1 John 4:20 KJV
If a man say, I love God,
and hateth his brother,
he is a liar:
for he that loveth not his brother
whom he hath seen,
how can he love God
whom he hath not seen?
Study
Other translations
New International Version
Whoever claims to love God yet hates a brother or sister is a liar. For whoever does not love their brother and sister, whom they have seen, cannot love God, whom they have not seen.
New Living Translation
If someone says, “I love God,” but hates a fellow believer, that person is a liar; for if we don’t love people we can see, how can we love God, whom we cannot see?
English Standard Version
If anyone says, “I love God,” and hates his brother, he is a liar; for he who does not love his brother whom he has seen cannot love God whom he has not seen.
Berean Study Bible
If anyone says, “I love God,” but hates his brother, he is a liar. For anyone who does not love his brother, whom he has seen, cannot love God, whom he has not seen.
Berean Literal Bible
If anyone should say, “I love God,” and should hate his brother, he is a liar. For the one not loving his brother, whom he has seen, is not able to love God, whom he has not seen.
New King James Version
If someone says, “I love God,” and hates his brother, he is a liar; for he who does not love his brother whom he has seen, how can he love God whom he has not seen?
New American Standard Bible
If someone says, “I love God,” and [yet] he hates his brother [or sister], he is a liar; for the one who does not love his brother [and sister] whom he has seen, cannot love God, whom he has not seen.
NASB 1977 and NASB 1995
If someone says, “I love God,” and hates his brother, he is a liar; for the one who does not love his brother whom he has seen, cannot love God whom he has not seen.
Amplified Bible
If anyone says, “I love God,” and hates (works against) his [Christian] brother he is a liar; for the one who does not love his brother whom he has seen, cannot love God whom he has not seen.
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If a man say, I love God, and hateth his brother
His Christian brother; or, in a larger sense, any man.
The sense is, that no man, whatever may be his professions and pretensions, can have any true love to God, unless he loves his brethren.
If any man say, I love God
Even if he says this with the most confidence.
And hateth his brother
Which he will do more or less, or even if he does not really love him.
He is a liar
He affirms what is false, although, perhaps, he may not know it to be so.
It is not necessary, in order to a proper interpretation of this passage, to suppose that he “intentionally” deceives.
The sense is, that this must be a false profession.
For he that loveth not his brother, whom he hath seen
Who is daily presented to his senses to raise his esteem, or move his kindness or compassion toward him. It is more reasonable to expect that we should love one whom we have seen and known personally, than that we should love one whom we have not seen.
The apostle is arguing from human nature as it is, and everyone feels that we are more likely to love one with whom we are familiar than one who is a stranger.
How can he love God, whom he hath not seen?
If a professed Christian, therefore, does not love one who bears the divine image, whom he sees and knows, how can he love that God whose image he bears, whom he has not seen? Whose excellences are not the objects of his senses, but are discovered imperfectly from His works of creation, providence, and grace, or from the declarations and promises of his word.
His invisible nature being an obstacle to our loving Him, which our weak and carnal minds cannot be expected easily to conquer.
Indeed, we never could love Him unless, as the apostle observes, His love were shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost given to us.
Greek
If ☆ Ἐάν (Ean) ☆ Conjunction ☆ If. From ei and an; a conditional particle; in case that, provided, etc.
A man ☆ τις (tis) ☆ Interrogative / Indefinite Pronoun – Nominative Masculine Singular ☆ Any one, some one, a certain one or thing. An enclitic indefinite pronoun; some or any person or object.
Says ☆ εἴπῃ (eipē) ☆ Verb – Aorist Subjunctive Active – 3rd Person Singular ☆ Answer, bid, bring word, command. A primary verb; to speak or say.
I love ☆ Ἀγαπῶ (Agapō) ☆ Verb – Present Indicative Active – 1st Person Singular ☆ To love, wish well to, take pleasure in, long for; denotes the love of reason, esteem. Perhaps from agan; to love.
God ☆ Θεόν (Theon) ☆ Noun – Accusative Masculine Singular ☆ A deity, especially the supreme Divinity; figuratively, a magistrate; by Hebraism, very.
[but] ☆ καὶ (kai) ☆ Conjunction ☆ And, even, also, namely.
Hates ☆ μισῇ (misē) ☆ Verb – Present Subjunctive Active – 3rd Person Singular ☆ To hate, detest, love less, esteem less. From a primary misos; to detest; by extension, to love less.
His ☆ αὐτοῦ (autou) ☆ Personal / Possessive Pronoun – Genitive Masculine 3rd Person Singular ☆ He, she, it, they, them, same. From the particle au; the reflexive pronoun self, used of the third person, and of the other persons.
Brother ☆ ἀδελφὸν (adelphon) ☆ Noun – Accusative Masculine Singular ☆ A brother, member of the same religious community, especially a fellow-Christian. A brother near or remote.
He is ☆ ἐστίν (estin) ☆ Verb – Present Indicative Active – 3rd Person Singular ☆ I am, exist. The first person singular present indicative; a prolonged form of a primary and defective verb; I exist.
A liar ☆ ψεύστης (pseustēs) ☆ Noun – Nominative Masculine Singular ☆ A liar, deceiver. From pseudomai; a falsifier.
For ☆ γὰρ (gar) ☆ Conjunction ☆ For. A primary particle; properly, assigning a reason.
He ☆ ὁ (ho) ☆ Article – Nominative Masculine Singular ☆ The, the definite article. Including the feminine he, and the neuter to in all their inflections; the definite article; the.
That loves ☆ ἀγαπῶν (agapōn) ☆ Verb – Present Participle Active – Nominative Masculine Singular ☆ To love, wish well to, take pleasure in, long for; denotes the love of reason, esteem. Perhaps from agan; to love.
Not ☆ μή (me) ☆ a primary particle of qualified negation, particle ☆ no, not lest
His ☆ αὐτοῦ (autou) ☆ Personal / Possessive Pronoun – Genitive Masculine 3rd Person Singular ☆ He, she, it, they, them, same. From the particle au; the reflexive pronoun self, used of the third person, and of the other persons.
Brother ☆ ἀδελφὸν (adelphon) ☆ Noun – Accusative Masculine Singular ☆ A brother, member of the same religious community, especially a fellow-Christian. A brother near or remote.
Whom ☆ ὃν (hon) ☆ Personal / Relative Pronoun – Accusative Masculine Singular ☆ Who, which, what, that.
He has seen ☆ ἑώρακεν (heōraken) ☆ Verb – Perfect Indicative Active – 3rd Person Singular ☆ Properly, to stare at, i.e. to discern clearly; by extension, to attend to; by Hebraism, to experience; passively, to appear.
How ☆ πῶς (pos) ☆ adverb, an interrogative particle of manner; particle ☆ how, in what way
Can ☆ δύναται (dynatai) ☆ Verb – Present Indicative Middle or Passive – 3rd Person Singular ☆ (a) I am powerful, have (the) power, (b) I am able, I can. Of uncertain affinity; to be able or possible.
He love ☆ ἀγαπᾶν (agapan) ☆ Verb – Present Infinitive Active ☆ To love, wish well to, take pleasure in, long for; denotes the love of reason, esteem. Perhaps from agan; to love.
God ☆ Θεὸν (Theon) ☆ Noun – Accusative Masculine Singular ☆ A deity, especially the supreme Divinity; figuratively, a magistrate; by Hebraism, very.
Whom ☆ ὃν (hon) ☆ Personal / Relative Pronoun – Accusative Masculine Singular ☆ Who, which, what, that.
not ☆ οὐ (ou) – also (before a vowel) οὐκ (ouk) and (before an aspirate) οὐχ (ouch) ☆ A primary word, the absolute negative adverb; particle ☆ no, not; in direct questions expecting an affirmative answer
seen ☆ ἑώρακεν (heōraken) ☆ Verb – Perfect Indicative Active – 3rd Person Singular ☆ Properly, to stare at, i.e. to discern clearly; by extension, to attend to; by Hebraism, to experience; passively, to appear
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