John 3:20 - For God So Loved (2024)

New International Version
Everyone who does evil hates the light, and will not come into the light for fear that their deeds will be exposed.New Living Translation
All who do evil hate the light and refuse to go near it for fear their sins will be exposed.English Standard Version
For everyone who does wicked things hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his works should be exposed.Berean Standard Bible
Everyone who does evil hates the Light, and does not come into the Light for fear that his deeds will be exposed.Berean Literal Bible
For everyone practicing evil hates the Light and does not come to the Light, so that his works may not be exposed;King James Bible
For every one that doeth evil hateth the light, neither cometh to the light, lest his deeds should be reproved.New King James Version
For everyone practicing evil hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his deeds should be exposed.New American Standard Bible
For everyone who does evil hates the Light, and does not come to the Light, so that his deeds will not be exposed.NASB 1995
“For everyone who does evil hates the Light, and does not come to the Light for fear that his deeds will be exposed.NASB 1977
“For everyone who does evil hates the light, and does not come to the light, lest his deeds should be exposed.Legacy Standard Bible
For everyone who does evil hates the Light, and does not come to the Light lest his deeds be exposed.Amplified Bible
For every wrongdoer hates the Light, and does not come to the Light [but shrinks from it] for fear that his [sinful, worthless] activities will be exposed and condemned.Christian Standard Bible
For everyone who does evil hates the light and avoids it, so that his deeds may not be exposed.Holman Christian Standard Bible
For everyone who practices wicked things hates the light and avoids it, so that his deeds may not be exposed. American Standard Version
For every one that doeth evil hateth the light, and cometh not to the light, lest his works should be reproved.Aramaic Bible in Plain English
For everyone who does what is hateful, hates The Light and does not come to The Light, lest his works should be convicted.Contemporary English Version
People who do evil hate the light and won't come to the light, because it clearly shows what they have done. Douay-Rheims Bible
For every one that doth evil hateth the light, and cometh not to the light, that his works may not be reproved. English Revised Version
For every one that doeth ill hateth the light, and cometh not to the light, lest his works should be reproved.GOD'S WORD® Translation
People who do what is wrong hate the light and don't come to the light. They don't want their actions to be exposed.Good News Translation
Those who do evil things hate the light and will not come to the light, because they do not want their evil deeds to be shown up. International Standard Version
Everyone who practices wickedness hates the light and does not come to the light, so that his actions may not be exposed.Literal Standard Version
for everyone who is doing wicked things hates the light, and does not come into the light, that his works may not be detected;Majority Standard Bible
Everyone who does evil hates the Light, and does not come into the Light for fear that his deeds will be exposed.New American Bible
For everyone who does wicked things hates the light and does not come toward the light, so that his works might not be exposed.NET Bible
For everyone who does evil deeds hates the light and does not come to the light, so that their deeds will not be exposed.New Revised Standard Version
For all who do evil hate the light and do not come to the light, so that their deeds may not be exposed.New Heart English Bible
For everyone who does evil hates the light, and does not come to the light, so that his works will not be exposed.Webster's Bible Translation
For every one that doeth evil hateth the light, neither cometh to the light, lest his deeds should be reproved.Weymouth New Testament
For every wrongdoer hates the light, and does not come to the light, for fear his actions should be exposed and condemned.World English Bible
For everyone who does evil hates the light and doesn’t come to the light, lest his works would be exposed. Young's Literal Translation
for every one who is doing wicked things hateth the light, and doth not come unto the light, that his works may not be detected;Additional Translations ...

(20) For every one that doeth evil hateth the light.--In this and the next verse we have the explanation of the choice of the darkness and rejection of the light. The fact itself is first stated more strongly. Not only does the man that doeth evil love darkness rather than light, but he hates the light. (Comp. Note on John 7:7.) Its presence makes manifest and reproves his works, which he would hide even from himself. It illumines the dark and secret chambers of the heart, and reveals thoughts and deeds which conscience, seeing in this light, trembles at, and turns away to darkness that it may hide itself from its own gaze.

It has been often noted that the word "doeth," in this and the following verse, represent different words in the original. Perhaps we may distinguish them in English by rendering this verse: "Every one that practiseth evil." It is not less important to note that the word for evil here differs from the word so rendered' in the last clause of the previous verse. Strictly, and the change of word seems to demand a strict interpretation (comp. Note on John 5:29), it is not that which is positively, but that which is negatively, evil--that which is trivial, poor, worthless. The man who practiseth such things misses the aim of life, and turns from the light that would point it out to him. He does many things, but forgets that one thing is needful, and spends a life-time in trifles without any permanent result. We are familiar with the thought that immorality shuns the light and warps the will, and thus darkens knowledge and weakens faith; but we remember too seldom the deadening effect of an unreal and aimless existence which is not truly a life.

Should be reproved.--The margin will show that our translators felt a difficulty about this word (see Notes on Matthew 18:15), where it is rendered "tell him his fault," and comp. the other instances in this Gospel, John 8:9; John 8:46 ("convince" in both), and especially John 16:8 ("reprove," and margin "convince"). The moral idea is exactly illustrated by the action of light, which makes manifest the wrong, and leads the conscience to see it and repent of it. It is through this chastening that the man passes from darkness to light. It is because men shrink from this chastening that they hate the light. (Comp. Notes on the remarkable parallel in Ephesians 5:11 et seq.) . . .

Verse 20. - This verse expounds and supplies a further and causal explanation of the relation of conduct to character. For every one that praetiseth bad things (πράσσειν and ποιεῖν are contrasted, not only here, but in Romans 1:32; Romans 2:3; Romans 7:15, 19, 20. See Trench's 'Syn. N.T.,' p. 340). The first suggests the repeated acts of a man's conduct, his habits, his practice, and not unfrequently it has a bad sense attributed to it, while the second, ποιεῖν, refers to the full expression of an inward life, and is more appropriate to denote the higher deeds and grander principles). This practice of bad ways (φαῦλα) leads infallibly, by the just judgment of God, to a hatred of that which will reveal and confound the transgressor. Every one, etc., hateth the light (this shows that we cannot err in giving to μᾶλλον in ver. 19 the sense of potius), and the hardening process which is a judgment of God upon man, ever going on, becomes more conspicuous in this, that he cometh not to the light, in order that his works may not be convicted; i.e. lest his works should be revealed - shown to him and to others in their true light. The night time, during which so many evil things, base things, unclean things, are practised, was darkening down over Jerusalem when our Lord was speaking, and would give fateful emphasis to these solemn words. This love of darkness proceeded from a hatred of the revealing power of the light. This rejection of the only begotten Son of God proceeded from a long habit of sin, showing more emphatically than before the need of radical spiritual regeneration - a birth of water and of the Spirit. The rejection of the Christ's claim to cleanse the temple - a fact of which Nicodemus, as Sanhedrist, must have been fully aware - was a striking illustration of his great argument. The "dread of the light is both moral pride and moral effeminacy" (Meyer). (See parallel in Ephesians 5:11, 12.) Parallel Commentaries ...

Greek

Everyone
πᾶς (pas)
Adjective - Nominative Masculine Singular
Strong's 3956: All, the whole, every kind of. Including all the forms of declension; apparently a primary word; all, any, every, the whole.

who
ὁ (ho)
Article - Nominative Masculine Singular
Strong's 3588: The, the definite article. Including the feminine he, and the neuter to in all their inflections; the definite article; the.

does
πράσσων (prassōn)
Verb - Present Participle Active - Nominative Masculine Singular
Strong's 4238: To do, perform, accomplish; be in any condition, i.e. I fare; I exact, require.

evil
φαῦλα (phaula)
Adjective - Accusative Neuter Plural
Strong's 5337: Worthless, wicked, base. Apparently a primary word; 'foul' or 'flawy', i.e. wicked.

hates
μισεῖ (misei)
Verb - Present Indicative Active - 3rd Person Singular
Strong's 3404: To hate, detest, love less, esteem less. From a primary misos; to detest; by extension, to love less.

the
τὸ (to)
Article - Accusative Neuter Singular
Strong's 3588: The, the definite article. Including the feminine he, and the neuter to in all their inflections; the definite article; the.

Light,
φῶς (phōs)
Noun - Accusative Neuter Singular
Strong's 5457: Light, a source of light, radiance. From an obsolete phao; luminousness.

and
καὶ (kai)
Conjunction
Strong's 2532: And, even, also, namely.

{does} not
οὐκ (ouk)
Adverb
Strong's 3756: No, not. Also ouk, and ouch a primary word; the absolute negative adverb; no or not.

come
ἔρχεται (erchetai)
Verb - Present Indicative Middle or Passive - 3rd Person Singular
Strong's 2064: To come, go.

into
πρὸς (pros)
Preposition
Strong's 4314: To, towards, with. A strengthened form of pro; a preposition of direction; forward to, i.e. Toward.

the
τὸ (to)
Article - Accusative Neuter Singular
Strong's 3588: The, the definite article. Including the feminine he, and the neuter to in all their inflections; the definite article; the.

Light
φῶς (phōs)
Noun - Accusative Neuter Singular
Strong's 5457: Light, a source of light, radiance. From an obsolete phao; luminousness.

for fear that
ἵνα (hina)
Conjunction
Strong's 2443: In order that, so that. Probably from the same as the former part of heautou; in order that.

his
αὐτοῦ (autou)
Personal / Possessive Pronoun - Genitive Masculine 3rd Person Singular
Strong's 846: He, she, it, they, them, same. From the particle au; the reflexive pronoun self, used of the third person, and of the other persons.

deeds
ἔργα (erga)
Noun - Nominative Neuter Plural
Strong's 2041: From a primary ergo; toil; by implication, an act.

will be exposed.
ἐλεγχθῇ (elenchthē)
Verb - Aorist Subjunctive Passive - 3rd Person Singular
Strong's 1651: (a) I reprove, rebuke, discipline, (b) I expose, show to be guilty. Of uncertain affinity; to confute, admonish.

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