“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. This one was in the beginning with God. All things came to be through him, and apart from him not even one thing came to be. What has come to be in him was life, and the life was the light of men. And the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not overcome it.”
John 1:1–5 (SBLGNT)
Greek | Transliteration | English
Verse 1
Ἐν ἀρχῇ ἦν ὁ λόγος, καὶ ὁ λόγος ἦν πρὸς τὸν θεόν,
En archē ēn ho logos, kai ho logos ēn pros ton theon,
In beginning was the Word, and the Word was with the God,
καὶ θεὸς ἦν ὁ λόγος.
kai theos ēn ho logos.
and God was the Word.
Verse 2
οὗτος ἦν ἐν ἀρχῇ πρὸς τὸν θεόν.
houtos ēn en archē pros ton theon.
This one was in beginning with the God.
Verse 3
πάντα δι’ αὐτοῦ ἐγένετο, καὶ χωρὶς αὐτοῦ ἐγένετο οὐδὲ ἕν.
panta di’ autou egeneto, kai chōris autou egeneto oude hen.
All things through him came to be, and apart from him came to be not even one.
ὃ γέγονεν
ho gegonen
What has come to be
Verse 4
ἐν αὐτῷ ζωὴ ἦν, καὶ ἡ ζωὴ ἦν τὸ φῶς τῶν ἀνθρώπων·
en autō zōē ēn, kai hē zōē ēn to phōs tōn anthrōpōn·
in him life was, and the life was the light of the men;
Verse 5
καὶ τὸ φῶς ἐν τῇ σκοτίᾳ φαίνει, καὶ ἡ σκοτία αὐτὸ οὐ κατέλαβεν.
kai to phōs en tē skotia phainei, kai hē skotia auto ou katelaben.
and the light in the darkness shines, and the darkness it not overcame.
Notes
- In the SBLGNT (and most critical editions), the phrase ὃ γέγονεν (“what has come to be”) begins verse 4. Some earlier editions and translations attach it to the end of verse 3.
- θεὸς ἦν ὁ λόγος (v. 1) has the anarthrous predicate noun θεὸς before the verb, which is the normal Greek way of asserting identity while preserving distinction.
- ἦν is the imperfect of εἰμί (“was” / continuous existence), contrasting with the aorist ἐγένετο (“came to be”) used of created things.
- κατέλαβεν (v. 5) can mean “overcame,” “comprehended,” or “seized.”
According to the Greek text (SBLGNT) and the Apostle John’s original intent
John’s Prologue (1:1–18) functions as the theological overture to the entire Gospel. It deliberately echoes Genesis 1 (“In the beginning…”) while reinterpreting it in light of the incarnation. John’s intent is to present the pre-existent Word (ὁ λόγος) as the divine agent of creation, the source of life and light, who enters the darkness of the human world and is not overcome by it. The passage establishes both the full deity and the personal distinction of the Word before identifying him as Jesus in verse 14.
Verse 1
Ἐν ἀρχῇ ἦν ὁ λόγος, καὶ ὁ λόγος ἦν πρὸς τὸν θεόν, καὶ θεὸς ἦν ὁ λόγος.
En archē ēn ho logos, kai ho logos ēn pros ton theon, kai theos ēn ho logos.
- Ἐν ἀρχῇ (“in the beginning”): Anarthrous, yet definite by context. It deliberately recalls Genesis 1:1 (LXX: ἐν ἀρχῇ ἐποίησεν ὁ θεός). John does not begin with the creation of the world but with the Word who already was when the beginning began.
- ἦν (imperfect of εἰμί): Continuous, timeless existence. Unlike the aorist ἐγένετο used of created things (v. 3), ἦν stresses that the Word did not come into being; he simply was.
- ὁ λόγος (“the Word”): The definite article marks a specific, personal reality. In Greek philosophy logos could mean reason or the rational principle of the universe; in Jewish thought it could evoke God’s creative and revelatory word (cf. Ps 33:6; Wis 9:1). John uses the term to identify the pre-existent Son who both expresses and is God.
- πρὸς τὸν θεόν (“with God”): The preposition πρός + accusative implies face-to-face personal relationship and communion, not mere proximity. The Word is distinct from the Father yet eternally oriented toward him.
- θεὸς ἦν ὁ λόγος (“the Word was God”): The predicate noun θεός is anarthrous (no article) and placed before the verb—a classic Greek construction that asserts full deity without collapsing the persons. The Word is not “a god” (as some claim) nor simply “divine in quality”; the construction equates the Word with the being of God while preserving the distinction already stated by πρὸς τὸν θεόν. John intentionally avoids the reverse order (ὁ θεὸς ἦν ὁ λόγος), which would have made the Word exhaustively identical with the Father.
Verse 2
οὗτος ἦν ἐν ἀρχῇ πρὸς τὸν θεόν.
houtos ēn en archē pros ton theon.
- οὗτος (“this one”): Emphatic demonstrative referring back to ὁ λόγος. It stresses continuity and identity.
- The verse is a deliberate restatement that reinforces both the pre-existence (ἦν ἐν ἀρχῇ) and the personal relationship (πρὸς τὸν θεόν). John will not allow any reduction of the Word to an impersonal force or a secondary deity.
Verse 3
πάντα δι’ αὐτοῦ ἐγένετο, καὶ χωρὶς αὐτοῦ ἐγένετο οὐδὲ ἕν. ὃ γέγονεν
panta di’ autou egeneto, kai chōris autou egeneto oude hen. ho gegonen
- πάντα (“all things”): Comprehensive, with no exceptions.
- δι’ αὐτοῦ (“through him”): The preposition διά + genitive marks the Word as the intermediate agent of creation (cf. Col 1:16; Heb 1:2). The Father creates through the Word.
- ἐγένετο (aorist of γίνομαι): “Came into being.” The sharp contrast with the imperfect ἦν of verses 1–2 is deliberate: everything created became; the Word simply was.
- χωρὶς αὐτοῦ ἐγένετο οὐδὲ ἕν (“apart from him not even one thing came to be”): Absolute exclusion. The double negative and the emphatic οὐδὲ ἕν leave no room for any created entity existing independently of the Word.
- ὃ γέγονεν (“what has come to be”): Perfect tense. In the SBLGNT this phrase begins verse 4, linking the created order to the life that is in the Word. Some manuscripts and editions attach it to verse 3; either way, the sense is that the entire created realm derives its existence from the Word.
Verse 4
ἐν αὐτῷ ζωὴ ἦν, καὶ ἡ ζωὴ ἦν τὸ φῶς τῶν ἀνθρώπων·
en autō zōē ēn, kai hē zōē ēn to phōs tōn anthrōpōn
- ἐν αὐτῷ (“in him”): The sphere or source of life is the Word himself.
- ζωὴ (“life”): Anarthrous at first occurrence, then articular (ἡ ζωή). In Johannine theology this is not merely biological existence but the divine life that is eternal (cf. 5:26; 11:25; 14:6). It is both the life by which all things were made and the life that gives light to humanity.
- ἦν τὸ φῶς (“was the light”): The life in the Word is identified with light. Light in John is revelatory and salvific—the opposite of the darkness that characterizes the world apart from God (cf. 3:19; 8:12; 12:35–36).
- τῶν ἀνθρώπων (“of men / of humanity”): The light is directed toward human beings. John’s intent is soteriological as well as cosmological: the same Word who created the world is the light that illuminates and saves people.
Verse 5
καὶ τὸ φῶς ἐν τῇ σκοτίᾳ φαίνει, καὶ ἡ σκοτία αὐτὸ οὐ κατέλαβεν.
kai to phōs en tē skotia phainei, kai hē skotia auto ou katelaben.
- τὸ φῶς (“the light”): Now fully identified with the Word.
- ἐν τῇ σκοτίᾳ (“in the darkness”): Darkness is both moral and spiritual opposition to God (cf. 3:19; 12:46). The light does not remain distant; it enters the realm of darkness.
- φαίνει (present tense of φαίνω): Continuous shining. Even after the incarnation and the world’s rejection, the light keeps shining.
- ἡ σκοτία αὐτὸ οὐ κατέλαβεν:
- κατέλαβεν (aorist of καταλαμβάνω): The verb can mean “to seize/overtake,” “to overcome,” or “to comprehend/grasp.” In context it carries both the sense of “did not overcome” (the light is victorious) and “did not comprehend” (the darkness failed to understand or receive the light).
- The aorist points to a decisive historical moment (the coming of the Word into the world and the rejection he encountered), yet the present φαίνει shows the light’s ongoing triumph.
Summary
John opens his Gospel by identifying Jesus (explicitly named only in 1:14) as the eternal Word who was with God and was God, the agent through whom all things came into being, and the source of life and light for humanity. The Prologue is not abstract speculation; it is the theological foundation for everything that follows. Every sign, discourse, and claim Jesus makes in the Gospel is to be understood in light of this opening assertion: the man Jesus is the pre-existent, fully divine Word who entered the darkness, was not overcome by it, and brings life and light to those who receive him. The careful use of ἦν versus ἐγένετο, the anarthrous θεός construction, and the light/darkness contrast are all deliberate choices that protect both the deity of the Word and his personal distinction from the Father while preparing the reader for the incarnation.
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