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1:1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
1:2 The same was in the beginning with God.
1:3 All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made.
1:4 In him was life; and the life was the light of men.
1:5 And the light shineth in darkness; and the darkness comprehended it not.
1:6 There was a man sent from God, whose name was John.
1:7 The same came for a witness, to bear witness of the Light, that all men through him might believe.
1:8 He was not that Light, but was sent to bear witness of that Light.
1:9 That was the true Light, which lighteth every man that cometh into the world.
1:10 He was in the world, and the world was made by him, and the world knew him not.
1:11 He came unto his own, and his own received him not.
1:12 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:
1:13 Which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.
1:14 And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth.
1:15 John bare witness of him, and cried, saying, This was he of whom I spake, He that cometh after me is preferred before me: for he was before me.
1:16 And of his fulness have all we received, and grace for grace.
1:17 For the law was given by Moses, but grace and truth came by Jesus Christ.
1:18 No man hath seen God at any time, the only begotten Son, which is in the bosom of the Father, he hath declared him.
1:19 And this is the record of John, when the Jews sent priests and Levites from Jerusalem to ask him, Who art thou?
1:20 And he confessed, and denied not; but confessed, I am not the Christ.
1:21 And they asked him, What then? Art thou Elias? And he saith, I am not. Art thou that prophet? And he answered, No.
1:22 Then said they unto him, Who art thou? that we may give an answer to them that sent us. What sayest thou of thyself?
1:23 He said, I am the voice of one crying in the wilderness, Make straight the way of the Lord, as said the prophet Esaias.
1:24 And they which were sent were of the Pharisees.
1:25 And they asked him, and said unto him, Why baptizest thou then, if thou be not that Christ, nor Elias, neither that prophet?
1:26 John answered them, saying, I baptize with water: but there standeth one among you, whom ye know not;
1:27 He it is, who coming after me is preferred before me, whose shoe's latchet I am not worthy to unloose.
1:28 These things were done in Bethabara beyond Jordan, where John was baptizing.
1:29 The next day John seeth Jesus coming unto him, and saith, Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world.
1:30 This is he of whom I said, After me cometh a man which is preferred before me: for he was before me.
1:31 And I knew him not: but that he should be made manifest to Israel, therefore am I come baptizing with water.
1:32 And John bare record, saying, I saw the Spirit descending from heaven like a dove, and it abode upon him.
1:33 And I knew him not: but he that sent me to baptize with water, the same said unto me, Upon whom thou shalt see the Spirit descending, and remaining on him, the same is he which baptizeth with the Holy Ghost.
1:34 And I saw, and bare record that this is the Son of God.
1:35 Again the next day after John stood, and two of his disciples;
1:36 And looking upon Jesus as he walked, he saith, Behold the Lamb of God!
1:37 And the two disciples heard him speak, and they followed Jesus.
1:38 Then Jesus turned, and saw them following, and saith unto them, What seek ye? They said unto him, Rabbi, (which is to say, being interpreted, Master,) where dwellest thou?
1:39 He saith unto them, Come and see. They came and saw where he dwelt, and abode with him that day: for it was about the tenth hour.
1:40 One of the two which heard John speak, and followed him, was Andrew, Simon Peter's brother.
1:41 He first findeth his own brother Simon, and saith unto him, We have found the Messias, which is, being interpreted, the Christ.
1:42 And he brought him to Jesus. And when Jesus beheld him, he said, Thou art Simon the son of Jona: thou shalt be called Cephas, which is by interpretation, A stone.
1:43 The day following Jesus would go forth into Galilee, and findeth Philip, and saith unto him, Follow me.
1:44 Now Philip was of Bethsaida, the city of Andrew and Peter.
1:45 Philip findeth Nathanael, and saith unto him, We have found him, of whom Moses in the law, and the prophets, did write, Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph.
1:46 And Nathanael said unto him, Can there any good thing come out of Nazareth? Philip saith unto him, Come and see.
1:47 Jesus saw Nathanael coming to him, and saith of him, Behold an Israelite indeed, in whom is no guile!
1:48 Nathanael saith unto him, Whence knowest thou me? Jesus answered and said unto him, Before that Philip called thee, when thou wast under the fig tree, I saw thee.
1:49 Nathanael answered and saith unto him, Rabbi, thou art the Son of God; thou art the King of Israel.
1:50 Jesus answered and said unto him, Because I said unto thee, I saw thee under the fig tree, believest thou? thou shalt see greater things than these.
1:51 And he saith unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Hereafter ye shall see heaven open, and the angels of God ascending and descending upon the Son of man.

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Everything King James Bible:John

En arche en o Logos, kai o Logos en pros ton Theon, kai Theos en o Logos.

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and God was the the Word


En
'In' denoting a fixed position in time, or location.

arche
(the) beginning. 'arche' is the basis for 'archaeology' and 'arcane'.

en
was - the imperfect form of 'eimi' which is 'to be'. While this word is spelled similar to 'in' in English, there are differences in the Greek involving diacriticals and breath marks that don't translate well into Latin characters.

o
The definite article - 'the'. While this is not quite accurate, it serves that purpose.

pros
'pro' means 'before' and 'above'. 'pros' is a stronger form meaning 'to the advantage of', 'near', 'with', or 'with regard to'.

ton
This is the Greek definite article, but it doesn't translate into English. The 'strong's number' of this word is 5713 in case you wish to look it up yourself.

Theon, Theos
The word 'God' in different forms.

kai
'Kai' is most often translated to 'and' (8173 times out of 9251 occurances). It acts as a conjunction that implies a strong relationship between the two phrases. This contrasts with de which is used to enumerate a list. An example of this diffrence can be found in Matthew 1:2 where de is used to join the generations while kai is used to join the phrase "Judas and his brethren". This can be seen again in Matthew 1:3 with "And (de) Judas begat Phares and (kai) Zara of Thamar;"

Logos
Logos is an interesting word - and it does not just mean 'word' as in text or vocalizations. The Greek word 'rema' means this, and it was not chosen.

Logos has a deeper meaning that encompasses much more than the simple 'word' can. Logos is a decree or mandate. Logos is the act of speaking and the ability to speak. Logos is Reason.

Today we see Logos in the words 'logic' and '-logy'. The first use of Logos was by Heraclitus in 600 BC as part of the idea of the reason behind the plan of a changing universe. For 600 years prior to Christ, Greek philosophers have studied Logos. The stoics took this search to heart. Logos is the reason - but without a personification, it is the principle of the essential rational and orderly nature of the universe. Stoic philosophy was a search to find Logos, understand it and through this understanding bring peace of mind as to the 'why' of the universe. The ability to search for and understand Logos is what seperated man from beast. To properly understand Logos, one must have use of language - and words.

At the time of Christ, there was a strong intellectual presence in Greece of philosophers. Each of the gospels was written for a different audience. Matthew and Mark were written for the Jewish people themselves. Matthew 1 starts off with a lineage to show to the Jewish religious officals the correct lineage. Special mention about Isaiah and other prophets are made throughout. Luke is written for the common people, and shows the humble beginnings of Christ and his humanity. John is written mostly for the intellectual gentiles.

The Gospel of John starts out with an appeal in words of philosophy to those who search for Logos in their life. "The Christian God is that plan that you seek." It offers the promise of finding the peace of mind that is sought after.


In the beginning was the Reason, and the Reason was with God, and God was the Reason.

Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary on the Whole Bible
back to: John
Book: John
Chapter: 1

Overview:
The Divinity of Christ. (1-5) His Divine and human nature.
(6-14) John the Baptist's Testimony to Christ. (15-18) John's
public Testimony concerning Christ. (19-28) Other testimonies of
John concerning Christ. (29-36) Andrew and another Disciple
follow Jesus. (37-42) Philip and Nathanael called. (43-51)

1-5 The plainest reason why the Son of God is called the Word,
seems to be, that as our words explain our minds to others, So
was the Son of God sent in order to reveal his Father's mind to
the world. What the Evangelist says of Christ proves that he is
God. He asserts, His existence in the beginning; His coexistence
with the Father. The Word was with God. All things were made By
him, and not as an instrument. Without him was not any thing
made that was made, from the highest Angel to the meanest Worm.
This shows how Well qualified he was for the work of our
Redemption and Salvation. The Light of reason, as Well as the
Life of sense, is derived from him, and depends upon him. This
eternal Word, this true Light shines, but the Darkness
comprehends it not. Let us pray without ceasing, that our eyes
may be opened to behold this Light, that we may walk in it; and
thus be made Wise unto Salvation, By Faith in Jesus Christ.

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 took our nature upon him, and dwelt among us.
The Son of the Highest was here in this lower world. He was in
the world, but not of it. He came to save a lost world, because
it was a world of his own making. Yet the world knew him not.
When he comes as a Judge, the world shall know him. Many say
that they are Christ's own, yet do not receive him, because they
will not part with their sins, nor have him to reign over them.
All the children of God are born again. This new Birth is
through the Word of God as the means, 1Pe 1:23, and By the
Spirit of God as the Author. By his Divine presence Christ
always was in the world. But now that the Fulness of time was
come, he was, after another manner, God manifested in the Flesh.
But observe the beams of his Divine Glory, which darted through
this Veil of Flesh. Men discover their weaknesses to those most
familiar with them, but it was not So with Christ; those most
intimate with him saw most of his Glory. Although he was in the
form of a servant, as to outward circumstances, yet, in respect
of graces, his form was like the Son of God. His Divine Glory
appeared in the Holiness of his doctrine, and in his miracles.
He was full of Grace, fully acceptable to his Father, therefore
qualified to plead for us; and full of Truth, fully aware of the
things he was to reveal.

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 "even Grace," a Gift So great, So rich, So
invaluable; the good will of God towards us, and the good work
of God in us. The Law of God is holy, just, and good; and we
should make the proper use of it. But we cannot derive from it
Pardon, Righteousness, or strength. It teaches us to adorn the
doctrine of God our Saviour, but it cannot supply the place of
that doctrine. As No Mercy comes from God to sinners but through
Jesus Christ, No Man can come to the Father but By him; No Man
can know God, except as he is made known in the only begotten
and beloved Son.

19-28 John disowns himself to be the Christ, who was now
expected and waited for. He came in the Spirit and power of
Elias, but he was not the person of Elias. John was not that
Prophet whom Moses said the Lord would raise up to them of their
brethren, like unto him. He was not such a Prophet as they
expected, who would rescue them from the Romans. He gave such an
account of himself, as might excite and awaken them to hearken
to him. He baptized the people with water as a profession of
Repentance, and as an outward sign of the spiritual blessings to
be conferred On them By the Messiah, who was in the midst of
them, though they knew him not, and to whom he was unworthy to
render the meanest service.

29-36 John saw Jesus coming to him, and pointed him out as the
Lamb of God. The paschal Lamb, in the shedding and sprinkling of
its Blood, the roasting and Eating of its Flesh, and all the
other circumstances of the ordinance, represented the Salvation
of sinners By Faith in Christ. And the lambs sacrificed every
morning and Evening, can only refer to Christ slain as a
Sacrifice to redeem us to God By his Blood. John came as a
preacher of Repentance, yet he told his followers that they were
to look for the Pardon of their sins to Jesus only, and to his
Death. It agrees with God's Glory to Pardon all who depend On
the atoning Sacrifice of Christ. He takes away the Sin of the
world; purchases Pardon for all that repent and believe the
Gospel. This encourages our Faith; if Christ takes away the Sin
of the world, then why not my Sin? He bore Sin for us, and So
bears it from us. God could have taken away Sin, By taking away
the sinner, as he took away the Sin of the old world; but here
is a way of doing away Sin, yet sparing the sinner, By making
his Son Sin, that is, a Sin-Offering, for us. See Jesus taking
away Sin, and let that cause Hatred of Sin, and resolutions
against it. Let us not Hold that Fast, which the Lamb of God
came to take away. To confirm his Testimony concerning Christ,
John declares the appearance at his Baptism, in which God
himself bore Witness to him. He saw and bare record that he is
the Son of God. This is the End and object of John's Testimony,
that Jesus was the promised Messiah. John took every opportunity
that offered to lead people to Christ.

37-42 The strongest and most prevailing argument with an
awakened soul to follow Christ, is, that it is he only who takes
away Sin. Whatever Communion there is between our souls and
Christ, it is he who begins the discourse. He asked, What seek
ye? The question Jesus Put to them, we should all Put to
ourselves when we begin to follow Him, What do we design and
desire? In following Christ, do we seek the favour of God and
eternal Life? He invites them to come without delay. Now is the
accepted time, 2Co 6:2. It is good for us to be where Christ
is, wherever it be. We ought to labour for the spiritual welfare
of those related to us, and seek to bring them to Him. Those who
come to Christ, must come with a fixed resolution to be firm and
constant to him, like a Stone, solid and stedfast; and it is By
his Grace that they are So.

43-51 See the nature of true Christianity, it is following
Jesus; devoting ourselves to him, and treading in his steps.
Observe the objection Nathanael made. All who desire to profit
By the Word of God, must beware of prejudices against places, or
denominations of men. They should examine for themselves, and
they will sometimes find good where they looked for none. Many
people are kept from the ways of religion By the unreasonable
prejudices they conceive. The best way to remove false notions
of religion, is to make trial of it. In Nathanael there was No
guile. His profession was not hypocritical. He was not a
dissembler, nor dishonest; he was a sound character, a really
upright, godly Man. Christ knows what men are indeed. Does He
know us? Let us desire to know him. Let us seek and pray to be
Israelites indeed, in whom is No guile; truly Christians,
approved of Christ himself. Some things weak, imperfect, and
sinful, are found in all, but hypocrisy belongs not to a
believer's character. Jesus witnessed what passed when Nathanael
was under the Fig-tree. Probably he was then in fervent Prayer,
seeking direction as to the Hope and Consolation of Israel,
where No human Eye observed him. This showed him that our Lord
knew the secrets of his Heart. Through Christ we commune with,
and benefit By the holy angels; and things in Heaven and things
On Earth are reconciled and united together.

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