ris3n's Apologetics Codex

Passage

John 1.4

Book: John · ASV / WEB / KJV / YLT

Immediate context (±2 verses)

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ASV (ASV)

"2. The same was in the beginning with God. 3. All things were made through him; and without him was not anything made that hath been made."

"4. In him was life; and the life was the light of men."

"5. And the light shineth in the darkness; and the darkness apprehended it not. 6. There came a man, sent from God, whose name was John." (John 1:2-6, ASV)

WEB (WEB)

"2. The same was in the beginning with God. 3. All things were made through him. Without him was not anything made that has been made."

"4. In him was life, and the life was the light of men."

"5. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness hasn’t overcome it. 6. There came a man, sent from God, whose name was John." (John 1:2-6, WEB)

KJV (KJV)

"2. The same was in the beginning with God. 3. All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made."

"4. In him was life; and the life was the light of men."

"5. And the light shineth in darkness; and the darkness comprehended it not. comprehended: or, did not admit, or, receive 6. There was a man sent from God, whose name was John." (John 1:2-6, KJV)

YLT (YLT)

"2. this one was in the beginning with God; 3. all things through him did happen, and without him happened not even one thing that hath happened."

"4. In him was life, and the life was the light of men,"

"5. and the light in the darkness did shine, and the darkness did not perceive it. 6. There came a man, having been sent from God, whose name [is] John," (John 1:2-6, YLT)

Setting

  • Speaker: John the Apostle (traditionally) / narrator + Jesus's direct teaching
  • Audience: later Christian audience (high-Christological emphasis; against early gnosticism)
  • Location: first-century Palestine (events); possibly Ephesus (composition)
  • Time period: events c. 26-33 AD (3-Passover chronology); composed c. AD 85-95

Theological reading

Key words

Quoted in

Why these four translations

ris3n chose ASV, WEB, KJV, and YLT for two reasons together. They are the most literal English translations available (formal-equivalence: word-for-word renderings that preserve the Hebrew and Greek grammar rather than smoothing it into modern dynamic-equivalence idiom). And they are in the public domain in the United States, which means fair-use quotation at any length requires no publisher license. Modern licensed translations (NASB95, ESV, NIV) restrict volume of quotation under their copyright terms, so they are not used at stub-level coverage here. NASB95 appears only on hand-curated rich passage hubs under Lockman Foundation's fair-use allowance.

The four:

  • ASV (American Standard Version, 1901). The basis of the modern critical-text English tradition.
  • WEB (World English Bible, contemporary). Public-domain revision in the ASV line, in current English.
  • KJV (King James Version, 1611). Reformation-era, Textus Receptus base.
  • YLT (Young's Literal Translation, Robert Young, 1862). Hyper-literal preservation of Hebrew and Greek grammar; useful for word-study work even where English reads stiff.

See Bibles for the full per-translation history, translators, textual basis, strengths, and weaknesses.