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5. αὐτοὶ ἐκ τ. κ. εἰσίν. The pronouns at the beginning of all three verses are in emphatic opposition; ὑμεῖς … αὐτοὶ … ἡμεῖς. That they, the antichristian teachers, are ‘of the world’ was implied in 1Jn 2:19, where it is stated that they are ‘not of us’: for there is no middle neutral position. The verse is another reminiscence of the Lord’s farewell discourses: ‘If ye were of the world, the world would love its own’ (Joh 15:19; comp. Joh 17:14).
διὰ τοῦτο ἐκ τ. κ. λαλοῦσιν. Therefore of the world they speak: as in Joh 3:31, the Greek order is impressive and worth preserving. (See on 1Jn 3:1; but here διὰ τοῦτο is not followed by ὄτι.) The impressive repetition of ‘the world’ is very characteristic of S. John’s style; e.g. Joh 1:10; Joh 3:17; Joh 15:19; Joh 17:14. Comp. ‘He that is of the earth, of the earth he is, and of the earth he speaketh’ (Joh 3:31): where, however, ἐκ τῆς γῆς λαλεῖν is to speak of God’s work on earth; whereas ἐκ τ. κόσμου λ. is to speak what is alien from God’s work and opposed to it. ‘To speak of’ (λαλεῖν ἐκ) is not the same as ‘to speak concerning’ (λέγειν περί) 1Jn 5:16; Joh 1:22; Joh 1:47; Joh 2:21, &c. ‘To speak of the world’ is to have the world as the source of one’s words, so that one’s inspiration flows from it: and of course the world ‘heareth,’ i.e. loves to hear, the wisdom derived from itself. It expects to secure everything, the honour of the Christian name and the credit of lofty spiritual γνῶσις, without any humiliation or crucifixion of the flesh.