Above All Things—Soul Prosperity
3 John 2

by Rev. Tina Marino
Apr 28, 2003

"Beloved, I wish above all things that thou mayest prosper and be in health, even as thy soul prospereth."

Let's start our dissection of the Word "Beloved!"

I love how the Lord calls us beloved, frail human vessels such as we are. Beloved means agapetos in the Greek language. Agapetos translates: beloved, esteemed, dear, favorite, worthy of love. Wow! No matter what you may call yourself, the Lord Himself calls you Beloved!

Clearly, "beloved" is an antiquated term and is rarely used today, except for the occasion of a wedding when the officiate starts the ceremony off by saying: "Dearly beloved, we are gathered today…." Some of the more contemporary versions of the word "beloved" are: Honey, Dear, Sweetheart, Lover. All of these words imply the same thing. When someone calls you by one of these words, it means they hold you in high esteem and love you dearly. It usually also means you are in intimate relation with this person.

"I wish"

This phrase is euchomai in the Greek. It literally translates: to pray to God for; to wish. When we wish for something it means we have a desire for that something to take place, to come to fruition.

"above"

Peri in the Greek. It means: about, concerning, on account of, because of, around, near.

"all things"

The Greeks say it pas. Translated it says: each, every, any, all, the whole, everyone, all things, everything. Wow! That covers just about all things, doesn't it?

"that thou"

Se is the Greek word for thou, thee, you.

"mayest prosper"

To grant a prosperous and expeditious journey, to lead by a direct and easy way, to grant a successful issue, to cause to prosper, to prosper, be successful. Webster's says prosper means: to become strong and flourishing; to cause to succeed or thrive; to achieve economic success. All of this is what the Greek word euodoo means to us.

"be in health"

Literally translates from the Greek word hugiaino to mean to be sound, to be well, to be in good health. Let me show you more in depth. To be sound, according to Webster's, means: to be free from injury or disease; exhibiting normal health; free from flaw, defect, or decay. Sounds like a great condition to be in! Also according to Webster's, the word well means being in satisfactory condition or circumstances; free or recovered from infirmity or disease; healthy. There doesn't seem to be any other way to understand this portion of the verse than at its literal meaning.

"even as"

The Greek word kathos translates: according as, just as, in proportion as, in the degree that. It's an adverb, a connecting clause that ties the first part of this verse to the last part of the verse. This means that while the desire is we be in health and prosper, the "even as" connector means that it is just as important, if not more so, that our soul should prosper.

"thy"

Sou Greek word meaning the same as se.

"soul"

Psuche is the Greek word from where is derived our English word "psyche", which Webster's defines, in part, as: the moral and emotional nature of human beings; the quality that arouses emotion and sentiment. The translation of psuche is: the seat of the feelings, desires, affections, aversions (our heart, soul). We will soon look more deeply into the meaning of "soul". For now, understand that its generally accepted definition is: our mind, will and emotions.

"prospereth"

Same word euodoo as above.

So far, we can personalize this scripture as:

"Dear, sweetheart, I pray to God and wish on account of each and every bit of your life, regarding all things, that you, loved one, have a successful life and journey, along an easy way, and that your body be free from injury and disease, that you are sound and well, in direct proportion to having your mind, will and emotions prospered and flourishing."

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