Semantic Analysis — 3 John (Koine Greek)

Scope and Method

3 John is the shortest book in the New Testament by word count: a single chapter of 14 verses, a private letter from “the elder” (traditionally identified with the Apostle John) to Gaius, commending hospitality to traveling gospel workers, condemning the prideful obstruction of Diotrephes, and commending the good witness of Demetrius. Because the book contains only one chapter, the core passage (3 John 1:1–14) is coextensive with the entire book. This document therefore:

1. Provides verse-by-verse treatment of every verse (1–14), covering every load-bearing term.
2. Provides an explicit “whole-book chapter survey” section confirming that no chapter of 3 John has been silently skipped — there is exactly one chapter, and it has been fully analyzed above.

All Dutch renderings that duplicate terms already fixed in the baseline Romans translation_memory.json (e.g., “church” → gemeente, “peace” → vrede, “gentiles” → heidenen) reuse those renderings exactly, per the hard rule that the baseline package is the language authority for this project.

---

Core Passage Verse-by-Verse Analysis: 3 John 1:1–14

Verse 1

Greek: Ὁ πρεσβύτερος Γαίῳ τῷ ἀγαπητῷ, ὃν ἐγὼ ἀγαπῶ ἐν ἀληθεί�ᾳ. English (ESV-style): “The elder to the beloved Gaius, whom I love in truth.”

Terms	Variants	Contextual Theological Meaning	Dutch Rendering Risk
πρεσβύτερος presbyteros ”elder / older man”	(1) chronological senior; (2) recognized leadership office in the church (cf. Acts 14:23; 1 Tim 5:17); (3) self-designation of apostolic authority in old age (Papias records “John the elder”) elder, presbyter, old man	The author’s self-designation carries pastoral and (likely) apostolic authority exercised informally, in tension with Diotrephes’ self-asserted authority in v.9-10. This term anchors the “Church Leadership” doctrine of the curriculum.	High. Dutch “ouderling” is the fixed, technical name of a specific lay church office in Reformed polity (alongside predikant/diaken), risking anachronistic import of a modern three-office structure onto John’s informal self-title. “Oudste” (as in NBV) avoids the office-conflation and is recommended.
ἀγαπητός agapētos ”beloved, dearly loved”	term of affection within the covenant community; used of Gaius, and repeatedly by John of his readers (vv.2,5,11) beloved, dear friend	Marks Gaius as a genuine, tested member of the fellowship of truth, not mere epistolary courtesy.	Low. “Geliefde” is stable across Dutch Bible traditions.
ἐν ἀληθείᾳ en alētheia ”in truth”	(1) sincerely/genuinely (adverbial); (2) “in the truth” = within the sphere of the gospel/Christian confession (substantive, Johannine technical sense) in truth, truly, sincerely	Johannine literature (cf. 1 John, 2 John 1, 3) uses “truth” almost as a spatial/relational sphere believers “walk in” and “know” — not simply factual accuracy. Central to the “Truth and Christian Fellowship” doctrine.	High. Dutch “waarheid” defaults to propositional/factual accuracy in secular usage; the Johannine relational-sphere sense (“in the truth” = in right covenant relationship grounded in the gospel) needs contextual reinforcement to avoid flattening into mere sincerity.

Verse 2

Greek: Ἀγαπητέ, περὶ πάντων εὔχομαί σε εὐοδοῦσθαι καὶ ὑγιαίνειν, καθὼς εὐοδοῦταί σου ἡ ψυχή. English: “Beloved, I pray that all may go well with you and that you may be in health, as it goes well with your soul.”

Terms	Variants	Contextual Theological Meaning	Dutch Rendering Risk
εὔχομαι euchomai ”I wish/pray”	a wish or prayer expressed to God on someone’s behalf pray, wish	A pastoral prayer-wish, not primarily petition for material gain.	Low. “Ik bid/wens” — standard.
εὐοδοῦσθαι euodousthai ”to have a good journey” (root ὁδός, “road”), extended to “to prosper, go well”	conventional ancient epistolary health-wish; NOT a promise of material prosperity prosper, go well, succeed	Common Hellenistic letter-opening formula; Paul uses it similarly (Rom 1:10). Must not be read through a modern “health-and-wealth” prosperity-gospel lens.	Medium. Dutch “voorspoedig zijn/gaan” risks resonance with prosperity-gospel rhetoric increasingly present in some charismatic Dutch circles. Prefer neutral “het mag u goed gaan” over “voorspoedig gaan” to avoid that association.
ὑγιαίνειν hygiainein ”to be healthy/sound”	physical health; by extension, soundness (cf. “sound doctrine,” ὑγιαίνουσα διδασκαλία) be in health, be well	Ordinary bodily health, paired with, not equated to, spiritual well-being.	Low. “Gezond zijn” is standard.
ψυχή psychē ”soul, life, self”	(1) the whole inner person/self; (2) life itself; (3) the seat of spiritual vitality soul, life, self	Distinguishes inward spiritual flourishing (already evident) from outward physical circumstance (the object of the prayer-wish).	Medium. Dutch “ziel” in secularized usage increasingly denotes a vague inner/psychological self rather than the biblical whole-person category; needs contextual anchoring to the spiritual-flourishing sense intended here.

Verse 3

Greek: ἐχάρην γὰρ λίαν ἐρχομένων ἀδελφῶν καὶ μαρτυρούντων σου τῇ ἀληθείᾳ, καθὼς σὺ ἐν ἀληθείᾳ περιπατεῖς. English: “For I rejoiced greatly when the brothers came and testified to your truth, as indeed you are walking in the truth.”

Terms	Variants	Contextual Theological Meaning	Dutch Rendering Risk
ἀδελφοί adelphoi ”brothers”	(1) literal siblings; (2) fellow believers, the standard NT term for members of the church family, regardless of gender in inclusive use brothers, brethren, fellow believers	Traveling gospel workers as members of the spiritual family, setting up the hospitality theme of vv.5-8.	Medium. “Broeders” is standard, but contemporary Dutch Bible translation practice (e.g., NBV21) increasingly renders generic ἀδελφοί as “broeders en zusters” for gender-inclusiveness; a curriculum decision is needed on register (this document recommends “broeders” for consistency with the collective-brotherhood sense active in this hospitality narrative, flagged for reviewer confirmation).
μαρτυρέω martyreō ”to testify, bear witness”	legal/formal testimony; also broadened to personal, eyewitness-based commendation of character or conduct testify, bear witness, attest	The traveling brothers gave Gaius a good report to John — an act of commendation that anticipates the Demetrius commendation in v.12.	High. Dutch “getuigen”/“getuigenis” is theologically standard (courtroom and Christian-witness senses both intact), but risks an unintended denominational association with Jehovah’s Getuigen (Jehovah’s Witnesses), a distinct and doctrinally very different Dutch religious movement with high public visibility (door-to-door outreach). Context must make clear this is ordinary NT testimony/commendation language, not connote that movement.
ἀλήθεια (σου τῇ ἀληθείᾳ) sou tē alētheia ”your truth” = the truth [seen] in you	genitive-of-source use: the truthfulness/faithfulness evident in Gaius’s life your truthfulness, your fidelity to the truth	Truth here is not abstract but embodied — visible in Gaius’s conduct.	High (see v.1 note; same term, same risk profile).
περιπατέω peripateō ”to walk”	literal ambulation; metaphorical for habitual conduct/way of life (a common Pauline/Johannine idiom) walk, live, conduct oneself	”Walking in truth” = a lived, ongoing pattern of faithful, gospel-consistent conduct, not a single act.	Medium. Dutch “wandelen in de waarheid” is an established Bible-idiom (retained across HSV/NBV), but modern secular Dutch readers may miss the “habitual conduct” sense of “wandelen” without contextual reinforcement.

Verse 4

Greek: μειζοτέραν τούτων οὐκ ἔχω χαράν, ἵνα ἀκούω τὰ ἐμὰ τέκνα ἐν τῇ ἀληθεί�ᾳ περιπατοῦντα. English: “I have no greater joy than to hear that my children are walking in the truth.”

Terms	Variants	Contextual Theological Meaning	Dutch Rendering Risk
χαρά chara ”joy”	deep, settled gladness, often rooted in spiritual realities rather than circumstance joy, gladness	John’s greatest joy is pastoral/spiritual — the faithfulness of those he has led to or nurtured in the faith.	Low. “Vreugde” is standard and stable.
τέκνα tekna ”children”	(1) biological offspring; (2) spiritual children — those one has led to faith or discipled (a paternal-pastoral metaphor, cf. Paul in 1 Cor 4:15, Gal 4:19) children, spiritual children	John speaks of Gaius (and/or the wider circle) as his spiritual offspring, paralleling the “Adoption into God’s Family” doctrine already established in the baseline package, though here in a discipleship (not divine-adoption) sense.	Medium. Dutch “kinderen” is fine but requires contextual signaling (e.g., “mijn geestelijke kinderen”) so the metaphorical, non-biological sense is not lost, since “mijn kinderen” defaults to literal offspring in ordinary Dutch.

Verse 5

Greek: Ἀγαπητέ, πιστὸν ποιεῖς ὃ ἐὰν ἐργάσῃ εἰς τοὺς ἀδελφοὺς καὶ τοῦτο ξένους, English: “Beloved, it is a faithful thing you do, whatever you accomplish for the brothers, especially for strangers.”

Terms	Variants	Contextual Theological Meaning	Dutch Rendering Risk
πιστόν (ποιεῖς) piston (poieis) “a faithful/trustworthy [thing you] do”	reliable, loyal, trust-keeping action; shares the same root (πίστις) as “faith” but denotes faithful conduct here, not saving trust you act faithfully, you do a loyal/trustworthy thing	Gaius’s hospitality is commended as an act of covenant faithfulness, not merely kindness — directly grounding the “Hospitality to Traveling Ministers” doctrine.	Medium. Because Dutch “geloof” (faith) is already flagged Medium risk in the baseline package for collapsing into generic religiosity, the cognate here — best rendered as “u handelt trouw” / “u doet een trouwe daad” rather than any form built on “geloof” — must be kept distinct from saving faith to avoid conflating faithful service with justifying faith.
ξένος xenos ”stranger, foreigner, guest”	(1) one unknown/unrelated, a foreigner; (2) a guest received in hospitality; NT hospitality ethic reverses the negative connotation into an object of active welcome stranger, foreigner, guest	These are traveling gospel workers unknown to Gaius personally, received purely because they serve “the Name” (v.7) — hospitality to Christ’s messengers regardless of personal acquaintance.	High. Modern Dutch “vreemdeling” carries strong, politically loaded connotations tied to the contemporary asylum/immigration debate (a “vreemdeling” in current usage often means a foreign national under immigration law). This risks importing unwanted contemporary political framing into a text about hospitality to gospel workers. Recommend a disambiguating phrase such as “reizende broeders die u niet persoonlijk kende” (traveling brothers you did not personally know) rather than a bare “vreemdelingen,” or gloss clearly on first use.

Verse 6

Greek: οἱ ἐμαρτύρησάν σου τῇ ἀγάπῃ ἐνώπιον ἐκκλησίας· οὕς καλῶς ποιήσεις προπέμψας ἀξίως τοῦ θεοῦ· English: “who testified to your love before the church. You will do well to send them on their way in a manner worthy of God.”

Terms	Variants	Contextual Theological Meaning	Dutch Rendering Risk
ἀγάπη agapē ”love”	self-giving, covenantal love, distinct from erotic (ἔρως) or mere affection (φιλία), though φιλία also appears positively in this letter (v.14) love	Gaius’s hospitality is public evidence (“before the church”) of genuine Christian love in action — love verified by concrete deeds, a key thread in the “Truth and Christian Fellowship” doctrine.	Medium. Dutch “liefde” is a broad, largely secularized everyday word (romantic, familial, generic affection); doctrinal contexts require it be anchored to the specific self-giving, deed-verified sense intended here, not generic warm feeling.
ἐκκλησία ekklēsia ”assembly, church”	the local gathered congregation church, assembly, congregation	The local congregation, functioning as a body that receives and evaluates reports about members’ conduct — same sense as the baseline’s “Church as God’s People” doctrine.	High — REUSE BASELINE TERM EXACTLY. Per translation_memory.json, render as “gemeente” (not “kerk”), consistent with the Reformed-tradition preference for the NT local-congregation sense over the institutional/building sense.
προπέμπω propempō ”to send forward, escort, provide for the journey”	technical missionary-support term: providing supplies, funds, and/or physical escort to travelers, especially gospel workers (cf. Acts 15:3; Rom 15:24) send on their way, help on their journey, escort	Concrete material support of itinerant ministers as an act of partnership in their mission — directly grounding “Hospitality to Traveling Ministers.”	Medium. No single Dutch word captures the full sense; “uitgeleide doen” is an established, slightly formal Dutch Bible idiom, but many modern readers will need it paired with a clarifying phrase such as “van het nodige voorzien” (provide for their needs) to convey the material-support dimension, not just a farewell gesture.
ἀξίως τοῦ θεοῦ axiōs tou theou ”worthily of God”	conduct that matches and honors God’s own character/standard in a manner worthy of God, as befits God	The standard for hospitality is not social custom but God’s own honor.	Medium. “God waardig” is a workable literal rendering but must be phrased so it does not sound like a performance-based merit test (echoing the baseline’s grace-versus-merit caution), but rather conduct that reflects God’s character.

Verse 7

Greek: ὑπὲρ γὰρ τοῦ ὀνόματος ἐξῆλθον μηδὲν λαμβάνοντες ἀπὸ τῶν ἐθνικῶν. English: “For they went out for the sake of the Name, accepting nothing from the Gentiles/outsiders.”

Terms	Variants	Contextual Theological Meaning	Dutch Rendering Risk
τὸ ὄνομα to onoma ”the Name”	a technical NT shorthand for the person, authority, and honor of Jesus Christ (cf. Acts 5:41 “for the Name,” Phil 2:9-10) the Name, his Name, Christ’s Name	These missionaries traveled specifically as representatives of Christ’s authority and cause, not as independent religious entrepreneurs — this grounds why Gaius’s support is itself participation “in the truth” (v.8).	High. Dutch “de Naam” (capitalized) must be recognizable as this specific Christological shorthand, not a generic reference to “a name” or reputation; requires either capitalization convention or an added gloss (“de Naam van Christus/de Heer”) on first occurrence to prevent flattening into a bare noun.
ἐθνικός (τῶν ἐθνικῶν) ethnikos ”belonging to a nation/people [not Israel],” i.e., a Gentile, pagan, outsider to the faith	non-Jewish; by NT usage, one outside the Christian community, from whom missionaries deliberately declined support to avoid appearing mercenary Gentiles, pagans, outsiders, unbelievers	Distinct nuance from the ethnic-inclusion sense of “Gentiles” prominent in Romans (Jew/Gentile unity); here the term functions to mark those outside the community of faith from whom the missionaries would not accept patronage, so their motives could not be questioned.	Medium — related to baseline “gentiles” term. Reuse baseline rendering “heidenen” for consistency, but flag that the doctrinal nuance differs from the Romans Jew/Gentile-unity sense: here it marks “those outside the household of faith,” requiring a contextual note so readers do not import the Romans ethnic-inclusion frame onto this different literary function.

Verse 8

Greek: ἡμεῖς οὖν ὀφείλομεν ὑπολαμβάνειν τοὺς τοιούτους, ἵνα συνεργοὶ γινώμεθα τῇ ἀληθείᾳ. English: “Therefore we ought to support such people, that we may be fellow workers for the truth.”

Terms	Variants	Contextual Theological Meaning	Dutch Rendering Risk
ὀφείλομεν opheilomen ”we owe, we ought”	moral obligation, debt-language applied to duty we ought, we are obligated, we owe it	Hospitality to gospel workers is framed as a binding obligation of fellow believers, not an optional kindness.	Low. “Wij behoren/moeten” is standard.
ὑπολαμβάνω hypolambanō ”to take up, receive, support”	receiving someone with material and relational support, sustaining them support, receive, welcome and sustain	The practical, material dimension of hospitality (housing, provisions) that makes gospel mission possible.	Medium. “Ondersteunen” captures the material-support sense better than a bare “ontvangen” (receive), which risks sounding like mere social welcome without material commitment.
συνεργός synergos ”fellow worker, co-laborer”	partnership in a shared task; used widely of Paul’s ministry associates fellow worker, co-worker, partner	Material hospitality is reframed as active participation in gospel mission — the giver becomes a genuine partner in the work, not a passive bystander.	Medium. “Medearbeider(s)” is an accurate but somewhat formal, dated-sounding Dutch compound; test for readability against the “newspaper feature” register target while preserving the partnership sense.
ἀλήθεια (τῇ ἀληθεί�ᾳ) tē alētheia ”for the truth”	dative of advantage: partnership for/on behalf of the truth — i.e., the gospel cause for the truth, on behalf of the gospel	”Truth” here functions almost as a personification of the gospel mission itself.	High (see v.1 note — same term, same underlying risk of flattening into propositional accuracy alone).

Verse 9

Greek: Ἔγραψά τι τῇ ἐκκλησίᾳ· ἀλλ᾿ ὁ φιλοπρωτεύων αὐτῶν Διοτρέφης οὐκ ἐπιδέχεται ἡμᾶς. English: “I wrote something to the church, but Diotrephes, who loves to be first among them, does not receive us.”

Terms	Variants	Contextual Theological Meaning	Dutch Rendering Risk
φιλοπρωτεύω philoprōteuō ”to love being first” (φιλέω + πρῶτος)	a rare NT word (occurring only here) denoting self-exalting ambition for preeminence/status, as opposed to legitimate, humble leadership loves to be first, loves preeminence, is ambitious for supremacy	The precise diagnostic term for Diotrephes’ sin — not that he holds leadership, but that he is driven by self-glorifying ambition for status. This is the load-bearing term for the “Church Leadership and Pride” doctrine.	High. No single Dutch word captures this compound; a bare noun like “leiderschap” (leadership) or “ambitie” (ambition, often used neutrally/positively in modern Dutch business/career contexts) would badly soften the sin in view. Recommend a full descriptive phrase, e.g. “die graag de belangrijkste wil zijn” or “die zich als eerste wil laten gelden,” explicitly marked as sinful self-exaltation, not admirable initiative or drive.
ἐπιδέχομαι epidechomai ”to receive, accept, welcome”	receiving a person or their authority/message receive, accept, welcome	Diotrephes’ refusal to receive John’s emissaries (and later, the brothers themselves, v.10) is a direct rejection of apostolic authority and fellowship.	Medium. “Ontvangen” is standard; ensure the sense of formally accepting a person’s authority/message (not merely social politeness) is retained by context.

Verse 10

Greek: διὰ τοῦτο, ἐὰν ἔλθω, ὑπομνήσω τὰ ἔργα ἃ ποιεῖ λόγοις πονηροῖς φλυαρῶν ἡμᾶς, καὶ μὴ ἀρκούμενος ἐπὶ τούτοις οὔτε αὐτὸς ἐπιδέχεται τοὺς ἀδελφοὺς καὶ τοὺς βουλομένους κωλύει καὶ ἐκ τῆς ἐκκλησίας ἐκβάλλει. English: “So if I come, I will bring up what he is doing, talking wicked nonsense against us; and not content with that, he refuses to receive the brothers, and stops those who want to, and puts them out of the church.”

Terms	Variants	Contextual Theological Meaning	Dutch Rendering Risk
πονηρός (λόγοις πονηροῖς) ponēros ”evil, wicked, malicious”	moral evil, often with an active, harmful intent (stronger than κακός in some contexts) wicked, evil, malicious	Diotrephes’ speech is not mere gossip but malicious slander against John’s apostolic party.	Medium. “Kwaadaardig” preserves the malicious-intent nuance better than a weaker “verkeerd” (wrong) or “onaardig” (unkind).
φλυαρέω phlyareō ”to talk nonsense, chatter, bring frivolous/false charges”	a rare NT word combining the sense of empty talk with false, damaging accusation talk nonsense against, make false accusations, speak maliciously	Diotrephes actively spreads discrediting falsehoods about John and his associates, an abuse-of-power tactic.	Medium-High. A bare “onzin praten” (talk nonsense) loses the accusatory, damaging force; recommend a fuller phrase such as “ons met kwaadaardige praatjes belasteren” (slandering us with malicious gossip) to retain both the slander and malice components.
κωλύω kōlyō ”to hinder, prevent, forbid”	active obstruction of others’ actions hinder, prevent, forbid	Diotrephes actively blocks others in the congregation who want to extend hospitality — an abuse of positional power over the whole church.	Low. “Verhinderen” is standard and adequate.
ἐκβάλλω ekballō ”to cast out, expel, drive out”	forceful removal/expulsion, used elsewhere of exorcism and of Christ driving out temple traders cast out, expel, put out, drive out	Diotrephes goes so far as to expel faithful believers from the congregation for showing hospitality — an overreach far beyond legitimate church discipline.	High. Dutch readers may map this onto the formal, procedurally-governed concept of “excommunicatie” or “kerkelijke tucht” (church discipline) recognized in Dutch Reformed polity, which would wrongly legitimize Diotrephes’ action as orderly discipline. The rendering (e.g. “buitenwerpen” / “buitensluiten”) and surrounding context must make clear this is condemned as an illegitimate abuse of power, not a model of proper church discipline.

Verse 11

Greek: Ἀγαπητέ, μὴ μιμοῦ τὸ κακόν, ἀλλὰ τὸ ἀγαθόν. ὁ ἀγαθοποιῶν ἐκ τοῦ θεοῦ ἐστιν· ὁ κακοποιῶν οὐχ ἑώρακεν τὸν θεόν. English: “Beloved, do not imitate evil but imitate good. Whoever does good is from God; whoever does evil has not seen God.”

Terms	Variants	Contextual Theological Meaning	Dutch Rendering Risk
μιμέομαι mimeomai ”to imitate, mimic, follow as a model”	deliberate patterning of one’s conduct on an example, positive or negative (root of English “mimic”) imitate, follow the example of, copy	The direct hinge-term of the “Imitating Good rather than Evil” doctrine: readers must not model themselves on Diotrephes’ behavior just witnessed, but on positive examples like Demetrius (v.12).	Medium. “Navolgen” is the standard, theologically weighty Dutch term (strongly associated with imitatio Christi/discipleship tradition), which is generally an asset here, but its object must be made explicit (“het goede,” not “het kwade”) since “navolgen” alone in Dutch usually carries a positive connotation and could obscure that the verse names a negative example to avoid.
κακόν / ἀγαθόν kakon / agathon ”evil / good”	κακόν: morally bad, harmful; ἀγαθόν: morally good, beneficial evil, bad, wrong / good, virtuous, beneficial	A stark ethical binary with no middle ground offered — moral choice is framed as absolute, not situational.	Medium. Dutch “het kwade”/“het goede” are standard and retain moral weight; avoid softer alternatives like “verkeerd” (wrong/mistaken) or “aardig” (nice) which would drain the moral gravity.
ἀγαθοποιέω / κακοποιέω agathopoieō / kakopoieō ”to do good / to do evil” (compound verbs)	habitual moral conduct/character, not a single isolated act doing good / doing evil, the one who does good/evil	These participles function almost as identity-markers: habitual doing of good or evil reveals whether one is “from God” or has not truly known him — echoes the broader NT theme (cf. 1 John 3:9-10) that conduct discloses spiritual origin.	Medium. No single Dutch verb matches the compound; render as a relative clause, “wie het goede doet” / “wie het kwade doet,” ensuring the habitual-character sense (not a one-off act) is clear from context.
ὁ … οὐχ ἑώρακεν τὸν θεόν ho … ouch heōraken ton theon ”has not seen God”	a Johannine idiom for lacking true spiritual knowledge/relationship with God (cf. 1 John 3:6; John 1:18) has not seen God, does not know God	Habitual evil-doing is not merely disobedience but evidence of never having truly known God — a strong statement bearing on both the “Church Leadership and Pride” and broader “Truth and Fellowship” doctrines as applied to Diotrephes.	High. Must not be softened into a merely metaphorical or purely future-eschatological “seeing God” (i.e., not simply “will not see God in heaven”); the Johannine present-tense idiom concerns present relational knowledge of God now, a nuance easily lost in literal Dutch rendering (“heeft God niet gezien”) without contextual framing.

Verse 12

Greek: Δημητρίῳ μεμαρτύρηται ὑπὸ πάντων καὶ ὑπὸ τῆς ἀληθείας αὐτῆς· καὶ ἡμεῖς δὲ μαρτυροῦμεν, καὶ οἶδας ὅτι ἡ μαρτυρία ἡμῶν ἀληθής ἐστιν. English: “Demetrius has received a good testimony from everyone, and from the truth itself. We also testify to this, and you know that our testimony is true.”

Terms	Variants	Contextual Theological Meaning	Dutch Rendering Risk
μεμαρτύρηται (perfect passive of μαρτυρέω) memartyrētai ”has been testified of, has received witness”	perfect tense signals an established, settled, ongoing reputation, not a one-time report has been well spoken of, has a good report, has received testimony	Demetrius’s good character is a matter of settled public record within the community — directly grounding the “Commendation of Faithful Witness” doctrine as the positive counter-example to Diotrephes.	High (see v.3 note on μαρτυρέω — Jehovah’s Getuigen association risk applies equally here and is amplified since this is the doctrine’s namesake term).
ὑπὸ τῆς ἀληθείας αὐτῆς hypo tēs alētheias autēs ”by the truth itself”	a striking personification: “the truth” itself is said to testify, i.e., Demetrius’s life is so consistent with gospel truth that the truth “speaks for itself” through his conduct by the truth itself, the truth itself testifies	The strongest possible commendation in Johannine idiom — surpassing even human report, truth itself vindicates his character.	High (compounds the general ἀλήθεια risk noted at v.1: here the personification must be preserved, not flattened into a vague “everyone knows it’s true”).
μαρτυρία martyria ”testimony, witness” (noun)	a formal or informal attestation to character or fact testimony, witness, report	John adds his own apostolic testimony to the community’s, doubly certifying Demetrius.	High (same Jehovah’s Getuigen association risk as μαρτυρέω; recommend consistent contextual framing throughout the letter, e.g. first-use gloss “getuigenis (in de zin van een goed voorbeeld/aanbeveling)“).
ἀληθής alēthēs ”true, truthful”	corresponds to reality; also, by extension, trustworthy/reliable (of a person’s word) true, truthful, trustworthy	John’s own testimony is certified as reliable — an implicit claim to apostolic trustworthiness underlying the whole letter.	Medium. “Waar”/“waarachtig” both work; “waarachtig” carries slightly more weight of personal integrity (trustworthy) versus mere factual “waar,” and is preferable here given the personal-testimony context.

Verse 13

Greek: Πολλὰ εἶχον γράψαι σοι, ἀλλ᾿ οὐ θέλω διὰ μέλανος καὶ καλάμου σοι γράφειν· English: “I had much to write to you, but I would rather not write with ink and pen.”

Terms	Variants	Contextual Theological Meaning	Dutch Rendering Risk
μέλαν melan ”ink” (literally “black [substance]“)	ancient writing ink ink	Concrete detail of ancient letter-writing; no direct doctrinal weight, but underscores the personal, relational (not merely administrative) nature of apostolic communication.	Low. “Inkt” — straightforward cultural-historical term.
κάλαμος kalamos ”reed, reed-pen”	a reed used as a writing implement pen, reed-pen	Same function as above.	Low. “Pen” (or “rietpen” for precision) — no theological risk.

Verse 14

Greek: ἐλπίζω δὲ εὐθέως σε ἰδεῖν, καὶ στόμα πρὸς στόμα λαλήσομεν. Εἰρήνη σοι. ἀσπάζονταί σε οἱ φίλοι. ἀσπάζου τοὺς φίλους κατ᾿ ὄνομα. English: “I hope to see you soon, and we will speak face to face. Peace to you. The friends greet you. Greet the friends, each by name.”

Terms	Variants	Contextual Theological Meaning	Dutch Rendering Risk
στόμα πρὸς στόμα stoma pros stoma ”mouth to mouth,” i.e., face to face	idiom for direct, personal, unmediated conversation (cf. Num 12:8 LXX of God speaking to Moses) face to face, in person	John prefers personal presence and direct fellowship over written correspondence, reinforcing the letter’s relational, community-embedded theology of truth and fellowship.	Low-Medium. A literal “mond aan mond” reads oddly/idiomatically wrong in Dutch (risking confusion with “mond-op-mondbeademing,” mouth-to-mouth resuscitation!); render idiomatically as “van aangezicht tot aangezicht” or “persoonlijk, oog in oog,” preserving meaning over literal form per the idiom-handling rule.
εἰρήνη eirēnē ”peace”	relational/covenantal well-being and reconciliation, here as an epistolary greeting-blessing peace, peace be with you	The closing peace-blessing, consistent with NT epistolary convention and with the wholeness Gaius already embodies through his faithful hospitality.	Low — REUSE BASELINE TERM EXACTLY. Render as “vrede,” per translation_memory.json.
φίλος philos ”friend”	affectionate, personal bond of mutual regard; in Johannine literature, elevated theologically (cf. John 15:13-15, Jesus calls disciples “friends”) friend(s)	Distinct from ἀδελφοί (v.3,5,10) — a warmer, more personal register closing the letter, echoing Jesus’ own language of friendship with his followers, and reinforcing the “Truth and Christian Fellowship” doctrine’s relational dimension.	Medium. “Vriend(en)” is straightforward, but translators/reviewers should note the deliberate shift from “broeders” (formal covenant-family term, used earlier) to “vrienden” (intimate personal-friendship term) here, and preserve rather than flatten that register shift by defaulting both to “broeders.”
κατ᾿ ὄνομα kat’ onoma ”by name,” i.e., individually, each by name	personal, individualized greeting by name, individually, each one	Personal care extended to each individual within the fellowship — hospitality and truth expressed in named, personal relationship, not abstract community.	Low. “Bij naam” / “ieder afzonderlijk” — no significant risk.

---

Whole-Book Chapter-by-Chapter Survey

3 John consists of exactly one chapter (3 John 1), comprising all 14 verses of the book. The core passage specified for this curriculum (3 John 1:1–14) is therefore identical in scope to the entire book.

• Chapter 1 (verses 1–14): Fully analyzed verse-by-verse above. This constitutes complete coverage of every load-bearing theological term in 3 John, from the opening greeting (v.1) through the closing personal greetings (v.14).
• There are no further chapters. No chapter of 3 John has been silently omitted; the verse-by-verse treatment above is, by the structure of the book itself, full-book coverage.

This explicit statement satisfies the full-book-coverage mandate for a single-chapter book: rather than a chapter-by-chapter summary distinct from the core-passage analysis, the entirety of 3 John’s theological vocabulary has already received the same rigor as a “core passage” treatment, with no chapter contributing terms outside the scope already covered.

---

Cross-reference: See analysis/08_core_glossary.md for the consolidated per-term glossary table, including risk tiers and doctrine mapping, drawn from this analysis. Terms already fixed in the baseline Romans translation_memory.json (church → gemeente; peace → vrede; gentiles → heidenen) are reused exactly and marked accordingly.