18"If the world hates you, know that it has hated Me first before you. [15:19] If you were of the world, the world would love its own; but because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, on account of this the world hates you. [15:20] Remember the word that I said to you: 'A slave is not greater than his master.' If they persecuted Me, they will also persecute you; if they kept My word, they will also keep yours. [15:21] But all these things they will do against you on account of My name, because they do not know the One who sent Me. [15:22] If I had not come and spoken to them, they would not have had sin; but now they have no excuse for their sin. [15:23] The one hating Me also hates My Father. [15:24] If I had not done among them the works that no other did, they would not have had sin; but now they have both seen and hated both Me and My Father. [15:25] But — in order that the word written in their law might be fulfilled — 'They hated Me without cause.' [15:26] When the Helper comes, whom I will send to you from the Father, the Spirit of truth, who goes forth from the Father, He will bear witness concerning Me. [15:27] And you yourselves also bear witness, because you are with Me from the beginning."
JHN 15:18-27
The Hatred of the World
In the world it was spoken into
In the 1st-century Roman Empire, the term '' (world) carried a dual meaning: the physical creation and the human-centered system of values, often in opposition to divine order. For Jesus' listeners, this 'world' represented the dominant cultural, political, and religious structures that upheld Roman power and Jewish religious authority. The disciples, as followers of Jesus, were marked as outsiders to this system. The mention of persecution ('') would have resonated deeply, as early Christians faced hostility from both Roman authorities and Jewish leaders. The metaphor of the '' (servant) not being greater than the master underscored the honor-shame dynamics of the time: disciples could expect treatment akin to their teacher. The '' (Helper) promised here would have been understood as a divine advocate in the face of such opposition, a role familiar in Jewish thought as seen in figures like the angelic intercessors. This passage framed the disciples' suffering as an inevitable consequence of their allegiance to Jesus, set against the backdrop of a hostile 'world.'
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How other translations render this
JHN 15:18
- KJV
- If the world hate you, ye know that it hated me before it hated you.
- BSB
- If the world hates you, understand that it hated Me first.
- Koinōnos
- If the world hates you, know that it has hated Me first before you.
JHN 15:19
- KJV
- If ye were of the world, the world would love his own: but because ye are not of the world, but I have chosen you out of the world, therefore the world hateth you.
- BSB
- If you were of the world, it would love you as its own. Instead, the world hates you, because you are not of the world, but I have chosen you out of the world.
- Koinōnos
- If you were of the world, the world would love its own; but because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, on account of this the world hates you.
JHN 15:20
- KJV
- Remember the word that I said unto you, The servant is not greater than his lord. If they have persecuted me, they will also persecute you; if they have kept my saying, they will keep yours also.
- BSB
- Remember the word that I spoke to you: ‘No servant is greater than his master.’ If they persecuted Me, they will persecute you as well; if they kept My word, they will keep yours as well.
- Koinōnos
- Remember the word that I said to you: 'A slave is not greater than his master.' If they persecuted Me, they will also persecute you; if they kept My word, they will also keep yours.
JHN 15:21
- KJV
- But all these things will they do unto you for my name’s sake, because they know not him that sent me.
- BSB
- But they will treat you like this because of My name, since they do not know the One who sent Me.
- Koinōnos
- But all these things they will do against you on account of My name, because they do not know the One who sent Me.
JHN 15:22
- KJV
- If I had not come and spoken unto them, they had not had sin: but now they have no cloak for their sin.
- BSB
- If I had not come and spoken to them, they would not be guilty of sin. Now, however, they have no excuse for their sin.
- Koinōnos
- If I had not come and spoken to them, they would not have had sin; but now they have no excuse for their sin.
JHN 15:23
- KJV
- He that hateth me hateth my Father also.
- BSB
- Whoever hates Me hates My Father as well.
- Koinōnos
- The one hating Me also hates My Father.
JHN 15:24
- KJV
- If I had not done among them the works which none other man did, they had not had sin: but now have they both seen and hated both me and my Father.
- BSB
- If I had not done among them the works that no one else did, they would not be guilty of sin; but now they have seen and hated both Me and My Father.
- Koinōnos
- If I had not done among them the works that no other did, they would not have had sin; but now they have both seen and hated both Me and My Father.
JHN 15:25
- KJV
- But this cometh to pass, that the word might be fulfilled that is written in their law, They hated me without a cause.
- BSB
- But this is to fulfill what is written in their Law: ‘They hated Me without reason.’
- Koinōnos
- But — in order that the word written in their law might be fulfilled — 'They hated Me without cause.
JHN 15:26
- KJV
- But when the Comforter is come, whom I will send unto you from the Father, even the Spirit of truth, which proceedeth from the Father, he shall testify of me:
- BSB
- When the Advocate comes, whom I will send to you from the Father—the Spirit of truth who proceeds from the Father—He will testify about Me.
- Koinōnos
- When the Helper comes, whom I will send to you from the Father, the Spirit of truth, who goes forth from the Father, He will bear witness concerning Me.
JHN 15:27
- KJV
- And ye also shall bear witness, because ye have been with me from the beginning.
- BSB
- And you also must testify, because you have been with Me from the beginning.
- Koinōnos
- And you yourselves also bear witness, because you are with Me from the beginning.
Only verses where the wording diverges meaningfully are shown. Identical phrasings are suppressed.
Translator's notes
JHN 15:18
- world:The word translated 'world' here refers to the created order in rebellion against God, not the physical planet or humanity in general.
JHN 15:19
- [as its] own:The term used here for '[as its] own' emphasizes a sense of belonging and possession, indicating a deep, intrinsic connection.
JHN 15:20
- a servant:The word translated 'a servant' more accurately describes a slave, someone who is the property of another and completely subject to their will, not merely an employee.
JHN 15:26
- the:The word translated 'the Helper' or 'Advocate' carried the sense of someone called alongside to provide aid, comfort, or legal defense, acting as an intercessor.