UTN uW Translation Notes:

John 1 Chapter Introduction

Structure and Formatting

1. Jesus is God (1:1–5)
2. John the Baptist was Jesus’ witness (1:6–8)
3. Summary of Jesus’ ministry on earth (1:9–13)
4. Jesus is God in the flesh (1:14–18)
5. John the Baptist prepares the way for Jesus (1:19–34)
6. Jesus meets Andrew, Peter, Philip, and Nathaniel (1:35–51)

Some translations set each line of poetry farther to the right than the rest of the text to make it easier to read. The ULT does this with the poetry in 1:23, which are words from the Old Testament.

Religious and Cultural Concepts in This Chapter

“The Word”

John uses the phrase “the Word” to refer to Jesus (1:1, 14). This title does not refer to a word that is spoken by someone. By using this title for Jesus, John is saying that Jesus is God’s most important message to all people. Jesus is the one who reveals who God is. As John explains, Jesus is a person who has always existed, who is God, who was active in creation, and who became a man with a physical body. In your translation of this title, try to make it clear that this is the title of a person whose role it is to communicate a message. Something like “The Message” or “The Revealer” might be appropriate, or you might prefer to use the title that is used in an accepted translation in your area. (See: wordofgod)

Light and Darkness

In 1:4–9, John uses an extended metaphor in which light represents what is true and good and darkness represents what is false and evil. John applies that light metaphor to Jesus in order to show that Jesus is God’s truth and goodness displayed in a human body. (See: righteous)

“Children of God”

People are sometimes described as “children of God” because God created them. However, John uses this expression in a different sense in this chapter. He uses it to describe people who have entered into a father-child relationship with God by putting their faith and trust in Jesus. God indeed created all people, but people can only become children of God in this sense by believing in Jesus. “Children” in this usage does not refer to those who are young, but only to the relationship that people have to their father at any age. (See: believe)

Translation Issues in This Chapter

Metaphors

John uses the metaphors of light and darkness and of “the Word” to tell the reader that he will be writing more about good and evil and about what God wants to tell people through Jesus. (See: figs-metaphor)

“In the beginning”

Some languages and cultures speak of the world as if it has always existed, as if it had no beginning. But “very long ago” is different from “in the beginning,” and you need to be sure that your translation communicates correctly.

“Son of Man”

Jesus refers to himself as the “Son of Man” in this chapter (1:51). Your language may not allow people to speak of themselves as if they were speaking about someone else. See the discussion of this concept in Part 3 of the General Introduction to the Gospel of John. (See: sonofman and figs-123person)