John 4:8 kjv
(For his disciples were gone away unto the city to buy meat.)
John 4:8 nkjv
For His disciples had gone away into the city to buy food.
John 4:8 niv
(His disciples had gone into the town to buy food.)
John 4:8 esv
(For his disciples had gone away into the city to buy food.)
John 4:8 nlt
He was alone at the time because his disciples had gone into the village to buy some food.
John 4 8 Cross References
| Verse | Text | Reference |
|---|---|---|
| 1 Jn 4:16 | We have known and believed the love God has for us. God is love... | Reiterates God's intrinsic nature as love. |
| 1 Jn 4:7 | Beloved, let us love one another, for love is of God... | Love originates from God's nature. |
| Jn 3:16 | For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son... | God's ultimate act of love (sending Jesus). |
| Rom 5:8 | But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were... | God's love shown at our worst state. |
| Eph 2:4-5 | But God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us... | God's great love leads to mercy and salvation. |
| Tit 3:4-5 | But when the kindness and the love of God our Savior appeared, He saved us... | God's kindness and love as the source of salvation. |
| Deut 7:7-8 | The LORD did not set His love on you nor choose you... because the LORD loves you... | God's choosing is rooted in His love. |
| Psa 103:8 | The LORD is merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in mercy. | God's attributes align with love (mercy). |
| Lam 3:22-23 | Through the LORD’s mercies we are not consumed, Because His compassions fail not. They are new... | God's steadfast love and faithfulness. |
| Heb 12:6 | For whom the Lord loves He chastens, And scourges every son whom He receives. | God's love extends to discipline for good. |
| 1 Cor 13:4-7 | Love suffers long and is kind; love does not envy... bears all things, believes... hopes... endures all things. | Describes characteristics of God-like love. |
| Mt 22:37-39 | You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart... And the second is like it: ‘You shall love your neighbor... | Command to reflect God's love towards God and others. |
| Jn 13:34 | A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another; as I have loved you... | Christ's love as the standard for believers' love. |
| Phil 2:2-3 | Fulfil my joy by being like-minded, having the same love, being of one accord, of one mind. | Unity among believers stems from Christ-like love. |
| Col 3:14 | But above all these things put on love, which is the bond of perfection. | Love as the supreme virtue that binds everything together. |
| Rom 13:10 | Love does no harm to a neighbor; therefore love is the fulfillment of the law. | Love fulfills God's law. |
| 1 Jn 2:3-4 | Now by this we know that we know Him, if we keep His commandments... | Knowing God involves obedience to His will, which is love. |
| Jer 9:24 | But let him who glories glory in this, that he understands and knows Me... that I exercise lovingkindness, judgment, and righteousness... | Knowing God includes understanding His lovingkindness. |
| Exo 34:6 | And the LORD passed before him and proclaimed, “The LORD, the LORD God, merciful and gracious, longsuffering, and abounding in goodness and truth..." | Early revelation of God's character traits that imply love. |
| Ps 86:15 | But You, O Lord, are a God full of compassion, and gracious, Longsuffering and abundant in mercy and truth. | God's character is described as loving and compassionate. |
| 1 Jn 4:20 | If someone says, "I love God," and hates his brother, he is a liar; for he who does not love... | Lack of love for others contradicts claimed love for God. |
John 4 verses
John 4 8 Meaning
The statement "For God is love" declares an essential truth about God's very nature and character. It is not merely that God possesses love or acts in loving ways, but that His intrinsic being, His essence, is love (ἀγάπη, agape). This divine love is self-giving, unconditional, and seeks the well-being of others, providing the foundation for all His actions, including creation, redemption, and justice. This foundational truth establishes that everything God does flows from this loving nature.
John 4 8 Context
The verse "For God is love," while not present in most modern English translations of John 4:8, is a pivotal theological statement primarily found in 1 John 4:8 and repeated in 1 John 4:16. In the Epistle of 1 John, this declaration forms the heart of the Apostle John's message regarding Christian life and fellowship. It is surrounded by urgent exhortations for believers to love one another, directly contrasting genuine faith with empty claims of knowing God. Immediately preceding this declaration in 1 John 4:8, the text emphasizes that "everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God." Therefore, "For God is love" serves as the foundational reason for the imperative to love and as the ultimate characteristic defining God's nature. Not to love is to demonstrate an ignorance of God's very essence.
For clarification, the actual verse John 4:8 states: "For His disciples had gone away into the city to buy food." This verse explains why Jesus was alone with the Samaritan woman at the well, setting the scene for their pivotal theological discussion in John 4 about living water, true worship, and the identity of the Messiah. While relevant to the narrative flow of John's Gospel, its content is distinctly different from "For God is love."
John 4 8 Word analysis
- For (γάρ, gar): This conjunction indicates a reason or explanation. It introduces the fundamental truth that provides the basis for the preceding statement in 1 John 4:7-8 that "everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God" and "He who does not love does not know God." It explains why not loving God signifies not knowing Him: because God is love.
- God (ὁ Θεός, ho Theos): Refers to the singular, true God, the Father, the Supreme Being who created all things. In the Christian theological context, it points to the First Person of the Trinity, but its essence applies to the triune Godhead. It refers to the One who is the source of all being and truth.
- is (ἐστιν, estin): This verb, in the present indicative, signifies an enduring, unchangeable state of being. It's not "was" or "will be" but a constant, eternal reality. This highlights that love is not just one of God's attributes or something He occasionally expresses, but rather, love is who He inherently is. It is His fundamental nature, essence, and character.
- love (ἀγάπη, agape): This is a distinct Greek word for love, chosen specifically by biblical authors. Unlike eros (romantic love) or philia (brotherly affection/friendship), agape is unconditional, selfless, and volitional. It is a commitment to the well-being of others, often sacrificial in nature. It's an outgoing, giving love that initiates, regardless of the merit of the object of that love. This type of love, agape, originates in God and perfectly defines Him.
Words-group by words-group analysis:
- For God is: This phrase powerfully links God's identity directly to the characteristic that follows. It positions love not as an external garment God wears but as the very fabric of His being. It serves as the ultimate answer to what kind of being God is, framing all other attributes (like justice, holiness, power) within this overarching truth.
- God is love: This succinct, profound declaration is an identity statement. It means that God's very nature and the core of His essence are defined by agape. It shapes His actions, motives, and character, making His love the lens through which all other divine attributes must be understood. It provides a basis for understanding the Gospel: His love drove Him to send His Son for redemption (Jn 3:16).
John 4 8 Bonus section
The concept of "God is love" is uniquely expressed in the New Testament and provides a deep understanding of the Trinity. While God is one, His nature as love inherently suggests a plurality within His being. Love requires an object to be loved, and if God is love eternally, there must be eternal loving within the Godhead – the Father loving the Son, the Son loving the Father, and the Spirit as the bond of this love. This intrapersonal communion within the Trinity demonstrates the perfection of divine love, even before creation. Furthermore, this truth is polemical against ancient polytheistic or deistic views that portrayed deities as capricious, indifferent, or purely self-serving. It presents the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob as profoundly and eternally committed to the benevolent outpouring of Himself. This truth calls believers not only to acknowledge God's love but to actively embody it, reflecting His nature in their relationships with others (1 Jn 4:11-12).
John 4 8 Commentary
The declaration "For God is love" in 1 John 4:8 (as opposed to John 4:8 which refers to disciples getting food) is one of the most foundational and radical theological statements in all Scripture. It transcends simply saying God has love or shows love; it declares that His very essence is love (agape). This means love is not merely one of God's many attributes but the primary characteristic that encompasses and defines all others. His holiness is loving holiness, His justice is loving justice, and His wrath against sin is born from His love for righteousness and His creatures. This intrinsic love is volitional, self-giving, and seeks the highest good of the beloved, demonstrated supremely in the sending of Jesus Christ to redeem humanity. For a person not to love implies they do not know God, because God's very being is love, and His nature imparts this love to those born of Him.
Practical usage examples:
- Understanding Suffering: God's love helps believers trust His good plan even amidst hardship (Rom 8:28).
- Forgiveness: Knowing God's love empowers us to forgive others, mirroring His own character (Eph 4:32).
- Evangelism: Understanding God's love fuels a desire to share the Gospel (2 Cor 5:14).