repeated καὶ. The use of polysyndeton can slow down the rhythm of a phrase, make it more memorable, or emphasize each individual item in a list. Here the δὲ in καὶ ἡμεῖς δὲ μαρτυροῦμεν slows the pace and creates a subtle contrast (“we also testify”), adding the elder’s voice without overshadowing the others.
Verses 13 and 14
The only thing especially tricky about verse 13 is the word order. My original translation was “Many things I had to write but I do not wish, with ink and pen, to write to you.” But this was such a soupy, awkward mess in English. Yes, it followed the Greek word order literally, but it was not a joy to read in English. Why did I switch “pen” to reed? I wanted to keep some tie to the authentic, literal language and thought this was a good way to do it. English readers will not be too thrown off by it, especially in close proximity to “ink.”
The imperfect εἶχον (“I was having / I had many things to write”) makes for a nice contrast with the present οὐ θέλω (“I do not want”). It shows the Elder’s past desire, which is no longer active. Like the enduring testimony in v. 12, the imperfect here shows a state that was true but isn’t anymore
ἐλπίζω … εὐθέως – the adverb is fronted for emphasis (“I hope immediately to see you”). Keep in mind that a fronted adverb demonstrates urgency. Easy way to show how Greek word order highlights urgency. Note how much, in this brief letter, we find rhetorical devices that draw our attention to theological points. Like the polysyndeton in verse 12. Note that I translated using “immediately” at first, but then when I re-worded it the “immediately” seemed out of place, so I rendered it with the English idiom “at once.”
στόμα πρὸς στόμα – This is one of those things that I love about reading the Greek. It put a smile on my face when I first read it, because I could immediately see the path from the Greek to the way it’s typically rendered in English. This literal idiom–“mouth to mouth”–is Hebraism (appearing also in Num 12:8 LXX). It shows John’s OT echoes. Yet the phrase is rendered “face to face” in every English version (mine included), where the standard English idiom communicates the same thing. Great example of how translation sometimes must abandon literalism for idiom without losing meaning.
Try spotting a fronted adverb in your next verse—share in the comments!
Demystifying the Discourse
The letter has come full circle. We start with Giaus who is a model of Christian maturity for us, turn our attention to his polar opposite, Diotrephes, and now we are introduced to Demetrius who is another like Giaus. With that we see two examples in one brief letter of Christian maturity. One is detailed for us, the other summarized. But the key point is loud and clear: mature people of faith walk in truth.
Your Turn
What does John gain by ending the letter this way instead of continuing in writing?
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Return to TBWM – III John
See complete translation of III John here.
- Polysyndeton is a rhetorical device in which coordinating conjunctions are used several times in close succession. ↩︎