In the Greek text, the structure of the phrases "love God" and "hates his brother" are inverted from each other. In the first, the direct object follows the verb (ἀγαπῶ τὸν θεὸν), but in the second, the direct object precedes the verb (τὸν ἀδελφὸν αὐτοῦ μισῇ). This inversion illustrates that these two ideas are opposites.
Sunday, June 12, 2022
1 John 4:20
In going through 1 John in the archives of the Daily Dose of Greek, I recently noticed an interesting structure in 1 John 4:20: "If anyone says, 'I love God,' and hates his brother, he is a liar; for he who does not love his brother whom he has seen cannot love God whom he has not seen."
