3 John 1:10

King James Version (KJV)

Wherefore, if I come, I will remember his deeds which he doeth, prating against us with malicious words: and not content therewith, neither doth he himself receive the brethren, and forbiddeth them that would, and casteth them out of the church.

Adam Clarke
Bible Commentary

If I come, I will remember - I will show him the authority which, as an apostle of Jesus Christ, I possess.

Prating against us - Diotrephes might have been a converted Jew, who was unwilling that the Gentiles should be received into the Church; or a Judaizing Christian, who wished to incorporate the law with the Gospel, and calumniated the apostles who taught otherwise. This haughty and unfeeling man would give no countenance to the converted Gentiles; so far from it, that he would not receive any of them himself, forbade others to do it, and excommunicated those who had been received into the Church by the apostles. This appears to be the meaning of neither doth he himself receive the brethren, and forbiddeth them that would, and casteth them out of the Church. He had the complete dog in the manger principle: he would neither do, nor let do; and when good was done that he did not approve, he endeavored to undo it.

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Albert Barnes
Notes on the Whole Bible

Wherefore, if I come - He was evidently expecting soon to make a visit to Gaius, and to the church, 3 John 1:14.

I will remember his deeds which he doeth - That is, he would punish his arrogance and presumption; would take measures that he should be dealt with in a proper manner. There is no evidence whatever that this is said in a vindictive or revengeful spirit, or that the writer spoke of it merely as a personal matter. From anything that can be shown to the contrary, if it had been a private and personal affair merely, the matter might have been dropped, and never referred to again. But what had been done was public. It pertained to the authority of the apostle, the duty of the church, and the character of the brethren who had been commended to them. If the letter was written, as is supposed by the aged John, and his authority had been utterly rejected by the influence of this one man, then it was proper that that authority should be asserted. If it was the duty of the church to have received these men, who had been thus recommended to them, and it had been prevented from doing what it would otherwise have done, by the influence of one man, then it was proper that the influence of that man should be restrained, and that the church should see that he was not to control it. If the feelings and the character of these brethren had been injured by being rudely thrust out of the church, and held up as unworthy of public confidence, then it was proper that their character should be vindicated, and that the author of the wrong should be dealt with in a suitable manner. No one can show that this was not all that the apostle proposed to do, or that any feelings of private vindictiveness entered into his purpose to remember what Diotrephes had done; and the existence of any such feelings should not be charged on the apostle without proof. There is no more reason to suppose this in his case than there was in the case of Paul, in administering discipline in the church of Corinth, 1 Corinthians 5:3-5, or than there is in any instance of administering discipline now.

Prating against us - The word “prate,” ( φλυαρέω phluareōoccurring nowhere else in the New Testament, means to “overflow with talk,” (Greek φλύω phluōLatin: “fluo,” flow;) to talk much without weight, or to little purpose; to be loquacious; to trifle; or, to use an expression common among us, and which accords well with the Greek, to run on in talk, without connection or sense. The word does not properly imply that there was malignity or ill-feeling in what was said, but that the talk was of an idle, foolish, and unpprofitable character. As John here, however, specifies that there was a bad spirit in the manner in which Diotrephes expressed himself, the real thing which is implied in the use of the word here is, that there were much talk of that kind; that he was addicted to this habit of “running on” against the apostle; and that he was thus constantly undermining his influence, and injuring his character.

With malicious words - Greek, “evil words;” words that were fitted to do injury.

And not content therewith - Not satisfied with venting his private feelings in talk. Some persons seem to be satisfied with merely talking against others, and take no other measures to injure them; but Diotrephes was not. He himself rejected the brethren, and persuaded the church to do the same thing. Bad as evil talking is, and troublesome as a man may be who is always “prating” about matters that do not go according to his mind, yet it would be comparatively well if things always ended with that, and if the loquacious and the dissatisfied never took measures openly to wrong others.

Neither doth he himself receive the brethren - Does not himself treat them as Christian brethren, or with the hospitality which is due to them. He had not done it on the former visit, and John evidently supposed that the same thing would occur again.

And forbiddeth them that would - From this it is clear that there were those in the church who were disposed to receive them in a proper manner; and from anything that appears, the church, as such, would have been inclined to do it, if it had not been for the influence of this one man.

And casteth them out of the church - Compare Luke 6:22. It has been made a question whether the reference here is to the members of the church who were disposed to receive these brethren, or to the brethren themselves. Lucke, Macknight, and some others, suppose that it refers to those in the church who were willing to receive them, and whom Diotrephes had excommunicated on that account. Heumann, Carpzoviius, Rosenmuller, Bloomfield, and others, suppose that it refers to these strangers, and that the meaning is, that Diotrephes would not receive them into the society of Christians, and thus compelled them to go to another place. That this latter is the correct interpretation seems to me to be evident, for it was of the treatment which they had received that the apostle was speaking.

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Matthew Henry
Concise Bible Commentary

Both the heart and mouth must be watched. The temper and spirit of Diotrephes was full of pride and ambition. It is bad not to do good ourselves; but it is worse to hinder those who would do good. Those cautions and counsels are most likely to be accepted, which are seasoned with love. Follow that which is good, for he that doeth good, as delighting therein, is born of God. Evil-workers vainly pretend or boast acquaintance with God. Let us not follow that which is proud, selfish, and of bad design, though the example may be given by persons of rank and power; but let us be followers of God, and walk in love, after the example of our Lord.

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SDA Bible Commentary (limited)
Volume 1-7

10. If I come. Some see in these words a reference to the hope expressed in 2 John 12, and as support for identifying the second epistle with the letter mentioned in 3 John 9. But it must be noted that the hope expressed in v. 14 of this present epistle is similar to that in the second epistle; so the present reference, “if I come,” may be no more than an anticipation of a future visit.

I will remember. Gr. hupomimnÄ“skÅÂ, “to bring to remembrance” (cf. John 14:26). The apostle asserts his leading position; he is confident of his authority, and does not quail before the disrupter.

Prating. Gr. phluareÅÂ, “to talk nonsense,” “to bring unjustified charges against.”

Malicious words. Or, “evil words.”

Not content therewith. Diotrephes was not satisfied with wicked words that were intended to undermine apostolic authority; he continued his opposition in unfriendly deeds.

Receive. Gr. epidechomai (see on v. 9). In refusing to offer hospitality to the traveling workers Diotrephes refused to acknowledge John’s authority, for the traveling brethren carried the apostle’s commendation with them.

Forbiddeth. Gr. kÅÂluÅÂ, “to hinder,” “to prevent,” “to forbid,” suggesting that Diotrephes took active steps to prevent others from offering the hospitality that he himself refused to give. The form of the Greek verb implies a repeated hindering. The unfriendly act reflects the power possessed by Diotrephes in the local church, but the situation shows that the church was not wholeheartedly with him, for some, at least, were in harmony with the apostle and wished to receive the traveling workers.

Casteth them out. That is, excommunicates them (cf. John 9:34). It is clear that the contention was serious: there was a major clash between the apostolic school and the adherents of the false teachers. In this particular church the heretical party was at least temporarily in the ascendancy, and could impose its will on the body of its members.

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Ellen G. White
The Retirement Years, 75f

My brother I do not feel to give you one word of censure, saying you were imprudent, overzealous. I would have done just as you did. Had you foreseen all, you might have saved yourself much suffering; but you did not see, and you acted out your zeal and devotion to the cause of truth, and some others may be responsible for not doing their duty. But I blame you not.—Letter 5a, 1891. RY 75.1

The eye of the Lord has been upon you. He has desired to open before you a way to do the work that you are capable of doing. Sister S, the Lord will give you the power of comprehending that in your own strength you cannot control yourself. You have the idea that everything must be done in your way. When you see others in active service, you are tempted to think that you are left out; and for this reason you easily become impatient. RY 75.2

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