Expositor's Bible Commentary Commentary 3 John 1:2

"Beloved, I pray that in all things thou mayest prosper and be in health, even as thy soul prospereth." — 3 John 1:2 (ASV)

John’s wishing good health to Gaius does not mean that Gaius was ill. This expression was a conventional one, and though it does not rule out the possibility of particular concern for Gaius’s health, it does not necessitate it. John commends him by praying that things will be as well for his physical health as they have proved to be for his spiritual health. Implied in this verse is a tribute to the wholesome state of Gaius’s spiritual life. Of how many Christians could their physical health be equated with their spiritual health? But the elder knew his man!