Verse (Click for Chapter) New International Version This is the verdict: Light has come into the world, but people loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil. New Living Translation And the judgment is based on this fact: God’s light came into the world, but people loved the darkness more than the light, for their actions were evil. English Standard Version And this is the judgment: the light has come into the world, and people loved the darkness rather than the light because their works were evil. Berean Standard Bible And this is the verdict: The Light has come into the world, but men loved the darkness rather than the Light because their deeds were evil. Berean Literal Bible And this is the judgement, that the Light has come into the world, and men loved the darkness rather than the Light; for their deeds were evil. King James Bible And this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil. New King James Version And this is the condemnation, that the light has come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil. New American Standard Bible And this is the judgment, that the Light has come into the world, and people loved the darkness rather than the Light; for their deeds were evil. NASB 1995 “This is the judgment, that the Light has come into the world, and men loved the darkness rather than the Light, for their deeds were evil. NASB 1977 “And this is the judgment, that the light is come into the world, and men loved the darkness rather than the light; for their deeds were evil. Legacy Standard Bible And this is the judgment, that the Light has come into the world, and men loved the darkness rather than the Light, for their deeds were evil. Amplified Bible This is the judgment [that is, the cause for indictment, the test by which people are judged, the basis for the sentence]: the Light has come into the world, and people loved the darkness rather than the Light, for their deeds were evil. Christian Standard Bible This is the judgment: The light has come into the world, and people loved darkness rather than the light because their deeds were evil. Holman Christian Standard Bible “This, then, is the judgment: The light has come into the world, and people loved darkness rather than the light because their deeds were evil. American Standard Version And this is the judgment, that the light is come into the world, and men loved the darkness rather than the light; for their works were evil. Contemporary English Version The light has come into the world, and people who do evil things are judged guilty because they love the dark more than the light. English Revised Version And this is the judgment, that the light is come into the world, and men loved the darkness rather than the light; for their works were evil. GOD'S WORD® Translation This is why people are condemned: The light came into the world. Yet, people loved the dark rather than the light because their actions were evil. Good News Translation This is how the judgment works: the light has come into the world, but people love the darkness rather than the light, because their deeds are evil. International Standard Version And this is the basis for judgment: The light has come into the world, but people loved the darkness more than the light because their actions were evil. Majority Standard Bible And this is the verdict: The Light has come into the world, but men loved the darkness rather than the Light because their deeds were evil. NET Bible Now this is the basis for judging: that the light has come into the world and people loved the darkness rather than the light, because their deeds were evil. New Heart English Bible And this is the judgment, that the light has come into the world, and people loved the darkness rather than the light, because their works were evil. Webster's Bible Translation And this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men have loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil. Weymouth New Testament And this is the test by which men are judged--the Light has come into the world, and men loved the darkness more than they loved the Light, because their deeds were wicked. World English Bible This is the judgment, that the light has come into the world, and men loved the darkness rather than the light, for their works were evil. Literal Translations Literal Standard VersionAnd this is the judgment, that the light has come into the world, and men loved the darkness rather than the light, for their works were evil; Berean Literal Bible And this is the judgement, that the Light has come into the world, and men loved the darkness rather than the Light; for their deeds were evil. Young's Literal Translation 'And this is the judgment, that the light hath come to the world, and men did love the darkness rather than the light, for their works were evil; Smith's Literal Translation And this is the judgment, that light has come into the world, and men rather loved darkness than light, for their works were evil. Catholic Translations Douay-Rheims BibleAnd this is the judgment: because the light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than the light: for their works were evil. Catholic Public Domain Version And this is the judgment: that the Light has come into the world, and men loved darkness more than light. For their works were evil. New American Bible And this is the verdict, that the light came into the world, but people preferred darkness to light, because their works were evil. New Revised Standard Version And this is the judgment, that the light has come into the world, and people loved darkness rather than light because their deeds were evil. Translations from Aramaic Lamsa BibleAnd this is the judgment, that light has come into the world, and yet men have loved darkness more than light, because their works were evil. Aramaic Bible in Plain English This is the judgment: The Light has come into the world and the children of men loved the darkness more than The Light, because their works were evil. NT Translations Anderson New TestamentAnd this is the condemnation, that light has come into the world, and men have loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil. Godbey New Testament Haweis New Testament Now this is the condemnation, that the light is come into the world, and men loved the darkness rather than the light, because their deeds were evil. Mace New Testament and this is the subject of their condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men have loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil. Weymouth New Testament And this is the test by which men are judged--the Light has come into the world, and men loved the darkness more than they loved the Light, because their deeds were wicked. Worrell New Testament Worsley New Testament Additional Translations ... Audio Bible Context For God So Loved…18Whoever believes in Him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe has already been condemned, because he has not believed in the name of God’s one and only Son. 19And this is the verdict: The Light has come into the world, but men loved the darkness rather than the Light because their deeds were evil. 20Everyone who does evil hates the Light, and does not come into the Light for fear that his deeds will be exposed.… Cross References John 1:4-5 In Him was life, and that life was the light of men. / The Light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it. 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.” John 12:46 I have come into the world as a light, so that no one who believes in Me should remain in darkness. 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. / If we say we have fellowship with Him yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth. / But if we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus His Son cleanses us from all sin. 1 John 2:8-11 Then again, I am also writing to you a new commandment, which is true in Him and also in you. For the darkness is fading and the true light is already shining. / If anyone claims to be in the light but hates his brother, he is still in the darkness. / Whoever loves his brother remains in the light, and there is no cause of stumbling in him. ... Ephesians 5:8-14 For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of light, / for the fruit of the light consists in all goodness, righteousness, and truth. / Test and prove what pleases the Lord. ... 2 Corinthians 4:3-4 And even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing. / The god of this age has blinded the minds of unbelievers, so they cannot see the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God. Romans 1:18-21 The wrath of God is being revealed from heaven against all the godlessness and wickedness of men who suppress the truth by their wickedness. / For what may be known about God is plain to them, because God has made it plain to them. / For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities, His eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly seen, being understood from His workmanship, so that men are without excuse. ... Romans 13:12 The night is nearly over; the day has drawn near. So let us lay aside the deeds of darkness and put on the armor of light. Isaiah 9:2 The people walking in darkness have seen a great light; on those living in the land of the shadow of death, a light has dawned. Isaiah 60:1-3 Arise, shine, for your light has come, and the glory of the LORD rises upon you. / For behold, darkness covers the earth, and thick darkness is over the peoples; but the LORD will rise upon you, and His glory will appear over you. / Nations will come to your light, and kings to the brightness of your dawn. Proverbs 4:18-19 The path of the righteous is like the first gleam of dawn, shining brighter and brighter until midday. / But the way of the wicked is like the darkest gloom; they do not know what makes them stumble. Psalm 82:5 They do not know or understand; they wander in the darkness; all the foundations of the earth are shaken. Psalm 119:105 Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path. Micah 7:8-9 Do not gloat over me, my enemy! Though I have fallen, I will arise; though I sit in darkness, the LORD will be my light. / Because I have sinned against Him, I must endure the rage of the LORD, until He argues my case and executes justice for me. He will bring me into the light; I will see His righteousness. Treasury of Scripture And this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil. this. John 1:4,9-11 In him was life; and the life was the light of men… John 8:12 Then spake Jesus again unto them, saying, I am the light of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life. John 9:39-41 And Jesus said, For judgment I am come into this world, that they which see not might see; and that they which see might be made blind… because. John 5:44 How can ye believe, which receive honour one of another, and seek not the honour that cometh from God only? John 7:17 If any man will do his will, he shall know of the doctrine, whether it be of God, or whether I speak of myself. John 8:44,45 Ye are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your father ye will do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and abode not in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own: for he is a liar, and the father of it… Jump to Previous Acts Condemnation Dark Darkness Deeds Evil Instead Judged Judgment Light Rather Test Verdict Wicked Works WorldJump to Next Acts Condemnation Dark Darkness Deeds Evil Instead Judged Judgment Light Rather Test Verdict Wicked Works WorldJohn 3 1. Jesus teaches Nicodemus the necessity of being born again,14. of faith in his death, 16. the great love of God toward the world, 18. and the condemnation for unbelief. 22. Jesus baptizes in Judea. 23. The baptism, witness, and doctrine of John concerning Jesus. And this is the verdict The term "verdict" in this context is translated from the Greek word "krisis," which implies a judgment or decision. This is not merely a legal pronouncement but a divine assessment of humanity's spiritual state. The use of "verdict" underscores the gravity of the situation, as it reflects God's righteous judgment. Historically, the concept of divine judgment is deeply rooted in Jewish tradition, where God is seen as the ultimate judge of human actions. This phrase sets the stage for the profound truth that follows, emphasizing the seriousness of rejecting divine revelation. The Light has come into the world but men loved the darkness rather than the Light because their deeds were evil The words are general, but they must have had, for him who then heard them, a special force. It was night. He had avoided the light of day, and like men who go forth to deeds of darkness under cover of darkness, he had come in secrecy to Jesus. His own conscience told him that he was in the presence of a Teacher sent from God (John 3:2); but he has checked the voice of conscience. He has shrunk from coming to this Teacher in the light of day, and has loved the darkness of the night. Verse 19. - The above interpretation is confirmed by the explanatory sentence which follows, and which is obviously meant to explain the nature of the κρίσις, the process of the judgment of which he had spoken. This crisis, in the case of the believer, furnishes a clear and illustrious proof that the Son of God had primarily come to save, not to judge; while in the case of the unbeliever it was sufficiently manifested by the absence of faith in that which was so sublimely adapted to induce affectionate reverence and adoring trust. Now this is the judgment. The peculiar form of the sentence, αὕτη δέ ἑστιν ἡ κρίσις ὅτι, is found elsewhere in John (1 John 1:5; 1 John 5:11, 14). We are here reminded of the words of the prologue (John 1:5, 9, see notes), where the original shining of the Light in the σκοτία (the abiding state of darkness) ended in non-reception, non-perception of the Light. Subsequently it is said that the light - the archetypal light which illumines, shines upon, every man who comes into the world - came, i.e. in a new and more impressive manner, and by its coming, originated a process of judgment and discrimination among men. This utterance of the prologue is here shown to depend upon the words of the only begotten Son of God made flesh. The critical school make this correspondence with the prologue and with Johannine thought incontestable evidence that we have here John's meditation rather than the word of Jesus. There is, of course, an alternative interpretation. But it appears to us that it is equally rational and critical to see in the words of Jesus thus reported, the origin of the prologue. Light has come into the world, and made evident and established the awful fact that men loved (aorist, denoting a defined characteristic) the darkness (σκότος, used here and 1 John 1:6 for absolute darkness, the complete contradictory of the light), rather than the light. Lucke has urged that μᾶλλον here might mean magis, not potius, and that the Lord admits a certain amount of love for the light, though less than that for the darkness; but numerous passages of similar construction make it certain that potius, not magis, is the meaning (cf. John 12:43; Matthew 10:6; Mark 15:11; 2 Timothy 3:4). "The light," though so needed, and so lovely in itself, was not loved by men. It brought consequences from which "men" recoiled and revolted. They loved their own ignorance and peril. They shrank from the demands - from the repentance, the transformation of habit and character, the utter moral revolution that must be consequent upon the reception of the light. Darkness was loved, hailed, accepted, rested in. The process of the judgment was conspicuous in demonstrating this unholy love. If a man love the deformed, the misshapen, the defiled, and the corrupt thing, rather than the truly beautiful, this is a judgment passed upon his entire previous life and on his present character, which is the outcome and upshot of the life. If a man love sensual gratification, its objects and its means, rather than virtue and chastity and serene and sacred purity, this is in itself a terrific κρίσις - the announcement of his previous career of dissipation and folly. If a man love the darkness of unrenewed humanity rather than the uncreated light embodied, this is his κρίμα, and the process by which it is made evident is the κρίσις passing over him. The explanatory clause that follows gives great force to the previous assertion: For their works were evil. Their habitual conduct supplies permanence and energy to their perverse "love," and reveals its historical antecedent - their works (ἔργα) were "evil" (πονηρά). The love of darkness was the consequence of their wicked ways. The judgment of eternal law has fallen upon their violation of it. The great penalty of sin is sinful desire. A bias towards evil is originated and confirmes by sinful compliance. The blinding of the eye, deafening of the ear (cf. Matthew 13:10, and parallels), is the judicial result of their unwillingness to see or walk in the light of the Lord.Parallel Commentaries ... Greek Andδέ (de) Conjunction Strong's 1161: A primary particle; but, and, etc. this Αὕτη (Hautē) Demonstrative Pronoun - Nominative Feminine Singular Strong's 3778: This; he, she, it. is ἐστιν (estin) Verb - Present Indicative Active - 3rd Person Singular Strong's 1510: I am, exist. The first person singular present indicative; a prolonged form of a primary and defective verb; I exist. the ἡ (hē) Article - Nominative Feminine Singular Strong's 3588: The, the definite article. Including the feminine he, and the neuter to in all their inflections; the definite article; the. verdict: κρίσις (krisis) Noun - Nominative Feminine Singular Strong's 2920: Decision; by extension, a tribunal; by implication, justice. The τὸ (to) Article - Nominative Neuter Singular Strong's 3588: The, the definite article. Including the feminine he, and the neuter to in all their inflections; the definite article; the. Light φῶς (phōs) Noun - Nominative Neuter Singular Strong's 5457: Light, a source of light, radiance. From an obsolete phao; luminousness. has come ἐλήλυθεν (elēlythen) Verb - Perfect Indicative Active - 3rd Person Singular Strong's 2064: To come, go. into εἰς (eis) Preposition Strong's 1519: A primary preposition; to or into, of place, time, or purpose; also in adverbial phrases. the τὸν (ton) Article - Accusative Masculine Singular Strong's 3588: The, the definite article. Including the feminine he, and the neuter to in all their inflections; the definite article; the. world, κόσμον (kosmon) Noun - Accusative Masculine Singular Strong's 2889: Probably from the base of komizo; orderly arrangement, i.e. Decoration; by implication, the world (morally). but καὶ (kai) Conjunction Strong's 2532: And, even, also, namely. men ἄνθρωποι (anthrōpoi) Noun - Nominative Masculine Plural Strong's 444: A man, one of the human race. From aner and ops; man-faced, i.e. A human being. loved ἠγάπησαν (ēgapēsan) Verb - Aorist Indicative Active - 3rd Person Plural Strong's 25: To love, wish well to, take pleasure in, long for; denotes the love of reason, esteem. Perhaps from agan; to love. the τὸ (to) Article - Accusative Neuter Singular Strong's 3588: The, the definite article. Including the feminine he, and the neuter to in all their inflections; the definite article; the. darkness σκότος (skotos) Noun - Accusative Neuter Singular Strong's 4655: Darkness, either physical or moral. From the base of skia; shadiness, i.e. Obscurity. rather μᾶλλον (mallon) Adverb Strong's 3123: More, rather. Neuter of the comparative of the same as malista; more) or rather. than ἢ (ē) Conjunction Strong's 2228: Or, than. A primary particle of distinction between two connected terms; disjunctive, or; comparative, than. the τὸ (to) Article - Accusative Neuter Singular Strong's 3588: The, the definite article. Including the feminine he, and the neuter to in all their inflections; the definite article; the. Light, φῶς (phōs) Noun - Accusative Neuter Singular Strong's 5457: Light, a source of light, radiance. From an obsolete phao; luminousness. because γὰρ (gar) Conjunction Strong's 1063: For. A primary particle; properly, assigning a reason. their αὐτῶν (autōn) Personal / Possessive Pronoun - Genitive Masculine 3rd Person Plural Strong's 846: He, she, it, they, them, same. From the particle au; the reflexive pronoun self, used of the third person, and of the other persons. deeds ἔργα (erga) Noun - Nominative Neuter Plural Strong's 2041: From a primary ergo; toil; by implication, an act. were ἦν (ēn) Verb - Imperfect Indicative Active - 3rd Person Singular Strong's 1510: I am, exist. The first person singular present indicative; a prolonged form of a primary and defective verb; I exist. evil. πονηρὰ (ponēra) Adjective - Nominative Neuter Plural Strong's 4190: Evil, bad, wicked, malicious, slothful. Links John 3:19 NIVJohn 3:19 NLT John 3:19 ESV John 3:19 NASB John 3:19 KJV John 3:19 BibleApps.com John 3:19 Biblia Paralela John 3:19 Chinese Bible John 3:19 French Bible John 3:19 Catholic Bible NT Gospels: John 3:19 This is the judgment that the light (Jhn Jo Jn) |
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