John 3:20

John 3:20 in other versions

• King James Version (KJV)For every one that doeth evil hateth the light, neither cometh to the light, lest his deeds should be reproved.
• New International Version (NIV)Everyone who does evil hates the light, and will not come into the light for fear that their deeds will be exposed.
• English Standard Version (ESV)For everyone who does wicked things hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his works should be exposed.
• New King James Version (NKJV)For everyone practicing evil hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his deeds should be exposed.

Context of John 3:20

18God will not punish anyone who believes in his Son. But if people refuse to believe in the Son, God has already decided that he must punish them. They have not believed in God's one and only Son. 19God's Son has brought light into the world. But some people did not love the light. They loved the dark instead. That was because they were doing evil things. That is why God has decided to punish those people. Everyone who does evil things hates the light. A person like that will not come to the light because he is afraid. He does not want the bad things that he has done to show clearly. 21But anyone who does what is true will come to the light. The light will show clearly that he has been doing what is right. Everyone can see that he has been obeying God. 22After this, Jesus and his disciples went to the country places in Judea. Jesus stayed there with his disciples for some time, and they baptized people there.

John 3:20 word by word

πᾶς γὰρ ὁ φαῦλα πράσσων μισεῖ τὸ φῶς καὶ οὐκ ἔρχεται πρὸς τὸ φῶς ἵνα μὴ ἐλεγχθῇ τὰ ἔργα αὐτοῦ·Read the interlinear

Words taken from the KJV.

• ·ὁho hē to · the/this/whoG3588
• Forγάρgar · forG1063
• everyπᾶςpas · allG3956
• one that doethπράσσωprassō · to do/requireG4238
• evilφαῦλοςphaulos · evilG5337
• hatethμισέωmiseō · to hateG3404
• the lightφῶςphōs · lightG5457
• ·καίkai · andG2532
• neitherοὐou · noG3756
• comethἔρχομαιerchomai · to come/goG2064
• toπρόςpros · to/withG4314
• ·ἵναhina · in order that/toG2443
• lestμήmē · notG3361
• hisαὐτόςautos · it/s/heG846
• deedsἔργονergon · workG2041
• should be reprovedἐλέγχωelegchō · to rebukeG1651

Cross-references for John 3:20

• John 7:7People who belong to this world cannot hate you. But they hate me. The things that they do are very bad. And I tell them that those things are wrong. That is why they hate me.
• 1 Kings 22:8The king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat, ‘There is still one man. We could ask him what the Lord wants us to do. But I do not like him, because he never says that anything good will happen to me. He only says that I will have trouble. He is Imlah's son, Micaiah.’ Jehoshaphat said, ‘The king should not talk like that.’
• Job 24:13Some people refuse to live in the light. They do not understand it. They do not go along the good way that it shows to them.
• Psalms 50:17For you hate my teaching, and you refuse to accept my message.
• Proverbs 1:29They have refused to learn what is right. They have refused to respect the Lord.
• Proverbs 4:18The life of righteous people is like the sun at dawn. It gets brighter and brighter until midday.
• Proverbs 5:12You will say, ‘I should have listened when people warned me that I was doing bad things.
• Proverbs 15:12Proud people do not like it when someone warns them. They will not ask wise people to give them advice.
• Amos 5:10‘You Israelites hate honest judges. You laugh at anyone who speaks the truth.
• Luke 11:45Then a teacher of God's Law spoke out. ‘Teacher,’ he said, ‘when you say these things, you are also saying bad things about us.’
• James 1:23You must obey God's message. Do not be like a man who quickly looks at his face in a mirror.
• Ephesians 5:12People like that should be ashamed of the things that they do secretly. Those things are too bad for us even to talk about.

Commentaries on John 3:20

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 20For every one that doeth evil hateth the light - He who doth vile or abominable things: alluding to the subject mentioned in the preceding verse. The word , evil or vile, is supposed by some to come from the Hebrew פלס phalas, to roll, and so cover oneself in dust or ashes, which was practised in token of humiliation and grief, not only by the more eastern nations, see Job 42:6, but also by the Greeks and Trojans, as appears from Homer, Iliad xviii. l…Read the comment
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 20That doeth evil - Every wicked person. Hateth the light - This is true of all wicked men. They choose to practice their deeds of wickedness in darkness. They are afraid of the light, because they could be easily detected. Hence, most crimes are committed in the night. So with the sinner against God. He hates the gospel, for it condemns his conduct, and his conscience would trouble him if it were enlightened. His deeds should be reproved - To “reprove”…Read the comment
• Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 19-20When people live in spiritual darkness (a life separated from God), they do not want the light that Jesus brings. Jesus called himself "the light of the world" (8:12; 9:5). His light shows truth and exposes sin. Darkness does not simply ignore the light. It resists it and tries to overcome it. But the darkness cannot defeat the light (1:5). Those who refuse to believe continue to live in darkness (13:30). They stumble because they cannot see clearly…Read the comment
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 17-2117-21. not to condemn, &c.--A statement of vast importance. Though "condemnation" is to many the issue of Christ's mission (Joh 3:19), it is not the object of His mission, which is purely a saving one.Read the comment

Topics related to John 3:20

• Blindness
• Character
• Darkness
• Jesus, the Christ
• Judgment
• Light
• Sin
• Wicked (People)
• Word of God

In the dictionaries

• Born
• Condemn
• Condemnation
• Darkness
• Decrease
• Faith
• Increase
• Love
• Nicodemus
• Testify

Commentaries on John 3

• 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