1Jo 5:6-9 | RWP | e4.org | This ( ουτος ). Jesus the Son of God (verse ). He that came ( ο ελθων ). Second aorist active articular participle of ερχομα , referring to the Incarnation as a definite historic event, the preexistent Son of God "sent from heaven to do God's will" (Brooke). By water and blood ( δι' υδατος κα αιματος ). Accompanied by ( δια used with the genitive both as instrument and accompaniment, as in ) water (as at the baptism) and blood (as on the Cross). These two incidents in the Incarnation are singled out because at the baptism Jesus was formally set apart to his Messianic work by the coming of the Holy Spirit upon him and by the Father's audible witness, and because at the Cross his work reached its culmination ("It is finished," Jesus said). There are other theories that do not accord with the language and the facts. It is true that at the Cross both water and blood came out of the side of Jesus when pierced by the soldier, as John bore witness ( ), a complete refutation of the Docetic denial of an actual human body for Jesus and of the Cerinthian distinction between Jesus and Christ. There is thus a threefold witness to the fact of the Incarnation, but he repeats the twofold witness before giving the third. The repetition of both preposition ( εν this time rather than δια ) and the article ( τω locative case) argues for two separate events with particular emphasis on the blood ("not only" ουκ μονον , "but" αλλ' ) which the Gnostics made light of or even denied. It is the Spirit that beareth witness ( το πνευμα εστιν το μαρτυρουν ). Present active articular participle of μαρτυρεω with article with both subject and predicate, and so interchangeable as in . The Holy Spirit is the third and the chief witness at the baptism of Jesus and all through his ministry. Because ( οτ ). Or declarative "that." Either makes sense. In Jesus spoke of "the Spirit of truth" (whose characteristic is truth). Here John identifies the Spirit with truth as Jesus said of himself ( ) without denying personality for the Holy Spirit.

‏ 1 John 5:6-9

This ( ουτος ). Jesus the Son of God (verse 5).

He that came ( ο ελθων ). Second aorist active articular participle of ερχομα, referring to the Incarnation as a definite historic event, the preexistent Son of God "sent from heaven to do God's will" (Brooke).

By water and blood ( δι' υδατος κα αιματος ). Accompanied by ( δια used with the genitive both as instrument and accompaniment, as in Ga 5:13) water (as at the baptism) and blood (as on the Cross). These two incidents in the Incarnation are singled out because at the baptism Jesus was formally set apart to his Messianic work by the coming of the Holy Spirit upon him and by the Father's audible witness, and because at the Cross his work reached its culmination ("It is finished," Jesus said). There are other theories that do not accord with the language and the facts. It is true that at the Cross both water and blood came out of the side of Jesus when pierced by the soldier, as John bore witness (Joh 19:34), a complete refutation of the Docetic denial of an actual human body for Jesus and of the Cerinthian distinction between Jesus and Christ. There is thus a threefold witness to the fact of the Incarnation, but he repeats the twofold witness before giving the third. The repetition of both preposition ( εν this time rather than δια ) and the article ( τω locative case) argues for two separate events with particular emphasis on the blood ("not only" ουκ μονον, "but" αλλ' ) which the Gnostics made light of or even denied.

It is the Spirit that beareth witness ( το πνευμα εστιν το μαρτυρουν ). Present active articular participle of μαρτυρεω with article with both subject and predicate, and so interchangeable as in 3:4. The Holy Spirit is the third and the chief witness at the baptism of Jesus and all through his ministry.

Because ( οτ ). Or declarative "that." Either makes sense. In Joh 15:26 Jesus spoke of "the Spirit of truth" (whose characteristic is truth). Here John identifies the Spirit with truth as Jesus said of himself (Joh 14:6) without denying personality for the Holy Spirit.

For there are three who bear witness ( οτ τρεις εισιν ο μαρτυρουντες ). At this point the Latin Vulgate gives the words in the Textus Receptus, found in no Greek MS. save two late cursives (162 in the Vatican Library of the fifteenth century, 34 of the sixteenth century in Trinity College, Dublin). Jerome did not have it. Cyprian applies the language of the Trinity and Priscillian has it. Erasmus did not have it in his first edition, but rashly offered to insert it if a single Greek MS. had it and 34 was produced with the insertion, as if made to order. The spurious addition is: εν τω ουρανω ο πατηρ, ο λογος κα το αγιον πνευμα κα ουτο ο τρεις εν εισιν κα τρεις εισιν ο μαρτυρουντες εν τη γη (in heaven, the Father, the Word, and the Holy Ghost: and these three are one. And there are three that bear witness in earth). The last clause belongs to verse 8. The fact and the doctrine of the Trinity do not depend on this spurious addition. Some Latin scribe caught up Cyprian's exegesis and wrote it on the margin of his text, and so it got into the Vulgate and finally into the Textus Receptus by the stupidity of Erasmus.

The Spirit and the water and the blood ( το πνευμα κα το υδωρ κα το αιμα ). The same three witnesses of verses 6, 7 repeated with the Spirit first.

The three ( ο τρεις ). The resumptive article.

Agree in one ( εις το εν εισιν ). "Are for the one thing," to bring us to faith in Jesus as the Incarnate Son of God, the very purpose for which John wrote his Gospel (20:31).

If we receive ( ε λαμβανομεν ). Condition of first class with ε and the present active indicative, assumed as true. The conditions for a legally valid witness are laid down in De 19:15 (cf. Mt 18:16; Joh 8:17f.; 10:25; 2Co 13:1).

Greater ( μειζων ). Comparative of μεγας, because God is always true.

For ( οτ ). So it applies to this case.

That ( οτ ). Thus taken in the declarative sense (the fact that) as in Joh 3:19, though it can be causal (because) or indefinite relative with μεμαρτυρηκεν (what he hath testified, perfect active indicative of μαρτυρεω, as in Joh 1:32; 4:44, etc.), a harsh construction here because of μαρτυρια, though some MSS. do read εν to agree with it (cf. verse 10). See οτ εαν in 3:20 for that idiom. Westcott notes the Trinity in verses 6-9: the Son comes, the Spirit witnesses, the Father has witnessed.