He that loveth not knoweth not God; for God is love.
Parallel translations
- WEB He who doesn’t love doesn’t know God, for God is love.
- BSB Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love.
- NKJV He who does not love does not know God, for God is love.
- NASB The one who does not love does not know God, because God is love.
- NLT But anyone who does not love does not know God, for God is love.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Quick answer
Whoever does not love does not truly know God, because God's very nature is love. Genuine knowledge of God always produces love.
Overview
John makes love the test of authentic fellowship with God: since God is love, those who belong to him will reflect that love toward others. 'God is love' describes his essential character, not merely an emotion he has, and it is most fully revealed in the gift of his Son. To lack love is therefore evidence of never having truly known God.
Cross-references & the web
Theme
- The Love of God"God is love."
Cross-references · 13
- 1 Jn 4:16And 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.
- 1 Jn 4:7Beloved, let us love one another: for love is of God; and every one that loveth is born of God, and knoweth God.
- Ps 86:15But thou, O Lord, art a God full of compassion, and gracious, long suffering, and plenteous in mercy and truth.
- 2 Cor 13:11Finally, brethren, farewell. Be perfect, be of good comfort, be of one mind, live in peace; and the God of love and peace shall be with you.
- Ps 86:5For thou, Lord, art good, and ready to forgive; and plenteous in mercy unto all them that call upon thee.
- Exod 34:6–7And the LORD passed by before him, and proclaimed, The LORD, The LORD God, merciful and gracious, longsuffering, and abundant in goodness and truth,
- Eph 2:4But God, who is rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith he loved us,
- 1 Jn 1:5This then is the message which we have heard of him, and declare unto you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all.
- 1 Jn 3:6Whosoever abideth in him sinneth not: whosoever sinneth hath not seen him, neither known him.
- 1 Jn 2:9He that saith he is in the light, and hateth his brother, is in darkness even until now.
- John 8:54–55Jesus answered, If I honour myself, my honour is nothing: it is my Father that honoureth me; of whom ye say, that he is your God:
- 1 Jn 2:4He that saith, I know him, and keepeth not his commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him.
- Heb 12:29For our God is a consuming fire.
Themes, concepts, people & topics
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Commentaries & study tools
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Hebrew/Greek interlinear, word definitions, and cross-references for this verse.
Christ at the center
Jesus is the Word of life made manifest, the propitiation for our sins, the Son in whom is eternal life — 'that you may know that you have eternal life.'
How 1 John 4:8 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.
Original language
Each word below is tagged with its Strong’s number — tap one to see the underlying Greek word, its meaning, and every verse that uses it.