1 John 1:5

1 John 1:5 in other versions

• King James Version (KJV)This then is the message which we have heard of him, and declare unto you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all.
• New International Version (NIV)This is the message we have heard from him and declare to you: God is light; in him there is no darkness at all.
• English Standard Version (ESV)This is the message we have heard from him and proclaim to you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all.
• New Living Translation (NLT)This is the message we heard from Jesus and now declare to you: God is light, and there is no darkness in him at all.

Context of 1 John 1:5

3that which we have seen and heard we declare to you, that you also may have fellowship with us; and truly our fellowship is with the Father and with His Son Jesus Christ. 4And these things we write to you that your joy may be full. This is the message which we have heard from Him and declare to you, that God is light and in Him is no darkness at all. 6If we say that we have fellowship with Him, and walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth. 7But if we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin.

1 John 1:5 word by word

καὶ ἔστιν αὕτη ἡ ἀγγελία ἣν ἀκηκόαμεν ἀπ᾽ αὐτοῦ καὶ ἀναγγέλλομεν ὑμῖν ὅτι ὁ θεὸς φῶς ἐστιν καὶ σκοτία ἐν αὐτῷ οὐκ ἔστιν οὐδεμία.Read the interlinear

Words taken from the KJV.

• Thisοὗτοςhoutos houtoi hautē hautai · this/he/she/itG3778
• thenκαίkai · andG2532
• isεἰμίeimi · to beG1510
• the messageὁho hē to · the/this/whoG3588
• the messageἀγγελίαaggelia · messageG31
• whichὅςhos hē ho · whichG3739
• we have heardἀκούωakouō · to hearG191
• ofἀπόapo · away fromG575
• himαὐτόςautos · it/s/heG846
• declareἀναγγέλλωanaggellō · to reportG312
• unto youσύsu · youG4771
• thatὅτιhoti · that/since: thatG3754
• Godθεόςtheos · GodG2316
• lightφῶςphōs · lightG5457
• inἐνen · in/on/amongG1722
• noοὐou · noG3756
• darknessσκοτίαskotia · darknessG4653
• at allοὐδείςoudeis · noneG3762

Cross-references for 1 John 1:5

• 1 John 3:11For this is the message that you heard from the beginning, that we should love one another,
• 1 Corinthians 11:23For I received from the Lord that which I also delivered to you: that the Lord Jesus on the same night in which He was betrayed took bread;
• Psalms 27:1The Lord is my light and my salvation; Whom shall I fear? The Lord is the strength of my life; Of whom shall I be afraid?
• Psalms 36:9For with You is the fountain of life; In Your light we see light.
• Psalms 84:11For the Lord God is a sun and shield; The Lord will give grace and glory; No good thing will He withhold From those who walk uprightly.
• Isaiah 60:19“The sun shall no longer be your light by day, Nor for brightness shall the moon give light to you; But the Lord will be to you an everlasting light, And your God your glory.
• John 1:4In Him was life, and the life was the light of men.
• John 8:12Then Jesus spoke to them again, saying, “I am the light of the world. He who follows Me shall not walk in darkness, but have the light of life.”
• John 9:5As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world.”
• John 12:35Then Jesus said to them, “A little while longer the light is with you. Walk while you have the light, lest darkness overtake you; he who walks in darkness does not know where he is going.
• 1 Timothy 6:16who alone has immortality, dwelling in unapproachable light, whom no man has seen or can see, to whom be honor and everlasting power. Amen.
• James 1:17Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and comes down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow of turning.
• Revelation 21:23The city had no need of the sun or of the moon to shine in it, for the glory of God illuminated it. The Lamb is its light.
• Revelation 22:5There shall be no night there: They need no lamp nor light of the sun, for the Lord God gives them light. And they shall reign forever and ever.

Commentaries on 1 John 1:5

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 5This then is the message - This is the grand principle on which all depends, which we have heard of ', From him; for neither Moses nor the prophets ever gave that full instruction concerning God and communion with him which Jesus Christ has given, for the only-begotten Son, who was in the bosom of the Father, has alone declared the fullness of the truth, and the extent of the blessings, which believers on him are to receive. See John 1:18. God is light…Read the comment
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 5This then is the message which we have heard of him - This is the substance of the announcement ( ̓́ epangelia) which we have received of him, or which he made to us. The message here refers to what he communicated as the sum of the revelation which he made to man. The phrase “of him” ( ̓ ̓ ap'autou) does not mean respecting him, or about him, but from him; that is, this is what we received from his preaching; from all that he said. The peculiarity, the…Read the comment
• Matthew Henry Concise Commentary · v. 5-10Verses 5-10 A message from the Lord Jesus, the Word of life, the eternal Word, we should all gladly receive. The great God should be represented to this dark world, as pure and perfect light. As this is the nature of God, his doctrines and precepts must be such. And as his perfect happiness cannot be separated from his perfect holiness, so our happiness will be in proportion to our being made holy. To walk in darkness, is to live and act against religion…Read the comment
• Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 5God is light: This means that God is completely pure, good, and true. When Jesus Christ lived on earth, this light shone through him to everyone he met. His life exposed the sin in people’s hearts, because his words and actions showed God’s perfect standard. At the same time, his light also helped people understand what God is really like—his goodness, his mercy, and his desire for people to walk in truth (see John 1:4–5, 9; 3:19–21; 8:12; 9:5; 12:35–36…Read the comment
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 55. First division of the body of the Epistle (compare Introduction). declare--Greek, "announce"; report in turn; a different Greek word from 1Jo 1:3. As the Son announced the message heard from the Father as His apostle, so the Son's apostles announce what they have heard from the Son. John nowhere uses the term "Gospel"; but the witness or testimony, the word, the truth, and here the message. God is light--What light is in the natural world, that God…Read the comment

Topics related to 1 John 1:5

• Darkness
• Fellowship
• God Continued...
• Light
• Word of God

In the dictionaries

• God
• Deceive
• Fellowship
• Light
• Unction
• Walk
• Astronomy
• Johannine Theology
• John, the Epistles of
• Omniscience

Commentaries on 1 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
• Illustrated New Testament
• Burkitt’s Expository Notes
• Darby Translation Notes
• Family Bible Notes
• Geneva Bible Translation Notes
• Kingcomments
• 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
• Original Douay–Rheims Annotations
• Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary
• EGW Writings