The Meaning of 3 John 1:6 Explained

3 John 1:6

KJV: Which have borne witness of thy charity before the church: whom if thou bring forward on their journey after a godly sort, thou shalt do well:

YLT: who did testify of thy love before an assembly, whom thou wilt do well, having sent forward worthily of God,

Darby: (who have witnessed of thy love before the assembly,) in setting forward whom on their journey worthily of God, thou wilt do well;

ASV: who bare witness to thy love before the church: whom thou wilt do well to set forward on their journey worthily of God:

KJV Reverse Interlinear

Which  have borne witness  of thy  charity  before  the church:  whom  if thou bring forward on their journey  after  a godly  sort,  thou shalt do  well: 

What does 3 John 1:6 Mean?

Verse Meaning

The church in view was John"s church, probably in Ephesus. "You will do well to" is an idiom that we could translate "Please." John urged Gaius to continue his commendable treatment of visitors. He could do so during their stay with him and when they departed by sending them on their way with adequate provisions (cf. Acts 15:3; Acts 20:38; Acts 21:5; Romans 15:24; 1 Corinthians 16:6; Titus 3:13).
"The point is still relevant. Christian ministers and missionaries live in the faith that God will encourage his people to provide for their needs; it is better that such provision err on the side of generosity than stinginess." [1]
"Always and everywhere that man is to be highly esteemed in the Church, who combines firm convictions with a generous heart." [2]

Context Summary

3 John 1:1-14 - The Apostle's Joy
Again we meet the words love and truth. Transparency of speech and life is an essential condition of soul health. It would not be desirable to express the wish of 3 John 1:2 to all our friends, because if their bodies were to correspond to the condition of their souls, they would suddenly fall into ill-health. In the old legend mirrors were blurred with mist when any approached who were out of harmony with truth, 3 John 1:4.
The Christian must always act worthily of God, especially toward strangers, 3 John 1:5-6. "For the sake of the Name," 3 John 1:7, r.v.-as children we must maintain the family honor. Such hospitality makes us fellow-workers with the truth. There is a Boanergic touch in 3 John 1:10. The threefold witness to Demetrius should stir our desire to emulate his character. What will it not be when the dimness of earthly converse is exchanged for the face-to-face intercourse of eternity! 3 John 1:14 [source]

Chapter Summary: 3 John 1

1  He commends Gaius for his piety,
5  and hospitality,
7  to true preachers;
9  complaining of the unkind dealing of ambitious Diotrephes on the contrary side;
11  whose evil example is not to be followed;
12  and gives special testimony to the good report of Demetrius

Greek Commentary for 3 John 1:6

Before the church [ενωπιον εκκλησιας]
Public meeting as the anarthrous use of εκκλησια — ekklēsia indicates, like εν εκκλησιαι — en ekklēsiāi in 1 Corinthians 14:19, 1 Corinthians 14:35. [source]
Thou wilt do well [καλως ποιησεις]
Future active of ποιεω — poieō with adverb καλως — kalōs a common polite phrase in letters (papyri) like our “please.” See also Acts 10:33; James 2:19; 1 Corinthians 7:37.; Philemon 4:14; 2 Peter 1:19.To set forward on their journey (προπεμπσας — propempsas). First aorist active participle (simultaneous action) of προπεμπω — propempō to send forward, “sending forward,” old word, in N.T. in Acts 15:3; Acts 20:38; Acts 21:5; 1 Corinthians 16:6, 1 Corinthians 16:11; 2 Corinthians 1:16; Romans 15:24; Titus 3:13.Worthily of God Precisely this phrase in 1 Thessalonians 2:12 and the genitive with αχιως — axiōs also in Romans 16:2; Philemon 1:27; Colossians 1:10; Ephesians 4:1. See John 13:20 for Christ‘s words on the subject. “Since they are God‘s representatives, treat them as you would God” (Holtzmann). From Homer‘s time (Od. XV. 74) it was customary to speed the parting guest, sometimes accompanying him, sometimes providing money and food. Rabbis were so escorted and Paul alludes to the same gracious custom in Romans 15:24; Titus 3:13. [source]
To set forward on their journey [προπεμπσας]
First aorist active participle (simultaneous action) of προπεμπω — propempō to send forward, “sending forward,” old word, in N.T. in Acts 15:3; Acts 20:38; Acts 21:5; 1 Corinthians 16:6, 1 Corinthians 16:11; 2 Corinthians 1:16; Romans 15:24; Titus 3:13. [source]
Worthily of God [αχιως του τεου]
Precisely this phrase in 1 Thessalonians 2:12 and the genitive with αχιως — axiōs also in Romans 16:2; Philemon 1:27; Colossians 1:10; Ephesians 4:1. See John 13:20 for Christ‘s words on the subject. “Since they are God‘s representatives, treat them as you would God” (Holtzmann). From Homer‘s time (Od. XV. 74) it was customary to speed the parting guest, sometimes accompanying him, sometimes providing money and food. Rabbis were so escorted and Paul alludes to the same gracious custom in Romans 15:24; Titus 3:13. [source]
The Church [ἐκκλησίας]
See on Matthew 16:18. [source]
If thou bring forward on their journey [προπέμψας]
Lit., having sent forward. The aorist tense represents the act as accomplished. Compare Acts 15:3; Titus 3:13. Rev., set forward. [source]
After a godly sort [ἀξίως τοῦ Θεοῦ]
Lit., worthily of God. So Rev. Compare 1 Thessalonians 2:12; Colossians 1:10. [source]
Thou shalt do well [καλῶς ποιὴσεις]
For the phrase, see Acts 10:33; Philemon 4:14; James 2:8, James 2:19; 2 Peter 1:19. Rev., renders the whole: whom thou wilt do well to set forward on their journey worthily of God. [source]

Reverse Greek Commentary Search for 3 John 1:6

John 3:19 This []
That is, herein consists the judgment. The prefacing a statement with this is, and then defining the statement by ὅτι or ἵνα , that, is characteristic of John. See John 15:12; John 17:3; 1 John 1:5; 1 John 5:11, 1 John 5:14; 3 John 1:6. [source]
John 3:19 And this is the judgment [αυτη δε εστιν η κρισις]
A thoroughly Johannine phrase for sequence of thought (John 15:12; John 17:3; 1 John 1:5; 1 John 5:11, 1 John 5:14; 3 John 1:6). It is more precisely the process of judging The light is come Second perfect active indicative of το σκοτος — erchomai a permanent result as already explained in the Prologue concerning the Incarnation (John 1:4, John 1:5, John 1:9, John 1:11). Jesus is the Light of the world. Loved darkness Job (Job 24:13) spoke of men rebelling against the light. Here πονηρα — to skotos common word for moral and spiritual darkness (1 Thessalonians 5:5), though Πονηρος — hē skotia in John 1:5. “Darkness” is common in John as a metaphor for the state of sinners (John 8:12; John 12:35, John 12:46; 1 John 1:6; 1 John 2:8, 1 John 2:9, 1 John 2:11). Jesus himself is the only moral and spiritual light of the world (John 8:12) as he dared claim to his enemies. The pathos of it all is that men fall in love with the darkness of sin and rebel against the light like denizens of the underworld, “for their works were evil In the end the god of this world blinds men‘s eyes so that they do not see the light (2 Corinthians 4:4). The fish in the Mammoth Cave have no longer eyes, but only sockets where eyes used to be. The evil one has a powerful grip on the world (1 John 5:19). [source]
Acts 10:33 Well [καλῶς]
You have done a courteous and handsome thing in coming. Compare 3 John 1:5, 3 John 1:6. [source]
1 Corinthians 1:14 Save Crispus and Gaius [ει μη Κρισπον και Γαιον]
Crispus was the ruler of the synagogue in Corinth before his conversion (Acts 18:8), a Roman cognomen, and Gaius a Roman praenomen, probably the host of Paul and of the whole church in Corinth (Romans 16:23), possibly though not clearly the hospitable Gaius of 3 John 1:5, 3 John 1:6. The prominence and importance of these two may explain why Paul baptized them. [source]

What do the individual words in 3 John 1:6 mean?

who testified of your - love before [the] church whom well you will do having set forward worthily - of God
οἳ ἐμαρτύρησάν σου τῇ ἀγάπῃ ἐνώπιον ἐκκλησίας οὓς καλῶς ποιήσεις προπέμψας ἀξίως τοῦ Θεοῦ

ἐμαρτύρησάν  testified 
Parse: Verb, Aorist Indicative Active, 3rd Person Plural
Root: μαρτυρέω  
Sense: to be a witness, to bear witness, i.e. to affirm that one has seen or heard or experienced something, or that he knows it because taught by divine revelation or inspiration.
σου  of  your 
Parse: Personal / Possessive Pronoun, Genitive 2nd Person Singular
Root: σύ  
Sense: you.
τῇ  - 
Parse: Article, Dative Feminine Singular
Root:  
Sense: this, that, these, etc.
ἀγάπῃ  love 
Parse: Noun, Dative Feminine Singular
Root: ἀγάπη  
Sense: brotherly love, affection, good will, love, benevolence.
ἐνώπιον  before 
Parse: Preposition
Root: ἐνώπιον  
Sense: in the presence of, before.
ἐκκλησίας  [the]  church 
Parse: Noun, Genitive Feminine Singular
Root: ἐκκλησία  
Sense: a gathering of citizens called out from their homes into some public place, an assembly.
οὓς  whom 
Parse: Personal / Relative Pronoun, Accusative Masculine Plural
Root: ὅς 
Sense: who, which, what, that.
καλῶς  well 
Parse: Adverb
Root: καλῶς  
Sense: beautifully, finely, excellently, well.
ποιήσεις  you  will  do 
Parse: Verb, Future Indicative Active, 2nd Person Singular
Root: ποιέω  
Sense: to make.
προπέμψας  having  set  forward 
Parse: Verb, Aorist Participle Active, Nominative Masculine Singular
Root: προπέμπω  
Sense: to send before.
ἀξίως  worthily 
Parse: Adverb
Root: ἀξίως  
Sense: suitably, worthily, in a manner worthy of.
τοῦ  - 
Parse: Article, Genitive Masculine Singular
Root:  
Sense: this, that, these, etc.
Θεοῦ  of  God 
Parse: Noun, Genitive Masculine Singular
Root: θεός  
Sense: a god or goddess, a general name of deities or divinities.