Essentially Literal Translation? (1 John 5:1)

The English Standard Version (ESV) is an “essentially literal” translation. This is explained in the ESV’s preface:

The ESV is an “essentially literal” translation that seeks as far as possible to reproduce the precise wording of the original text and the personal style of each Bible writer. As such, its emphasis is on “word-for-word” correspondence, at the same time taking full account of differences in grammar, syntax, and idiom between current literary English and the original languages. Thus it seeks to be transparent to the original text, letting the reader see as directly as possible the structure and exact force of the original.

In other words, the ESV claims that its translation was intended to closely resemble the original language text. This is mostly true. However, in several passages, the ESV does not do as claimed. One such passage is 1 John 5:1:

Everyone who believes that Jesus is the Christ has been born of God, and everyone who loves the Father loves whoever has been born of him. (ESV)

The normal Greek word for “father” is patēr (πατήρ), and the Apostle John uses it frequently in his writings, mostly referring to God the Father. However, that is not the Greek word that John uses here.

The Greek word for “Father” in the ESV’s translation of 1 John 5:1 is gennēsanta (gennēsas). It is the aorist active participle of the verb gennaō, meaning “to beget”. In Greek, a participle is a verbal noun; it describes a thing in relation to its verb. Hence, gennēsas means “a person who begot”.

Given how the ESV normally renders participles, we would have expected gennēsas to be rendered as something like “he who begot”. However, in 1 John 5:1, the ESV diverts from its usual principle and renders gennēsas as “Father”.

Of course, “a person who begot” is a father. However, being born from God is one of the major themes in the writings of the Apostle John. Hence, terms like “father”, “son”, “born”, and “beget” carry critical significance in John’s writings. In line with their aims (and their claims!), essentially literal translations should accurately represent how these terms are used, so that readers can better perceive how the writer uses the terms to make certain points.

The Greek verb gennaō is used three times in 1 John 5:1. However, in the ESV, it is rendered twice as “born” and once as “Father”. This is how 1 John 5:1 would read in the ESV if gennaō was more consistently rendered:

Everyone who believes that Jesus is the Christ has been begotten of God, and everyone who loves him who begot loves whoever has been begotten of him.

Notice how the consistent rendering of gennaō provides a clearer insight into how John uses features of language to make his point: If someone really loves God, then he would also love those who were begotten of God, since God is the one who begot them.

John uses the participle gennēsas to emphasize God’s active role in begetting his children. However, this insight is lost to readers of essentially literal translations which render gennēsas as “Father”—such as the ESV, the NASB, and the NIV.