1 John 3:20
New International Version
If our hearts condemn us, we know that God is greater than our hearts, and he knows everything.

New Living Translation
Even if we feel guilty, God is greater than our feelings, and he knows everything.

English Standard Version
for whenever our heart condemns us, God is greater than our heart, and he knows everything.

Berean Standard Bible
Even if our hearts condemn us, God is greater than our hearts, and He knows all things.

Berean Literal Bible
that if our heart should condemn us, that God is greater than our heart, and He knows all things.

King James Bible
For if our heart condemn us, God is greater than our heart, and knoweth all things.

New King James Version
For if our heart condemns us, God is greater than our heart, and knows all things.

New American Standard Bible
that if our heart condemns us, that God is greater than our heart, and He knows all things.

NASB 1995
in whatever our heart condemns us; for God is greater than our heart and knows all things.

NASB 1977
in whatever our heart condemns us; for God is greater than our heart, and knows all things.

Legacy Standard Bible
in whatever our heart condemns us; for God is greater than our heart and knows all things.

Amplified Bible
whenever our heart convicts us [in guilt]; for God is greater than our heart and He knows all things [nothing is hidden from Him because we are in His hands].

Christian Standard Bible
whenever our hearts condemn us; for God is greater than our hearts, and he knows all things.

Holman Christian Standard Bible
even if our conscience condemns us, that God is greater than our conscience, and He knows all things.

American Standard Version
because if our heart condemn us, God is greater than our heart, and knoweth all things.

Aramaic Bible in Plain English
For if our heart condemns us, how much greater is God than our heart? And he knows all things.

Contemporary English Version
But even if we don't feel at ease, God is greater than our feelings, and he knows everything.

Douay-Rheims Bible
For if our heart reprehend us, God is greater than our heart, and knoweth all things.

English Revised Version
whereinsoever our heart condemn us; because God is greater than our heart, and knoweth all things.

GOD'S WORD® Translation
Whenever our conscience condemns us, we will be reassured that God is greater than our conscience and knows everything.

Good News Translation
If our conscience condemns us, we know that God is greater than our conscience and that he knows everything.

International Standard Version
If our hearts condemn us, God is greater than our hearts and knows everything.

Literal Standard Version
because if our heart may condemn—because greater is God than our heart, and He knows all things.

Majority Standard Bible
Even if our hearts condemn us, God is greater than our hearts, and He knows all things.

New American Bible
in whatever our hearts condemn, for God is greater than our hearts and knows everything.

NET Bible
that if our conscience condemns us, that God is greater than our conscience and knows all things.

New Revised Standard Version
whenever our hearts condemn us; for God is greater than our hearts, and he knows everything.

New Heart English Bible
because if our heart condemns us, God is greater than our heart, and knows all things.

Webster's Bible Translation
For if our heart condemneth us, God is greater than our heart, and knoweth all things.

Weymouth New Testament
in whatever matters our hearts condemn us--because God is greater than our hearts and knows everything.

World English Bible
because if our heart condemns us, God is greater than our heart, and knows all things.

Young's Literal Translation
because if our heart may condemn -- because greater is God than our heart, and He doth know all things.

Additional Translations ...
Audio Bible



Context
Love One Another
19And by this we will know that we belong to the truth, and will assure our hearts in His presence: 20Even if our hearts condemn us, God is greater than our hearts, and He knows all things. 21Beloved, if our hearts do not condemn us, we have confidence before God,…

Cross References
Romans 8:34
Who is there to condemn us? For Christ Jesus, who died, and more than that was raised to life, is at the right hand of God--and He is interceding for us.

1 John 3:19
And by this we will know that we belong to the truth, and will assure our hearts in His presence:

1 John 3:21
Beloved, if our hearts do not condemn us, we have confidence before God,

1 John 4:4
You, little children, are from God and have overcome them, because greater is He who is in you than he who is in the world.


Treasury of Scripture

For if our heart condemn us, God is greater than our heart, and knows all things.

if.

Job 27:6
My righteousness I hold fast, and will not let it go: my heart shall not reproach me so long as I live.

John 8:9
And they which heard it, being convicted by their own conscience, went out one by one, beginning at the eldest, even unto the last: and Jesus was left alone, and the woman standing in the midst.

Acts 5:33
When they heard that, they were cut to the heart, and took counsel to slay them.

God.

1 John 4:4
Ye are of God, little children, and have overcome them: because greater is he that is in you, than he that is in the world.

Job 33:12
Behold, in this thou art not just: I will answer thee, that God is greater than man.

John 10:29,30
My Father, which gave them me, is greater than all; and no man is able to pluck them out of my Father's hand…

and.

Psalm 44:20,21
If we have forgotten the name of our God, or stretched out our hands to a strange god; …

Psalm 90:8
Thou hast set our iniquities before thee, our secret sins in the light of thy countenance.

Psalm 139:1-4
To the chief Musician, A Psalm of David. O LORD, thou hast searched me, and known me

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1 John 3
1. He declares the singular love of God toward us, in making us his sons;
3. who therefore ought obediently to keep his commandments;
11. as also to love one another as brothers.














Verse 20. - Our heart means our conscience, not the affections, which would be σπάγχνα (verse 17). If we are conscious of sincere and habitual love, this will calm us when conscience reproaches us (comp. 1 John 1:9; 1 John 2:1, 2). St. John never uses the more technical term συνείδησις, which occurs in the Acts and 1 Peter, and is very frequent in St. Paul. God is greater than our heart. It is asked whether this means that he is more merciful or more rigorous. Neither the one nor the other. It means that, although our conscience is not infallible, God is. Our hearts may be deceived; he cannot be. He knoweth all things. An awful thought for the impenitent, a blessed and encouraging thought for the penitent, He knows our sins; but he also knows our temptations, our struggles, our sorrow, and our love.

Parallel Commentaries ...


Greek
If
ἐὰν (ean)
Conjunction
Strong's 1437: If. From ei and an; a conditional particle; in case that, provided, etc.

our
ἡμῶν (hēmōn)
Personal / Possessive Pronoun - Genitive 1st Person Plural
Strong's 1473: I, the first-person pronoun. A primary pronoun of the first person I.

hearts
καρδία (kardia)
Noun - Nominative Feminine Singular
Strong's 2588: Prolonged from a primary kar; the heart, i.e. the thoughts or feelings; also the middle.

condemn [us],
καταγινώσκῃ (kataginōskē)
Verb - Present Subjunctive Active - 3rd Person Singular
Strong's 2607: To condemn, blame. From kata and ginosko; to note against, i.e. Find fault with.

God
Θεὸς (Theos)
Noun - Nominative Masculine Singular
Strong's 2316: A deity, especially the supreme Divinity; figuratively, a magistrate; by Hebraism, very.

is
ἐστὶν (estin)
Verb - Present Indicative Active - 3rd Person Singular
Strong's 1510: I am, exist. The first person singular present indicative; a prolonged form of a primary and defective verb; I exist.

greater than
μείζων (meizōn)
Adjective - Nominative Masculine Singular - Comparative
Strong's 3173: Large, great, in the widest sense.

our
ἡμῶν (hēmōn)
Personal / Possessive Pronoun - Genitive 1st Person Plural
Strong's 1473: I, the first-person pronoun. A primary pronoun of the first person I.

hearts,
καρδίας (kardias)
Noun - Genitive Feminine Singular
Strong's 2588: Prolonged from a primary kar; the heart, i.e. the thoughts or feelings; also the middle.

and
καὶ (kai)
Conjunction
Strong's 2532: And, even, also, namely.

He knows
γινώσκει (ginōskei)
Verb - Present Indicative Active - 3rd Person Singular
Strong's 1097: A prolonged form of a primary verb; to 'know' in a great variety of applications and with many implications.

all things.
πάντα (panta)
Adjective - Accusative Neuter Plural
Strong's 3956: All, the whole, every kind of. Including all the forms of declension; apparently a primary word; all, any, every, the whole.


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NT Letters: 1 John 3:20 Because if our heart condemns us God (1J iJ 1Jn i jn 1 jo)
1 John 3:19
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