1 John 1:5 BSB — MannaFest

1 John 1:5

And this is the message we have heard from Him and announce to you: God is light, and in Him there is no darkness at all.

BSB

Parallel translations (2) ▾

ASV

And this is the message which we have heard from him and announce unto you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all.

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.

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Commentary

5 voices

Jerome

Against the Pelagians 2.7 (420)

When John says that there is no darkness in the light of God, he proves that all the lights of others are stained by some blemish.

The record, by era

The Puritans and the Awakening2 voices

John Wesley

1703–1791

Explanatory Notes upon the New Testament (1755)

And this is the sum of the message which we have heard of him - The Son of God. That God is light - The light of wisdom, love, holiness, glory. What light is to the natural eye, that God is to the spiritual eye.

Matthew Henry

1662–1714

Commentary on the Whole Bible (1710)

He is a self-active uncompounded spirituality, purity, wisdom, holiness, and glory. And then the absoluteness and fulness of that excellency and perfection. There is no defect or imperfection, no mixture of any thing alien or contrary to absolute excellency, no mutability nor capacity of any decay in him: In him is no darkness at all,

The Nineteenth Century2 voices

Albert Barnes

1798–1870

Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869)

This then is the message which we have heard of him - This is the substance of the announcement (ἐπαγγελία 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” (απ ̓ αὐτου 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.

Jamieson, Fausset & Brown

1802–1910

Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871)

Greek, "No, not even one speck of darkness"; no ignorance, error, untruthfulness, sin, or death. John heard this from Christ, not only in express words, but in His acted words, namely, His is whole manifestation in the flesh as "the brightness of the Father's glory." Christ Himself was the embodiment of "the message," representing fully in all His sayings, doings, and sufferings, Him who is LIGHT.

Voices on this verse

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Original language & word study

24 tagged words

Original	Transliteration	Meaning	Word study
καὶ	kai	And	G2532 →
ἔστιν	estin	is	G1510 →
αὕτη	hautē	this	G3778 →
ἡ	hē	the	G3588 →
ἀγγελία	angelia	message	G31 →
ἣν	hēn	that	G3739 →
ἀκηκόαμεν	akēkoamen	we have heard	G191 →
ἀπ᾽	ap᾽	from	G575 →
αὐτοῦ	autou	Him	G846 →
καὶ	kai	and	G2532 →
ἀναγγέλλομεν	anangellomen	we preach	G312 →
ὑμῖν	humin	to you	G4771 →
ὅτι	hoti	that	G3754 →
ὁ	ho	<the>	G3588 →
θεὸς	theos	God	G2316 →
φῶς	phōs	light	G5457 →
ἐστιν	estin	is	G1510 →
καὶ	kai	and	G2532 →
σκοτία	skotia	darkness	G4653 →
ἐν	en	in	G1722 →
αὐτῷ	autō	Him	G846 →
οὐκ	ouk	not	G3756 →
ἔστιν	estin	is	G1510 →
οὐδεμία.	oudemia	none.	G3762 →

Rare words are the text's own signal of a deliberate thread: the fewer the occurrences, the more the places it appears belong together.

The walk

The walk8

Where the connections lead

Follow this verse’s cross-references two steps out. Each card is a verse this one points to, and beneath it the verses that one points to in turn. Where several different paths arrive at the same place, that place is listed first: the text keeps returning to it. Every stop shows its own words, and every stop is a page.

Through
John 8:12
Once again, Jesus spoke to the people and said, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows Me will never walk in the darkness, but will have the light of life.”
leads to
- John 12:46
  I have come into the world as a light, so that no one who believes in Me should remain in darkness.
  Reached by 2 independent paths from here.
- John 9:5
  While I am in the world, I am the light of the world.”
- John 12:35
  Then Jesus told them, “For a little while longer, the Light will be among you. Walk while you have the Light, so that darkness will not overtake you. The one who walks in the…
Through
James 1:17
Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, with whom there is no change or shifting shadow.
leads to
- John 3:27
  John replied, “A man can receive only what is given him from heaven.
- Matthew 7:11
  So if you who are evil know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good things to those who ask Him!
Through
Psalms 27:1
The LORD is my light and my salvation— whom shall I fear? The LORD is the stronghold of my life— whom shall I dread?
leads to
- Hebrews 13:6
  So we say with confidence: “The Lord is my helper; I will not be afraid. What can man do to me?”
- Psalms 118:6
  The LORD is on my side; I will not be afraid. What can man do to me?
- Exodus 15:2
  The LORD is my strength and my song, and He has become my salvation. He is my God, and I will praise Him, my father’s God, and I will exalt Him.

Featured studies on this passage

On 1 John 1:5

1 John: the Study Guide

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On 1 John 1:5

Light

The nearest thing in Scripture to a definition. Note what is defined: God, not the symbol. There is no verse anywhere that decodes light the way Luke 8:11 decodes the seed.

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About 1 John

The Last Supper — Gustave Doré (engraving, public domain)

1 John: the study guide →Read chapter 1 →The featured study →

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01Commentary

The record, by era

Voices on this verse

02Original language & word study

03The walk

Where the connections lead

04Related verses

05Featured studies on this passage

06About 1 John

The record, by era

Where the connections lead

Commentary

Original language & word study

The walk

Related verses

Featured studies on this passage

About 1 John