1 John 2:9

9 Anyone who claims to be in the light but hates a brother or sister^[a] is still in the darkness.

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1 John 2:9 in Other Translations

KJV

9 He that saith he is in the light, and hateth his brother, is in darkness even until now.

ESV

9 Whoever says he is in the light and hates his brother is still in darkness.

NLT

9 If anyone claims, “I am living in the light,” but hates a fellow believer, that person is still living in darkness.

MSG

9 Anyone who claims to live in God's light and hates a brother or sister is still in the dark.

CSB

9 The one who says he is in the light but hates his brother is in the darkness until now.

1 John 2:9 Meaning and Commentary

1 John 2:9

He that saith he is in the light
Is in Christ the light, or has the true knowledge of the light of the Gospel, or is illuminated by the Spirit of God; for persons may profess to be enlightened ones, and not be so: wherefore the apostle does not say, he that is in the light, but he that says he is,

and hateth his brother;
who is so either by creation, as all men are brethren, having one Father, that has made them, and brought them up; or by regeneration, being born of God the Father, and in the same family and household of faith; and so regards such who are in a spiritual relation, whom to hate internally, or not to love, is inconsistent with being in the light, or having faith, which is always naturally and necessarily accompanied with the heat of love; for as light and heat, so faith and love go together: wherefore, let a man's profession of light be what it will, if love to his brother is wanting, he

is in darkness even until now;
he is in a state of nature and unregeneracy, which is a state of darkness and ignorance; he is under the power of darkness, and in the kingdom of Satan; who is the ruler of the darkness of this world; he ever was so from his birth; he never was called nor delivered out of it, but is still in it to this moment, and so remains. This seems to be very much levelled against the Jews, who make hatred of the brother in some cases lawful: for they say ^F4,

``if one man observes sin in another, and reproves him for it, and he does not receive his reproof, (wtwanvl rtwm) , "it is lawful to hate him";''

(See Gill on Matthew 5:43).

FOOTNOTES:

F4 Moses Kotsensis Mitzvot Tora, pr. neg. 5.

Taken from John Gill's Exposition of the Bible

1 John 2:9 In-Context

7 Dear friends, I am not writing you a new command but an old one, which you have had since the beginning. This old command is the message you have heard.

8 Yet I am writing you a new command; its truth is seen in him and in you, because the darkness is passing and the true light is already shining.

9 Anyone who claims to be in the light but hates a brother or sister is still in the darkness.

10 Anyone who loves their brother and sister lives in the light, and there is nothing in them to make them stumble.

11 But anyone who hates a brother or sister is in the darkness and walks around in the darkness. They do not know where they are going, because the darkness has blinded them.

Cross References 2

1. ver 11; Leviticus 19:17; 1Jn 3:10,15,16; 1 John 4:20,21
2. 1 John 1:5

Footnotes 1

[a]. The Greek word for "brother or sister" ("adelphos" ) refers here to a believer, whether man or woman, as part of God’s family; also in verse 11; and in 3:15, 17; 4:20; 5:16.