2 John 1:1

And her children (kai toi teknoi auth). As with eklekth kuria, so here tekna may be understood either literally as in 1 Timothy 3:4 , or spiritually, as in Galatians 4:19 Galatians 4:25 ; 1 Timothy 1:2 . For the spiritual sense in teknia see 1 John 2:1 1 John 2:12 . Whom (ou). Masculine accusative plural, though teknoi is neuter plural (dative), construction according to sense, not according to grammatical gender, "embracing the mother and the children of both sexes" (Vincent). See thus ou in Galatians 4:19 . I (Egw). Though o presbutero is third person, he passes at once after the Greek idiom to the first and there is also special emphasis here in the use of agapw with the addition of en alhqeiai (in truth, in the highest sphere, as in John 17:19 ; 3 John 1:1 ) and ouk egw mono (not I only, "not I alone"). Brooke argues that this language is unsuitable if to a single family and not to a church. But Paul employs this very phrase in sending greetings to Prisca and Aquila ( Romans 16:4 ). That know (oi egnwkote). Perfect active articular participle of ginwskw, "those that have come to know and still know."