Zytaris
- Aug 9, 2023
- 5 min read

The Book of John - Chapter 1:1-18 - (ESV)

Updated: Sep 23, 2023

The Word Became Flesh - {Interlinear <Greek>}

1:1 - In {Ἐν<en>} the → beginning {ἀρχῇ<archē>} was {ἦν<eimi>} the {ὁ<ho>} Word, {λόγος,<logos>} and {καὶ<kai>} the {ὁ<ho>} Word {λόγος<logos>} was {ἦν<eimi>} with {πρὸς<pros>} God, {τὸν θεόν,<ho theos>} and {καὶ<kai>} the {ὁ<ho>} Word {λόγος.<logos>} was {ἦν<eimi>} God. {θεὸς<theos>}.

1:2 - He {οὗτος<houtos>} was {ἦν<eimi>} in {ἐν<en>} the → beginning {ἀρχῇ<archē>} with {πρὸς<pros>} God. {τὸν θεόν.<ho theos>}.

1:3 - All {πάντα<pas>} things ← were → made {ἐγένετο,<ginomai>} through {δι᾽<dia>} him, {αὐτοῦ<autos>} and {καὶ<kai>} without {χωρὶς<chōris>} him {αὐτοῦ<autos>} was → not {οὐδὲ<oude>} anything {ἓν<heis>} made {ἐγένετο<ginomai>} that {ὃ <hos>} was → made. {γέγονεν.<ginomai>}.

1:4 - In {ἐν<en>} him {αὐτῷ<autos>} was {ἦν<eimi>} life, {ζωὴ<zōē>} and {καὶ<kai>} the {ἡ<ho>} life {ζωὴ<zōē>} was {ἦν<eimi>} the {τὸ<ho>} light {φῶς<phōs>} of → men. {τῶν ἀνθρώπων,<ho anthrōpos>}.

1:5 - • {καὶ<kai>} The {τὸ<ho>} light {φῶς<phōs>} shines {φαίνει,<phainō>} in {ἐν<en>} the {τῇ<ho>} darkness, {σκοτίᾳ<skotia>} and {καὶ<kai>} the {ἡ<ho>} darkness {σκοτία<skotia>} has → not {οὐ<ou>} overcome {κατέλαβεν.<katalambanō>} it. {αὐτὸ<autos>}.

1:6 - There → was {Ἐγένετο<ginomai>} a → man {ἄνθρωπος<anthrōpos>} sent {ἀπεσταλμένος<apostellō>} from {παρὰ<para>} God, {θεοῦ,<theos>} whose {αὐτῷ<autos>} name <ὄνομα<onoma>} was • John. {Ἰωάννης.<Iōannēs>}.

1:7 - He {οὗτος<houtos>} came {ἦλθεν<erchomai>} as {εἰς<eis>} a → witness, {μαρτυρίαν<martyria>} to {ἵνα<hina>} bear → witness {μαρτυρήσῃ<martyreō>} about {περὶ<peri>} the {τοῦ<ho>} light, {φωτός,<phōs>} that {ἵνα<hina>} all {πάντες<pas>} might → believe {πιστεύσωσιν<pisteuō>} through {δι᾽<dia>} him. {αὐτοῦ.<autos>}.

1:8 - He {ἐκεῖνος<ekeinos>} was {ἦν<eimi>} not {οὐκ<ou>} the {τὸ<ho>} light, {φῶς<phōs>} but {ἀλλ᾽<alla>} came • to {ἵνα<hina>} bear → witness {μαρτυρήσῃ<martyreō>} about {περὶ<peri>} the {τοῦ<ho>} light. {φωτός.<phōs>}.

1:9 - The {τὸ<ho>} true {τὸ ἀληθινὸν<ho alēthinos>} light, {φῶς<phōs>} which {ὃ<hos>} gives → light {φωτίζει<phōtizō>} to • everyone, {πάντα ἄνθρωπον<pas anthrōpos>} was {ἦν<eimi>} coming {ἐρχόμενον<erchomai>} into {εἰς<eis>} the {τὸν<ho>} world. {κόσμον<kosmos>}.

1:10 - He → was {ἦν,<eimi>} in {ἐν<en>} the {τῷ<ho>} world, {κόσμῳ<kosmos>} and {καὶ<kai>} the {ὁ<ho>} world {κόσμος<kosmos>} was → made {ἐγένετο,<ginomai>} through {δι᾽<dia>} him, {αὐτοῦ<autos>} yet {καὶ<kai>} the {ὁ<ho>} world {κόσμος<kosmos>} did → not {οὐκ<ou>} know {ἔγνω.<ginōskō>} him. {αὐτὸν<autos>}.

1:11 - He → came {ἦλθεν,<erchomai>} to {εἰς<eis>} his → own, {τὰ ἴδια<ho idios>} and {καὶ<kai>} his → own {οἱ ἴδιοι<ho idios>} people ← did → not {οὐ<ou>} receive {παρέλαβον.<paralambanō>} him. {αὐτὸν<autos>}.

1:12 - But {δὲ<de>} to • all who {ὅσοι<hosos>} did → receive {ἔλαβον<lambanō>} him, {αὐτόν,<autos>} • {αὐτοῖς<autos>} who {τοῖς<ho>} believed {πιστεύουσιν <pisteuō>} in {εἰς <eis>} his {αὐτοῦ,<autos>} name, {τὸ ὄνομα<ho onoma>} he → gave {ἔδωκεν<didōmi>} the → right {ἐξουσίαν<exousia>} to → become {γενέσθαι,<ginomai>} children {τέκνα<teknon>} of → God, {θεοῦ<theos>}.

1:13 - who {οἳ<hos>} were → born, {ἐγεννήθησαν.<gennaō>} not {οὐκ<ou>} of {ἐξ<ek>} blood {αἱμάτων<haima>} nor {οὐδὲ<oude>} of {ἐκ<ek>} the → will {θελήματος<thelēma>} of → the → flesh {σαρκὸς<sarx>} nor {οὐδὲ<oude>} of {ἐκ<ek>} the → will {θελήματος <thelēma>} of → man, {ἀνδρὸς<anēr>} but {ἀλλ᾽<alla>} of {ἐκ<ek>} God. {θεοῦ<theos>}.

1:14 - And {καὶ<kai>} the {ὁ<ho>} Word {λόγος<logos>} became {ἐγένετο <ginomai>} flesh {σὰρξ<sarx>} and {καὶ<kai>} dwelt {ἐσκήνωσεν<skēnoō>} among {ἐν<en>} us, {ἡμῖν<egō>} and {καὶ<kai>} we → have → seen {ἐθεασάμεθα <theaomai>} his {αὐτοῦ,<autos>} glory, {τὴν δόξαν<ho doxa>} glory {δόξαν<doxa>} as {ὡς<hōs>} of → the → only {μονογενοῦς<monogenēs>} Son ← from {παρὰ <para>} the → Father, {πατρός,<patēr>} full {πλήρης <plērēs>} of → grace {χάριτος<charis>} and {καὶ<kai>} truth. {ἀληθείας.<alētheia>}.

1:15 - (John {Ἰωάννης<Iōannēs>} bore → witness {μαρτυρεῖ<martyreō>} about {περὶ<peri>} him, {αὐτοῦ<autos>} and {καὶ<kai>} cried {κέκραγεν<krazō>} out, ← {“λέγων·<legō>} This {οὗτος<houtos>} was {ἦν<eimi>} he → of→ whom {ὃν<hos>} I → said, {εἶπον·<legō‘>} He who {ὁ<ho>} comes {ἐρχόμενος<erchomai>} after {ὀπίσω<opisō>} me {μου<egō>} ranks {γέγονεν,<ginomai>} before {ἔμπροσθέν <emprosthen>} me, {μου<egō>} because {ὅτι <hoti>} he → was {ἦν.<eimi>} before {πρῶτός<prōtos>} me.’”) {μου<egō>}.

1:16 - For {καὶ<kai>} from {ἐκ<ek>} his {αὐτοῦ<autos>} fullness {τοῦ πληρώματος <ho plērōma>} we {ἡμεῖς<egō>} have → all {πάντες<pas>} received, {ἐλάβομεν <lambanō>} • {καὶ<kai>} grace {χάριν<charis>} upon {ἀντὶ<anti>} grace. {χάριτος<charis>}.

1:17 - For {ὅτι<hoti>} the {ὁ<ho>} law {νόμος<nomos>} was → given {ἐδόθη,<didōmi>} through {διὰ<dia>} Moses; {Μωϋσέως<Mōusēs>} grace {ἡ χάρις<ho charis>} and {καὶ <kai>} truth {ἡ ἀλήθεια<ho alētheia>} came {ἐγένετο.<ginomai>} through {διὰ<dia>} Jesus {Ἰησοῦ<Iēsous>} Christ. {χριστοῦ <Christos>}.

1:18 - No one {οὐδεὶς<oudeis>} has → ever {πώποτε<pōpote>} seen {ἑώρακεν <horaō>} God; {Θεὸν<theos>} the → only {μονογενὴς<monogenēs>} God, {θεὸς <theos>} who {ὁ<ho>} is {ὢν<eimi>} at {εἰς<eis>} the {τοῦ<ho>} Father’s {πατρός,<patēr>} side, {τὸν κόλπον<ho kolpos>} he {ἐκεῖνος<ekeinos>} has made {ἐξηγήσατο.<exēgeomai>} him • known. ←

John 1:1-18 -

The prologue of John’s Gospel is like the opening movement of a grand symphony. It is meant to grab our attention and draw us into the story—the story of all stories. The apostle sets the stage for the presentation of the gospel by highlighting the main plotline and central themes of the entire Bible—creation (vv. 1–4), the fall (v. 5), and redemption (vv. 9–13), all of which point to the person and culminating work of Jesus (see also vv. 23, 29).

Who is Jesus? This is John’s main question and the quest of discovery that he bids us enter. John’s Gospel helps us understand how to look for Jesus in Moses, the Prophets, and all the Scriptures (5:39–47). He wants us to see how Jesus is the “Yes!” and “Amen!” to every promise God has made (2 Cor. 1:20) throughout the history of redemption.

Jesus is eternally one with the Father—the very Word of God (John 1:1–2), God’s agent in creating all things (vv. 3–4). And as he spoke light and brought life into the dark void of pre-creation chaos, so Jesus brings light and life into the dark world of sin and death. His “new creation” order is none other than the long-promised epoch of redemption and restoration of which Israel’s prophets spoke, and angels longed to see (1 Pet. 1:10–12).

To receive Jesus is to be born from above and to become a member of God’s family, all of which comes to us as a gift of God’s grace (John 1:9–13), not at all of our own doing.

Even as John’s prologue affirms Jesus’ deity, so also it celebrates his humanity. The Word became flesh—God became man, yet Jesus never ceased being God. He came to us as the greater Moses (Deut. 18:15–19), to bring a greater exodus. Moses provided the tabernacle; Jesus “dwelt” (the Greek word literally means “tabernacled”) among us (John 1:14), revealing God’s glory and grace.

The law, which came through Moses, necessitated the grace and truth which came through Jesus (vv. 14–17), for the law could never save us, only drive us to Christ (Gal. 3:23–24). While Moses hid his face from God, Jesus “exegetes”—that is, reveals—the Father to us, as only the only begotten Son could do (see John 1:18, where the Greek word for “has made known” is exegeomai).

Jesus Christ: His Deity

John 1:1–3

John begins his Gospel with a prologue underscoring the deity fundamental to Christ’s incarnation. John’s opening words imply Christ’s deity because he, the Word, takes the place that God holds in the Bible’s first verse. Compare “In the beginning was the Word” with “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth” (John 1:1; Gen. 1:1). Then John proclaims, “The Word was God.” It is incorrect to take the absence of the definite article “the” in Greek before “God” as a legitimate reason to translate this as “the Word was a god.” Often in John 1, the word “God” appears without the definite article and is correctly translated “God” (1:6, 12, 13, 18).

By affirming the positive and denying the negative, John teaches that the Word created absolutely everything (vv. 3, 10), and since creation is the work of God alone, the Word must be God! Moreover, people do not believe in angels or mere human beings for salvation, but only in God, and John points to Jesus as the object of saving faith (v. 12). In response, the Word does another work of God—he gives all believers the right to become God’s children (v. 12).

Furthermore, Jesus displays the divine qualities of glory, grace, and truth (v. 14). From God’s fullness alone can believers say they receive grace upon grace, and John says this very thing about the incarnate Son (v. 16). He then ends his prologue as he began it, by calling Jesus God (v. 18).

Theology for Life—Repeatedly John 1 proclaims that Jesus is God. John wants people to believe in Jesus for eternal life, which only God can give (20:30–31)!

For more on Christ’s deity see: