Plural and Singular Commandments in 1 John 3
Plural and Singular Commandments in 1 John 3
First John 3:23 presents a striking grammatical shift: "And this is his commandment [singular], That we should believe on the name of his Son Jesus Christ, and love one another, as he gave us commandment [singular]." The verse compresses what appear to be two distinct imperatives—faith and love—into a single commandment, while elsewhere in the epistle John uses plural forms when discussing God's requirements [3, 4].
The Singular Formulation
The deliberate use of the singular "commandment" (Greek entolē) in 3:23 signals theological unity rather than grammatical accident. Jamieson-Fausset-Brown observes that "faith and love are not separate commandments, but are indissolubly united. We cannot truly love one another without faith in Christ, nor can we truly believe in Him without love" [5]. This interpretation treats the singular as programmatic: the Gospel dispensation reduces the multiplicity of Old Covenant regulations to one comprehensive demand that encompasses both vertical (faith in Christ) and horizontal (love for one another) dimensions.
The verse structure reinforces this unity. The initial clause—"believe on the name of his Son Jesus Christ"—employs the aorist tense in Greek, suggesting a decisive, once-for-all act of faith [5]. This contrasts with the present imperative implied in "love one another," which denotes continuous action. Yet both are subsumed under the singular "commandment," indicating that ongoing love flows necessarily from the foundational act of believing.
Plural Usage Elsewhere
The epistle's other references to commandments employ the plural. In 1 John 2:3, the test of genuine knowledge of God is "if we keep his commandments [plural]" [3]. Similarly, 3:22 promises that "we receive from him, because we keep his commandments [plural] and do the things that are pleasing in his sight" [4]. These plural forms acknowledge the multiple expressions of obedience required in Christian life—the various concrete acts that manifest faith and love in different circumstances.
The interplay between singular and plural reflects a pattern in biblical literature where collective concepts can be expressed in either number without contradiction. Augustine notes that "the singular number is often put for the plural, as when the poet says: 'They fill its belly with the armed soldier,' though in the case here referred to there were many soldiers concerned" [6]. Scripture regularly employs this flexibility, allowing a single term to encompass multiple realities or a plural to emphasize diverse manifestations of a unified principle.
Theological Function
The reduction to one commandment in 3:23 serves John's polemic against false teachers who separated theological confession from ethical practice. By making belief in Christ's name and mutual love a single, indivisible commandment, John forecloses any claim to possess true faith while neglecting love. The tradition preserved by the early church underscores this emphasis: when the aged apostle John could no longer walk to church gatherings and was carried by disciples, he repeatedly urged, "My little children, love one another." When asked why he always repeated the same exhortation, he replied, "Because it is the commandment of the Lord" [7].
This singular commandment also distinguishes the new covenant from the old. Where the Mosaic law multiplied specific regulations, the Gospel concentrates divine demand into faith in Christ's person and work ("on all that is revealed in the Gospel concerning Him, and on Himself in respect to His person, offices, and atoning work" [5]) and the love that necessarily flows from that faith. The plural "commandments" elsewhere in the epistle then denote the varied applications of this one fundamental requirement across the spectrum of Christian life.
The grammatical alternation between singular and plural thus carries exegetical weight. It is not stylistic variation but a deliberate theological statement: God's will for believers is ultimately one thing—faith working through love—even as that one thing expresses itself in many concrete acts of obedience [1, 2].
Sources
- Treasury of Scripture Knowledge “1 John 3:1 cross-references: 2 Samuel 7:19, Psalms 31:19, Psalms 36:7, Psalms 89:1, Jeremiah 3:19, Hosea 1:10, John 1:12, John 3:16, John 15:18, John 16:3, John 17:25, Romans 5:8, Romans 8:14, Romans 8:21, Romans 8:32, Romans 9:25, 2 Corinthians 6:18, Galatians 3:26, Galatians 3:29, Galatians 4:5, Ephesians 2:4, Ephesians 3:18, Colossians 3:3, 1 John 4:9, Revelation 21:7”
- Treasury of Scripture Knowledge “3 John 1:11 cross-references: Exodus 23:2, Psalms 34:14, Psalms 37:27, Proverbs 12:11, Isaiah 1:16, John 3:20, John 10:27, John 12:26, 1 Corinthians 4:16, 1 Corinthians 11:1, Ephesians 5:1, Philippians 3:17, 1 Thessalonians 1:6, 1 Thessalonians 2:14, 2 Timothy 3:10, Hebrews 6:12, 1 Peter 3:11, 1 Peter 3:13, 1 John 2:29, 1 John 3:6”
- 1 John “This is how we know that we know him: if we keep his commandments. -- 1 John 2:3”
- 1 John “and whatever we ask, we receive from him, because we keep his commandments and do the things that are pleasing in his sight. -- 1 John 3:22”
- 1 John (Presbyterian) “Jamieson, Fausset & Brown on 1 John 3:23: Summing up of God's commandments under the Gospel dispensation in one commandment. this is his commandment--singular: for faith and love are not separate commandments, but are indissolubly united. We cannot truly love one another without faith in Christ, nor can we truly believe in Him without love. believe--once for all; Greek aorist. on the name of his Son--on all that is revealed in the Gospel concerning Him, and on Himself in respect to His person, offices, and atoning work. as he--as Jesus gave us commandment.”
- Schaff ANF/NPNF (Patristic) “NPNF1 Vol 3: Augustine — On the Holy Trinity — CHAP. 44.--IN SPEAKING OF SIN, THE SINGULAR NUMBER IS OFTEN PUT FOR THE PLURAL, AND THE PLURAL FOR THE SINGULAR.: But even these latter are frequently said to die to sin, though undoubtedly they die not to one sin, but to all the numerous actual sins they have committed in thought, word, or deed: for the singular number is often put for the plural, as when the poet says, "They fill its belly with the armed soldier,"x though in the case here referred to there were many soldiers concerned. And we read in our own Scriptures: "Pray to the Lord, that H”
- 1 John (Presbyterian) “Jamieson, Fausset & Brown on 1 John 3:18: When the venerable John could no longer walk to the meetings of the Church but was borne thither by his disciples, he always uttered the same address to the Church; he reminded them of that one commandment which he had received from Christ Himself, as comprising all the rest, and forming the distinction of the new covenant, "My little children, love one another." When the brethren present, wearied of hearing the same thing so often, asked why he always repeated the same thing, he replied, "Because it is the commandment of the Lord, and if this one thin”