John 1:18
16 From His fullness we have all received grace upon grace.
17 For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ.
No one has ever seen God, but the one and only Son, who is Himself God and is at the Father’s side, has made Him known.
19 And this was John’s testimony when the Jews of Jerusalem sent priests and Levites to ask him, “Who are you?”
20 He did not refuse to confess, but openly declared, “I am not the Christ.”
Do read the surrounding verses too, because the context often says more than a single verse.
Compare
- BSB
- No one has ever seen God, but the one and only Son, who is Himself God and is at the Father’s side, has made Him known.
- KJV
- No man hath seen God at any time; the only begotten Son, which is in the bosom of the Father, he hath declared him.
- WEB
- No one has seen God at any time. The only born Son, who is in the bosom of the Father, has declared him.
- ASV
- No man hath seen God at any time; the only begotten Son, who is in the bosom of the Father, he hath declared [him].
- DARBY
- No one has seen God at any time; the only-begotten Son, who is in the bosom of the Father, *he* hath declared [him].
- BLB
- No one has ever yet seen God. The only begotten God, the One being in the bosom of the Father, He has made [Him] known.
- ÅB
- Ingen har nogensinne sett Gud; den enbårne Sønn, som er i Farens skjød, han har forklaret ham.
- OTB
- Ingen har noensinne sett Gud, men den enbårne Sønn, som selv er Gud og er i nærmeste forhold til Faderen, har gjort ham kjent.
- B1930
- Ingen har nogensinne sett Gud; den enbårne Sønn, som er i Faderens skjød, han har forklaret ham.
Study notes (Tyndale)
Original text and word study
Cross references
Colossians 1:15
The Son is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation.
Read in contextJohn 6:46
not that anyone has seen the Father except the One who is from God; only He has seen the Father.
Read in contextMatthew 11:27
All things have been entrusted to Me by My Father. No one knows the Son except the Father, and no one knows the Father except the Son and those to whom the Son chooses to reveal Him.
Read in contextLuke 10:22
All things have been entrusted to Me by My Father. No one knows who the Son is except the Father, and no one knows who the Father is except the Son and those to whom the Son chooses to reveal Him.”
Read in context1 John 4:12
No one has ever seen God; but if we love one another, God remains in us, and His love is perfected in us.
Read in context1 Timothy 6:16
He alone is immortal and dwells in unapproachable light. No one has ever seen Him, nor can anyone see Him. To Him be honor and eternal dominion! Amen.
Read in context1 John 4:9
This is how God’s love was revealed among us: God sent His one and only Son into the world, so that we might live through Him.
Read in contextExodus 33:18–23
Then Moses said, “Please show me Your glory.”
Read in context