This statement is literally “all things through him came into being.” The Greek phrase through him indicates that the Word was the agent in creation, but at the same time the context clearly implies that God is the ultimate source of creation; Good News Translation makes this explicit. Similar expressions are found in Paul’s writings and in the Letter to the Hebrews. In 1 Corinthians 8.6 Paul distinguishes between “God, the Father, who is the creator of all things” and “Jesus Christ, through whom all things were created.” Again, in Colossians 1.15-16 Paul refers to “the first-born Son,” by whom “God created everything in heaven and on earth.” In Hebrews 1.2 the writer speaks of the Son as “the one through whom God created the universe.”

The Greek text indicates clearly that the Word was the instrument or agency employed by God in the creation. Accordingly, in some languages one must distinguish clearly between the primary agent or initiator, which would be God, and the secondary agent or immediate agent, which is the Word. Such a relation may be expressed in some languages as “God caused the Word to make all things” or “God made all things; and the Word did it” or “God used the Word to make all things.”

The last half of verse 3 presents a punctuation difficulty. It is possible to make a full stop at the end of verse 3 (so Good News Translation, Revised Standard Version, Jerusalem Bible, Moffatt, Phillips, New American Bible) or to make a full stop before the end of the verse, and so connect the last half with verse 4 (see Good News Translation and Revised Standard Version alternative renderings and New English Bible). The oldest Greek manuscripts have no punctuation here, and even if there were some punctuation, it would merely reflect the exegesis current when the punctuation was introduced into the text. The UBS Committee on the Greek text favors the second of the two alternatives for two reasons: (1) it represents the consensus of opinion of the ante-Nicene writers, orthodox and heretical alike; (2) this punctuation is more in keeping with what is believed to be the rhythmical pattern of the prologue. However, the same UBS Committee also suggests several good arguments in favor of following the punctuation represented by the majority of modern English translations: (1) John often begins a sentence with the preposition “in” (en), as would be the case if a full stop were placed at the end of verse 3; (2) it would be more in keeping with John’s repetitive style; (3) it reflects Johannine thought (see 5.26,39; 6.53).

If one follows the Good News Translation text, the second part of verse 3 is an emphatic negative statement, essentially equivalent in meaning to the first part of the verse. Such an emphatic combination of positive and negative expressions may be found in certain languages in such forms as “by means of the Word God created all things. There was not anything that he did not create without the Word” or “… He did not create anything without the Word.”

The Word was the source of life is literally “in him (the Word) was life.” The intention of this statement is not to affirm that the Word was alive, as might be suggested by a literal translation. Rather, it is to declare, as Good News Translation makes clear, that the Word was the source of life.

Jerusalem Bible also makes it clear that this is the meaning “(All that came to be) had life in him,” as does New English Bible “(All that came to be) was alive with his life,” and the Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch “he gave life to all living beings.” Bible de Jerusalem (Bible de Jérusalem) adds a footnote, “If the Word, the Son of the living God (6.57), is the source of eternal life for men (3.15, etc.), it is because he has life in himself (5.26) and because he himself is life (11.25; 14.6; see 1.1, etc.).”

If, however, the second part of verse 3 is combined with the beginning of verse 4, there is a logical relation between the two clauses essentially equivalent to “God did not create anything without the Word, since the Word was the source of life.” This logical relation, however, is simply implied, not specifically indicated, in the Greek text.

What is the meaning of the word life in this context? Is it a reference to natural life or to eternal life? Since life is one of the basic themes of the Gospel of John (see 20.31, where the purpose of the Gospel is stated to be “that through your faith in him you may have life”), it is probable that life here is equivalent to “eternal life.” Even though “everlastingness” is one quality of eternal life, it is not the primary emphasis in John’s Gospel. For John life (“eternal life”) describes a quality of existence, that is, the kind of life that man has when God rules in his life. The word life (Greek zoē) is used 36 times in John’s Gospel, never in the sense of “natural life” or “biological life,” but always with the meaning of “real life” or “true life.”

The concept of light is also characteristic of John’s Gospel. According to this Gospel, Jesus is not only the life (see 11.25; 14.6), but also the light of the world (8.12; 9.5). In the Old Testament the concept of light was something desirable and pleasant, as opposed to darkness. The world of the living was a world of light, while the world of the dead was a place of darkness. During the interval between the Old and New Testaments, however, the concept of light took on a new dimension. It became equated with the power of good, which was engaged in a struggle with darkness, the power of evil. This use is reflected, not only in Jewish sources of that period, but also in the religious and philosophical thought of other religions. In such contexts light becomes symbolic for the true revelation of God, and almost an equivalent term for God himself and for the salvation that he brings to men.

This life brought light to mankind is literally “this life was the light of men,” but the meaning of this genitive construction is obviously “this life was the light for men” (Moffatt, Zürcher Bibel).

If one understands life in terms of a particular quality of life, and not mere existence, there seems to be no special shift of meaning in verse 4. Otherwise, the first occurrence of life would refer to physical life, while the second occurrence would certainly indicate a quality of life which enlightens men. The really serious difficulty in translating this verse occurs in languages which do not employ a noun for life, but which use only verbs, since with such verbal expressions there must be an indication of who is living. In such instances the first part of verse 4 may be rendered “The Word was the one who caused people to really live.” The second clause may then be rendered “this way of living…” or “this way that people could truly live caused people to see” or “… to perceive.” Frequently it is not possible to speak of “bringing light to men,” since such an expression would refer only to carrying a torch. The focus here is not upon physical light but upon spiritual enlightenment, and therefore the passage may be translated “… caused people to truly perceive” or “caused people to perceive the truth,” but note the important symbolic significance of “light” in verse 5.

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 .