2 John 1:5 (DRB)

Passage

And now I beseech thee, lady, not as writing a new commandment to thee, but that which we have had from the beginning, that we love one another.

Nearby Context

2 John 1:3 Grace be with you, mercy and peace from God the Father and from Christ Jesus the Son of the Father: in truth and charity.

2 John 1:4 I was exceeding glad that I found of thy children walking in truth, as we have received a commandment from the Father.

2 John 1:5 And now I beseech thee, lady, not as writing a new commandment to thee, but that which we have had from the beginning, that we love one another.

2 John 1:6 And this is charity: That we walk according to his commandments. For this is the commandment that, as you have heard from the beginning, you should walk in the same:

2 John 1:7 For many seducers are gone out into the world who confess not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh. This is a seducer and an antichrist.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "beseech", "thee", "lady", "writing", "commandment", "beginning", and "love". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "beseech" and "thee", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 4's "I was exceeding glad that I found..." into verse 6's "And this is charity That we walk...", so "beseech" and "thee" belong inside that flow. In 2 John context, the local focus is Christ, faith, and discipleship.

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