All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made.
What does John 1:3 mean?
The plainest reason why the Son of God is called the Word, seems to be, that as our words explain our minds to others, so was the Son of God sent in order to reveal his Father's mind to the world.
Key themes
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Keep this verse inside John 1:1-5 and alongside a few nearby related passages.
Commentary on John 1:3
All things - The universe. The expression cannot be limited to any part of the universe. It appropriately expresses everything which exists - all the vast masses of material worlds, and all the animals and things, great or small, that compose those worlds. See Revelation 4:11 ; Hebrews 1:2 ; Colossians 1:16 . Were made - The original word is from the verb "to be," and signifies "were" by him; but it expresses the idea of creation here. It does not alter the sense whether it is said "'were' by him," or "were 'created' by him." The word is often used in the sense of "creating," or forming from nothing.
Key words
- all
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all. So the Jews ascribe the creation of all things to the word.
- all
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all. So the Jews ascribe the creation of all things to the word.
Context in John 1
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John 1 belongs to the opening movement of the book, especially the section often described as prologue and book of signs. John presents Jesus in contemplative, symbolic, and theological richness as the Word, Lamb, Light, Bread, Shepherd, Resurrection, Way, Vine, and Son. Read this chapter with the wider themes of incarnation, life, and light in view so the individual verses keep their proper weight.
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