John 1:9 BSB — MannaFest

John 1:9

The true Light who gives light to every man was coming into the world.

BSB

Parallel translations (2) ▾

ASV

There was the true light, even the light which lighteth every man, coming into the world.

KJV

That was the true Light, which lighteth every man that cometh into the world.

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Commentary

4 voices

Origen of Alexandria

Catena Aurea by Aquinas (253)

(Hom. 2, in div. loc.) Or thus: We must not understand the words, lighteneth every man that cometh into the world, of the growth from hidden seeds to organized bodies, but of the entrance into the invisible world, by the spiritual regeneration and grace, which is given in Baptism. Those then the true Light lighteneth, who come into the world of goodness, not those who rush into the world of sin.

The record, by era

The Puritans and the Awakening1 voice

John Wesley

1703–1791

Explanatory Notes upon the New Testament (1755)

Who lighteth every man - By what is vulgarly termed natural conscience, pointing out at least the general lines of good and evil. And this light, if man did not hinder, would shine more and more to the perfect day.

The Nineteenth Century2 voices

Albert Barnes

1798–1870

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

That was the true Light - Not John, but the Messiah. He was not a false, uncertain, dangerous guide, but was one that was true, real, steady, and worthy of confidence. A false light is one that leads to danger or error, as a false beacon on the shores of the ocean may lead ships to quicksands or rocks; or an “ignis fatuus” to fens, and precipices, and death. A true light is one that does not deceive us, as the true beacon may guide us into port or warn us of danger. Christ does not lead astray.

J.C. Ryle

1816–1900

Expository Thoughts on the Gospels: John (lightly modernized text, Grace Gems edition) (1869)

Voices on this verse

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Original language & word study

13 tagged words

Original	Transliteration	Meaning	Word study
ἦν	ēn	Was	G1510 →
τὸ	to	the	G3588 →
φῶς	phōs	Light	G5457 →
τὸ	to	<the>	G3588 →
ἀληθινὸν	alēthinon	true	G228 →
ὃ	ho	who	G3739 →
φωτίζει	phōtizei	enlightens	G5461 →
πάντα	panta	every	G3956 →
ἄνθρωπον	anthrōpon	man	G444 →
ἐρχόμενον	erchomenon	coming	G2064 →
εἰς	eis	into	G1519 →
τὸν	ton	the	G3588 →
κόσμον.	kosmon	world.	G2889 →

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 1:4
In Him was life, and that life was the light of men.
leads to
- 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.”
  Reached by 3 independent paths from here.
- John 9:5
  While I am in the world, I am the light of the world.”
  Reached by 2 independent paths from here.
- John 12:46
  I have come into the world as a light, so that no one who believes in Me should remain in darkness.
- John 5:26
  For as the Father has life in Himself, so also He has granted the Son to have life in Himself.
- 1 John 1:5–7
  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.
Through
Isaiah 49:6
He says: “It is not enough for You to be My Servant, to raise up the tribes of Jacob, and to restore the protected ones of Israel. I will also make You a light…
leads to
- Acts 13:47
  For this is what the Lord has commanded us: ‘I have made you a light for the Gentiles, to bring salvation to the ends of the earth.’”
- Isaiah 42:6
  “I, the LORD, have called you for a righteous purpose, and I will take hold of your hand. I will keep you and appoint you to be a covenant for the people and a…
Through
John 12:46
I have come into the world as a light, so that no one who believes in Me should remain in darkness.
leads to
- Psalms 36:9
  For with You is the fountain of life; in Your light we see light.