3 John 1:13 (DBY)

Passage

I had many things to write to thee, but I will not with ink and pen write to thee;

Nearby Context

3 John 1:11 Beloved, do not imitate what is evil, but what is good. He that does good is of God. He that does evil has not seen God.

3 John 1:12 Demetrius has witness borne to him by all, and by the truth itself; and *we* also bear witness, and thou knowest that our witness is true.

3 John 1:13 I had many things to write to thee, but I will not with ink and pen write to thee;

3 John 1:14 but I hope soon to see thee, and we will speak mouth to mouth. Peace [be] to thee. The friends greet thee. Greet the friends by name.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "things", "write", and "thee". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "things" and "write", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 12's "Demetrius has witness borne to him by..." into verse 14's "but I hope soon to see thee...", so "things" and "write" belong inside that flow. In 3 John context, the local focus is Christ, faith, and discipleship.

A plain takeaway is to answer the verse's own emphasis on "things" and "write" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.