Applied Hermeneutical Paper On 2 John 1-13

An Applied Hermeneutical Paper On 2 John 1-13
by: Pablo D. Gravoso



I. I have read thoroughly 2 John 1-13 approximately ten times.

II. Comparison of seven translations of the said passage
I consulted seven translations and examined if there are any differences between translations. The seven translations are: New King James Version (NKJV), King James Version (KJV), New International Version (NIV), Today’s English Version (TEV), New Revised Standard Versions (NRSV), Thomson Chain Reference (TCR) and Catholic Bible – Westminster Version (CB).

I noticed eleven (11) minor differences in their translations which I feel do not affect the interpretation of the passage. There minor differences are:

Verse 1
Elder = KJV, NKJV, NIV, TEV, NRSV, TCR
Priest = CB

Her offspring = NKJV
Her children = NIV, TCR, TEV, NRSV, KJV, CB

Elect Lady = NJKV, TCR, NRSV, KJV, CB
Chosen lady = NIV
Lady chosen = TEV

Verse 2
Abides = NKJV, NRSV
Abideth = CB
Dwelleth = TCR, KJV
Lives = NIV, TEV

Verse 4
Some of your children = NKJV, NIV, TEV, NRSV,
Thy children = TCR, KJV, CB

Verse 5
I wrote = NKJV, TCR, KJV
I am not writing =NIV, TEV,
I were writing = NRSV
As writing to thee = CB

Verse 7
As coming =NKJV, NIV, TEV
Is come = TCR, KJV
Has come =NRSV
Not the coming = CB

Verse 8
We = NKJV, TCR, TEV, NRSV, KJV
You = NIV

Verse 9
Transgresses = NKJV
Transgresseth = TCR, KJV
Runs ahead = NIV, TEV
Does not abide = NRSV
Abideth not = CB

Verse 11
Shares = NKJV, NIV, TEV
Partaker = TCR, KJV
Partaketh = CB
Participate – NRSV

Verse 13
Amen = NKJV, TCR, KJV
No Amen = NIV, TEV. NRSV, CB

Though, my opinion is that these minor differences do not affect the interpretation of the passage mentioned.

III. List of Alternatives / Key Terms
1. elder
2. elect lady
3. her offspring
4. deceiver / antichrist
5. doctrine of Christ
6. coming
7. greets (v. 10 and 11)
8. children of your elect sister

Mini-Word Study
1. elder - The author introduced himself not by name but by chosen character. His chosen character, which is ‘elder”, signifies seniority in faith, age, and stature.
2. elect lady - Because her husband was not mentioned in the letter, it is very probable that this elect lady was a widow. Though, this may also pertain to a church, considering that Christians were persecuted at that time. Therefore it is probable that the writer was hiding the recipient’s identity. Like when I wrote my fellow STMers (when I joined last year’s AVSTM) I addressed them as co-employees, and the church as company. The writer may also hide the identity of the recipient for safety reason. The Greek word “kurio” was used here and it means “directly chosen by God”. The Greek word also signifies a person of eminent quality. It is a feminine word of “kurios” which means Lord.
3. her offspring - They might be the real biological children of the widow (elect lady) and others who meet in her household. Though, it may also mean members of the local church.
4. deceiver - These deceivers seem to be the Gnostics who are so many during the time of the writing of this epistle. Gnostics deny the deity of Christ whish was mentioned in the letter.
5. doctrine of Christ – The doctrine of Christ teaches that Jesus is the Son of God and the Savior of the World. This doctrine also teaches that Jesus became flesh and dwelt among us.
6. coming – The word “coming” or “is come” pertains to the incarnation of Christ and his future coming.
7. greets – Greeting in the ancient times means accepting or welcoming visitors into their house. Usually, this also entails listening. In Eastern use, it means having no religious connections with them or acknowledge them as brothers.
8. children of elect sister – This may mean the biological nieces and nephews of the recipient of the letter. The elect sister must also be a Christian who lives in Ephesus.

IV. Historical Cultural Matters
The letter was written from Ephesus. John was already old (probably 90 years old) when he wrote this. It was probably written after the Gospel and before the persecution under Domitian in 95AD. We can place the writing of this letter in late 80’s or early 90’s.
Gnosticism was prevalent during that time in Eastern World. Gnosticism believes that knowledge is superior than virtues. They also believe in non-literal sense of Scriptures is correct and can only be understood by few. Gnostics believe that evil in the world precludes God’s being the only creator in the world. But what really opposes the Christian belief is that the belief of Gnostics that incarnation is incredible because deity cannot unite itself with the flesh. Therefore, they subscribe that resurrection of the dead is incredible.

V. Contextual Questions
The context of the epistle is the commandment of Christ that we should love one another. The recipients of the letter were encouraged to go on in their faith, walking in the truth. They can do this by loving one another. They are also encouraged to resist the false teachers and their teachings. They must believe in the doctrine of Christ which is: Christ is God, Christ became men, Christ is the Savior and Christ is coming. The author also longs to see the recipients personally.