Verse Lens · Concise explanation
3 John 1:3 Explained in Context
Use this verse as a doorway into the larger passage—not as an isolated saying.
Verse 3. 3For I rejoiced greatly, when the brethren came and testified of the truth that is in thee, even as thou walkest in the truth.
King James Version — public domain in the United States · Bible text and permissions
Quick Meaning
The Elder explains that visiting believers brought trustworthy testimony that truth is present in Gaius and expressed in his way of life.
Read It With
- 3 John 1:1–4
Read 3 John 1:2–4 together. Verse 2 expresses care for Gaius, verse 3 supplies the visitors' testimony about his conduct, and verse 4 explains the joy that testimony produces. The sequence shows that truth is being observed in a lived pattern.
Why This Verse Appears Here
The Elder moves from wishing Gaius well to naming the evidence behind his confidence: visiting believers have reported that Gaius lives according to the truth.
What Remains True
Truth is credibly confessed when it becomes observable, reportable faithfulness.
How It Can Shape Life
- Welcome honest testimony about conduct and let daily choices confirm the truth you profess.
Continue in Context
The full thought-unit study remains the final contextual authority for this Verse Lens.
Read 3 John 1:1–4 — The Elder Rejoices in Gaius Walking in TruthSources used for this Verse Lens
How certain is this explanation? strong
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 1:1–4, 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, 1:1–4 (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, authorship introduction pp. 21–51 and 3 John commentary pp. 247–253.
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 Introductory Formula (vv. 1-2)' and 'The Body of the Letter (vv. 3-14),' verse 3 and verse 4 Summary/Exegetical Details.
Open source ↗