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Text and Translation
Greek Text
2:1. Τεκνία μου, ταῦτα γράφω ὑμῖν, ἵνα μὴ ἁμάρτητε. καὶ ἐάν τις ἁμάρτῃ, παράκλητον ἔχομεν πρὸς τὸν πατέρα, Ἰησοῦν Χριστὸν δίκαιον·
2:2. καὶ αὐτὸς ἱλασμός ἐστι περὶ τῶν ἁμαρτιῶν ἡμῶν· οὐ περὶ τῶν ἡμετέρων δὲ μόνον, ἀλλὰ καὶ περὶ ὅλου τοῦ κόσμου.
English Translation
2:1. My children, I write these things to you so that you may not sin and if someone sins, we have an advocate to the Father, namely Jesus Christ the righteous;
2:2. and he himself is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, not concerning ours only—but even for the sins of the whole world.
Graphical Grammar
Weighty Words
- Τεκνία – Neut. Pl. Voc. ▶ τεκνίον: child
- ἁμάρτητε – 2nd Per. Aor. Act. Subj. &
ἁμάρτῃ – 3rd Sg. Aor. Act. Subj. ▶ ἁμαρτάνω: to sin.
These are good examples of how Greek forces you to read ahead before deciding what you’re looking at. Could this also be a pres. act imp? No. Here are the clues.- No augment on the stem (ἁμαρτ-) = not indicative or imperative.
- -ητε ending = 2nd-person plural subjunctive (aorist: ἁμάρτ- + -ητε). Pres. Imp. 2pl would beἁμαρτάνετε(long vowel + ν).
- Context clue: ἵνα + subjunctive = purpose clause →must be subjunctive.
- There is a reader trap here, too. ἁμάρτῃ could be initially confused with a noun because the -ῃ ending looks like a dative singular noun. Once you see the ἐάν, the subjunctive should click.
- παράκλητον – Masc. Sg. Acc. ▶ παράκλητος: advocate
- ἱλασμός – Masc. Sg. Nom. ▶ ἱλασμός: propitiation / atoning sacrifice
Syntax Sense
The main feature to focus on here was tipped off in the Weighty Words: the ”ἵνα + subjunctive” clause. You will see this a lot and sometimes it helps to understand the grammatical category a construction like this fits within. That way you can identify what the clause is doing.
A sentence that has at least one subordinate clause is a complex sentence. (Contrast that with a compound sentence, which is two or more independent clauses joined by a coordinating conjunction.) The ”ἵνα + subjunctive” clause is the kind of clause that depends on, or is subordinate to, the main clause. It is dependent, you may recall from English grammar, because it is not a standalone sentence.
Here is the grammar grouping that you may find useful to help your understanding of the Greek. Subordinate clauses come in three varieties: substantival (the clause acts as the subject or an object of the sentence); adjectival or attributive (the clause describes some other substantive in the sentence); or adverbial (the clause acts as an adverb or modifies the principal clause similarly to how an adverb modifies a verb).
A clause starting with ἵνα (or ὅπως, or ὡς in order that, that; negative ἵνα μή, ὅπως μή, ὡς μή, and μή alone, lest) denotes purpose: answering “for what reason.” Here the clause modifies “I write things to you” by answering the question why.
The point of this is not to memorize grammatical categories, but to get a feel for how a clause is operating. Purpose clauses in koine are almost always followed by a verb in the subjunctive clause. So, knowing something is a purpose clause accomplishes two things for you. First, it enables you to determine how the clause operates in the sentence and what it means. Second, it practically parses the following verb for you.
If you want to read further on adverbial complex sentences, there is a great discussion in Smyth in sections 2193-2487. You may not want to study that now, but the next time you run into an adverbial dependent clause, you might glean some insights into how that type clause functions in your sentence.
Shifting gears and looking at verse 2, how do we get the word “sins” after the conjunction ”but”? It’s not in the Greek. This one of those concessive clauses where the “but” clause contrasts what’s in the main clause. In Greek, the subject of that contrast (sins) does not need to be repeated. This is an ellipsis, which you may remember is a rhetorical feature where one or more words are deliberately left out. In English, we need to make the ellipsis explicit.
Demystifying the Discourse
In the first chapter, John lays a foundation for his message. In these verses he lays out his clear purpose: the point of his writing is to enable his readers to steer clear of sin. But because the consequences of sin are so drastic, he also reminds his readers that Jesus has already atoned for them. Is this, possibly, foreshadowing that the message will be serious? He started the letter with a cosmic sense, he lays a clear foundation regarding walking in darkness versus walking in light. Then he layers in this purpose fitting his cosmic opening, but yet anchored to grace and redemption. John does not present sin as hypothetical abstraction; he frames it as a real danger while simultaneously preempting despair.
Your turn!
Read verses 1–2 aloud in Greek.
Then answer this in your journal: How does the structure of the sentence keep the warning against sin and the assurance of advocacy from collapsing into either legalism or license?
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See complete translation of I John here.