Jesus Is The True God And Eternal Life

Formal Equivalence (Word-For-Word)

  • Received Text (Textus Receptus)

    And we know that the Son of God is come, and hath given us an understanding, that we may know him that is true, and we are in him that is true, even in his Son Jesus Christ. This is the true God, and eternal life. — 1 John 5:20 KJV (48.83% / 66.58%)

    And we know that the Son of God has come and has given us an understanding, that we may know Him who is true; and we are in Him who is true, in His Son Jesus Christ. This is the true God and eternal life. — 1 John 5:20 NKJV (60.32% / 65.21%)

    And we know that the Son of God has come and has given us understanding, so that we may know Him who is true, and we are in Him who is true—His Son Jesus Christ. He is the true God and eternal life. — 1 John 5:20 MEV (Modern English Version)

  • Majority Text

    We know that the Son of God has come, and has given us an understanding, that we know him who is true, and we are in him who is true, in his Son Jesus Christ. This is the true God and eternal life. — 1 John 5:20 WEB (World English Bible)

  • Critical Text

    And we know that the Son of God has come, and has given us understanding so that we may know Him who is true; and we are in Him who is true, in His Son Jesus Christ. This is the true God and eternal life. — 1 John 5:20 LSB (NASB ‘95 61.65% / 67.99%)

    And we know that the Son of God has come and has given us understanding, so that we may know him who is true; and we are in him who is true, in his Son Jesus Christ. He is the true God and eternal life. — 1 John 5:20 ESV (62.36% / 68.74%)

Dynamic Equivalence (Thought-For-Thought)

  • Critical Text

    And we know that the Son of God has come, and he has given us understanding so that we can know the true God. And now we live in fellowship with the true God because we live in fellowship with his Son, Jesus Christ. He is the only true God, and he is eternal life. — 1 John 5:20 NLT (70.08% / 39.90%)

    We know also that the Son of God has come and has given us understanding, so that we may know him who is true. And we are in him who is true by being in his Son Jesus Christ. He is the true God and eternal life. — 1 John 5:20 NIV (67.20% / 53.10%)

    And we know that the Son of God has come and has given us insight to know[a] him who is true, and we are in him who is true, in his Son Jesus Christ. This one[b] is the true God and eternal life. — 1 John 5:20 NET (66.28% / 53.94%)

  • NET Bible Translator Notes

    a. 1 John 5:20 NET tn The ἵνα (hina) introduces a purpose clause which gives the purpose of the preceding affirmation: “we know that the Son of God has come and has given us insight (so that we may) know him who is true.”

    b. 1 John 5:20 NET sn The pronoun This one (οὗτος, houtos) refers to a person, but it is far from clear whether it should be understood as a reference (1) to God the Father or (2) to Jesus Christ. R. E. Brown (Epistles of John [AB], 625) comments, “I John, which began with an example of stunning grammatical obscurity in the prologue, continues to the end to offer us examples of unclear grammar.” The nearest previous antecedent is Jesus Christ, immediately preceding, but on some occasions when this has been true the pronoun still refers to God (see 1 John 2:3). The first predicate which follows This one in 5:20, the true God, is a description of God the Father used by Jesus in John 17:3 NET, and was used in the preceding clause of the present verse to refer to God the Father (him who is true). Yet the second predicate of This one in 5:20, eternal life, appears to refer to Jesus, because although the Father possesses “life” (John 5:26; 6:57) just as Jesus does (John 1:4; 6:57, 1 John 5:11), “life” is never predicated of the Father elsewhere, while it is predicated of Jesus in John 11:25 and 14:6 (a self-predication by Jesus). If This one in 5:20 is understood as referring to Jesus, it forms an inclusion with the prologue, which introduced the reader to “the eternal life which was with the Father and was manifested to us.” Thus it appears best to understand the pronoun This one in 5:20 as a reference to Jesus Christ. The christological affirmation which results is striking, but certainly not beyond the capabilities of the author (see John 1:1 and 20:28): This One [Jesus Christ] is the true God and eternal life. See also D. B. Wallace, Granville Sharp’s Canon and Its Kin: Semantics and Significance, Studies in Biblical Greek 14, ed. D. A. Carson (Bern/New York: Peter Lang, 2009), 273-77.

Messianic Bible translations

  • Critical Text

    And we know that Ben-Elohim has come and given us insight, so that we may know Him who is true—and we are in Him who is true, in His Son Yeshua the Messiah. This One is the true God and eternal life. — 1 John 5:20 TLV (Tree of Life Version, Formal Equivalent)

    And we know that the Son of God has come and has given us discernment, so that we may know who is genuine; moreover, we are united with the One who is genuine, united with his Son Yeshua the Messiah. He is the genuine God and eternal life. — 1 John 5:20 CJB (Complete Jewish Bible, Dynamic Equivalent)

    And we have da’as that the Ben HaElohim has come and has given us binah that we may have da’as of the One who is the True One, The Omein, and we are in the One who is The Omein, even in HaBen of Him, Moshiach Yehoshua. This one is the El HaAmitti and Chayyei Olam [YIRMEYAH 24:7]. — 1 John 5:20 OJB (Orthodox Jewish Bible)

Highly Idiomatic Translation / Paraphrase

  • Critical Text

    18-21 We know that none of the God-born makes a practice of sin—fatal sin. The God-born are also the God-protected. The Evil One can’t lay a hand on them. We know that we are held firm by God; it’s only the people of the world who continue in the grip of the Evil One. And we know that the Son of God came so we could recognize and understand the truth of God—what a gift!—and we are living in the Truth itself, in God’s Son, Jesus Christ. This Jesus is both True God and Real Life. Dear children, be on guard against all clever facsimiles. — 1 John 5:18-21 MSG (The Message)

Conclusion

This is only one of two examples including Romans 9:5 that is unclear and marked under translational difficulties. See NET Translator notes b. It is worth noting the following verses:

25 Jesus answered them, “I told you, and you do not believe; the works that I do in My Father’s name, these bear witness of Me.
26 But you do not believe because you are not of My sheep.
27 My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me;
28 and I give eternal life to them, and they will never perish⁠—ever; and no one will snatch them out of My hand.
29 My Father, who has given them to Me, is greater than all; and no one is able to snatch them out of the Father’s hand.
30 I and the Father are one.”
31 The Jews picked up stones again to stone Him.
32 Jesus answered them, “I showed you many good works from the Father; for which of them are you stoning Me?”
33 The Jews answered Him, “For a good work we do not stone You, but for blasphemy; and because You, being a man, make Yourself God.” — John 10:25 - 10:33 LSB (NASB ‘95 61.65% / 67.99%)

If the second predicate of ‘This one’ in 1 Jn 5:20, eternal life, refers to Jesus, as the NET bible translators say, then it forms an inclusion with the prologue, thus it appears best to understand the pronoun ‘This one’ in 1 Jn 5:20 as a reference to Jesus Christ. Couple this with the fact that we know he gives eternal life in Jn 10:28, we can conclude that ‘This One’ [Jesus Christ] is the true God and eternal life.