John 1:9
New International Version
The true light that gives light to everyone was coming into the world.

New Living Translation
The one who is the true light, who gives light to everyone, was coming into the world.

English Standard Version
The true light, which gives light to everyone, was coming into the world.

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

Berean Literal Bible
The true Light who enlightens every man was coming into the world.

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

New King James Version
That was the true Light which gives light to every man coming into the world.

New American Standard Bible
This was the true Light that, coming into the world, enlightens every person.

NASB 1995
There was the true Light which, coming into the world, enlightens every man.

NASB 1977
There was the true light which, coming into the world, enlightens every man.

Legacy Standard Bible
There was the true Light which, coming into the world, enlightens everyone.

Amplified Bible
There it was—the true Light [the genuine, perfect, steadfast Light] which, coming into the world, enlightens everyone.

Christian Standard Bible
The true light that gives light to everyone was coming into the world.

Holman Christian Standard Bible
The true light, who gives light to everyone, was coming into the world.

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

Aramaic Bible in Plain English
For That One was The Light of Truth, which enlightens every person that comes into the world.

Contemporary English Version
The true light that shines on everyone was coming into the world.

Douay-Rheims Bible
That was the true light, which enlighteneth every man that cometh into this world.

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

GOD'S WORD® Translation
The real light, which shines on everyone, was coming into the world.

Good News Translation
This was the real light--the light that comes into the world and shines on all people.

International Standard Version
This was the true light that enlightens every person by his coming into the world.

Literal Standard Version
He was the true Light, which enlightens every man, coming into the world;

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

New American Bible
The true light, which enlightens everyone, was coming into the world.

NET Bible
The true light, who gives light to everyone, was coming into the world.

New Revised Standard Version
The true light, which enlightens everyone, was coming into the world.

New Heart English Bible
The true light that enlightens everyone was coming into the world.

Webster's Bible Translation
That was the true Light, which lighteth every man that cometh into the world.

Weymouth New Testament
The true Light was that which illumines every man by its coming into the world.

World English Bible
The true light that enlightens everyone was coming into the world.

Young's Literal Translation
He was the true Light, which doth enlighten every man, coming to the world;

Additional Translations ...
Audio Bible



Context
The Witness of John
8He himself was not the Light, but he came to testify about the Light. 9The TRUE Light who gives light to every man was coming into the world. 10He was in the world, and though the world was made through Him, the world did not recognize Him.…

Cross References
Luke 11:36
So if your whole body is full of light, with no part of it in darkness, you will be radiant, as though a lamp were shining on you."

1 John 2:8
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.


Treasury of Scripture

That was the true Light, which lights every man that comes into the world.

the true.

John 1:4
In him was life; and the life was the light of men.

John 6:32
Then Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Moses gave you not that bread from heaven; but my Father giveth you the true bread from heaven.

John 14:6
Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.

every.

John 1:7
The same came for a witness, to bear witness of the Light, that all men through him might believe.

John 7:12
And there was much murmuring among the people concerning him: for some said, He is a good man: others said, Nay; but he deceiveth the people.

John 12:46
I am come a light into the world, that whosoever believeth on me should not abide in darkness.

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John 1
1. The divinity, humanity, office, and incarnation of Jesus Christ.
15. The testimony of John.
39. The calling of Simon and Andrew, Philip and Nathanael














(9) That was the true Light.--The right rendering of this verse is uncertain. It would, probably, give a better sense to translate it, The true Light which lighteth every man was coming into the world, i.e., was manifesting itself at the time when John was bearing witness and men were mistaking the lamp for the light. (Comp. John 5:35, Note.)

The true Light was not "true" as opposed to "false," but "true" as answering to the perfect ideal, and as opposed to all more or less imperfect representations. The meaning of the Greek is quite clear. The difficulty arises from the fact that in English there is but one word to represent the two ideas. The word for the fuller meaning of "ideally true" is not confined to St. John, but is naturally of very frequent recurrence in his writings. The adjective is used nine times in this Gospel, and not at all in the other three. A comparison of the passages will show how important it is to get a right conception of what the word means, and will help to give it. (See John 4:23; John 4:37; John 6:32; John 7:28; John 8:16; John 15:1; John 17:3; John 19:35.) But, as ideally true, the Light was not subject to the changing conditions of time and space, but was and is true for all humanity, and "lighteth every man." . . .

Verse 9. -

(b) The illumination of the archetypal Light before incarnation. There are at least three grammatical translations of this verse. Either

(1) with Meyer, we may give to η΅ν the complete sense of existence, presence, and include in it the full predicate of the sentence; thus: "Existing, present (when John commenced his ministry), was the veritable Light which enlighteneth every man coming into the world." But the clause, "coming into the world," would here not only be superfluous, but moreover, while used elsewhere and often of Christ's incarnation, is never used of ordinary birth in the Scriptures, though it is a rabbinical expression.

(2) Lange, Moulton, Westcott, Godet, applying the ἐρχόμενον εἰς τὸν κόσμον to the light rather than to man, translate it, "That was the true Light which lighteth every man, by coming into the world, or that cometh into the world." The difficulty of this is that it makes the coming into the world, in some new sense, the occasion of the illumination of every man, although the evangelist has already spoken (ver. 4) of the Life which is the Light of men. A third method is to make the ἐρχόμενον εἰς τὸν κόσμον the true predicate of the sentence, and translate thus: The veritable Light which illumines every man was coming (ever coming) into the world; and there is a sense and manner of his coming which transcends all others, about which he is to speak at length. This might receive another meaning if η΅ν ἐρχόμενον were equivalent to η΅λθε; then a positive reference would here he made to the historic fact of the Incarnation. But it seems to me the evangelist is drawing a contrast between the continuous coming into the world of the veritable Light and the specific Incarnation of ver. 14. Consequently, the author here travels over and connotes a wider theme, namely, the operation of that archetypal Light, that veritable Light which differs from all mere reflections of it, or imitations of it, or luminous testimonies to it. The difference between ἀληθής and ἀληθινός is important. Ἀληθής is used in John 3:33 and John 5:31, and very often to denote the true in opposition to the false, the veracious as distinct from the deceptive. Ἀληθινός is used in the Gospel (John 4:23, 37; John 6:32; John 7:28; John 15:1; John 17:3), First Epistle (1 John 5:20), and Apocalypse (Revelation 3:7), and hardly anywhere else (see Introduction), for the real as opposed to the phenomenal, the archetypal as opposed to the various embodiments of it, the veritable as distinct from that which does not answer to its own ideal. Now, about this veritable light, in addition to all that has been said already, two things are declared. . . .

Parallel Commentaries ...


Greek
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.

TRUE
ἀληθινὸν (alēthinon)
Adjective - Nominative Neuter Singular
Strong's 228: True (lit: made of truth), real, genuine. From alethes; truthful.

Light
φῶς (phōs)
Noun - Nominative Neuter Singular
Strong's 5457: Light, a source of light, radiance. From an obsolete phao; luminousness.

who
(ho)
Personal / Relative Pronoun - Nominative Neuter Singular
Strong's 3739: Who, which, what, that.

gives light to
φωτίζει (phōtizei)
Verb - Present Indicative Active - 3rd Person Singular
Strong's 5461: From phos; to shed rays, i.e. To shine or to brighten up.

every
πάντα (panta)
Adjective - Accusative Masculine Singular
Strong's 3956: All, the whole, every kind of. Including all the forms of declension; apparently a primary word; all, any, every, the whole.

man
ἄνθρωπον (anthrōpon)
Noun - Accusative Masculine Singular
Strong's 444: A man, one of the human race. From aner and ops; man-faced, i.e. A human being.

was
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.

coming
ἐρχόμενον (erchomenon)
Verb - Present Participle Middle or Passive - Accusative Masculine 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).


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NT Gospels: John 1:9 The true light that enlightens everyone was (Jhn Jo Jn)
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