3 John 1:9

NET Bible® (New English Translation)

Diotrephes the Troublemaker I wrote something to the church, but Diotrephes, who loves to be first among them, does not acknowledge us.

📖 Grammatical Analysis

Original Text

Ἔγραψά τῇ ἐκκλησίᾳ: ἀλλʼ ὁ φιλοπρωτεύων αὐτῶν, Διοτρέφης, οὐκ ἐπιδέχεται ἡμᾶς.

Transliteration

Egrapsa to the ekklēsia: but the philoprōteuōn of them, Diotrephēs, not epidechetai us.

Grammar Details

• *Egrapsa*: aorist, active, indicative, 1st person singular - I wrote
• *ekklēsia*: dative, feminine, singular - church/assembly
• *all*: conjunction - but
• *philoprōteuōn*: present, active, participle, nominative, masculine, singular - loving to be first
• *autōn*: genitive, masculine, plural, personal pronoun - of them/their
• *Diotrephēs*: nominative, masculine, singular - name (Diotrephes)
• *ouk*: negative particle - not
• *epidechetai*: present, middle, indicative, 3rd person singular - receives/welcomes
• *hēmas*: accusative, 1st person plural pronoun - us

Word Meanings

• *Egrapsa*: I wrote/have written
• *ekklēsia*: church/assembly/congregation
• *philoprōteuōn*: loving to be first/desiring preeminence/ambitious for primacy
• *epidechetai*: receives/welcomes/accepts

Referenced Verses

• Matt 10:40-42 : 40 Rewards“Whoever receives you receives me, and whoever receives me receives the one who sent me. 41 Whoever receives a prophet in the name of a prophet will receive a prophet’s reward. Whoever receives a righteous person in the name of a righteous person will receive a righteous person’s reward. 42 And whoever gives only a cup of cold water to one of these little ones in the name of a disciple, I tell you the truth, he will never lose his reward.”
• Matt 20:20-28 : 20 A Request for James and John Then the mother of the sons of Zebedee came to him with her sons, and kneeling down she asked him for a favor. 21 He said to her,“What do you want?” She replied,“Permit these two sons of mine to sit, one at your right hand and one at your left, in your kingdom.” 22 Jesus answered,“You don’t know what you are asking! Are you able to drink the cup I am about to drink?” They said to him,“We are able.” 23 He told them,“You will drink my cup, but to sit at my right and at my left is not mine to give. Rather, it is for those for whom it has been prepared by my Father.” 24 Now when the other ten heard this, they were angry with the two brothers. 25 But Jesus called them and said,“You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and those in high positions use their authority over them. 26 It must not be this way among you! Instead whoever wants to be great among you must be your servant, 27 and whoever wants to be first among you must be your slave– 28 just as the Son of Man did not come to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”
• Matt 23:4-8 : 4 They tie up heavy loads, hard to carry, and put them on men’s shoulders, but they themselves are not willing even to lift a finger to move them. 5 They do all their deeds to be seen by people, for they make their phylacteries wide and their tassels long. 6 They love the place of honor at banquets and the best seats in the synagogues 7 and elaborate greetings in the marketplaces, and to have people call them‘Rabbi.’ 8 But you are not to be called‘Rabbi,’ for you have one Teacher and you are all brothers.
• Mark 9:34 : 34 But they were silent, for on the way they had argued with one another about who was the greatest.
• Mark 10:35-45 : 35 The Request of James and John Then James and John, the sons of Zebedee, came to him and said,“Teacher, we want you to do for us whatever we ask.” 36 He said to them,“What do you want me to do for you?” 37 They said to him,“Permit one of us to sit at your right hand and the other at your left in your glory.” 38 But Jesus said to them,“You don’t know what you are asking! Are you able to drink the cup I drink or be baptized with the baptism I experience?” 39 They said to him,“We are able.” Then Jesus said to them,“You will drink the cup I drink, and you will be baptized with the baptism I experience, 40 but to sit at my right or at my left is not mine to give. It is for those for whom it has been prepared.” 41 Now when the other ten heard this, they became angry with James and John. 42 Jesus called them and said to them,“You know that those who are recognized as rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and those in high positions use their authority over them. 43 But it is not this way among you. Instead whoever wants to be great among you must be your servant, 44 and whoever wants to be first among you must be the slave of all. 45 For even the Son of Man did not come to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”
• Luke 9:48 : 48 and said to them,“Whoever welcomes this child in my name welcomes me, and whoever welcomes me welcomes the one who sent me, for the one who is least among you all is the one who is great.”
• Luke 22:24-27 : 24 A dispute also started among them over which of them was to be regarded as the greatest. 25 So Jesus said to them,“The kings of the Gentiles lord it over them, and those in authority over them are called‘benefactors.’ 26 Not so with you; instead the one who is greatest among you must become like the youngest, and the leader like the one who serves. 27 For who is greater, the one who is seated at the table, or the one who serves? Is it not the one who is seated at the table? But I am among you as one who serves.
• Rom 12:10 : 10 Be devoted to one another with mutual love, showing eagerness in honoring one another.
• Titus 1:7-9 : 7 For the overseer must be blameless as one entrusted with God’s work, not arrogant, not prone to anger, not a drunkard, not violent, not greedy for gain. 8 Instead he must be hospitable, devoted to what is good, sensible, upright, devout, and self-controlled. 9 He must hold firmly to the faithful message as it has been taught, so that he will be able to give exhortation in such healthy teaching and correct those who speak against it. 10 For there are many rebellious people, idle talkers, and deceivers, especially those with Jewish connections, 11 who must be silenced because they mislead whole families by teaching for dishonest gain what ought not to be taught. 12 A certain one of them, in fact, one of their own prophets, said,“Cretans are always liars, evil beasts, lazy gluttons.” 13 Such testimony is true. For this reason rebuke them sharply that they may be healthy in the faith 14 and not pay attention to Jewish myths and commands of people who reject the truth. 15 All is pure to those who are pure. But to those who are corrupt and unbelieving, nothing is pure, but both their minds and consciences are corrupted. 16 They profess to know God but with their deeds they deny him, since they are detestable, disobedient, and unfit for any good deed.
• 3 John 1:8 : 8 Therefore we ought to support such people, so that we become coworkers in cooperation with the truth.
• Phil 2:3-5 : 3 Instead of being motivated by selfish ambition or vanity, each of you should, in humility, be moved to treat one another as more important than yourself. 4 Each of you should be concerned not only about your own interests, but about the interests of others as well. 5 You should have the same attitude toward one another that Christ Jesus had,
• Mark 9:37 : 37 “Whoever welcomes one of these little children in my name welcomes me, and whoever welcomes me does not welcome me but the one who sent me.”