in him

The Greek phrase that is used numerous times in 1 John and that is translated into English as “in Him” is translated in Northern One (Wolwale) as “really stick to and really remain good friends with God.”

John Nystrom (in The PNG Experience) explains:

“In the Sepik region of Papua New Guinea, several people gathered to conduct the final checking on the books of 1, 2, and 3 John and Jude. They were challenged to find the best way to write the description of a believer’s intimate union with Christ. The writer of 1 John says we are ‘in Him.’ That’s easy to express in English, but not in languages that only use ‘in’ for things inside other things, but don’t use it in a metaphorical way. How would you express this concept without using the word ‘in’?

“Unsure how to translate this, the team asked Wolwale local language expert Philip Musi for advice. Philip explained while demonstrating by putting his hand firmly to a nearby post, ‘It’s like a lizard who has really stuck himself to a tree.’ Everyone in the room knew exactly what that looked like.

“Now the revised draft of 1 John 2:28a in the Northern One Wolwale language reads: Kongkom uporo kinini, pone samo pangkana ka samo paipe fori uporo plau God.

“A rough English back translation is: ‘My good children, you-all really stick to and really remain good friends with God.'”

complete verse (1 John 2:6)

Following are a number of back-translations of 1 John 2:6:

  • Uma: “People who say they remain in harmony with God, their behavior must be like Kristus’ behavior.” (Source: Uma Back Translation)
  • Yakan: “Whoever says that he is one with God his conduct should be like Isa Almasi’s conduct when he was here in the world.” (Source: Yakan Back Translation)
  • Western Bukidnon Manobo: “But if there is a person who obeys the commands of God, his holding God dear in his breath has been drawn tight. As for the person who says that he has a close relationship with God, it is necessary that his actions be righteous, just like the actions of Jesus were righteous. If this is what we (incl.) do, we know that we have been made one with God.” (Source: Western Bukidnon Manobo Back Translation)
  • Kankanaey: “But as for the one who is following the words of God, he is the one whose love for God has no lack/fault. If then there is one who says that he has-joined/been-added-to/belongs to God, he must follow-the-example of Jesu Cristo. And if we do that, that’s how we know for sure that it is true that we have been joined to God.” (Source: Kankanaey Back Translation)
  • Tagbanwa: “Therefore the one who says, ‘I am now holding fast to Jesu-Cristo, being really united/tied-together now with him,’ it’s necessary that he live his life like the way Jesu-Cristo lived, when he was still here under the heavens.” (Source: Tagbanwa Back Translation)
  • Tenango Otomi: “He who says that he walks with God must necessarily live like Jesus Christ lived when he lived here.” (Source: Tenango Otomi Back Translation)
  • Yatzachi Zapotec: “If we say that we are constantly present with Jesus Christ, we must do as Jesus Christ did.”
  • Eastern Highland Otomi: “If one says he is living with Christ, he must walk like Christ walked.”
  • Tzotzil: “If we say ‘I am in the presence of God,’ then let us do like Jesus Christ did.” (Source for this and two above: John Beekman in Notes on Translation 12, November 1964, p. 1ff.)

Translation commentary on 1 John 2:6

This verse has a transitional function. The relative clause who … in him recalls to mind the thought of verse 5 in order to lead up to its Christian application: one can only be and remain in God if one behaves as Christ behaved. This reference to Christ’s example implies a command to follow him. Thus the verse serves to introduce the discussion of the new and the old commandment in verses 7-8, and of the commandment to love one’s brother in verses 9-11.

He who says, see 1 John 2.4.

(That) he abides in him: unlike verse 4 this proposition is in indirect discourse—which may nevertheless require a rendering in direct discourse, of course. The second pronoun, him, refers to God.

† Abides in is a characteristic Johannine expression. It is used (a) of man remaining in God or Christ, as here and in 2.24c, 27b , 28; 3.6, 24a; 4.13, 16, and (elliptically) in 4.15b; (b) of God remaining in man, see “he abides in us” in 3.24; (c) of man remaining in something nonpersonal, see comments on 2.10; and (d) of something nonpersonal remaining in man, see comments on 2.14.

The meaning of the verb is “to be-and-remain in/with.” Here it has been rendered as ‘to be constantly present with (or joined to),’ ‘to continue in/with,’ ‘to keep in union with.’

He … ought to walk in the same way in which he walked is in the Greek literally “he … has-the-obligation (that) just-as that-one walked he-himself also be-walking.” The subject of the last clause of the Greek sentence is emphatic, and this should be brought out also in restructured renderings; compare for example “he … ought himself to live as Christ lived” (Translators’ Translation). Of the two verb forms, the first, “walked,” is in the aorist tense, indicating an action that has been performed once in the past, the second, “be-walking,” is in the present tense, indicating habitual action.

He ought expresses obligation or duty. It is rendered negatively in some languages, ‘it cannot but he,’ ‘it is still wanting/lacking that he.’

To walk in the same way in which he walked, or ‘to act/behave just like Jesus Christ did (or acted/behaved)’: a metaphorical equivalent used is ‘to follow in the footsteps of Jesus Christ.’ For to walk see comments on 1.6.

† He (in the second occurrence of this clause) renders Greek ekeinos “that one.” This Greek demonstrative pronoun occurs also in 3.3, 5, 7, 16; 4.17. In all these passages it refers to Christ, and in many languages it is to be rendered as “(Jesus) Christ.” Here it is evidently used to show that the reference is not the same as that of the third person pronouns in the verse. Consequently, to use the same pronoun in all cases (as done in Revised Standard Version and some other versions) is objectionable, since it does not distinguish references that are explicitly kept apart in the Greek.

Quoted with permission from Haas, C., de Jonge, M. and Swellengrebel, J.L. A Handbook on The First Letter of John. (UBS Handbook Series). New York: UBS, 1972. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .