1 John 2:11

ἐν τῇ σκ. ἐστίν, κ. ἐν τῇ σκ. π. The darkness is his home and the sphere of his activity. The contrast between the godly and the wicked is similarly indicated in Proverbs 4:18-19 : αἱ δὲ ὁδοὶ τῶν δικαίων ὁμοίως φωτὶ λάμπουσιν· προπορεύονται καὶ φωτίζουσιν, ἕως κατορθώσῃ ἡ ἡμέρα. αἱ δὲ ὁδοὶ τῶν�· οὐκ οἴδασιν πῶς προσκόπτουσιν. Here ποῦ ὑπάγει is literally, where he is departing: ὑπάγειν is ‘to go away.’ S. John frequently joins ποῦ with ὑπάγειν: John 3:8; John 8:14; John 12:35-36; John 14:5; John 16:5; John 7:35. Elsewhere in N.T. this construction occurs only Hebrews 11:8. In late Greek ποῦ and ὅπου are frequently used for ποῖ and ὅποι, ἐκεῖ for ἐκεῖσε (John 18:3; Matthew 2:22; Romans 15:24), ὦδε for ἐνθάδε (John 20:27; comp. Revelation 4:1; Revelation 11:12). Neither ποῖ nor ὅποι occurs in N.T. Winer, 591. The effect of joining an adverb of rest to a verb of motion may sometimes be to express both rest and motion. But this is commonly done by the converse process of joining an adverb or preposition of motion to a verb of rest: εὑρέθη εἰς Ἄζωτον, ‘was carried to Azotus and found there’ (Acts 8:40): comp. John 8:26; John 20:7.—Another close parallel between Gospel and Epistle exists here: part of John 12:35 is almost verbatim the same.

ὅτι ἡ σκ. ἐτύφλωσεν. Because the darkness hath blinded. This is just one of those cases where it is the Greek idiom to use the aorist, but the English idiom to use the perfect; and therefore the Greek aorist should be rendered by the English perfect. Comp. John 13:13; John 13:34; John 15:9; John 15:12. But the A.V. frequently turns aorists into perfects without justification (see on 1 John 1:1; 1 John 2:18; 1 John 2:24-25; 1 John 2:27; 2 John 1:6), and occasionally turns perfects into aorists (1 John 4:9; 2 John 1:4). ‘Blinded’ must not be weakened into ‘dimmed’: the verb means definitely ‘to make blind’ (John 12:40; 2 Corinthians 4:4). Animals kept in the dark, e.g. ponies in coal-mines, become blind: the organ that is never exercised loses its power. So also the conscience that is constantly ignored at last ceases to act. The source of the metaphor is perhaps Isaiah 6:10 : comp. Romans 11:10.

Before proceeding further let us briefly sum up the Apostle’s line of argument thus far. ‘God is light. Christ is that light revealed. The life of Christ was a life of obedience and a life of love. In order, therefore, to have fellowship through Him with God believers must obey and love. The state of things in which this is possible has already begun. Therefore I write to you a command which is both old and new; walk in the light by imitating the love of Christ.’ In this manner he lays the foundations of Christian Ethics. The last three verses (9–11) shew that the special aspect of walking in light which is referred to in the commandment which is at once old and new is love: and if this be so, we can hardly doubt that in calling it ‘a new commandment’ he has in his mind Christ’s farewell words, John 13:34; ‘A new commandment I give unto you, that ye love one another; even as I have loved you, that ye also love one another.’ The latter half of the verse is, therefore, the special interpretation of ‘ought himself also to walk even as He walked.’

It is not easy to determine whether the division which follows (1 John 2:12-28) is best regarded as a subdivision of the first main portion of the Epistle, or as a co-ordinate portion. In favour of the latter view are these facts: 1. The idea of light which runs through the whole of the division just concluded (1 John 1:5 to 1 John 2:11), and which is mentioned six times in it, now disappears altogether. 2. The Epistle now takes a distinctly hortatory turn. The first part lays down principles: this part gives warnings and exhortations. 3. The Apostle seems to make a fresh start: 1 John 2:12-14 read like a new Introduction. In favour of making this part a sub-division of the first main division it may be urged: 1. Though the idea of light is no longer mentioned, yet other ideas to which it directly led, love, the truth, abiding in God, still continue: the parts evidently overlap. 2. The hortatory turn is but a partial change of form occurring only in 1 John 2:15; 1 John 2:28. In the intermediate verses the aphoristic mode of expression continues. 3. The quasi-Introduction in 1 John 2:1; 1 John 2:7.

On the whole it seems best to consider what follows as a subordinate part of the first main division of the Epistle. Thus far we have had THE CONDITION AND CONDUCT OF THE BELIEVER considered on its positive side. We now have the negative side—WHAT WALKING IN THE LIGHT EXCLUDES.