In Greek, verse 7 is a sentence complete in itself (literally, “This one came for witnessing, in order that he might give witness concerning the light, in order that all might believe through him”). Many modern translations (Revised Standard Version, Jerusalem Bible, Moffatt, New English Bible) render “this one” by the third person pronoun “he.” Good News Translation renders “this one” by who, and connects the first part of this verse as a relative clause continuing the sentence begun in verse 6.

The theme of “witness” or “witnessing” is basic to John’s Gospel, and carries the meaning “speak for the benefit of/in a person’s favor,” as well as “reveal who a person is.” John the Baptist is a witness, 1.7; the Samaritan woman is a witness, 4.39; Jesus’ works are a witness, 5.36; 10.25; the Old Testament is a witness, 5.39; the crowds are a witness, 12.17; God himself is a witness, 5.37; and the Holy Spirit, as well as those whom our Lord chooses, are witnesses to him, 15.26,27.

Though the Greek usually rendered “witness” or “testify” may frequently be rendered simply “speak” or “tell,” there are two important components in the Greek term which may be made explicit in some languages. In the first place, there is an element of personal relation to the events mentioned, that is, one normally testifies or witnesses to something which one has personally experienced or seen. The second component involves an element of importance or significance in the content of what is said. Since the Greek term was frequently used in connection with witnessing in court, the associations of “important truths” are often significant in particular contexts. In this context it seems that the writer is emphasizing the importance of John’s message concerning Jesus, and therefore chooses a term which carries more significance than merely some expression for “talking” or “speaking about.”

It may be necessary to qualify the light as being “this light which comes to mankind,” to make certain that the reference is to the same light mentioned in the second part of verse 4.

So that all should hear the message and believe is a clause of purpose, and is literally “so that all should believe through him.” The phrase “through him” is recognized by all commentators as a reference to John the Baptist; and since the English sentence structure can carry this force implicitly, without the actual rendering of the phrase, Good News Translation translates it in this way, and thus avoids the possibility of an ambiguous rendering.

It is important in most languages to indicate clearly the goal of “believing,” that is, one must specify what is believed. A literal rendering, such as “that all might believe through him,” can therefore be misleading. The rendering in English “so that all should hear the message and believe” implies clearly that they should “believe the message,” but in some languages it may be necessary to say “so that all should hear what he had to say and believe his message.” On the other hand, the object of the verb may be “the light” (= Jesus), and some few translations have made this meaning explicit (Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch, Phillips, Goodspeed). But whatever exegesis is followed, the translation should be made explicit and clear.

Quoted with permission from Newman, Barclay M. and Nida, Eugene A. A Handbook on the Gospel of John. (UBS Handbook Series). New York: UBS, 1980. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .