John

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

1In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.

Note"The Word" translates the Greek word logos. In ordinary use it meant a spoken word, a statement, an account or the reasoning behind something. Greek thinkers used it for the rational order running through the universe, and Jewish writers used similar language for God's word and God's wisdom at work in creation. No one English word carries that whole range, so translators keep "Word" and let the context fill it out.

2He was with God in the beginning.

2The same was in the beginning with God.

3Everything was made through him. Nothing that has been made was made without him.

3All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made.

NoteAncient Greek manuscripts were written without punctuation, so the sentence division here is a translator's choice. The words can be read as the King James reads them, or as "without him was not any thing made. That which was made, in him was life," attaching the last phrase to the next verse. Both readings are old and both are defensible.

4In him was life, and that life was the light of people.

4In him was life; and the life was the light of men.

5The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not put it out.

5And the light shineth in darkness; and the darkness comprehended it not.

NoteThe Greek verb behind "comprehended" carries two senses that English splits apart: to grasp with the mind, and to seize or overpower. Ancient readers would have heard both, so the line can mean the darkness did not understand the light or that it did not overcome it.

6There was a man sent from God whose name was John.

6There was a man sent from God, whose name was John.

NoteThis is John the Baptizer, a preacher at the Jordan River, not the John whose name later became attached to this book. The two are different men, and the book itself never names its author.

7He came as a witness, to tell people about the Light, so that everyone might believe through what he said.

7The same came for a witness, to bear witness of the Light, that all men through him might believe.

Note"Witness" and "bear witness" are courtroom words, and the same Greek root gives "testify" and "testimony." John uses this legal vocabulary all through the book: a case is being made and evidence is being given.

8He himself was not the Light. He was sent to tell people about the Light.

8He was not that Light, but was sent to bear witness of that Light.

9That was the true Light, which gives light to everyone coming into the world.

9That was the true Light, which lighteth every man that cometh into the world.

NoteThe Greek is genuinely ambiguous. "Coming into the world" can attach to "every man," as the King James takes it, giving "the true Light that gives light to every person who comes into the world." It can equally attach to the Light itself: "the true Light, which gives light to everyone, was coming into the world." Translators have gone both ways for centuries.

10He was in the world, and the world was made through him, but the world did not recognize him.

10He was in the world, and the world was made by him, and the world knew him not.

11He came to what belonged to him, and his own people did not welcome him.

11He came unto his own, and his own received him not.

NoteThe first "his own" is neuter in Greek and means his own things, his own property or home. The second is masculine and plural and means his own people. The sentence turns on that shift, which English cannot show without spelling it out.

12But to all who did welcome him, to those who trusted in his name, he gave the right to become children of God.

12But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name:

Note"Power" in 1611 English often meant legal right or authorization, which is what the Greek word means here: he granted them the standing or entitlement, not an ability or a force. And the word behind "sons" is the general word for children, covering sons and daughters alike.

13They were born not from human blood, not from the body's desire, and not from a husband's choice, but from God.

13Which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.

NoteThe Greek literally says "not of bloods," a plural that in ancient usage pointed to bloodlines and physical parentage. "The will of the flesh" is bodily desire. "The will of man" uses the Greek word for a male or a husband, not the general word for a human being. The three phrases pile up ordinary human reproduction and rule it out as the explanation.

14The Word became a human being and lived among us. We saw his glory, the glory of the Father's only Son, full of grace and truth.

14And 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.

Note"Flesh" here is the Greek word for a human being of flesh and blood, not a comment on the body as opposed to the soul. "Dwelt among us" translates a verb built on the word for a tent: he pitched his tent among us, language that recalls the portable tent-shrine where God's presence was said to stay with Israel in the desert. "Only begotten" translates a word meaning one of a kind, the only one of its sort; it is about uniqueness rather than about any process of being begotten.

15John told people about him. He called out, "This is the one I was talking about when I said, 'The one coming after me ranks ahead of me, because he existed before me.'"

15John 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.

NoteIn 1611 English "is preferred before me" meant ranks above me, has been given the higher place. It does not mean someone likes him better. "He was before me" is a claim about time, not rank: he existed earlier.

16From all that he has, we have all received one gift of grace after another.

16And of his fulness have all we received, and grace for grace.

Note"Grace" translates the Greek charis, which meant favor freely shown, generosity, a gift given without the recipient earning it. "Grace for grace" is literally "grace in place of grace," one gift replacing another as it is used up, which is why modern versions render it as grace on top of grace or one gift after another.

17The law was given through Moses. Grace and truth came through Jesus Christ.

17For the law was given by Moses, but grace and truth came by Jesus Christ.

Note"The law" is the body of instruction given through Moses at Sinai, the Torah, which for a first-century Jewish reader covered not only commandments but the whole framework of national and religious life.

18No one has ever seen God. The only Son, who is closest to the Father's side, has shown us what God is like.

18No man hath seen God at any time; the only begotten Son, which is in the bosom of the Father, he hath declared him.

Note"In the bosom of the Father" is an idiom. At a meal, guests reclined on their sides, and the person next to the host lay with his head at the host's chest; that was the place of closest intimacy and confidence. The manuscripts also differ in this verse: some read "the only begotten Son" and some read "the only begotten God," which is why modern translations vary here. And "declared him" translates a verb meaning to set out or explain in full, the root of the English word "exegesis."

19This is what John said when the Jewish leaders in Jerusalem sent priests and Levites to ask him, "Who are you?"

19And this is the record of John, when the Jews sent priests and Levites from Jerusalem to ask him, Who art thou?

NoteIn this book "the Jews" usually means the religious authorities based in Jerusalem rather than Jewish people in general; the writer, John the Baptizer and Jesus are all themselves Jewish. Priests served at the temple and offered the sacrifices; Levites were members of the same tribe who handled the temple's supporting work, including music, gatekeeping and maintenance. Sending such a delegation was an official inquiry. "Record" in 1611 English meant testimony, evidence given.

20He did not dodge the question. He said openly, "I am not the Christ."

20And he confessed, and denied not; but confessed, I am not the Christ.

Note"Christ" is not a name but a title. The Greek christos translates the Hebrew mashiach, "anointed one." Kings and priests were installed by having olive oil poured on their heads, and by this period "the anointed one" had become the standing term for the awaited deliverer from David's line. The question being put to John is whether he is claiming that role.

21So they asked him, "Then what are you? Are you Elijah?" He said, "I am not." "Are you the Prophet?" He answered, "No."

21And they asked him, What then? Art thou Elias? And he saith, I am not. Art thou that prophet? And he answered, No.

Note"Elias" is simply the Greek spelling of Elijah, the prophet who, according to the last lines of Malachi, would be sent back before the day of the Lord, so people watched for his return. "That prophet" refers to another specific expectation: the prophet like Moses promised in Deuteronomy 18. The delegation is running through a checklist of recognized roles.

22Then they said to him, "Who are you? We have to give an answer to the men who sent us. What do you say about yourself?"

22Then said they unto him, Who art thou? that we may give an answer to them that sent us. What sayest thou of thyself?

23He said, "I am the voice of someone calling out in the desert, 'Make the road straight for the Lord,' just as the prophet Isaiah said."

23He said, I am the voice of one crying in the wilderness, Make straight the way of the Lord, as said the prophet Esaias.

Note"Esaias" is the Greek spelling of Isaiah, and the quotation is from Isaiah 40. The image is road work: when a king traveled, crews went ahead to level and straighten the route. "Wilderness" means uninhabited open country, dry scrubland and bare hills used for grazing, not a sand desert.

24The men who had been sent belonged to the Pharisees.

24And they which were sent were of the Pharisees.

NoteThe Pharisees were a movement, not an office, known for close attention to the law and to the traditions built up around it. They were widely respected and influential in local religious life, which is why their interest in an unauthorized preacher at the Jordan mattered.

25They asked him, "Why do you baptize, then, if you are not the Christ, or Elijah, or the Prophet?"

25And they asked him, and said unto him, Why baptizest thou then, if thou be not that Christ, nor Elias, neither that prophet?

NoteThe Greek verb means to dip, immerse or wash. Ritual washing was already familiar in Jewish practice, and non-Jews joining the community were immersed as part of that process. What puzzles the delegation is that John is immersing Jews, and doing it on his own authority, without holding any recognized office that would license it.

26John answered, "I baptize with water. But someone is standing among you whom you do not know.

26John answered them, saying, I baptize with water: but there standeth one among you, whom ye know not;

27He is the one coming after me, and he ranks ahead of me. I am not good enough even to untie the straps of his sandals."

27He it is, who coming after me is preferred before me, whose shoe’s latchet I am not worthy to unloose.

Note"Latchet" is an old English word for a strap or thong. Untying and carrying a man's sandals was slave's work, and a Jewish teaching of the period said a disciple should do anything for his teacher except loosen his sandals, because that task was too degrading. John is placing himself lower than the lowest servant.

28All this happened at Bethabara, on the far side of the Jordan River, where John was baptizing.

28These things were done in Bethabara beyond Jordan, where John was baptizing.

NoteThe manuscripts differ over the place name: some read Bethabara, others Bethany, and this is not the Bethany near Jerusalem. "Beyond Jordan" means the east side of the river, outside the territory the Jerusalem authorities controlled.

29The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him and said, "Look, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!

29The next day John seeth Jesus coming unto him, and saith, Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world.

NoteA lamb was the standard sacrificial animal in Israel: one was killed each family at Passover, and lambs were offered at the temple morning and evening. Calling someone "the Lamb of God" would have struck a first-century listener as sacrificial language, an animal presented to God on behalf of others.

30This is the one I meant when I said, 'After me comes a man who ranks ahead of me, because he existed before me.'

30This is he of whom I said, After me cometh a man which is preferred before me: for he was before me.

31I myself did not know who he was. But I came baptizing with water so that he would be made known to Israel."

31And I knew him not: but that he should be made manifest to Israel, therefore am I come baptizing with water.

32John also said, "I saw the Spirit come down from heaven like a dove, and it stayed on him.

32And John bare record, saying, I saw the Spirit descending from heaven like a dove, and it abode upon him.

NoteThe Greek does not settle whether the comparison is with how a dove looks or with how a dove comes down, so "like a dove" may describe the appearance of the Spirit or the manner of the descent. "Abode upon him" means stayed on him and did not merely touch and leave; the same verb turns up repeatedly in this book for remaining with someone.

33I myself did not know who he was. But the one who sent me to baptize with water told me, 'The man you see the Spirit come down on and stay on is the one who baptizes with the Holy Spirit.'

33And I knew him not: but he that sent me to baptize with water, the same said unto me, Upon whom thou shalt see the Spirit descending, and remaining on him, the same is he which baptizeth with the Holy Ghost.

Note"Ghost" in 1611 English simply meant spirit, with none of the modern sense of a haunting. "Holy Ghost" and "Holy Spirit" translate the same Greek words.

34I saw it, and I have told people that this is the Son of God."

34And I saw, and bare record that this is the Son of God.

NoteThe manuscripts divide here: some read "the Son of God" and others "the Chosen One of God." Both readings are early, and translations differ over which to print.

35The next day John was standing there again with two of his followers.

35Again the next day after John stood, and two of his disciples;

NoteA disciple was a learner or apprentice attached to a particular teacher, living alongside him and following his way of life, not just a student attending lectures. Teachers of the period commonly had such a circle around them.

36He looked at Jesus as he walked by and said, "Look, the Lamb of God!"

36And looking upon Jesus as he walked, he saith, Behold the Lamb of God!

37The two followers heard him say this, and they went after Jesus.

37And the two disciples heard him speak, and they followed Jesus.

38Jesus turned around and saw them following him. He asked, "What are you looking for?" They said, "Rabbi, where are you staying?" The word Rabbi means Teacher.

38Then Jesus turned, and saw them following, and saith unto them, What seek ye? They said unto him, Rabbi, (which is to say, being interpreted, Master,) where dwellest thou?

Note"Rabbi" is a Hebrew term of respect for a teacher, built from a word meaning great, so roughly "my master." John pauses to translate it, which tells you he expected readers who did not know Hebrew or Aramaic. "Where dwellest thou" in 1611 English asks where someone is lodging at present, not where he has his permanent home.

39He said to them, "Come and see." So they went and saw where he was staying, and they spent the rest of that day with him. It was about the tenth hour.

39He saith unto them, Come and see. They came and saw where he dwelt, and abode with him that day: for it was about the tenth hour.

NoteHours were counted from sunrise, so the tenth hour is about four in the afternoon, leaving little daylight for travel and explaining why they stayed. A minority of readers have argued that this book counts hours from midnight, which would make it about ten in the morning; the question is old and unsettled.

40One of the two who had heard John and followed Jesus was Andrew, the brother of Simon Peter.

40One of the two which heard John speak, and followed him, was Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother.

41The first thing he did was find his own brother Simon and tell him, "We have found the Messiah." The word Messiah means the same as Christ.

41He first findeth his own brother Simon, and saith unto him, We have found the Messias, which is, being interpreted, the Christ.

Note"Messias" is the Greek form of the Hebrew and Aramaic word for anointed one, and "Christ" is the Greek translation of that same word. The writer is telling readers who knew only Greek that the two words mean one thing.

42He brought Simon to Jesus. Jesus looked at him and said, "You are Simon, the son of Jona. You will be called Cephas." The name Cephas means a stone.

42And he brought him to Jesus. And when Jesus beheld him, he said, Thou art Simon the son of Jona: thou shalt be called Cephas, which is by interpretation, A stone.

Note"Cephas" is Aramaic for rock or stone; the Greek equivalent is petros, which is where the name Peter comes from. The writer explains the word because his readers would not have known Aramaic. The manuscripts vary over the father's name, reading John or Jonah.

43The next day Jesus decided to leave for Galilee. He found Philip and said to him, "Follow me."

43The day following Jesus would go forth into Galilee, and findeth Philip, and saith unto him, Follow me.

NoteGalilee is the northern region around the inland lake, several days' walk from the Jordan crossing near Jerusalem where this scene has been set, and a long way from the religious center in the south.

44Philip was from Bethsaida, the same town Andrew and Peter came from.

44Now Philip was of Bethsaida, the city of Andrew and Peter.

NoteBethsaida was a fishing town at the north end of the Sea of Galilee, near where the Jordan River runs into the lake. The King James "city" translates a word used for any town.

45Philip found Nathanael and told him, "We have found the one Moses wrote about in the law, and the one the prophets wrote about: Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph."

45Philip findeth Nathanael, and saith unto him, We have found him, of whom Moses in the law, and the prophets, did write, Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph.

Note"Moses in the law, and the prophets" names the recognized divisions of the Jewish scriptures: the five books associated with Moses, and the prophetic books. Naming both is a way of saying the whole of scripture.

46Nathanael said to him, "Can anything good come out of Nazareth?" Philip said to him, "Come and see."

46And Nathanael said unto him, Can there any good thing come out of Nazareth? Philip saith unto him, Come and see.

NoteNazareth was a small and undistinguished village in Galilee, never mentioned in the Jewish scriptures and of no religious standing. Nathanael's question is the reflex of someone who knows the place and expects nothing from it.

47Jesus saw Nathanael coming toward him and said about him, "Here is a true Israelite. There is nothing false in him."

47Jesus saw Nathanael coming to him, and saith of him, Behold an Israelite indeed, in whom is no guile!

Note"Israelite" means a descendant of Jacob, the man renamed Israel in Genesis. "Guile" is an old word for deceit or cunning, and the Greek word is the one used in the Greek Old Testament of Jacob's own dealings, so the remark carries a play on the name.

48Nathanael asked him, "How do you know me?" Jesus answered, "Before Philip called you, while you were under the fig tree, I saw you."

48Nathanael saith unto him, Whence knowest thou me? Jesus answered and said unto him, Before that Philip called thee, when thou wast under the fig tree, I saw thee.

NoteSitting under one's own fig tree was a stock image of settled peace and security in the Jewish scriptures, and later Jewish sources describe the shade of a fig tree as a place for study. The text does not say what Nathanael was doing there.

49Nathanael answered him, "Rabbi, you are the Son of God. You are the King of Israel."

49Nathanael answered and saith unto him, Rabbi, thou art the Son of God; thou art the King of Israel.

NoteBoth titles Nathanael uses were royal language in Israel. "Son of God" was applied to the king in the royal psalms, and "King of Israel" is the plain national title. In this setting they are claims about who rules, spoken to a man Nathanael has just met.

50Jesus answered him, "Do you believe just because I told you I saw you under the fig tree? You will see greater things than that."

50Jesus answered and said unto him, Because I said unto thee, I saw thee under the fig tree, believest thou? thou shalt see greater things than these.

51Then he said to him, "I tell you the truth: you will all see heaven standing open, and the angels of God going up and coming down on the Son of Man."

51And he saith unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Hereafter ye shall see heaven open, and the angels of God ascending and descending upon the Son of man.

Note"Verily, verily" translates "amen, amen," a Hebrew word meaning "truly" or "it is certain." It was normally said in response to someone else's statement; using it to open one's own is unusual, and this book records Jesus doing so repeatedly. The angels going up and down recall Jacob's dream of a stairway between earth and heaven in Genesis 28. "Son of man" is an Aramaic expression that can mean simply a human being, and it is also the title of the figure who comes with the clouds in Daniel 7; both senses were available to a first-century listener. The "you" in "ye shall see" is plural, addressed to the whole group rather than to Nathanael alone.