• John 1:1—“In the Beginning Was the Word”
    Bible Verses Explained

    • The phrase “the Word was a god” describes the divine or godlike nature that Jesus possessed before he came to earth. He can be described in this way because of his role as God’s Spokesman and his unique position as the firstborn Son of God through whom God created all other things.

  • John 1:1—“In the Beginning Was the Word”
    Bible Verses Explained

    • Misconceptions About John 1:1

      Misconception: The last phrase in John 1:1 should be translated “the Word was God.”

      Fact: While many Bible translators render the verse this way, others see the need to render it differently. In the original-language text, the two occurrences of “God” (Greek, the·osʹ) at John 1:1 are grammatically different. In the first occurrence, the word “God” is preceded by the Greek definite article, while the article does not appear before the second occurrence. Many scholars note that the absence of the definite article before the second the·osʹ is significant. For example, The Translator’s New Testament says regarding this absence of the article: “In effect it gives an adjectival quality to the second use of Theos (God) so that the phrase means ‘The Word was divine.’”b Other scholarsc and Bible translations point to this same distinction.—See “John 1:1 From Additional Translations.”

  • John 1:1—“In the Beginning Was the Word”
    Bible Verses Explained

    • Misconception: To call the Word “a god” teaches polytheism, the worship of many gods.

      Fact: The Greek word for “God” or “god” (the·osʹ) often corresponds to the Hebrew words ʼel and ʼelo·himʹ, used in what is commonly called the Old Testament. These Hebrew words are thought to convey the basic meaning “Mighty One; Strong One” and are used with reference to the almighty God, other gods, and even humans. (Psalm 82:6; John 10:34) The Word is the one through whom God created all other things, so he certainly could be described as a mighty one. (John 1:3) Describing the Word as “a god” is in line with the prophecy at Isaiah 9:6, which foretold that God’s chosen one, the Messiah or Christ, would be called “Mighty God” (Hebrew, ʼEl Gib·bohrʹ), but not “God Almighty” (ʼEl Shad·daiʹ, as in Genesis 17:1; 35:11; Exodus 6:3; Ezekiel 10:5).

      The Bible does not teach polytheism. Jesus Christ said: “It is Jehovah your God you must worship, and it is to him alone you must render sacred service.” (Matthew 4:10) The Bible states: “For even though there are so-called gods, whether in heaven or on earth, just as there are many ‘gods’ and many ‘lords,’ there is actually to us one God, the Father, from whom all things are and we for him; and there is one Lord, Jesus Christ, through whom all things are and we through him.”—1 Corinthians 8:5, 6.

      John 1:1 From Additional Translations

      “In the beginning the Word existed. The Word was with God, and the Word was divine.”—The Bible—An American Translation, 1935, by J.M.P. Smith and E. J. Goodspeed.

      “The Logos existed in the very beginning, the Logos was with God, the Logos was divine.”—The Bible—Containing the Old and New Testaments, 1950, by James Moffatt.

      “The Word was in the beginning, and the word was with God, and the word was a god.”—The New Testament in an Improved Version, 1808, edited by Thomas Belsham, based on a New Testament translation by William Newcome.

      “In the beginning was the Word. And the Word was with God. So the Word was divine.”—The Authentic New Testament, 1958, by Hugh J. Schonfield.

  • John 1:1—“In the Beginning Was the Word”
    Bible Verses Explained

    • c Scholar Jason David BeDuhn states that the absence of the definite article makes the two occurrences of “God” “as different as ‘a god’ is from ‘God’ in English.” He adds: “In John 1:1, the Word is not the one-and-only God, but is a god, or divine being.”—Truth in Translation: Accuracy and Bias in English Translations of the New Testament, pages 115, 122, and 123.