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Selected Verse: John 3:19 - New American Standard Bible©

Verse	Translation	Text
Joh 3:19	New American Standard Bible©	"This is the judgment, that the Light has come into the world, and men loved the darkness rather than the Light, for their deeds were evil.
	King James	And this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil.

Summary Of Commentaries Associated With The Selected Verse

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A Commentary, Critical, Practical, and Explanatory on the Old and New Testaments, by Robert Jamieson, A.R. Fausset and David Brown [1882]
this is the condemnation, &c.--emphatically so, revealing the condemnation already existing, and sealing up under it those who will not be delivered from it. light is come into the world--in the Person of Him to whom Nicodemus was listening. loved darkness, &c.--This can only be known by the deliberate rejection of Christ, but that does fearfully reveal it.

A Commentary, Critical, Practical, and Explanatory on the Old and New Testaments, by Robert Jamieson, A.R. Fausset and David Brown [1882]

this is the condemnation, &c.--emphatically so, revealing the condemnation already existing, and sealing up under it those who will not be delivered from it.

light is come into the world--in the Person of Him to whom Nicodemus was listening.

loved darkness, &c.--This can only be known by the deliberate rejection of Christ, but that does fearfully reveal it.

Notes on the Bible, by Albert Barnes, [1834]
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 Isa 60:1; Isa 9:2. Compare Mat 4:16; also the notes at Joh 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.

Notes on the Bible, by Albert Barnes, [1834]

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 Isa 60:1; Isa 9:2. Compare Mat 4:16; also the notes at Joh 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.

The Scofield Bible Commentary, by Cyrus Ingerson Scofield, [1917]
world Greek, "kosmos", means "mankind". (See Scofield) - (Mat 4:8).

The Scofield Bible Commentary, by Cyrus Ingerson Scofield, [1917]

world

Greek, "kosmos", means "mankind".

(See Scofield) - (Mat 4:8).

Vincent's Word Studies, by Marvin R. Vincent [1886]
This That is, herein consists the judgment. The prefacing a statement with this is, and then defining the statement by ὅτι or ἵνα, that, is characteristic of John. See Joh 15:12; Joh 17:3; Jo1 1:5; Jo1 5:11, Jo1 5:14; Jo3 1:6. Light (τὸ φῶς) Rev., correctly, the light. See Joh 1:4, Joh 1:9. Men (οἱ ἄνθρωποι) Literally, the men. Regarded as a class. Darkness (τὸ σκότος) See on Joh 1:5. Rev., correctly, the darkness. John employs this word only here and Jo1 1:6. His usual term is σκοτία (Joh 1:5; Joh 8:12; Jo1 1:5, etc.), more commonly describing a state of darkness, than darkness as opposed to light. Were (ἦν) Habitually. The imperfect tense marking continuation. Evil (πονηρὰ) Actively evil. See on Mar 7:22; see on Luk 3:19.

Vincent's Word Studies, by Marvin R. Vincent [1886]

This

That is, herein consists the judgment. The prefacing a statement with this is, and then defining the statement by ὅτι or ἵνα, that, is characteristic of John. See Joh 15:12; Joh 17:3; Jo1 1:5; Jo1 5:11, Jo1 5:14; Jo3 1:6.

Light (τὸ φῶς)

Rev., correctly, the light. See Joh 1:4, Joh 1:9.

Men (οἱ ἄνθρωποι)

Literally, the men. Regarded as a class.

Darkness (τὸ σκότος)

See on Joh 1:5. Rev., correctly, the darkness. John employs this word only here and Jo1 1:6. His usual term is σκοτία (Joh 1:5; Joh 8:12; Jo1 1:5, etc.), more commonly describing a state of darkness, than darkness as opposed to light.

Were (ἦν)

Habitually. The imperfect tense marking continuation.

Evil (πονηρὰ)

Actively evil. See on Mar 7:22; see on Luk 3:19.

Explanatory Notes on the Whole Bible, by John Wesley [1754-65]
This is the condemnation - That is, the cause of it. So God is clear.

Explanatory Notes on the Whole Bible, by John Wesley [1754-65]

This is the condemnation - That is, the cause of it. So God is clear.

Adam Clarke Commentary on the Whole Bible - Published 1810-1826
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 favoring 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 practice 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 labor. 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.

Adam Clarke Commentary on the Whole Bible - Published 1810-1826

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 favoring 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 practice 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 labor. 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.

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