1 Johannes 2:11

11 Wer aber seinen Bruder haßt, ist in der Finsternis und wandelt in der Finsternis und weiß nicht, wohin er geht, weil die Finsternis seine Augen verblendet hat.

1 Johannes 2:11 Meaning and Commentary

1 John 2:11

But he that hateth his brother is in darkness
As is before expressed in ( 1 John 2:9 ) , to which is added,

and walketh in darkness;
he goes on in it, and takes delight in it, as dangerous and uncomfortable as it is:

and knoweth not whither he goeth;
he cannot discern between good and evil; he puts darkness for light, and light for darkness; he sees not what is before him, nor what stumblingblocks lie in the way; he is not aware of the snares, pits, and traps he is in danger of falling into; nor does he know and consider what these paths of darkness, of sin, and ignorance, and infidelity, lead unto, even unto utter darkness, where is weeping, wailing, and gnashing of teeth: and the reason is,

because that darkness hath blinded his eyes;
either Satan, the god of this world, who blinds the minds of them that believe not, and who is darkness itself, and the cause of darkness in himself and in others, and one of whose names this was with the Jews ^F5; (See Gill on Luke 22:53); or that natural darkness which sin has brought upon the understanding, and has blinded the eyes of it, called the blindness of the heart, ( Ephesians 4:18 ) , so that a man under the power of it is ignorant of himself, and knows not that he is blind and miserable; is a stranger to the way of peace, and life by Christ, and knows not what he is about, and where he is, or whither he is going, and what his end will be.

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FOOTNOTES:

F5 Yalkut Simconi, par. 2. fol. 44. 4.

1 Johannes 2:11 In-Context

9 Wer da sagt, daß er in dem Lichte sei und haßt seinen Bruder, ist in der Finsternis bis jetzt.

10 Wer seinen Bruder liebt, bleibt in dem Lichte, und kein Ärgernis ist in ihm.

11 Wer aber seinen Bruder haßt, ist in der Finsternis und wandelt in der Finsternis und weiß nicht, wohin er geht, weil die Finsternis seine Augen verblendet hat.

12 Ich schreibe euch, Kinder, weil euch die Sünden vergeben sind um seines Namens willen.

13 Ich schreibe euch, Väter, weil ihr den erkannt habt, der von Anfang ist. Ich schreibe euch, Jünglinge, weil ihr den Bösen überwunden habt. Ich schreibe euch, Kindlein, weil ihr den Vater erkannt habt.