God’s Word Translation
John 1:4
4He was the source of life, and that life was the light for humanity.
John 1:4 in other versions
- King James Version (KJV)In him was life; and the life was the light of men.
- New International Version (NIV)In him was life, and that life was the light of all mankind.
- English Standard Version (ESV)In him was life, and the life was the light of men.
- New King James Version (NKJV)In Him was life, and the life was the light of men.
Context of John 1:4
2He was already with God in the beginning. 3Everything came into existence through him. Not one thing that exists was made without him. He was the source of life, and that life was the light for humanity. 5The light shines in the dark, and the dark has never extinguished it. 6God sent a man named John to be his messenger.
Read all of John 1John 1:4 word by word
ἐν αὐτῷ ζωὴ ἦν, καὶ ἡ ζωὴ ἦν τὸ φῶς τῶν ἀνθρώπων,Read the interlinear
Words taken from the KJV.
Cross-references for John 1:4
- John 5:21In the same way that the Father brings back the dead and gives them life, the Son gives life to anyone he chooses.
- John 11:25Jesus said to her, “I am the one who brings people back to life, and I am life itself. Those who believe in me will live even if they die.
- John 14:6Jesus answered him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one goes to the Father except through me.
- 1 Corinthians 15:45This is what Scripture says: “The first man, Adam, became a living being.” The last Adam became a life-giving spirit.
- Colossians 3:4Christ is your life. When he appears, then you, too, will appear with him in glory.
- 1 John 1:2This life was revealed to us. We have seen it, and we testify about it. We are reporting to you about this eternal life that was in the presence of the Father and was revealed to us.
- 1 John 5:11This is the testimony: God has given us eternal life, and this life is found in his Son.
- Revelation 22:1The angel showed me a river filled with the water of life, as clear as crystal. It was flowing from the throne of God and the lamb.
- John 1:8John was not the light, but he came to declare the truth about the light.
- John 8:12Jesus spoke to the Pharisees again. He said, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will have a life filled with light and will never live in the dark.”
- John 9:5As long as I’m in the world, I’m light for the world.”
- John 12:35Jesus answered the crowd, “The light will still be with you for a little while. Walk while you have light so that darkness won’t defeat you. Those who walk in the dark don’t know where they’re going.
- Psalms 84:11The Lord God is a sun and shield. The Lord grants favor and honor. He does not hold back any blessing from those who live innocently.
- Isaiah 35:4Tell those who are terrified, “Be brave; don’t be afraid. Your God will come with vengeance, with divine revenge. He will come and rescue you.”
- Isaiah 42:6I, the Lord, have called you to do what is right. I will take hold of your hand. I will protect you. I will appoint you as my promise to the people, as my light to the nations.
- Psalms 49:6They trust their riches and brag about their abundant wealth.
Commentaries on John 1:4
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 4In him was life - Many MSS., versions, and fathers, connect this with the preceding verse, thus: All things were made by him, and without him was nothing made. What was made had life in it; but This Life was the light of men. That is, though every thing he made had a principle of life in it, whether vegetable, animal, or intellectual, yet this, that life or animal principle in the human being, was not the light of men; not that light which could guide…Read the comment
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 4In him was life - The evangelist had just affirmed John 5:3 that by the ́ Logosor “Word” the world was originally created. One part of that creation consisted “in breathing into man the breath of life,” Genesis 2:7. God is declared to be “life,” or the “living” God, because he is the source or fountain of life. This attribute is here ascribed to Jesus Christ. He not merely made the material worlds, but he also gave “life.” He was the agent by which the…Read the comment
- Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 4In Him was life: Life was God’s original gift to his creatures at creation (Genesis 1:20–28; 2:7). Now the logos gives people the possibility of new life, which comes through rebirth from God (John 1:13). This means receiving new life from God, not a second physical birth. It describes a spiritual beginning in which God gives people new life through faith, making them his children As one of his first creative acts, God brought light into the world…Read the comment
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 44. In Him was life--essentially and originally, as the previous verses show to be the meaning. Thus He is the Living Word, or, as He is called in 1Jo 1:1, 2, "the Word of Life." the life ... the light of men--All that in men which is true light--knowledge, integrity, intelligent, willing subjection to God, love to Him and to their fellow creatures, wisdom, purity, holy joy, rational happiness--all this "light of men" has its fountain in the essential…Read the comment
Topics related to John 1:4
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
God’s Word Translation — © 1995 God’s Word to the Nations Bible Society
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