John 1:1
ESV
In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
NIV
In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
NASB
In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
CSB
In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
NLT
In the beginning the Word already existed. The Word was with God, and the Word was God.
KJV
In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
NKJV
In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
What does John 1:1 mean?
The first verse of John establishes several important facts. It also introduces an important term. Jesus is referred to as "the Word," from the Greek word logos. Christ is the Logos: the definition, the meaning, the "Word" of God. This is the first of John's seven names for Jesus: "the Word." The rest of the gospel is John's attempt to prove this through various forms of evidence, with an emphasis on Jesus' miracles.The first eighteen verses of John counter many false beliefs about God. This verse establishes that the universe had a beginning, contrary to the idea that it is eternal. It also states that God has existed from that beginning. Later verses will show that God, in fact, created all that exists. This verse also makes it noticeably clear that this Logos, Jesus, is identical to the Creator: the Word was God. This begins to establish the concept of the Trinity, where God is one being in three distinct persons.
