1:7a
He came: The pronoun He refers to John the Baptist, who was introduced in 1:6. In some languages it may be more natural to repeat his name. For example:
John came… (God’s Word)
came: John came to the people of Israel and preached to them. He did not come into the world from heaven. If you need to say where John came, it may be natural to say this:
he came ⌊to the people⌋
-or-
he went ⌊to the people⌋
as a witness to testify about the Light: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as to testify is from the same Greek word as the noun witness. Repeating the word emphasizes it. In some languages it is natural to emphasize the statement without repeating the word. For example:
John came to declare the truth about the light (God’s Word)
-or-
He came to tell people the truth about the Light (New Century Version)
as a witness: The Greek noun that the Berean Standard Bible translates as a witness refers to someone who tells about something he himself has seen or heard. The use of this word implies that this person is reliable. It is a word often used in a courtroom setting. It is good if you can use a legal term. See the notes on Luke 21:13, where the same word appears.
to testify about the Light: This is a purpose clause. John came in order to testify. To testify is to tell others about something or someone the speaker knows personally. John gave honest information about the Light, Jesus Christ.
Light: The word Light is a metaphor. It refers to the Word, Jesus Christ, the one who reveals God and his truth. Try to use the same word or phrase that you used in 1:4b. See the note there.
1:7b
so that: The Greek conjunction that the Berean Standard Bible translates as so that introduces John’s purpose in coming and preaching to the people. In some languages it is more natural to use other conjunctions. For example:
in order that
through him everyone might believe: John the Baptist came and preached to the people so that they would believe in the light. He wanted everyone who heard him to believe. Everybody did not believe, but many did. Here are some other ways that this phrase has been translated:
so that all should hear the message and believe (Good News Translation)
-or-
so that through him all people could hear about the Light and believe (New Century Version)
through him: This phrase here means “through John the Baptist.” God used John to help people believe in Jesus Christ, the one who is the light. Here are other ways to translate this phrase:
through his message (God’s Word)
-or-
by means of what he testified
believe: This word includes the idea of believing the facts about who Jesus was and what he did. But it also includes the idea of trusting Jesus instead of trusting oneself or someone else. Both ideas are very closely related. If someone believes the facts about Jesus, it should result in trusting him. Here are other ways to translate this idea:
lead all people to have faith (Contemporary English Version)
-or-
become believers (Revised English Bible)
General Comment on 1:7a–b
It is important that your readers understand that the pronouns “he” and “him” here refer to John the Baptist. In some languages it may be more natural to make this clear. For example:
7a God sent a man named John, who came to tell about the light 7b and to lead all people to have faith. (Contemporary English Version)
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