Greek · Lesson 32
Reading: John 1:1–18the Prologue
The Prologue of John — among the most read passages in the Greek NT. This guided reading works through John 1:1–18 in chunks, each with the Greek text, vocabulary and parsing helps, sentence-flow notes, a plain translation, and carefully-stated exegetical notes. Watch the ἦν / ἐγένετο contrast, the article in θεὸς ἦν ὁ λόγος, and πρὸς τὸν θεόν — but remember that grammar supports exegesis; context and the wider theology carry the full doctrine.
α
By the End of This Lesson
- Read John 1:1–18 in Greek with comprehension, in chunks
- Track the ἦν / ἐγένετο contrast (continuous being vs coming-to-be)
- Read the article and πρός + acc in θεὸς ἦν ὁ λόγος / πρὸς τὸν θεόν without overclaiming from grammar alone
- Recognize participles, infinitives, and ἵνα clauses in context
- Translate the Prologue and read carefully-stated exegetical notes
- Practice reading fluency on a dense but familiar passage
New to Greek? Use the 3-pass path
Pass 1 — UnderstandWatch the overview and read the main explanation. Do not try to master every detail today.
Pass 2 — RecognizeMemorize the main chart or paradigm and do the first trainer sets.
Pass 3 — MasterWork through the reading chunks, vocabulary helps, and practice questions slowly.
Today's minimum
If you are new, this is enough for today.
- ἦν = “was” (continuous); ἐγένετο = “came to be.”
- The article marks ὁ λόγος as the subject.
- Grammar supports exegesis; it doesn’t carry the doctrine alone.
- Read vv. 1–5 aloud today.
CoreWhy the Prologue Matters
John 1:1–18 — the Prologue — is among the most read passages in the Greek NT, and one you have already met in pieces (Lesson 4’s reading passage). Now you read the whole thing.
The Prologue is rich but readable: short clauses, heavy repetition (λόγος, θεός, φῶς, ζωή, ἐγένετο), and grammar you know — imperfects (ἦν), aorists (ἐγένετο), and the article doing careful work. It rewards slow, repeated reading.
This is guided reading. Work through it in chunks. Where the grammar carries exegetical weight (the article in θεὸς ἦν ὁ λόγος, the preposition in πρὸς τὸν θεόν), the notes point it out carefully — grammar supports the exegesis; context and the wider theology carry the full doctrine.
💡 How to readDo not parse every word. Read each chunk aloud first, lean on the vocabulary and parsing helps only where you get stuck, then read the chunk again before looking at the translation. Fluency grows by re-reading, not by dissecting every form.
CoreGuided Reading — John 1:1–18
Read each chunk aloud, lean on the helps only where stuck, and re-read before checking the translation. Watch the ἦν / ἐγένετο contrast throughout.
John 1:1-2
Ἐν ἀρχῇ ἦν ὁ λόγος, καὶ ὁ λόγος ἦν πρὸς τὸν θεόν, καὶ θεὸς ἦν ὁ λόγος. οὗτος ἦν ἐν ἀρχῇ πρὸς τὸν θεόν.
Vocabulary
ἀρχή, -ῆς ἡ "beginning" · λόγος, -ου ὁ "word" · πρός + acc "with, toward" [Lesson 9] · ἦν "was" (impf of εἰμί) [Lessons 13–14].
Parsing
ἦν (×3) is imperfect of εἰμί — continuous past existence, not a coming-into-being. In clause 3, θεός is anarthrous (no article) and fronted; ὁ λόγος has the article and is the subject.
Sentence flow
Three balanced clauses, each ἦν-based: the Word was (in the beginning), was (with God), was (God). The article on ὁ λόγος marks it as the subject throughout.
Translation
In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God.
Exegetical note
The imperfect ἦν presents the Word as already existing "in the beginning." In clause 3 the word order makes θεός an emphatic predicate ("the Word was God"); the anarthrous predicate does not make it indefinite ("a god"). The grammar supports full deity here, but the doctrine rests on the wider witness of the Gospel, not on the article alone.
Practice
1) Parse ἦν and state its aspect. 2) Which word is the subject of clause 3, and how do you know? 3) Why is θεός without the article?
John 1:3-5
πάντα δι’ αὐτοῦ ἐγένετο, καὶ χωρὶς αὐτοῦ ἐγένετο οὐδὲ ἕν. ὃ γέγονεν ἐν αὐτῷ ζωὴ ἦν, καὶ ἡ ζωὴ ἦν τὸ φῶς τῶν ἀνθρώπων· καὶ τὸ φῶς ἐν τῇ σκοτίᾳ φαίνει, καὶ ἡ σκοτία αὐτὸ οὐ κατέλαβεν.
Vocabulary
πάντα "all things" (neut pl of πᾶς) · διά + gen "through" [Lesson 9] · ἐγένετο "came to be" (aor of γίνομαι) · χωρίς + gen "apart from" · φαίνει "shines" · κατέλαβεν "overcame/grasped" (aor of καταλαμβάνω).
Parsing
ἐγένετο is aorist (a coming-into-being) — deliberately contrasted with ἦν (the Word simply was). δι’ αὐτοῦ = διά + gen = agency/means: "through him."
Sentence flow
Note the verb contrast: created things ἐγένετο ("came to be"); the Word ἦν ("was"). The light/darkness clause closes the chunk and looks ahead to the witness of John.
Translation
All things came to be through him, and apart from him not one thing came to be that has come to be. In him was life, and the life was the light of men; and the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not overcome it.
Exegetical note
The ἦν/ἐγένετο contrast (the Word "was," all things "came to be") is doing real work — it distinguishes the Word from the created order. The aspectual contrast supports the reading; the doctrine of creation through the Word is developed across Scripture.
Practice
1) Contrast ἦν and ἐγένετο. 2) What does δι’ αὐτοῦ express (preposition + case)? 3) Parse κατέλαβεν.
John 1:6-8
Ἐγένετο ἄνθρωπος ἀπεσταλμένος παρὰ θεοῦ, ὄνομα αὐτῷ Ἰωάννης· οὗτος ἦλθεν εἰς μαρτυρίαν, ἵνα μαρτυρήσῃ περὶ τοῦ φωτός, ἵνα πάντες πιστεύσωσιν δι’ αὐτοῦ. οὐκ ἦν ἐκεῖνος τὸ φῶς, ἀλλ’ ἵνα μαρτυρήσῃ περὶ τοῦ φωτός.
Vocabulary
ἀπεσταλμένος "sent" (perf M/P ptc of ἀποστέλλω) · παρά + gen "from" [Lesson 9] · μαρτυρία, -ας ἡ "testimony" · μαρτυρήσῃ "he might testify" (aor subj).
Parsing
ἀπεσταλμένος is a perfect passive participle [Lesson 22] — "having been sent / sent." Two ἵνα clauses with aorist subjunctives [Lesson 24] give John’s purpose: that he might testify, that all might believe.
Sentence flow
Narrative shifts to John the Baptist: a man "came to be" (ἐγένετο, the same verb as the created order). The double ἵνα marks his role as witness, not the light himself.
Translation
There came to be a man sent from God, his name John. He came for testimony, to testify about the light, so that all might believe through him. He was not the light, but [came] to testify about the light.
Exegetical note
The repetition of ἵνα μαρτυρήσῃ nails down John’s subordinate role: he points to the light. The participle ἀπεσταλμένος marks him as commissioned.
Practice
1) Parse ἀπεσταλμένος. 2) What do the ἵνα clauses express? 3) What does παρὰ θεοῦ mean (preposition + case)?
John 1:9-11
ἦν τὸ φῶς τὸ ἀληθινὸν ὃ φωτίζει πάντα ἄνθρωπον ἐρχόμενον εἰς τὸν κόσμον. ἐν τῷ κόσμῳ ἦν, καὶ ὁ κόσμος δι’ αὐτοῦ ἐγένετο, καὶ ὁ κόσμος αὐτὸν οὐκ ἔγνω. εἰς τὰ ἴδια ἦλθεν, καὶ οἱ ἴδιοι αὐτὸν οὐ παρέλαβον.
Vocabulary
ἀληθινός "true, genuine" · φωτίζω "I give light to" · ἐρχόμενον "coming" (pres ptc) · ἔγνω "knew" (2nd aor of γινώσκω) · ἴδιος "one’s own" · παρέλαβον "received" (2nd aor of παραλαμβάνω).
Parsing
ἔγνω and παρέλαβον are 2nd aorists [Lesson 16] (changed stems γνω-, λαβ-). The neuter τὰ ἴδια ("his own things/home") vs masculine οἱ ἴδιοι ("his own people") is a deliberate pair.
Sentence flow
Tragic rhythm: the world came to be through him, yet did not know him; he came to his own, and his own did not receive him. The negatives (οὐκ ἔγνω, οὐ παρέλαβον) drive the irony.
Translation
The true light, which gives light to every man, was coming into the world. He was in the world, and the world came to be through him, and the world did not know him. He came to his own, and his own did not receive him.
Exegetical note
The contrast between the world’s origin "through him" and its failure to "know" him is the Prologue’s pathos. Grammar (the negated aorists) carries the rejection plainly.
Practice
1) Parse ἔγνω (which aorist?). 2) Distinguish τὰ ἴδια from οἱ ἴδιοι. 3) Translate the chunk.
John 1:12-13
ὅσοι δὲ ἔλαβον αὐτόν, ἔδωκεν αὐτοῖς ἐξουσίαν τέκνα θεοῦ γενέσθαι, τοῖς πιστεύουσιν εἰς τὸ ὄνομα αὐτοῦ, οἳ οὐκ ἐξ αἱμάτων οὐδὲ ἐκ θελήματος σαρκὸς οὐδὲ ἐκ θελήματος ἀνδρὸς ἀλλ’ ἐκ θεοῦ ἐγεννήθησαν.
Vocabulary
ὅσοι "as many as" · ἔλαβον "received" (2nd aor of λαμβάνω) · ἐξουσία, -ας ἡ "authority, right" · γενέσθαι "to become" (aor inf of γίνομαι) [Lesson 26] · ἐγεννήθησαν "were born" (aor pass of γεννάω).
Parsing
τοῖς πιστεύουσιν is an articular present participle [Lesson 21] — "to the ones believing." γενέσθαι is a complementary aorist infinitive after ἐξουσίαν: "authority to become."
Sentence flow
The exception to the rejection: those who did receive him are given the right to become children of God. The triple "not … nor … nor … but" (οὐκ … οὐδὲ … οὐδὲ … ἀλλ’) stresses divine, not human, origin.
Translation
But as many as received him, to them he gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in his name — who were born not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.
Exegetical note
The divine passive ἐγεννήθησαν ("were born [of God]") and the contrast with human means foreground God as the agent of the new birth. The grammar marks the source; the theology of regeneration develops it.
Practice
1) Parse τοῖς πιστεύουσιν. 2) What is the function of γενέσθαι? 3) Parse ἐγεννήθησαν and note the agent.
John 1:14
Καὶ ὁ λόγος σὰρξ ἐγένετο καὶ ἐσκήνωσεν ἐν ἡμῖν, καὶ ἐθεασάμεθα τὴν δόξαν αὐτοῦ, δόξαν ὡς μονογενοῦς παρὰ πατρός, πλήρης χάριτος καὶ ἀληθείας·
Vocabulary
σάρξ, σαρκός ἡ "flesh" [Lesson 7] · ἐσκήνωσεν "dwelt, tabernacled" (aor of σκηνόω) · ἐθεασάμεθα "we beheld" (aor of θεάομαι) · δόξα, -ης ἡ "glory" · μονογενής "only, unique" · πλήρης "full" · χάρις, -ιτος ἡ "grace" [Lesson 7].
Parsing
ἐγένετο again — the Word "became" flesh (the same aorist used of creation, now of incarnation). σάρξ is anarthrous predicate. χάριτος καὶ ἀληθείας are genitives after πλήρης ("full of grace and truth").
Sentence flow
The hinge of the Prologue: the Word that "was" now "became" flesh and "dwelt among us." Then the eyewitness claim (ἐθεασάμεθα) and the description "full of grace and truth."
Translation
And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld his glory — glory as of the only [Son] from the Father — full of grace and truth.
Exegetical note
ὁ λόγος σὰρξ ἐγένετο joins the Word of v. 1 to real human flesh. χάριτος καὶ ἀληθείας ("grace and truth") becomes the Prologue’s closing keyword pair. The grammar states the incarnation plainly; its theology is unfolded throughout John.
Practice
1) Parse ἐγένετο here and compare with v. 1’s ἦν. 2) Why is σάρξ without the article? 3) Parse χάριτος.
John 1:16-18
ὅτι ἐκ τοῦ πληρώματος αὐτοῦ ἡμεῖς πάντες ἐλάβομεν, καὶ χάριν ἀντὶ χάριτος· ὅτι ὁ νόμος διὰ Μωϋσέως ἐδόθη, ἡ χάρις καὶ ἡ ἀλήθεια διὰ Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ ἐγένετο. θεὸν οὐδεὶς ἑώρακεν πώποτε· μονογενὴς θεὸς ὁ ὢν εἰς τὸν κόλπον τοῦ πατρὸς ἐκεῖνος ἐξηγήσατο.
Vocabulary
πλήρωμα, -ατος τό "fullness" · ἀντί + gen "for, in place of" · ἐδόθη "was given" (aor pass of δίδωμι) · πώποτε "ever" · ὁ ὤν "the one who is" (pres ptc of εἰμί) [Lesson 13] · ἐξηγήσατο "made known, explained" (aor of ἐξηγέομαι).
Parsing
ἐλάβομεν is 2nd aorist of λαμβάνω. ἐδόθη (law) is contrasted with ἐγένετο (grace/truth) — "given" vs "came to be." ὁ ὢν is the substantival present participle of εἰμί ("the one who is").
Sentence flow
The Prologue closes with two ὅτι clauses (giving the ground), the Moses/Christ contrast, and the climactic statement that the unseen God has been made known by the only Son.
Translation
For from his fullness we all received, and grace upon grace; for the law was given through Moses, grace and truth came through Jesus Christ. No one has ever seen God; the only [Son], himself God, who is at the Father’s side — he has made him known.
Exegetical note
χάρις καὶ ἀλήθεια returns from v. 14, now tied to Jesus Christ. ὁ ὢν εἰς τὸν κόλπον ("who is at the Father’s side") and ἐξηγήσατο ("has made him known") close the Prologue. Grammar supports the high Christology; the doctrine is carried by the Gospel as a whole.
Practice
1) Contrast ἐδόθη and ἐγένετο in v. 17. 2) Parse ὁ ὤν. 3) Translate v. 18.
ReferenceVocabulary Notes
Prologue keywords — repeated and load-bearing.
| λόγος, -ου ὁ | ὁ λόγος | word |
| φῶς, φωτός τό | τὸ φῶς | light |
| ζωή, -ῆς ἡ | ζωή | life |
| γίνομαι | ἐγένετο | I become, come to be (aor ἐγένετο) |
| χάρις, -ιτος ἡ | χάριτος | grace |
| ἀλήθεια, -ας ἡ | ἀληθείας | truth |
| μονογενής | μονογενοῦς | only, unique |
| μαρτυρέω | μαρτυρήσῃ | I testify, bear witness |
Deep DiveOptional Deep Dive — A Cultural Note — Reading the Prologue Slowly
The Prologue rewards re-reading more than almost any NT passage. Its power is partly in its repetitions — ἦν … ἦν … ἦν, ἐγένετο … ἐγένετο, φῶς … φῶς — and partly in a few load-bearing grammatical choices: the article that marks ὁ λόγος as subject, the preposition πρός that pictures the Word "with" God, the verb ἐγένετο that distinguishes creation and incarnation from the Word who simply "was."
A careful reader lets the grammar do its modest, real work — and then lets the theology of the whole Gospel carry the doctrine. The article in θεὸς ἦν ὁ λόγος supports the Word’s full deity; it does not, by itself, prove the entire doctrine of the incarnation. Grammar serves exegesis; it does not replace it.
In summary — what mattered
- The Prologue (John 1:1–18) uses short clauses, heavy repetition, and grammar you know.
- Key contrast: ἦν (the Word "was," continuous) vs ἐγένετο (creation/incarnation "came to be").
- The article marks ὁ λόγος as subject; πρός + acc pictures the Word "with" God.
- Keywords: λόγος, φῶς, ζωή, χάρις, ἀλήθεια, μονογενής.
- Grammar supports the high Christology; the doctrine is carried by the Gospel as a whole, not by morphology alone.