John 1:18

John 1:18 in other versions

• King James Version (KJV)No man hath seen God at any time; the only begotten Son, which is in the bosom of the Father, he hath declared him.
• New International Version (NIV)No one has ever seen God, but the one and only Son, who is himself God and is in closest relationship with the Father, has made him known.
• English Standard Version (ESV)No one has ever seen God; the only God, who is at the Father's side, he has made him known.
• New King James Version (NKJV)No one has seen God at any time. The only begotten Son, who is in the bosom of the Father, He has declared Him.

Context of John 1:18

16From his abundance we have all received one gracious blessing after another. 17For the law was given through Moses, but God’s unfailing love and faithfulness came through Jesus Christ. No one has ever seen God. But the unique One, who is himself God, is near to the Father’s heart. He has revealed God to us. 19This was John’s testimony when the Jewish leaders sent priests and Temple assistants from Jerusalem to ask John, “Who are you?” 20He came right out and said, “I am not the Messiah.”

John 1:18 word by word

Θεὸν οὐδεὶς ἑώρακεν πώποτε· μονογενὴς θεὸς ὁ ὢν εἰς τὸν κόλπον τοῦ πατρός, ἐκεῖνος ἐξηγήσατο.Read the interlinear

Words taken from the KJV.

• No manοὐδείςoudeis · noneG3762
• hath seenὁράωhoraō · to see: seeG3708
• Godθεόςtheos · GodG2316
• at any timeπώποτεpōpote · everG4455
• the only begottenμονογενήςmonogenēs · uniqueG3439
• Sonυἱόςuihos · sonG5207
• whichὁho hē to · the/this/whoG3588
• isεἰμίeimi · to beG1510
• inεἰςeis · towardG1519
• the bosomκόλποςkolpos · bosomG2859
• of the Fatherπατήρpatēr · fatherG3962
• heἐκεῖνοςekeinos · thatG1565
• hath declaredἐξηγέομαιexēgeomai · to tellG1834

Cross-references for John 1:18

• John 6:46(Not that anyone has ever seen the Father; only I, who was sent from God, have seen him.)
• Exodus 33:20But you may not look directly at my face, for no one may see me and live.”
• Deuteronomy 4:12And the Lord spoke to you from the heart of the fire. You heard the sound of his words but didn’t see his form; there was only a voice.
• Matthew 11:27“My Father has entrusted everything to me. No one truly knows the Son except the Father, and no one truly knows the Father except the Son and those to whom the Son chooses to reveal him.”
• Luke 10:22“My Father has entrusted everything to me. No one truly knows the Son except the Father, and no one truly knows the Father except the Son and those to whom the Son chooses to reveal him.”
• Colossians 1:15Christ is the visible image of the invisible God. He existed before anything was created and is supreme over all creation,
• 1 Timothy 1:17All honor and glory to God forever and ever! He is the eternal King, the unseen one who never dies; he alone is God. Amen.
• 1 Timothy 6:16He alone can never die, and he lives in light so brilliant that no human can approach him. No human eye has ever seen him, nor ever will. All honor and power to him forever! Amen.
• 1 John 4:12No one has ever seen God. But if we love each other, God lives in us, and his love is brought to full expression in us.
• John 1:14So the Word became human and made his home among us. He was full of unfailing love and faithfulness. And we have seen his glory, the glory of the Father’s one and only Son.
• John 3:16“For this is how God loved the world: He gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life.
• 1 John 4:9God showed how much he loved us by sending his one and only Son into the world so that we might have eternal life through him.
• John 13:23The disciple Jesus loved was sitting next to Jesus at the table.
• Proverbs 8:30I was the architect at his side. I was his constant delight, rejoicing always in his presence.
• Isaiah 40:11He will feed his flock like a shepherd. He will carry the lambs in his arms, holding them close to his heart. He will gently lead the mother sheep with their young.
• Lamentations 2:12They cry out to their mothers, “We need food and drink!” Their lives ebb away in the streets like the life of a warrior wounded in battle. They gasp for life as they collapse in their mothers’ arms.

Commentaries on John 1:18

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 18No man hath seen God at any time - Moses and others heard his voice, and saw the cloud and the fire, which were the symbols of his presence; but such a manifestation of God as had now taken place, in the person of Jesus Christ, had never before been exhibited to the world. It is likely that the word seen, here, is put for known, as in John 3:32; 1 John 3:2, 1 John 3:6, and 3 John 1:11; and this sense the latter clause of the verse seems to require: - No…Read the comment
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 18No man hath seen God at any time - This declaration is probably made to show the superiority of the revelation of Jesus above that of any previous dispensation. It is said, therefore, that Jesus “had an intimate knowledge of God,” which neither Moses nor any of the ancient prophets had possessed. God is invisible: no human eyes have seen him; but Christ had a knowledge of God which might be expressed to our apprehension by saying that he saw him. He knew…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. 18God would not allow Moses to see him directly (Exodus 33:18–20). Only Jesus has seen the Father, so he alone completely knows him and can tell us about him (John 3:32–35; 14:9–10). but the one and only Son: The Son, who sees the Father, is himself God. The Son is not simply a messenger who knows something about God. John explicitly affirms Christ’s deity. Jesus shares the substance of God’s being.Read the comment
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 1818. No man--"No one," in the widest sense. hath seen God--by immediate gaze, or direct intuition. in the bosom of the Father--A remarkable expression, used only here, presupposing the Son's conscious existence distinct from the Father, and expressing His immediate and most endeared access to, and absolute acquaintance with, Him. he--emphatic; As if he should say, "He and He only hath declared Him," because He only can.Read the comment

Topics related to John 1:18

• Confession
• God
• God Continued...
• Jesus Continued
• Jesus, the Christ

In the dictionaries

• God
• god, false god, goddess, idol, idolater, idolatrous, idolatry
• Only Begotten
• Behold
• Believe
• Blood
• Bosom
• Dwell
• Face
• 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