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John 3:19
ESV And this is the judgment: the light has come into the world, and people loved the darkness rather than the light because their works were evil.
NIV This is the verdict: Light has come into the world, but people loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil.
NASB And this is the judgment, that the Light has come into the world, and people loved the darkness rather than the Light; for their deeds were evil.
CSB This is the judgment: The light has come into the world, and people loved darkness rather than the light because their deeds were evil.
NLT And the judgment is based on this fact: God’s light came into the world, but people loved the darkness more than the light, for their actions were evil.
KJV And this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil.
NKJV And this is the condemnation, that the light has come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil.

What does John 3:19 mean?

The opening verses of the gospel of John refer to Jesus as "the Light," an important concept in Hebrew culture (John 1:4–9). Light reveals truth and exposes what was hidden. According to this verse, that is the ultimate reason many people reject Jesus. His life and teachings expose every single person as a sinner (Romans 3:10) and proves the things we do to be morally wrong (Romans 4:7). Many people would prefer to hide in darkness, rather than be exposed by the light (John 1:5; 8:12).

It's crucial to remember that those who are saved are not "better" than those who reject Christ; they are simply sinners who confess and believe (1 John 1:6–7). Each person is "condemned already" for sin (John 3:18) and can hope for rescue only by turning to Jesus (John 14:6).

The word translated as "evil" here is the Greek ponēra. This term implies both evil and a sense of drudgery, labor, and effort. Mankind is not just immoral, but we work hard at being immoral! A life of sin is a hard life (John 10:10; Isaiah 14:3; Matthew 11:28).
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