American Standard Version
John 1:17
17For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ.
John 1:17 in other versions
- King James Version (KJV)For the law was given by Moses, but grace and truth came by Jesus Christ.
- New International Version (NIV)For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ.
- English Standard Version (ESV)For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ.
- New King James Version (NKJV)For the law was given through Moses, but grace and truth came through Jesus Christ.
Context of John 1:17
15John beareth witness of him, and crieth, saying, This was he of whom I said, He that cometh after me is become before me: for he was before me. 16For of his fulness we all received, and grace for grace. For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ. 18No man hath seen God at any time; the only begotten Son, who is in the bosom of the Father, he hath declared him. 19And this is the witness of John, when the Jews sent unto him from Jerusalem priests and Levites to ask him, Who art thou?
Read all of John 1John 1:17 word by word
ὅτι ὁ νόμος διὰ Μωϋσέως ἐδόθη, ἡ χάρις καὶ ἡ ἀλήθεια διὰ Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ ἐγένετο.¶Read the interlinear
Cross-references for John 1:17
- John 5:45Think not that I will accuse you to the Father: there is one that accuseth you, even Moses, on whom ye have set your hope.
- John 9:29We know that God hath spoken unto Moses: but as for this man, we know not whence he is.
- Exodus 20:1And God spake all these words, saying,
- Deuteronomy 4:44And this is the law which Moses set before the children of Israel:
- Deuteronomy 5:1And Moses called unto all Israel, and said unto them, Hear, O Israel, the statutes and the ordinances which I speak in your ears this day, that ye may learn them, and observe to do them.
- Deuteronomy 33:4Moses commanded us a law, An inheritance for the assembly of Jacob.
- Acts 7:38This is he that was in the church in the wilderness with the angel that spake to him in the mount Sinai, and with our fathers: who received living oracles to give unto us:
- Acts 28:23And when they had appointed him a day, they came to him into his lodging in great number; to whom he expounded the matter, testifying the kingdom of God, and persuading them concerning Jesus, both from the law of Moses and from the prophets, from morning till evening.
- Romans 3:19Now we know that what things soever the law saith, it speaketh to them that are under the law; that every mouth may be stopped, and all the world may be brought under the judgment of God:
- Romans 5:20And the law came in besides, that the trespass might abound; but where sin abounded, grace did abound more exceedingly:
- 2 Corinthians 3:7But if the ministration of death, written, and engraven on stones, came with glory, so that the children of Israel could not look stedfastly upon the face of Moses for the glory of his face; which glory was passing away:
- Galatians 3:10For as many as are of the works of the law are under a curse: for it is written, Cursed is every one who continueth not in all things that are written in the book of the law, to do them.
- Hebrews 3:5And Moses indeed was faithful in all his house as a servant, for a testimony of those things which were afterward to be spoken;
- Hebrews 8:8For finding fault with them, he saith, Behold, the days come, saith the Lord, That I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah;
- John 8:32and ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.
- John 14:6Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, and the truth, and the life: no one cometh unto the Father, but by me.
Commentaries on John 1:17
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 17The law was given by Moses - Moses received the law from God, and through him it was given to the Jews, Acts 7:38. But grace and truth - Which he had already mentioned, and which were to be the subject of the book which he was now writing, came to all mankind through Jesus Christ, who is the mediator of the new covenant, as Moses was of the old: Hebrews 8:6; Hebrews 9:15; Galatians 3:19. See a fine discourse on this text by Mr. Claude, "Essay on the…Read the comment
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 17The law was given - The Old Testament economy. The institutions under which the Jews lived. By Moses - By Moses, as the servant of God. He was the great legislator of the Jews, by whom, under God, their polity was formed. The law worketh wrath Romans 4:15; it was attended with many burdensome rites and ceremonies Acts 15:10; it was preparatory to another state of things. The gospel succeeded that and took its place, and thus showed the greatness of the…Read the comment
- Matthew Henry Concise Commentary · v. 15-18Verses 15-18 As to the order of time and entrance on his work, Christ came after John, but in every other way he was before him. The expression clearly shows that Jesus had existence before he appeared on earth as man. All fulness dwells in him, from which alone fallen sinners have, and shall receive, by faith, all that renders them wise, strong, holy, useful, and happy. Our receivings by Christ are all summed up in this one word, grace; we have received…Read the comment
- Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 17the law: This refers to the Torah, the body of instruction given to Moses at Mount Sinai. The Torah taught Israel how to live in faithful relationship with God and with one another. God's grace and truth are present in the Torah, but Jesus fully reveals these qualities in his person and power (3:16; 13:1).Read the comment
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 1717. For, &c.--The Law elicits the consciousness of sin and the need of redemption; it only typifies the reality. The Gospel, on the contrary, actually communicates reality and power from above (compare Ro 6:14). Hence Paul terms the Old Testament "shadow," while he calls the New Testament "substance" (Col 2:17) [Olshausen].Read the comment
Topics related to John 1:17
In the dictionaries
Commentaries on John 1
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
- Matthew Henry Concise Commentary
- Tyndale Open Study Notes
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary
- Calvin’s Commentaries
- John Wesley’s Notes
- Catena Aurea
- Illustrated New Testament
- Burkitt’s Expository Notes
- Darby Translation Notes
- Family Bible Notes
- Geneva Bible Translation Notes
- Kingcomments
- John Lightfoot Commentary
- Luther’s Commentary on Selected Bible Passages
- Matthew Henry’s Complete Commentary
- Matthew Henry’s Modern English Commentary
- The People’s New Testament
- Robertson’s Word Pictures
- Scofield Reference Notes, 1917 Edition
- The Fourfold Gospel and Commentary on Acts
- Original Douay–Rheims Annotations
- Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary
- EGW Writings
American Standard Version — 1901 — Public Domain
Commentaries