2 John 1

2 John · Chapter 1

2 John 1:2

1The elder unto the elect lady and her children, whom I love in the truth; and not I only, but also all they that have known the truth;2For the truth’s sake, which dwelleth in us, and shall be with us for ever.3Grace be with you, mercy, and peace, from God the Father, and from the Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of the Father, in truth and love.4I rejoiced greatly that I found of thy children walking in truth, as we have received a commandment from the Father.5And now I beseech thee, lady, not as though I wrote a new commandment unto thee, but that which we had from the beginning, that we love one another.6And this is love, that we walk after his commandments. This is the commandment, That, as ye have heard from the beginning, ye should walk in it.7For many deceivers are entered into the world, who confess not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh. This is a deceiver and an antichrist.8Look to yourselves, that we lose not those things which we have wrought, but that we receive a full reward.9Whosoever transgresseth, and abideth not in the doctrine of Christ, hath not God. He that abideth in the doctrine of Christ, he hath both the Father and the Son.10If there come any unto you, and bring not this doctrine, receive him not into your house, neither bid him God speed:11For he that biddeth him God speed is partaker of his evil deeds.12Having many things to write unto you, I would not write with paper and ink: but I trust to come unto you, and speak face to face, that our joy may be full.13The children of thy elect sister greet thee. Amen.

King James Version (1769)

Other translations

VerseKJVBSBASV
2For the truth’s sake, which dwelleth in us, and shall be with us for ever.because of the truth that abides in us and will be with us forever:for the truth’s sake which abideth in us, and it shall be with us for ever:

In context

AI-assisted, sourced

Verse 2 finishes the greeting of verse 1. The elder says he and all who know the truth love the lady and her children because of the truth, which lives in believers and will stay with them for ever. Love and truth are tied together from the letter's first lines. 2 John 1:12 John 1:22 John 1:32 John overview

Speaking"The elder," who does not give his name. Early Christian tradition identifies him as John the apostle. Some scholars think he was a different church leader. 2 John 1:12 John overview

To"The elect lady and her children." This may be a Christian woman and her family, or a figurative name for a local church and its members. The letter does not say which. 2 John 1:12 John overview

Also involvedThe "us" in whom the truth dwells takes in the elder, the readers, and "all they that have known the truth." 2 John 1:12 John 1:2

The elder explains why believers love one another: for the sake of the truth they share. That truth is not only something they hold. It "dwelleth in us," literally "is abiding," and it will be with them for ever. 2 John 1:12 John 1:2Strong's G3306Strong's G1223

The letter does not say where it was written or sent. Early tradition places John's last years in Ephesus, and the readers were likely in the province of Asia. 2 John overview

ACHAIAASIAGALATIAPHRYGIAAegean SeaEphesusPatmosSmyrnaPergamumThyatiraSardisPhiladelphiaLaodicea

The eventsThis is part of a letter greeting, written when travelling teachers who denied that Jesus Christ had come in the flesh were visiting churches. 2 John overview2 John 1:7

WrittenTraditional view: about AD 85-95, late in John's life. Scholarly view: most scholars also place it in the late first century. 2 John overview

HereThe verse grounds the letter's call to love in shared truth. This prepares for the later warning not to welcome teachers who do not bring the doctrine of Christ. 2 John 1:22 John 1:52 John 1:92 John 1:102 John overview

In the whole of ScriptureJohn's letters often speak of God's word or truth abiding in believers. "The word of God abideth in you" (1 John 2:14). Jesus says, "my words abide in you" (John 15:7). John also says that he who does God's will "abideth for ever" (1 John 2:17). 1 John 2:14John 15:71 John 2:17Strong's G3306

For readersChristian love here rests on the truth about Christ that believers share. That truth is a lasting presence within them, not a passing opinion. 2 John 1:12 John 1:22 John 1:9

  • truthἀλήθεια
    Greek · alētheia · G0225

    The lexicon gives "truth." It can mean religious truth and Christian doctrine, and also truthfulness and integrity of character. In this letter, truth is tied to "the doctrine of Christ" (1:9). Strong's G02252 John 1:9

  • dwelleth (is abiding)μένω
    Greek · menō · G3306

    The word means to stay, abide, or remain. The lexicon cites this very verse for truth abiding. It also lists God's word abiding in believers (1 John 2:14), which shows the truth as a settled presence. Strong's G33061 John 2:14

  • for ever (age)αἰών
    Greek · aiōn · G0165H

    The word means an age or an indefinitely long period, eternity. Here it is used with a preposition to say the truth will be with believers without end. Strong's G0165HStrong's G1519

Takeaway

Believers love one another because they share the truth, and that truth lives in them and will never leave them. 2 John 1:12 John 1:2

Drafted by AI from the Scripture and data shown under “Show sources,” then checked automatically and by a second AI pass. Updated 2026-10-23.

The world around the text

About AD 85-95. Roman emperor: Domitian (AD 81-96). Where early tradition places John's last years. The greatest city of the province of Asia, on the west coast of today's Turkey.

Who ruled
  • Roman emperorDomitianAD 81-96

    Son of Vespasian and brother of Titus. Suetonius says he had himself styled "our Lord and God" in official letters. Early Christian writers say John was exiled to Patmos in his reign. Suetonius, Domitian 13Revelation 1:9Irenaeus, Against Heresies 5.30.3Eusebius, Church History 3.18

  • Roman emperorsNerva and TrajanAD 96-98, 98-117

    After Domitian was murdered in AD 96 the Senate chose the elderly Nerva, who adopted the general Trajan. Early tradition says John lived on in Ephesus into Trajan's reign. Suetonius, Domitian 14-17Cassius Dio, Roman History 68.1-4Irenaeus, Against Heresies 2.22.5

  • Governor of the province of AsiaThe proconsul of AsiaOne-year terms

    Asia was governed by a proconsul appointed for a year at a time, who heard cases in its leading cities, Ephesus among them. Acts 19:38Strabo, Geography 17.3.25

  • King of ParthiaPacorus IIc. AD 78-110

    Ruler of the Parthian empire beyond the Euphrates, Rome's great rival in the east, at peace with Rome through these years. Cassius Dio, Roman History 68.17

What was happening, AD 70 to AD 96
  1. AD 70
    WarJerusalem and its temple destroyed

    Roman armies under Titus took Jerusalem after a long siege and burned the temple, as Jesus had foretold. Josephus, Jewish War 6.249-287Luke 21:5-6Luke 21:20-24

  2. August AD 79
    DisasterVesuvius buries Pompeii

    The eruption of Vesuvius buried Pompeii and Herculaneum. Pliny the Younger watched it from across the bay; his uncle Pliny the Elder died trying to rescue people. Pliny the Younger, Letters 6.16, 6.20

  3. AD 80
    BuildingThe Colosseum opens in Rome

    Titus opened the great amphitheater begun by his father Vespasian with 100 days of games. Suetonius, Titus 7.3Cassius Dio, Roman History 66.25

  4. AD 83 or 84
    WarRome's furthest push into Britain

    The governor Agricola defeated the Caledonians at Mons Graupius in what is now Scotland, and his fleet sailed around the north of Britain. Tacitus, Agricola 29-38

  5. AD 85-89
    WarWar with the Dacians

    The Dacians crossed the Danube and killed a Roman governor. After years of fighting, Domitian made a peace that paid their king Decebalus a yearly subsidy. Suetonius, Domitian 6Cassius Dio, Roman History 67.6-7

  6. c. AD 89
    BuildingEphesus builds a temple to the emperors

    Ephesus won the honor of a provincial temple for the worship of the emperors, the Temple of the Sebastoi, with a colossal statue of an emperor. Its remains stand in the city's upper square. Temple of the Sebastoi, Ephesus (excavated remains and inscriptions)

  7. AD 93-94
    DiscoveryJosephus finishes his history of the Jews

    In Rome the Jewish historian Josephus completed his Antiquities of the Jews, which mentions John the Baptist, James the brother of Jesus, and Jesus himself. Josephus, Antiquities 20.267Josephus, Antiquities 18.116-119, 20.200

  8. c. AD 95
    The churchJohn on Patmos

    John was on the island of Patmos "for the word of God, and for the testimony of Jesus Christ" when he received the Revelation. Early writers date this to the end of Domitian's reign. Revelation 1:9Irenaeus, Against Heresies 5.30.3

  9. c. AD 96
    The churchClement of Rome writes to Corinth

    The church at Rome sent a letter, traditionally by Clement, to settle a dispute at Corinth where younger members had removed their elders. It is one of the earliest Christian writings outside the New Testament. 1 Clement 1, 44, 47

  10. September AD 96
    RulersDomitian is murdered

    Domitian was killed in a palace plot. The Senate condemned his memory and chose Nerva as emperor. Suetonius, Domitian 14-17, 23

The full picture: places, culture and daily life. Scripture first, then ancient writers on these years (Suetonius, Tacitus, Cassius Dio, Josephus, Pliny, Irenaeus, Eusebius). The letter names no place, so the setting follows early tradition. Drafted by Claude and not yet reviewed by a person.

Original Greek words

EnglishGreekSay itStrong'sMeaning
because ofδιὰdiaG1223
through/because of

διά (dia) διά (before a vowel δ᾽, exc. Rom.8:10, 2Co.5:7, and in (Proper name)s; Tdf., Pr., 94), prep. with genitive, accusative, as in cl.; 1. with genitive, through; (i) of Place, after verbs of motion or action: Mat.2:12 12:43, Mrk.2:23, Luk.4:30, Jhn.4:4, 2Co.11:33, al.; σώζεσθαι (διας-) δ. πυρός, ὕδατος, 1Co.3:15, 1Pe.3:20; βλέπειν δ. ἐσόπτρου, 1Co.13:12; metaphorically, of a state or condition: Rom.14:20, 2Co.2:4 5:7, 10; δ. γράμματος, ἀκροβυστίας (Lft., Notes, 263, 279), Rom.2:27 4:11; δι ̓ὑπομενῆς, Rom.8:25. (ii) Of Time; …

truthἀλήθειανalētheianG0225
truth

ἀλήθεια (alētheia) ἀλήθεια, -ας, ἡ (ἀληθής), [in LXX chiefly for אֱמֶת (on which, see Cremer, 627f.), אֱמוּנָה ;] truth (see DB, iv, 818f.). 1. Objectively, "the reality lying at the basis of an appearance; the manifested, veritable essence of a matter" (Cremer, 86): Rom.9:1, al.; of religious truth, Rom.1:25, al.; esp. of Christian doctrine, Gal.2:5, al.; ἀ. θεοῦ, Rom.15:8. 2. Subjectively, truthfulness, truth, not merely verbal (cl.), but sincerity and integrity of character: Jhn.8:44, 3Jo.3. …

is abidingμένουσανmenousanG3306
to stay

μένω (menō) μένω, [in LXX for קוּם ,עמד, etc. ;] to stay, abide, remain. 1. Intrans.; (i) of place: before ἐν, Luk.8:27, al.; παρά, with dative of person(s), Jhn.1:40, al; σύν, Luk.1:56; καθ᾽ ἑαυτόν, Act.28:16; with adv., ἐκεῖ, Mat.10:11; ὧδε, Mat.26:38; metaphorically, 1Jn.2:18; of the Holy Spirit, Jhn.1:32, 33 14:17; of Christ, Jhn.6:56 15:4, al.; ὁ θεός, 1Jn.4:15, conversely, of Christians, Jhn.6:56 15:4, 1Jn.4:15, al.; ὁ λόγος τ. θεοῦ, 1Jn.2:14; ἡ ἀλήθεια, II Jo 2, al. (ii) Of time; …

inἐνenG1722
in/on/among

ἐν (en) ἐν, prep, (the most frequently of all in NT), with dative (= Heb. בְּ, Lat. in, with abl.). I. Of place, with dative of thing(s), of person(s), in, within, on, at, by, among: ἐν τ. πόλει, Luk.7:37; τ. οφθαλμῷ, Mat.7:3; τ. κοιλίᾳ, Mat.12:40; τ. ὄρει, 2Pe.1:18; τ. θρόνῳ, Rev.3:21; τ. δεξιᾷ τ. θεοῦ, Rom.8:34; ἐν ἡμῖν Abbott-Smith has ὑμῖν., Luk.1:1; of books, ἐν τ. βιβλίῳ, Gal.3:10; τ. νόμῳ, Mat.12:5, al.; ἐν τοῖς τ. Πατρός, in my Father's house (RV; cf. M, Pr., 103), Luk.2:49; trop., of the region of thought or feeling, ἐν τ. καρδίᾳ (-αις), Mat.5:28, 2Co.4:6, al.; τ. συνειδήσεσιν, 2Co.5:11; af …

usἡμῖν,hēminG3165
me

μέ (me) 1. apostrophe for με. 2. rarely for μοι, (Homer) (ML)

andκαὶkaiG2532
and

καί (kai) καί, conj., and I. Copulative. 1. Connecting single words; (a) in general: Mat.2:18, 16:1, Mrk.2:15, Luk.8:15, Heb.1:1, al. mult.; repeated before each of the terms in a series, Mat.23:23, Luk.14:21, Rom.7:12, 9:4, al. (b) connecting numerals (WM, §37, 4): Jhn.2:20, Act.13:20; (with) joining terms which are not mutually exclusive, as the part with the whole: Mat.8:33, 26:59, Mrk.16:17, Act.5:29, al. 2. Connecting clauses and sentences: Mat.3:12, Act.5:21, al. mult.; esp. …

withμεθ᾽meth᾽G3326
with/after

μετά (meta) μετά (before vowel μετ᾽; on the neglect of elision in certain cases, V. WH, App., 146 b), prep. with genitive, accusative (in poet, also with dative), [in LXX for אַחַד ,עִם ,אֵת, etc.]. I. C. genitive, 1. among, amid: Mrk.1:13, Luk.22:37 (LXX, ἐν) 24:5, Jhn.18:5, al.; διωγμῶν, Mrk.10:30. …

usἡμῶνhēmōnG3165
me

μέ (me) 1. apostrophe for με. 2. rarely for μοι, (Homer) (ML)

that will beἔσταιestaiG1510
you are

εἶ (ei) εἰμί, with various uses and significations, like the English verb to be. I. As substantive verb. 1. Of persons and things, to be, exist: Act.17:28, Jhn.1:1, 8:58, 17:5, al; ὁ ὢν καὶ ὁ ἦν (for past ptcp.), Rev.1:4, 8, 4:8, 11:17, 16:5 (see Swete, Ap., 5; M, Pr., 228); τὰ (μὴ) ὄντα, Rom.4:17, 1Co.1:28. 2. Of times, events, etc., to be, happen, take place: Mat.24:3, Mrk.14:2, 15:42, Luk.21:23, Jhn.4:6, 23, 5:10, al. …

toεἰςeisG1519
toward

εἰς (eis) εἰς, prep. with accusative, expressing entrance, direction, limit, into, unto, to, upon, towards, for, among (Lat. in, with accusative). I. Of place. 1. After verbs of motion; (a) of entrance into: Mat.8:23, 9:7, Mrk.1:45, Luk.2:15, 8:31, al.; (b) of approach, to or towards: Mrk.11:1, Luk.6:8, 19:28, Jhn.11:31, 21:6, al.; (with) before pl. and collective nouns, among: Mrk.4:7, 8:19, 20, Luk.11:49, Jhn.21:23, al.; …

age:αἰῶνα·aiōnaG0165H
an age: age

αἰών (aiōn) αἰών, -ῶνος, ὁ, [in LXX chiefly for עַד ,עוֹלָם ;] 1. in cl., like Lat. aevum (LS, MM, VGT, see word), a space of time, as, a lifetime, generation, period of history, an indefinitely long period; in NT of an indefinitely long period, an age, eternity, usually with prep. (MM, VGT); (a) of the past: ἀπ᾽ αἰ. (cf. Heb. מֵעוֹלָם), Luk.1:70; …

Words and meanings from STEPBible data (Tyndale House, Cambridge, CC BY 4.0). The capitalized syllable is the stressed one.