What does John 1:14 mean?
This verse is the heart of the Christmas message. The eternal Word, who was with God and was God (verse 1), "was made flesh." God did not merely visit the world or appear to be human; he became a real human being in Jesus. "Dwelt among us" literally means "pitched his tent" among us, recalling the tabernacle where God's presence lived among Israel in the wilderness. John says the disciples saw his glory, the glory of the Father's one and only Son. He was "full of grace and truth," showing God's undeserved kindness and his faithfulness perfectly. In Jesus, people could see what God is like.
John 1:14 in the World English Bible
The Word became flesh and lived among us. We saw his glory, such glory as of the only born Son of the Father, full of grace and truth.
Context
13 Which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.
14 And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth.
15 John bare witness of him, and cried, saying, This was he of whom I spake, He that cometh after me is preferred before me: for he was before me.
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Frequently asked questions
What does John 1:14 mean?
This verse is the heart of the Christmas message. The eternal Word, who was with God and was God (verse 1), "was made flesh." God did not merely visit the world or appear to be human; he became a real human being in Jesus. "Dwelt among us" literally means "pitched his tent" among us, recalling the tabernacle where God's presence lived among Israel in the wilderness. John says the disciples saw his glory, the glory of the Father's one and only Son. He was "full of grace and truth," showing God's undeserved kindness and his faithfulness perfectly. In Jesus, people could see what God is like.
What does John 1:14 say in the KJV?
John 1:14 (KJV) reads: “And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth.”