1 John 4:16
New International Version
And so we know and rely on the love God has for us. God is love. Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in them.

New Living Translation
We know how much God loves us, and we have put our trust in his love. God is love, and all who live in love live in God, and God lives in them.

English Standard Version
So we have come to know and to believe the love that God has for us. God is love, and whoever abides in love abides in God, and God abides in him.

Berean Standard Bible
And we have come to know and believe the love that God has for us. God is love; whoever abides in love abides in God, and God in him.

Berean Literal Bible
And we have come to know and have come to believe the love that God has as to us. God is love, and the one abiding in love abides in God, and God abides in him.

King James Bible
And we have known and believed the love that God hath to us. God is love; and he that dwelleth in love dwelleth in God, and God in him.

New King James Version
And we have known and believed the love that God has for us. God is love, and he who abides in love abides in God, and God in him.

New American Standard Bible
We have come to know and have believed the love which God has for us. God is love, and the one who remains in love remains in God, and God remains in him.

NASB 1995
We have come to know and have believed the love which God has for us. God is love, and the one who abides in love abides in God, and God abides in him.

NASB 1977
And we have come to know and have believed the love which God has for us. God is love, and the one who abides in love abides in God, and God abides in him.

Legacy Standard Bible
And we have come to know and have believed the love which God has in us. God is love, and the one who abides in love abides in God, and God abides in him.

Amplified Bible
We have come to know [by personal observation and experience], and have believed [with deep, consistent faith] the love which God has for us. God is love, and the one who abides in love abides in God, and God abides continually in him.

Christian Standard Bible
And we have come to know and to believe the love that God has for us. God is love, and the one who remains in love remains in God, and God remains in him.

Holman Christian Standard Bible
And we have come to know and to believe the love that God has for us. God is love, and the one who remains in love remains in God, and God remains in him.

American Standard Version
And we know and have believed the love which God hath in us. God is love; and he that abideth in love abideth in God, and God abideth in him.

Aramaic Bible in Plain English
And we believe and we know the love that God has for us, for God is love, and everyone who dwells in love dwells in God.

Contemporary English Version
and are sure God loves us. God is love. If we keep on loving others, we will stay one in our hearts with God, and he will stay one with us.

Douay-Rheims Bible
And we have known, and have believed the charity, which God hath to us. God is charity: and he that abideth in charity, abideth in God, and God in him.

English Revised Version
And we know and have believed the love which God hath in us. God is love; and he that abideth in love abideth in God, and God abideth in him.

GOD'S WORD® Translation
We have known and believed that God loves us. God is love. Those who live in God's love live in God, and God lives in them.

Good News Translation
And we ourselves know and believe the love which God has for us. God is love, and those who live in love live in union with God and God lives in union with them.

International Standard Version
We have come to know and rely on the love that God has for us. God is love, and the person who abides in love abides in God, and God abides in him.

Literal Standard Version
and we have known and believed the love that God has in us; God is love, and he who is remaining in love, remains in God, and God in him.

Majority Standard Bible
And we have come to know and believe the love that God has for us. God is love; whoever abides in love abides in God, and God in him.

New American Bible
We have come to know and to believe in the love God has for us. God is love, and whoever remains in love remains in God and God in him.

NET Bible
And we have come to know and to believe the love that God has in us. God is love, and the one who resides in love resides in God, and God resides in him.

New Revised Standard Version
So we have known and believe the love that God has for us. God is love, and those who abide in love abide in God, and God abides in them.

New Heart English Bible
We know and have believed the love which God has for us. God is love, and he who remains in love remains in God, and God remains in him.

Webster's Bible Translation
And we have known and believed the love that God hath to us. God is love: and he that dwelleth in love, dwelleth in God, and God in him.

Weymouth New Testament
And, as for us, we know the love which God has for us, and we confide in it. God is love, and he who continues to love continues in union with God, and God continues in union with him.

World English Bible
We know and have believed the love which God has for us. God is love, and he who remains in love remains in God, and God remains in him.

Young's Literal Translation
and we -- we have known and believed the love, that God hath in us; God is love, and he who is remaining in the love, in God he doth remain, and God in him.

Additional Translations ...
Audio Bible



Context
Love Comes from God
15If anyone confesses that Jesus is the Son of God, God abides in him, and he in God. 16And we have come to know and believe the love that God has for us. God is love; whoever abides in love abides in God, and God in him. 17In this way, love has been perfected among us, so that we may have confidence on the day of judgment; for in this world we are just like Him.…

Cross References
John 6:69
We believe and know that You are the Holy One of God."

John 9:3
Jesus answered, "Neither this man nor his parents sinned, but this happened so that the works of God would be displayed in him.

1 John 4:7
Beloved, let us love one another, because love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God.

1 John 4:8
Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love.

1 John 4:9
This is how God's love was revealed among us: God sent His one and only Son into the world, so that we might live through Him.

1 John 4:12
No one has ever seen God; but if we love one another, God remains in us, and His love is perfected in us.


Treasury of Scripture

And we have known and believed the love that God has to us. God is love; and he that dwells in love dwells in God, and God in him.

we.

1 John 4:9,10
In this was manifested the love of God toward us, because that God sent his only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through him…

1 John 3:1,16
Behold, what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called the sons of God: therefore the world knoweth us not, because it knew him not…

Psalm 18:1-3
To the chief Musician, A Psalm of David, the servant of the LORD, who spake unto the LORD the words of this song in the day that the LORD delivered him from the hand of all his enemies, and from the hand of Saul: And he said, I will love thee, O LORD, my strength…

God is love.

1 John 4:8,12,13
He that loveth not knoweth not God; for God is love…

and he.

1 John 4:12
No man hath seen God at any time. If we love one another, God dwelleth in us, and his love is perfected in us.

1 John 3:24
And he that keepeth his commandments dwelleth in him, and he in him. And hereby we know that he abideth in us, by the Spirit which he hath given us.

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Abides Abideth Believe Believed Confide Continues Dwelleth Faith Love Rely Remaining Union
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Abides Abideth Believe Believed Confide Continues Dwelleth Faith Love Rely Remaining Union
1 John 4
1. He warns them not to believe all who boast of the Spirit;
7. and exhorts to brotherly love.














Verse 16. - And we have come to know and believe. Both perfects are virtually presents, expressing the present continuance of a condition begun in the past: "We know and continue to believe." Experience and faith are intimately connected; and sometimes the one precedes, sometimes the other (John 6:69). As in verse 9 ἐν ἡμῖν should be rendered in us, not "to us" or "toward us;" and here also the interpretation, "in our case," is certainly possible, and perhaps safer. But the meaning may be that the object of our knowledge and faith is that portion of his own love which God has in us. It is "in us," and is exercised towards him and our brethren, but in reality it is his - it is himself abiding in us. In either case love is the object of our faith. Thus love is not only the true note of the Church (John 13:35), it is also the Church's creed. The second half of the verse restates the main proposition of this section with a view to further development.

Parallel Commentaries ...


Greek
And
καὶ (kai)
Conjunction
Strong's 2532: And, even, also, namely.

we
ἡμεῖς (hēmeis)
Personal / Possessive Pronoun - Nominative 1st Person Plural
Strong's 1473: I, the first-person pronoun. A primary pronoun of the first person I.

have come to know
ἐγνώκαμεν (egnōkamen)
Verb - Perfect Indicative Active - 1st Person Plural
Strong's 1097: A prolonged form of a primary verb; to 'know' in a great variety of applications and with many implications.

and
καὶ (kai)
Conjunction
Strong's 2532: And, even, also, namely.

believe
πεπιστεύκαμεν (pepisteukamen)
Verb - Perfect Indicative Active - 1st Person Plural
Strong's 4100: From pistis; to have faith, i.e. Credit; by implication, to entrust.

the
τὴν (tēn)
Article - Accusative Feminine Singular
Strong's 3588: The, the definite article. Including the feminine he, and the neuter to in all their inflections; the definite article; the.

love
ἀγάπην (agapēn)
Noun - Accusative Feminine Singular
Strong's 26: From agapao; love, i.e. Affection or benevolence; specially a love-feast.

that
ἣν (hēn)
Personal / Relative Pronoun - Accusative Feminine Singular
Strong's 3739: Who, which, what, that.

God
Θεὸς (Theos)
Noun - Nominative Masculine Singular
Strong's 2316: A deity, especially the supreme Divinity; figuratively, a magistrate; by Hebraism, very.

has
ἔχει (echei)
Verb - Present Indicative Active - 3rd Person Singular
Strong's 2192: To have, hold, possess. Including an alternate form scheo skheh'-o; a primary verb; to hold.

for
ἐν (en)
Preposition
Strong's 1722: In, on, among. A primary preposition denoting position, and instrumentality, i.e. A relation of rest; 'in, ' at, on, by, etc.

us.
ἡμῖν (hēmin)
Personal / Possessive Pronoun - Dative 1st Person Plural
Strong's 1473: I, the first-person pronoun. A primary pronoun of the first person I.

God
Θεὸς (Theos)
Noun - Nominative Masculine Singular
Strong's 2316: A deity, especially the supreme Divinity; figuratively, a magistrate; by Hebraism, very.

is
ἐστίν (estin)
Verb - Present Indicative Active - 3rd Person Singular
Strong's 1510: I am, exist. The first person singular present indicative; a prolonged form of a primary and defective verb; I exist.

love;
ἀγάπη (agapē)
Noun - Nominative Feminine Singular
Strong's 26: From agapao; love, i.e. Affection or benevolence; specially a love-feast.

whoever
(ho)
Article - Nominative Masculine Singular
Strong's 3588: The, the definite article. Including the feminine he, and the neuter to in all their inflections; the definite article; the.

abides
μένων (menōn)
Verb - Present Participle Active - Nominative Masculine Singular
Strong's 3306: To remain, abide, stay, wait; with acc: I wait for, await. A primary verb; to stay.

in
ἐν (en)
Preposition
Strong's 1722: In, on, among. A primary preposition denoting position, and instrumentality, i.e. A relation of rest; 'in, ' at, on, by, etc.

love
ἀγάπῃ (agapē)
Noun - Dative Feminine Singular
Strong's 26: From agapao; love, i.e. Affection or benevolence; specially a love-feast.

abides
μένει (menei)
Verb - Present Indicative Active - 3rd Person Singular
Strong's 3306: To remain, abide, stay, wait; with acc: I wait for, await. A primary verb; to stay.

in
ἐν (en)
Preposition
Strong's 1722: In, on, among. A primary preposition denoting position, and instrumentality, i.e. A relation of rest; 'in, ' at, on, by, etc.

God,
Θεῷ (Theō)
Noun - Dative Masculine Singular
Strong's 2316: A deity, especially the supreme Divinity; figuratively, a magistrate; by Hebraism, very.

and
καὶ (kai)
Conjunction
Strong's 2532: And, even, also, namely.

God
Θεὸς (Theos)
Noun - Nominative Masculine Singular
Strong's 2316: A deity, especially the supreme Divinity; figuratively, a magistrate; by Hebraism, very.

in
ἐν (en)
Preposition
Strong's 1722: In, on, among. A primary preposition denoting position, and instrumentality, i.e. A relation of rest; 'in, ' at, on, by, etc.

him.
αὐτῷ (autō)
Personal / Possessive Pronoun - Dative Masculine 3rd Person Singular
Strong's 846: He, she, it, they, them, same. From the particle au; the reflexive pronoun self, used of the third person, and of the other persons.


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NT Letters: 1 John 4:16 We know and have believed the love (1J iJ 1Jn i jn 1 jo)
1 John 4:15
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