John 1:12

John 1:12 in other versions

• King James Version (KJV)But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name:
• New International Version (NIV)Yet to all who did receive him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God—
• English Standard Version (ESV)But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God,
• New King James Version (NKJV)But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name:

Context of John 1:12

10He was in the world, and the world was made through Him, and the world did not know Him. 11He came to His own, and those who were His own did not receive Him. But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, even to those who believe in His name, 13who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God. 14And the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us, and we saw His glory, glory as of the only begotten from the Father, full of grace and truth.

John 1:12 word by word

ὅσοι δὲ ἔλαβον αὐτόν, ἔδωκεν αὐτοῖς ἐξουσίαν τέκνα θεοῦ γενέσθαι, τοῖς πιστεύουσιν εἰς τὸ ὄνομα αὐτοῦ,Read the interlinear

• But as manyὅσοςhosos · just as/how muchG3745
• as receivedλαμβάνωlambanō · to takeG2983
• Him, to them He gaveδίδωμιdidōmi · to giveG1325
• the rightἐξουσίαexousia · authorityG1849
• to becomeγίνομαιginomai · to beG1096
• childrenτέκνονteknon · childG5043
• of Godθεόςtheos · GodG2316
• to thoseὁho hē to · the/this/whoG3588
• who believeπιστεύωpisteuō · to trust (in)G4100
• in His nameὄνομαonoma · nameG3686

Cross-references for John 1:12

• Matthew 10:40“He who receives you receives Me, and he who receives Me receives Him who sent Me.
• Matthew 18:5And whoever receives one such child in My name receives Me;
• Colossians 2:6Therefore as you have received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in Him,
• Isaiah 56:5To them I will give in My house and within My walls a memorial, And a name better than that of sons and daughters; I will give them an everlasting name which will not be cut off.
• Jeremiah 3:19“Then I said, ‘How I would set you among My sons And give you a pleasant land, The most beautiful inheritance of the nations!’ And I said, ‘You shall call Me, My Father, And not turn away from following Me.’
• Hosea 1:10Yet the number of the sons of Israel Will be like the sand of the sea, Which cannot be measured or numbered; And in the place Where it is said to them, “You are not My people,” It will be said to them, “You are the sons of the living God.”
• Romans 8:14For all who are being led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God.
• 2 Corinthians 6:17Therefore, come out from their midst and be separate,” says the Lord. “And do not touch what is unclean; And I will welcome you.
• Galatians 3:26For you are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus.
• Galatians 4:6Because you are sons, God has sent forth the Spirit of His Son into our hearts, crying, “Abba! Father!”
• 2 Peter 1:4For by these He has granted to us His precious and magnificent promises, so that by them you may become partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world by lust.
• 1 John 3:1See how great a love the Father has bestowed on us, that we would be called children of God; and such we are. For this reason the world does not know us, because it did not know Him.
• John 2:23Now when He was in Jerusalem at the Passover, during the feast, many believed in His name, observing His signs which He was doing.
• John 3:18He who believes in Him is not judged; he who does not believe has been judged already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.
• John 20:31but these have been written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing you may have life in His name.
• Matthew 12:21And in His name the Gentiles will hope.”

Commentaries on John 1:12

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 12Gave he power - , Privilege, honor, dignity, or right. He who is made a child of God enjoys the greatest privilege which the Divine Being can confer on this side eternity. Those who accept Jesus Christ, as he is offered to them in the Gospel, have, through his blood, a right to this sonship; for by that sacrifice this blessing was purchased; and the fullest promises of God confirm it to all who believe. And those who are engrafted in the heavenly family…Read the comment
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 12To as many as received him - The great mass; the people; the scribes and Pharisees rejected him. A few in his lifetime received him, and many more after his death. “To receive him,” here, means to “believe” on him. This is expressed at the end of the verse. Gave he power - This is more appropriately rendered in the margin by the word “right” or “privilege.” Compare Acts 1:7; Acts 5:4; Romans 9:21; 1 Corinthians 7:37; 1 Corinthians 8:9; 1 Corinthians…Read the comment
• Matthew Henry Concise Commentary · v. 6-14Verses 6-14 John the Baptist came to bear witness concerning Jesus. Nothing more fully shows the darkness of men's minds, than that when the Light had appeared, there needed a witness to call attention to it. Christ was the true Light; that great Light which deserves to be called so. By his Spirit and grace he enlightens all that are enlightened to salvation; and those that are not enlightened by him, perish in darkness. Christ was in the world when he…Read the comment
• Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 12People can follow the light and join God's family only when God spiritually renews them (3:1–17). People must believe in Christ to become children of God (12:35–36).Read the comment
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 10-1310-13. He was in the world, &c.--The language here is nearly as wonderful as the thought. Observe its compact simplicity, its sonorousness--"the world" resounding in each of its three members--and the enigmatic form in which it is couched, startling the reader and setting his ingenuity a-working to solve the stupendous enigma of Christ ignored in His own world. "The world," in the first two clauses, plainly means the created world, into which He came…Read the comment

Topics related to John 1:12

• Adoption
• Faith
• Jesus Continued
• Jesus, the Christ

In the dictionaries

• God
• god, false god, goddess, idol, idolater, idolatrous, idolatry
• Sons of God
• Behold
• Believe
• Blood
• Covenant
• Dwell
• Father
• Flesh

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