3 John 1:4 (DBY)

Passage

I have no greater joy than these things that I hear of my children walking in the truth.

Nearby Context

3 John 1:2 Beloved, I desire that in all things thou shouldest prosper and be in health, even as thy soul prospers.

3 John 1:3 For I rejoiced exceedingly when [the] brethren came and bore testimony to thy [holding fast the] truth, even as *thou* walkest in truth.

3 John 1:4 I have no greater joy than these things that I hear of my children walking in the truth.

3 John 1:5 Beloved, thou doest faithfully [in] whatever thou mayest have wrought towards the brethren and that strangers,

3 John 1:6 (who have witnessed of thy love before [the] assembly,) in setting forward whom on their journey worthily of God, thou wilt do well;

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "greater", "than", "things", "hear", "children", "walking", and "truth". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "greater" and "than", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 3's "For I rejoiced exceedingly when the brethren..." into verse 5's "Beloved thou doest faithfully in whatever thou...", so "greater" and "than" 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 "greater" and "than" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.