Ἰωάννην 3:19

Greek Modern Translation

Και αυτη ειναι η κρισις, οτι το φως ηλθεν εις τον κοσμον, και οι ανθρωποι ηγαπησαν το σκοτος μαλλον παρα το φως· διοτι ησαν πονηρα τα εργα αυτων.

Parallel Translations

SBL Greek New Testament (2010)
αὕτη δέ ἐστιν ἡ κρίσις ὅτι τὸ φῶς ἐλήλυθεν εἰς τὸν κόσμον καὶ ἠγάπησαν οἱ ἄνθρωποι μᾶλλον τὸ σκότος ἢ τὸ φῶς, ἦν γὰρ ⸂αὐτῶν πονηρὰ⸃ τὰ ἔργα.

Tischendorf 8th Edition
αὕτη δέ ἐστιν ἡ κρίσις, ὅτι τὸ φῶς ἐλήλυθεν εἰς τὸν κόσμον καὶ ἠγάπησαν οἱ ἄνθρωποι μᾶλλον τὸ σκότος ἢ τὸ φῶς· ἦν γὰρ αὐτῶν πονηρὰ τὰ ἔργα.

Textus Receptus (1550/1894)
αυτη δε εστιν η κρισις οτι το φως εληλυθεν εις τον κοσμον και ηγαπησαν οι ανθρωποι μαλλον το σκοτος η το φως ην γας πονηρα αυτων τα εργα

Westcott/Hort UBS4 (1881)
αυτη δε εστιν η κρισις οτι το φως εληλυθεν εις τον κοσμον και ηγαπησαν οι ανθρωποι μαλλον το σκοτος η το φως ην γαρ αυτων πονηρα τα εργα

Byzantine/Majority Text
αυτη δε εστιν η κρισις οτι το φως εληλυθεν εις τον κοσμον και ηγαπησαν οι ανθρωποι μαλλον το σκοτος η το φως ην γας πονηρα αυτων τα εργα

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

this: John 1:4, John 1:9-11, John 8:12, John 9:39-41, John 15:22-25, Matthew 11:20-24, Luke 10:11-16, Luke 12:47, Romans 1:32, 2 Corinthians 2:15, 2 Corinthians 2:16, 2 Thessalonians 2:12, Hebrews 3:12, Hebrews 3:13

because: John 5:44, John 7:17, John 8:44, John 8:45, John 10:26, John 10:27, John 12:43, Isaiah 30:9-12, Luke 16:14, Acts 24:21-26, Romans 2:8, 1 Peter 2:8, 2 Peter 3:3

Reciprocal: Genesis 1:3 - Let Leviticus 11:16 - General Leviticus 13:10 - quick raw flesh Deuteronomy 30:17 - if thine 1 Samuel 28:8 - disguised 1 Kings 22:8 - but I hate him Job 21:14 - for we Job 24:13 - rebel Job 33:14 - perceiveth Psalms 14:1 - abominable Psalms 82:5 - walk Psalms 95:10 - and they Psalms 119:30 - chosen Proverbs 2:13 - walk Proverbs 5:12 - How Proverbs 8:36 - he Proverbs 10:21 - fools Proverbs 21:16 - wandereth Isaiah 5:13 - because Isaiah 6:10 - lest Isaiah 28:9 - shall he teach Isaiah 29:15 - and their works Isaiah 50:2 - when I came Isaiah 60:1 - General Jeremiah 5:31 - my people Jeremiah 6:19 - nor to Jeremiah 9:6 - refuse Jeremiah 17:23 - nor Ezekiel 8:12 - in the Hosea 5:4 - They will not frame their doings Hosea 11:2 - they called Hosea 14:9 - but Zephaniah 3:2 - correction Zechariah 7:12 - lest Zechariah 14:19 - punishment Matthew 13:13 - General Matthew 13:19 - and understandeth Mark 4:8 - fell Mark 16:16 - but Luke 10:14 - General Luke 14:24 - General Luke 20:7 - that John 1:5 - General John 5:40 - ye will not John 7:7 - because John 9:5 - long John 12:46 - am Acts 26:18 - and to Romans 1:18 - who hold Romans 1:21 - when Romans 8:1 - no Romans 10:10 - For with Romans 13:12 - works 1 Corinthians 2:8 - for Ephesians 5:11 - works 2 Thessalonians 1:8 - that know 2 Thessalonians 2:10 - they received 1 Timothy 6:5 - men 2 Timothy 4:3 - but Hebrews 3:10 - err Hebrews 11:6 - without 2 Peter 3:5 - they willingly 1 John 1:6 - walk Revelation 20:15 - whosoever

Gill's Notes on the Bible

And this is the condemnation,.... Of him that believes not in Christ; that is, this is the matter and cause of his condemnation, and by which it is aggravated, and appears to be just:

that light is come into the world: by which is meant, not natural or corporeal light; though natural darkness is, by some, preferred to this, being more convenient for their evil works; as by thieves, murderers, and adulterers: nor is the light of nature designed, with which every man is enlightened that comes into the world; which, though but a dim light, might be of more use, and service, than it is; and is often rejected, and rebelled against, by wicked men, and which will be the condemnation of the Heathen world: but rather the light of divine revelation, both in the law of God, and Gospel of Christ; especially the latter is here intended; and which, though so great a favour to fallen men, is despised, and denied by the sons of darkness: though it may be best of all to understand it of Christ himself, the light of the world, and who is come a light into it; see John 8:12, who may be called "light", because he has set revelation in its clearest and fullest light; he has declared the whole mind, and will of God concerning the affair of divine worship, and the business of salvation: grace, and truth, are come by him; the doctrines of grace, and the truths of the Gospel, are most clearly brought to light by him; the types, and shadows of the law are removed; and the promises, and the prophecies of the Old Testament, are most largely expounded by him, and most perfectly fulfilled in him: and besides; he is the author and giver of the light of grace, by which men see themselves to be what they are, lost and undone sinners; and see him to be the only able, willing, suitable, sufficient, and complete Saviour: and he it is that now gives the saints the glimpse of glory they have, and will be the light of the new Jerusalem, and the everlasting light of his people hereafter. He, by his incarnation, may be said to "come into the world" in general, which was made by him, as God; and as he was in it, as man; though he was not known by it as the God-man, Mediator, and Messiah: and particularly he came into the Jewish world, where he was born, brought up, conversed, lived, and died; and into the Gentile world, by the ministry of his apostles, whom he; sent into all the world, to preach the Gospel to every creature, and spread the glorious light of it in every place:

and men loved darkness rather than light: the Jews, the greater part of them, preferred the darkness of the ceremonial law, and the Mosaic dispensation, and even the traditions of their elders, before the clear Gospel revelation made by Christ Jesus; and the Gentiles also, for the most part, chose rather to continue in their Heathenish ignorance, and idolatry, and to walk in their own ways, and in the vanity of their minds, than to embrace Christ, and his Gospel, and submit to his ordinances, and appointments; and the generality of men, to this day, love their natural darkness, and choose to walk in it, and to have fellowship with the works of darkness, and delight in the company of the children of darkness, rather than follow Christ, the light of the world; receive his Gospel, and walk in his ways, in fellowship with his saints: the reason of all this is,

because their deeds were evil; which they chose not to relinquish; and Christ, his Gospel and ordinances are contrary to them; for the doctrine of the grace of God, which has appeared, and shone out in great lustre, and splendour, in the world, teaches men to deny ungodliness, and worldly lusts; and therefore it is hated, and rejected, by men.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

This is the condemnation - This is the cause of condemnation; or this is the reason why men are punished.

That light is come - Light often denotes instruction, teaching, doctrine, as that by which we see clearly the path of duty. all the instruction that God gives us by conscience, reason, or revelation may thus be called light; but this word is used especially to denote the Messiah or the Christ, who is often spoken of as “the light.” See Isaiah 60:1; Isaiah 9:2. Compare Matthew 4:16; also the notes at John 1:4. It was doubtless this light to which Jesus had particular reference here.

Men loved darkness - Darkness is the emblem of ignorance, iniquity, error, superstition - whatever is opposite to truth and piety. Men are said to love darkness more than they do light when they are better pleased with error than truth, with sin than holiness, with Belial than Christ.

Because their deeds are evil - Men who commit crime commonly choose to do it in the night, so as to escape detection. So men who are wicked prefer false doctrine and error to the truth. Thus the Pharisees cloaked their crimes under the errors of their system; and, amid their false doctrines and superstitions, they attempted to convince others that they had great zeal for God.

Deeds - Works; actions.

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse John 3:19. This is the condemnation — That is, this is the reason why any shall be found finally to perish, not that they came into the world with a perverted and corrupt nature, which is true; nor that they lived many years in the practice of sin, which is also true; but because they refused to receive the salvation which God sent to them.

Light is come — That is, Jesus, the Sun of righteousness, the fountain of light and life; diffusing his benign influences every where, and favouring men with a clear and full revelation of the Divine will.

Men loved darkness — Have preferred sin to holiness, Belial to Christ, and hell to heaven. חשך chashac, darkness, is frequently used by the Jewish writers for the angel of death, and for the devil. See many examples in Schoettgen.

Because their deeds were evil. — An allusion to robbers and cut-throats, who practise their abominations in the night season, for fear of being detected. The sun is a common blessing to the human race-it shines to all, envies none, and calls all to necessary labour. If any one choose rather to sleep by day, that he may rob and murder in the night season, he does this to his own peril, and has no excuse:-his punishment is the necessary consequence of his own unconstrained actions. So will the punishment of ungodly men be. There was light - they refused to walk in it. They chose to walk in the darkness, that they might do the works of darkness-they broke the Divine law, refused the mercy offered to them, are arrested by Divine justice, convicted, condemned, and punished. Whence, then, does their damnation proceed? From THEMSELVES.