Verse Lens · Context pointer
3 John 1:13 Explained in Context
Use this verse as a doorway into the larger passage—not as an isolated saying.
Verse 13. 13I had many things to write, but I will not with ink and pen write unto thee:
King James Version — public domain in the United States · Bible text and permissions
Role in This Section
The Elder says he has more to communicate but does not wish to put it all into ink and pen.
Read It With
- 3 John 1:13–14
Read 3 John 1:13–14 together. Verse 13 gives only the decision not to write everything with ink and pen; verse 14 completes the contrast with hoped-for face-to-face conversation, peace, and personal greetings. Verse 13 alone could be mistaken for a rejection of writing.
Why It Needs Context
Verse 13 gives only the writing side of a contrast completed in verse 14 by the hoped-for visit, face-to-face speech, peace, and greetings; alone it could be misread as a rejection of writing.
Continue in Context
The full thought-unit study remains the final contextual authority for this Verse Lens.
Read 3 John 1:13–14 — Face-to-Face Hope, Peace, and Personal GreetingsSources used for this context pointer
How certain is this explanation? strong
Where care is needed
The additional matters the Elder intended to discuss are not disclosed.
These are the sources used directly for this lens. Language, grammar, disagreements, and the complete source shelf remain attached to the full thought-unit research record.
Biblical text
King James (Authorized) Version — eng-kjv2006
eBible.org and CrossWire Bible Society
USFM archive eng-kjv2006_usfm.zip; source files dated 2026-08-19; downloaded 2026-08-24; archive SHA-256 aec1b3b26c622fd3d963d2bbac963016b9513246ffbfa20da00bb100372ea007; normalized corpus SHA-256 09aef51d90488aa7b9722b3fd9a93f4b25f6bf2064c5fd798fb39673c300ddf2.
Supports: The exact displayed English Scripture text and the complete verse assignment for this thought unit.
Exact location: Pinned KJV source-data record for 3 John 1:13–14, derived from the repository's checksum-locked 1769 KJV corpus.
Open source ↗Greek textual evidence
The Greek New Testament: SBL Edition
Michael W. Holmes, editor; Society of Biblical Literature and Logos
Society of Biblical Literature and Logos Bible Software, 2010
Supports: The Greek wording, grammar, discourse connections, and original-language terms checked for this thought unit.
Exact location: SBLGNT data/sblgnt/text/3John.txt, 1:13–14 (critical-edition numbering uses 1:15 for the final peace and greetings).
Open the 3 John Greek text file ↗modern commentary
The Letters of John: An Introduction and Commentary
John R. W. Stott
InterVarsity Press, 1988
Supports: The unit's literary movement, older-language clarification, principal interpretations, and explicit limits on reconstruction.
Exact location: Stott, The Letters of John, 3 John commentary pp. 265–266.
Open source ↗open exegetical commentary
Exegetical Commentary on 3 John 1–15
W. Hall Harris III
Bible.org, 2004
Supports: Verse-level Greek, literary flow, translation choices, and major exegetical alternatives for this unit.
Exact location: Harris, Exegetical Commentary on 3 John 1–15, 'The Body of the Letter (vv. 3-14),' verse 13 and verse 14 Summary/Exegetical Details, and 'The Concluding Formula (v. 15).'
Open source ↗