2 John 1:5

5 And now I urge you, dear lady—not as a new commandment to you, but one we have had from the beginning—that we love one another.

2 John 1:5 Meaning and Commentary

2 John 1:5

And now I beseech thee, lady
Or "Kyria", which word the Syriac and Arabic versions retain, as if it was a proper name: the apostle having finished the inscription, salutation, and congratulation in the preceding verses, passes to an exhortation and entreaty to observe the commandment of love to one another, which is not a new commandment, but what was from the beginning:

not as though I wrote a new commandment (See Gill on 1 John 2:7) and (See Gill on 1 John 2:8).

2 John 1:5 In-Context

3 Grace, mercy, and peace from God the Father and from Jesus Christ, the Son of the Father, will be with us in truth and love.

4 I was overjoyed to find some of your children walking in the truth, just as the Father has commanded us.

5 And now I urge you, dear lady—not as a new commandment to you, but one we have had from the beginning—that we love one another.

6 And this is love, that we walk according to His commandments. This is the very commandment you have heard from the beginning, that you must walk in love.

7 For many deceivers have gone out into the world, refusing to confess the coming of Jesus Christ in the flesh. Any such person is the deceiver and the antichrist.