The 1 John 4:20 Test, Part 1: Introduction
For years now, when I want to get a feel for a Bible translation that I haven’t studied yet, I have started with this one verse: 1 John 4:20. Here is how it reads in the New Revised Standard Version Updated Edition (NRSVUE):
“Those who say, “I love God,” and hate a brother or sister are liars, for those who do not love a brother or sister, whom they have seen, cannot love God, whom they have not seen.”
And here it is in the good old (really old) King James Version (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?”
There’s quite a difference, isn’t there?
A large Bible sitting open on the edge of the pulpit
Bible translation 101
When you see a lot of variation between translations, it is usually a sign that the underlying text is difficult to translate. This can happen for many reasons! Sometimes there are words which are so uncommon, no one is entirely sure what they mean. Sometimes there is poetic or figurative language that does not make any sense if it is translated strictly word-for-word (or possibly at all). Sometimes there are words, or phrases, or whole grammatical constructions that do not have a direct equivalent in English.
In 1 John 4:20, none of the Greek words are unusual, and the language is pretty straightforward, which leaves us with that last problem: words, and grammar, that just don’t directly translate. There is no literal translation.
This is a completely standard problem in translation. Spanish has two different verbs that can be translated "be". IsiZulu doesn't distinguish between he and she. Translators always have their work cut out for them!
Whose what is who not supposed to hate?
In 1 John 4:20, the problem comes down to the grammatical categories of gender, which we mostly do not have in English—except, sometimes, in pronouns. In the Koine (Common) Greek of the New Testament, there are some words which can be used to refer only to men, or they can be used generically, to refer to anyone. English used to do this, kind of—it’s debatable how generic the generic “he” ever really was. But in the 21st century, a lot of people are going to assume that if you are talking about “his brother”, you are talking about the male sibling of a male person.
So, in order to translate this one very short phrase acceptably into modern English, it is necessary to compromise. What kind of compromise will you choose? You can pluralize the phrase, reword the sentence to avoid the issue, or use “he” generically and hope your readers understand. None of these options is the default; you have to choose. Your choice will tend to reveal your commitments as a translator.
So, here’s the test, applied to some of the most popular, “mainstream” translations, as well as some less popular, “specialty” editions:
| Translation/Language: | Date: | Phrase: | Approach: |
|---|---|---|---|
| Original Greek text | tou adelphon autou | ||
| Popular translations: | |||
| King James Version (KJV) | 1611 | his brother | Male |
| American Standard Version (ASV) | 1901 | his brother | Male |
| The Living Bible (TLB) | 1971 | his brother | Male |
| New King James Version (NKJV) | 1982 | his brother | Male |
| New International Version – 1984 | 1984 | his brother | Male |
| New Revised Standard Version (NRSV) | 1989 | their brothers or sisters | Inclusive |
| Contemporary English Version (CEV) | 1995 | each other | Inclusive |
| New Living Translation (NLT) | 1996 | a Christian brother or sister | I/Paraphrase |
| New International Version (NIV) | 2011 | a brother or sister | Inclusive |
| Common English Bible (CEB) | 2011 | their brothers or sisters | Inclusive |
| English Standard Version (ESV) | 2016 | his brother | Male |
| Christian Standard Bible (CSB) | 2017 | his brother or sister | Male |
| The Message (MSG) | 2018 | his brother or sister | Male |
| New American Standard Bible (NASB) | 2020 | his brother or sister | Male |
| NRSV Updated Edition (NRSVUE) | 2021 | a brother or sister | Inclusive |
| Specialty translations: | |||
| God’s Word (GW) | 1995 | another believer | Paraphrase |
| New Century Version (NCV) | 2005 | their brothers or sisters | Inclusive |
| The Inclusive Bible (TIB) | 2009 | your sister or brother | Inclusive |
| Expanded Bible (EXB) | 2011 | their brothers or sisters/fellow believers | I/Paraphrase |
| Names of God (NOG) | 2011 | another believer | Paraphrase |
| New Testament for Everyone (NTE) | 2011 | their brother or sister | Inclusive |
| The Passion Translation (TPT) | 2017 | another believer | Paraphrase |
| New English Translation (NET) | 2017 | his fellow Christian | M/Paraphrase |
| First Nations Version (FNV) | 2021 | others | Paraphrase |
Note that I chose most of the “specialty” translations specifically because they pass this test! I’m not judging how good they are—they just are not as well-known or readily available as the ones listed as “popular”.
I’ve identified three main strategies or approaches: Some translators choose to directly translate using Male language (remember, the underlying text is not exclusively male, so this is a choice). Others choose to translate directly using Inclusive language. Still others choose to Paraphrase, saying something slightly different that (hopefully) has the same meaning. Note that it’s possible to paraphrase and use male language or to paraphrase and use inclusive language.
Note also that absolutely nobody is using the most direct literal translation of “adelphou”, which would be “sibling”.
I have questions.
Do the translators of the ESV (“his brother”) think it’s okay for men to hate their sisters? Do the translators of the NASB (“his brother or sister”) think it’s okay for women to hate whoever? When is someone going to finally use “siblings”?
Okay, fine.
It’s going to be me. I am going to translate this verse the way I think it ought to be translated. I am also going to use contractions, because seriously. With extra punctuation, because I can.
“If you say you love God, but you hate your sibling, you’re a liar! If you don’t love your sibling, whom you have seen, how can you love God, whom you haven’t seen?”
I can’t decide, should it be the Pastor Sarah Translation (PST), or Sarah’s English Translation (SET)? I could go either way.
(This is part 1 of a 3-part series, which I hope will be the beginning of an analysis of how different translations tackle other texts. Stay tuned for part 2, "How did we get here?”, in which I tell the real-life practical ministry story behind my interest in 1 John 4:20, and further explore the grammar involved.)
Inspired by my experience with Kenzie, I set out to explore how other translations approached this challenge.
Spoiler: I was not impressed.