Section 1 of 1051:1-18John

Go to another section

Jump to a verse

King James VersionJohn 1:1-18

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.

The same was in the beginning with God.

All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made.

In him was life; and the life was the light of men.

And the light shineth in darkness; and the darkness comprehended it not.

There was a man sent from God, whose name was John.

The same came for a witness, to bear witness of the Light, that all men through him might believe.

He was not that Light, but was sent to bear witness of that Light.

That was the true Light, which lighteth every man that cometh into the world.

He was in the world, and the world was made by him, and the world knew him not.

He came unto his own, and his own received him not.

But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name:

Which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.

And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth.

John bare witness of him, and cried, saying, This was he of whom I spake, He that cometh after me is preferred before me: for he was before me.

And of his fulness have all we received, and grace for grace.

For the law was given by Moses, but grace and truth came by Jesus Christ.

No man hath seen God at any time; the only begotten Son, which is in the bosom of the Father, he hath declared him.

Italic words were supplied in the English translation for clarity.

Scripture text: King James Version, Standardized 1769 text. Public domain in the United States.About this Bible text

John 1:1-18

The Word Becomes Flesh and Makes God Known

The Word is already with God before anything is made

John begins before Bethlehem, before John the Baptist, and before the first disciples. The Word is with God and is God. All things were made through him. Life is in him, and that life is light for human beings. Darkness does not overcome it. The Baptist is sent only as a witness, not as the light itself.

The climax is not an idea arriving. The Word becomes flesh and dwells among us. Glory is seen in a Jewish human life, full of grace and truth. Moses gave the law; grace and truth come through Jesus Christ. That contrast honors what Moses gave. It does not discard Torah or treat Jewish identity as a problem to be escaped. The unseen God is made known through the Son who is at the Father's side.

Flesh here is gift, not embarrassment

John's opening will not let readers treat bodies, meals, friendship, or creation as spiritually second-class. The Word does not become an appearance. He becomes flesh. Ordinary human life is the place where God is interpreted, not a cage from which faith must flee.

How this should shape us

Receive God as he is made known in Jesus' embodied life. Let that correct any spirituality that despises bodies, creation, Jewish history, or the slow work of living among people.

Teach it back

Explain John 1:1-18 in your own words. Include its place in John's movement, the decisive claim or action, one sourced uncertainty, and one use the passage does not authorize.

Explain the section in your own words

Your explanation stays in this browser. It is not sent or saved.

Go deeper

The explanation above is meant to stand on its own. Open these notes only if you want language, history, disagreements, or source locations.

Where careful interpreters disagreeThe strongest options and their difficulties

Where do responsible interpreters differ?

Best judgment: Logos draws first on Genesis, Jewish Wisdom, Torah, and God's creative speech while also communicating in a Hellenistic world. John 1:18 has a major variant between forms translated 'only-begotten God' and 'only-begotten Son'; the verse's disclosure claim is secure even while the wording is disputed. Later Trinitarian synthesis may responsibly draw on this passage but must not be projected into every clause as if John supplied later conciliar vocabulary.

How certain? probable

Research trail and exact locationsThe source record behind this section

King James (Authorized) Version — eng-kjv2006

Supports: Exact KJV wording, paragraph flags, supplied-word markup, and coverage.

John 1:1-18, pinned eng-kjv2006 USFM corpus

The Greek New Testament: SBL Edition

Supports: Greek wording, sentence relations, and critical-text reading checked independently of the KJV.

Faithlife SBLGNT official repository, data/sblgnt/text/John.txt, 1:1-18

STEP Bible Data

Supports: Greek forms, morphology, and lexical ranges; context controls sense.

STEP Bible Data official repository, TAGNT John data, rows for 1:1-18

NET Bible — John with translators' and textual notes

Supports: Verse-level syntax, older-English clarification, material variants, background, and alternatives.

NET Bible John PDF, John 1:1-18 and attached translator, study, and textual notes

John course: summary, outline, background, introductory issues, theological themes, and Bible in the world

Supports: Current historical-critical synthesis, narrative movement, Jewish context, signs, Christology, Spirit, Passion, and resurrection.

Enter the Bible John course, Background and Introductory Issues; applied to 1:1-18

The Gospel of John: course introduction and twelve study guides

Supports: Literary, historical, theological, gender-aware, sacramental, and reader-oriented interpretation.

Yale Bible Study, Gospel of John course, Introduction and Prologue study guide; applied to 1:1-18

John

Supports: Complete confessional evangelical interpretation, represented as a strong traditioned view rather than consensus.

Köstenberger, “John,” commentary heading covering John 1:1-18

Anti-Semitism and Religious Violence as Flawed Interpretations of the Gospel of John

Supports: Historically specific Jewish referents, varied responses, Jewish identity, Roman agency, reception danger, and anti-violence safeguards.

Anderson, “Anti-Semitism and Religious Violence,” full PDF, especially terminology and Ioudaioi pp. 1–22, historical models pp. 23–46, Passion and reception pp. 47–65, safeguards and appendices pp. 66–77; applied to 1:1-18

The Beloved Disciple as Interpreter and Author of Scripture in the Gospel of John

Supports: Beloved Disciple as witness, interpreter, and purported author; literary authority and editorial limits.

Lindenlaub, Beloved Disciple thesis, introduction; Scripture-formula chapters; authorship and written-medium chapters; John 19:35, 20:30-31, and 21 discussion; applied to 1:1-18

Sources for This Section

These records identify the source, the claim it supports, and the exact location used. A source remains evidence to evaluate; it does not replace the biblical text.

Biblical text

King James (Authorized) Version — eng-kjv2006

eBible.org and CrossWire Bible Society

USFM archive eng-kjv2006_usfm.zip; source files dated 2026-08-19; downloaded 2026-08-24; archive SHA-256 aec1b3b26c622fd3d963d2bbac963016b9513246ffbfa20da00bb100372ea007; normalized corpus SHA-256 09aef51d90488aa7b9722b3fd9a93f4b25f6bf2064c5fd798fb39673c300ddf2.

Supports: Exact KJV wording, paragraph flags, supplied-word markup, and coverage.

Exact location: John 1:1-18, pinned eng-kjv2006 USFM corpus

Open source ↗

Greek textual evidence

The Greek New Testament: SBL Edition

Michael W. Holmes, editor; Society of Biblical Literature and Logos

Society of Biblical Literature and Logos Bible Software, 2010

Supports: Greek wording, sentence relations, and critical-text reading checked independently of the KJV.

Exact location: Faithlife SBLGNT official repository, data/sblgnt/text/John.txt, 1:1-18

Open the John Greek text file ↗

Lexical and grammatical evidence

STEP Bible Data

Tyndale House Cambridge

Tyndale House Cambridge, repository snapshot verified 2026

Supports: Greek forms, morphology, and lexical ranges; context controls sense.

Exact location: STEP Bible Data official repository, TAGNT John data, rows for 1:1-18

Open source ↗

Translation and textual notes

NET Bible — John with translators' and textual notes

Biblical Studies Press

Biblical Studies Press, 2005–2026 online edition

Supports: Verse-level syntax, older-English clarification, material variants, background, and alternatives.

Exact location: NET Bible John PDF, John 1:1-18 and attached translator, study, and textual notes

Open the official NET John PDF ↗

modern scholarly book introduction

John course: summary, outline, background, introductory issues, theological themes, and Bible in the world

Craig R. Koester; revised by Karoline M. Lewis

Enter the Bible, Luther Seminary, 2024 revision; current course inspected 2026

Supports: Current historical-critical synthesis, narrative movement, Jewish context, signs, Christology, Spirit, Passion, and resurrection.

Exact location: Enter the Bible John course, Background and Introductory Issues; applied to 1:1-18

Open the Enter the Bible John course ↗

modern scholarly narrative and theological course

The Gospel of John: course introduction and twelve study guides

Harold W. Attridge and Michal Beth Dinkler

Yale Bible Study, Yale Divinity School, Current online edition inspected 2026

Supports: Literary, historical, theological, gender-aware, sacramental, and reader-oriented interpretation.

Exact location: Yale Bible Study, Gospel of John course, Introduction and Prologue study guide; applied to 1:1-18

Open the Yale Gospel of John course ↗

modern open confessional commentary

John

Andreas J. Köstenberger

The Gospel Coalition Bible Commentary, Current online edition inspected 2026

Supports: Complete confessional evangelical interpretation, represented as a strong traditioned view rather than consensus.

Exact location: Köstenberger, “John,” commentary heading covering John 1:1-18

Open Köstenberger's John commentary ↗

modern scholarly ethical and historical study

Anti-Semitism and Religious Violence as Flawed Interpretations of the Gospel of John

Paul N. Anderson

Bible and Interpretation; expanded from John and Judaism, SBL Resources for Biblical Study 87, 2017

Supports: Historically specific Jewish referents, varied responses, Jewish identity, Roman agency, reception danger, and anti-violence safeguards.

Exact location: Anderson, “Anti-Semitism and Religious Violence,” full PDF, especially terminology and Ioudaioi pp. 1–22, historical models pp. 23–46, Passion and reception pp. 47–65, safeguards and appendices pp. 66–77; applied to 1:1-18

Open Anderson's full study ↗

modern open doctoral thesis

The Beloved Disciple as Interpreter and Author of Scripture in the Gospel of John

Julia Danielle Lindenlaub

University of Edinburgh Research Archive, 2021

Supports: Beloved Disciple as witness, interpreter, and purported author; literary authority and editorial limits.

Exact location: Lindenlaub, Beloved Disciple thesis, introduction; Scripture-formula chapters; authorship and written-medium chapters; John 19:35, 20:30-31, and 21 discussion; applied to 1:1-18

Open Lindenlaub's thesis record and PDF ↗