John 1:1-18
1599 Geneva Bible
The Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ, According to John
1 That Word begotten of God before all worlds, 2 and which was ever with the Father, 14 is made man. 6, 7 For what end John was sent from God. 15 His preaching of Christ’s office. 19, 20 The record that he bare given out unto the Priests. 40 The calling of Andrew, 42 of Peter, 43 Philip, 45 and Nathanael.
1 In [a]the [b]beginning [c]was [d]that Word, and that Word was [e]with God, and that [f]Word was God.
2 This same was in the beginning with God.
3 (A)[g]All [h]things were made by it, and [i]without it [j]was made nothing that was made.
4 [k]In it [l]was life, and that life was [m]the light of men.
5 [n]And that light shineth in the wilderness, and the darkness [o]comprehendeth it not.
6 ¶ (B)[p]There was a man sent from God, whose name was John.
7 This same came for a witness, to bear witness of that light, that all men [q]through him might believe.
8 He was not [r]that light, but was sent to bear witness of that light.
9 [s]This was [t]that true light, which lighteth every man that cometh into the world.
10 [u]He was in the world, and the world was (C)made by him: and the world knew him not.
11 He came [v]unto his own, and his own received him not.
12 [w]But as many as received him, to them he gave [x]prerogative to be the sons of God, even to them that believe in his Name,
13 Which are born not of blood, nor of the [y]will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.
14 (D)[z]And that Word was made [aa]flesh, and [ab]dwelt among us, (and we (E)saw the [ac]glory thereof, [ad]as the glory of the only begotten Son of the Father) [ae]full of grace and truth.
15 ¶ [af]John bare witness of him, and cried, saying, This was he of whom I said, He that cometh [ag]after me, was [ah]before me: for he was better than I.
16 (F)[ai]And of his fullness have all we received, and [aj]grace for grace.
17 For the Law was given by Moses, but grace and truth came by Jesus Christ.
18 (G)[ak]No man hath seen God at any time: that only begotten Son, which is in the [al]bosom of the Father, he hath [am]declared him.
Read full chapterFootnotes
- John 1:1 The Son of God is of one, and the selfsame eternity or everlastingness, and of one and the selfsame essence or nature, with the Father.
- John 1:1 From his beginning, as the Evangelist saith, 1 John 1:1, as though he said, that the world began not then to have his being, when God began to make all that was made: for the word was even then when all things that were made, began to be made, and therefore he was before the beginning of all things.
- John 1:1 Had his being.
- John 1:1 This word, That, pointeth out unto us a peculiar and choice thing above all other, and putteth a difference between this Word, which is the Son of God, and the Laws of God, which otherwise also are called the word of God.
- John 1:1 This word (With) putteth out the distinction of persons to us.
- John 1:1 This word (Word) is the first in order in the sentence, and is that which the learned call (Subjectum:) and this word (God) is the latter in order, and the same which the learned call (Predicatum.)
- John 1:3 The son of God declareth that same his everlasting Godhead, both by the creating of all things, and also by the preserving of them, and especially by the excellent gifts of reason and understanding, wherewith he that beautified man above all other creatures.
- John 1:3 Paul expoundeth this place, Col. 1:15 and 16.
- John 1:3 That is, as the Father did work, so did the Son work with him: for he was fellow worker with him.
- John 1:3 Of all those things which were made, nothing was made without him.
- John 1:4 That is, by him: and it is spoken after the manner of the Hebrews, meaning thereby that by his force and working power all life cometh to the world.
- John 1:4 To wit, even then, when all things are made by him, for else he would have said, Life is in him, and not life was.
- John 1:4 That force of reason and understanding, which is kindled in our minds to acknowledge him, the author of so great a benefit.
- John 1:5 The light of men is turned into darkness, but yet so that there is clearness enough to make them without excuse.
- John 1:5 They could not perceive nor reach unto it, to receive any light of it, no, they did not so much as acknowledge him.
- John 1:6 There is another more full manifestation of the Son of God, to the consideration whereof men are in good time stirred up, even by John’s voice, who is as it were the herald of Christ.
- John 1:7 Through John.
- John 1:8 That light which we spake of, to wit, Christ, who only can lighten our darkness.
- John 1:9 When as the Son of God saw, that man did not acknowledge him by his works, although they were endued with understanding (which he had given to them all) he exhibited himself unto his people to be seen of them with their corporal eyes: yet neither so did they acknowledge him, nor receive him.
- John 1:9 Who only and properly deserveth to be called the light, for he shineth of himself and borroweth light of none.
- John 1:10 That person of the Word, was made manifest even at that time when the world was made.
- John 1:11 The Word showed himself again, when he came in the flesh.
- John 1:12 The Son being shut out of the most of his people, and acknowledged but of a few, doth regenerate them by his own virtue and power, and receiveth them into that honor which is common to all the children of God, that is to be the sons of God.
- John 1:12 He vouchsafed to give them this prerogative to take them to be his children.
- John 1:13 Of that gross and corrupt nature of man, which is throughout the Scriptures set as enemy to the Spirit.
- John 1:14 That Son, who is God from everlasting, took upon him man’s nature, that one and the selfsame might be both God and man, which manifestly appeared to many witnesses, that saw him amongst whom he was conversant, and unto whom by sure and undoubted arguments he showed both his natures.
- John 1:14 That is, man: so that the part is taken for the whole, by the figure Synecdoche: for he took upon him all our whole nature, that is to say, a true body, and a true soul.
- John 1:14 For a season, and when that was ended, he went up into heaven: for the word which he useth, is taken from tents: and yet notwithstanding, his absence from us in body is not such, but that he is always present with us, though not in flesh, yet by the virtue of his Spirit.
- John 1:14 The glory which he speaketh of here, is that manifestation of Christ’s majesty, which was as it were laid open before our eyes when the Son of God appeared in flesh.
- John 1:14 This word (as) doth not in this place betoken a likeness, but the truth of the matter, for his meaning is this, that we saw such a glory, as beseemed and was meet for the true and only begotten Son of God, who is Lord and King over all the world.
- John 1:14 He was not only a partaker of grace and truth, but was full of the very substance of grace and truth.
- John 1:15 John is a faithful witness of the excellency of Christ.
- John 1:15 That is, He before whom I am sent to prepare him the way: so that these words are referred to the time of his calling, and not of his age, for John was six months older than he.
- John 1:15 This sentence hath in it a turning of the reason as we call it, as who would say, a setting of that first which should be last, and that last which should be first: for in plain speech this it is: He that cometh after me, is better than I am, for he was before me. The like kind of turning the reason we find in Luke 7:47: many sins are forgiven her, because she loved much, which is thus much to say, she loved much, because many sins are forgiven her.
- John 1:16 Christ is the most plentiful fountain of all goodness, but then he poured out his gifts most bountifully, when as he exhibited and showed himself to the world.
- John 1:16 That is grace upon grace, as a man would say graces heaped one upon another.
- John 1:18 That true knowledge of God proceedeth only from Jesus Christ.
- John 1:18 Who is nearest to his Father, not only in respect of his love towards him, but by the bond of nature, and for that union or oneness that is between them, whereby the Father and the Son are one.
- John 1:18 Revealed him, and showed him unto us, whereas before he was hid under the shadows of the Law, so that the quickness of the sight of our minds was not able to perceive him: for whosoever seeth him, seeth the Father also.
Geneva Bible, 1599 Edition. Published by Tolle Lege Press. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, without written permission from the publisher, except in the case of brief quotations in articles, reviews, and broadcasts.
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