John 1 · Verse 3

John 1:3

All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made.
John 1:3, King James Version

John 1:3 in other translations

BSBThrough Him all things were made, and without Him nothing was made that has been made.
WEBAll things were made through him. Without him, nothing was made that has been made.
ASVAll things were made through him; and without him was not anything made that hath been made.
YLTall things through him did happen, and without him happened not even one thing that hath happened.
DARBYAll things received being through him, and without him not one thing received being which has received being.
BBEAll things came into existence through him, and without him nothing was.
WebsterAll things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made.

What does John 1:3 mean?

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown
3. All things, &c.--all things absolutely (as is evident from Joh 1:10; 1Co 8:6; Col 1:16, 17; but put beyond question by what follows). without Him was not any thing--not one thing. made--brought into being. that was made--This is a denial of the eternity and non-creation of matter, which was held by the whole thinking world outside of Judaism and Christianity: or rather, its proper creation was never so much as dreamt of save by the children of revealed religion.

Robert Jamieson, A. R. Fausset & David Brown, 1871 · public domain

Barnes' Notes
Verse 3. All things. The universe. The expression cannot be limited to any part of the universe. It appropriately expresses everything which exists--all the vast masses of material worlds, and all the animals and things, great or small, that compose those worlds. See Rev 4:11, Heb 1:2, Col 1:16.

Were made. The original word is from the verb to be, and signifies "were" by him; but it expresses the idea of creation here. It does not alter the sense whether it is said "were by him," or "were created by him." The word is often used in the sense of creating, or forming from nothing. See Jas 3:9, Gen 2:4 Isa 48:7, in the Septuagint.

By him. In this place it is affirmed that creation was effected by the Word, or the Son of God. In Gen 1:1, it is said that the Being who created the heavens and the earth was God. In Ps 102:25-28, this work is ascribed to Jehovah. The Word, or the Son of God, is therefore appropriately called God. The work of creation is uniformly ascribed in the Scriptures to the second person of the Trinity. See Col 1:16, Heb 1:2,10. By this is meant, evidently, that he was the agent, or the efficient cause, by which the universe was made. There is no higher proof of omnipotence than the work of creation; and hence God often appeals to that work to prove that he is the true God, in opposition to idols. See Isa 40:18-28 Jer 10:3-16, Ps 24:2, 39:11, Prov 3:19. It is absurd to say that God can invest a creature with omnipotence. If he can make a creature omnipotent, he can make him omniscient, and can in the same way make him omnipresent, and infinitely wise and good; that is, he can invest a creature with all his own attributes, or make another being like himself, or, which is the same thing, there could be two Gods, or as many Gods as he should choose to make. But this is absurd. The Being, therefore, that created all things must be divine; and as this work is ascribed to Jesus Christ, and as it is uniformly in the Scriptures declared to be the work of God, Jesus Christ is therefore equal with the Father.

Without him. Without his agency; his notice; the exertion of his power. Comp. Mt 10:29. This is a strong way of speaking, designed to confirm, beyond the possibility of doubt, what he had just said. He says, therefore, in general, that all things were made by Christ. In this part of the verse he shuts out all doubt, and affirms that there was no exceptions; that there was not a single thing, however minute or unimportant, which was not made by him. In this way he confirms what he said in the first verse. Christ was not merely called God, but he did the works of God, and therefore the name is used in its proper sense as implying supreme divinity. To this same test Jesus himself appealed as proving that he was divine. Jn 10:37: If I do not THE WORKS of my Father, believe me not. Jn 5:17: MY FATHER worketh hitherto, and I work.

(e) "All things" Ps 33:6, Eph 3:9

Albert Barnes, 1834 · public domain

Adam Clarke's Commentary
Verse 3 All things were made by him - That is, by this Logos. In Gen 1:1, God is said to have created all things: in this verse, Christ is said to have created all things: the same unerring Spirit spoke in Moses and in the evangelists: therefore Christ and the Father are One. To say that Christ made all things by a delegated power from God is absurd; because the thing is impossible. Creation means causing that to exist that had no previous being: this is evidently a work which can be effected only by omnipotence. Now, God cannot delegate his omnipotence to another: were this possible, he to whom this omnipotence was delegated would, in consequence, become God; and he from whom it was delegated would cease to be such: for it is impossible that there should be two omnipotent beings. On these important passages I find that many eminently learned men differ from me: it seems they cannot be of my opinion, and I feel I cannot be of theirs. May He, who is the Light and the Truth, guide them and me into all truth!

Adam Clarke, 1831 · public domain

Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary on John 1:1-5

The plainest reason why the Son of God is called the Word, seems to be, that as our words explain our minds to others, so was the Son of God sent in order to reveal his Father's mind to the world. What the evangelist says of Christ proves that he is God. He asserts, His existence in the beginning; His coexistence with the Father. The Word was with God. All things were made by him, and not as an instrument. Without…

Read the full comment on John 1:1-5 →

John 1:3 in the original Greek

Word-by-word with transliteration, English gloss and Strong's number. Tap a number for the full definition and every place the word is used.

πάνταpantaAll thingsG3956
δι᾽di᾽throughG1223
αὐτοῦautouHimG846
ἐγένετο,egenetocame into being,G1096
καὶkaiandG2532
χωρὶςchōriswithoutG5565
αὐτοῦautouHimG846
ἐγένετοegenetocame into beingG1096
οὐδὲoudenot evenG3761
ἓνhenone [thing]G1520
ὃhothatG3739
γέγονεν.gegonenhas come into being.G1096

Source: STEPBible TAHOT/TAGNT (Tyndale House, CC BY 4.0).

Cross references for John 1:3

  • Colossians 1:16-17

    For by him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by him, and for him: And he is before all things, and by him all things consist.

  • 1 Corinthians 8:6

    But to us there is but one God, the Father, of whom are all things, and we in him; and one Lord Jesus Christ, by whom are all things, and we by him.

  • Revelation 4:11

    Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honour and power: for thou hast created all things, and for thy pleasure they are and were created.

  • Psalms 33:6

    By the word of the Lord were the heavens made; and all the host of them by the breath of his mouth.

  • Genesis 1:26

    And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth.

  • John 1:10

    He was in the world, and the world was made by him, and the world knew him not.

  • Hebrews 1:2-3

    Hath in these last days spoken unto us by his Son, whom he hath appointed heir of all things, by whom also he made the worlds; Who being the brightness of his glory, and the express image of his person, and upholding all things by the word of his power, when he had by himself purged our sins, sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on high;

  • Isaiah 45:18

    For thus saith the Lord that created the heavens; God himself that formed the earth and made it; he hath established it, he created it not in vain, he formed it to be inhabited: I am the Lord; and there is none else.

  • Isaiah 45:12

    I have made the earth, and created man upon it: I, even my hands, have stretched out the heavens, and all their host have I commanded.

  • Psalms 102:25

    Of old hast thou laid the foundation of the earth: and the heavens are the work of thy hands.

  • Hebrews 3:3-4

    For this man was counted worthy of more glory than Moses, inasmuch as he who hath builded the house hath more honour than the house. For every house is builded by some man; but he that built all things is God.

  • Genesis 1:1

    In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth.

Ranked by reader votes · OpenBible.info cross references (CC BY).

Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
A.M. 1. B.C. 4004.
10; 5:17-19; Ge 1:1,26; Ps 33:6; 102:25; Isa 45:12,18; Eph 3:9
Col 1:16,17; Heb 1:2,3,10-12; 3:3,4; Re 4:11

Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (Samuel Bagster, c. 1836) · public domain

Context

  • John 1:2

    The same was in the beginning with God.

  • John 1:3

    All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made.

  • John 1:4

    In him was life; and the life was the light of men.

Read all of John 1

John 1:3 in other languages

Spanish
Reina-Valera 1909		Todas las cosas por él fueron hechas; y sin él nada de lo que es hecho, fué hecho.
French
Bible J.N. Darby 1885		Toutes choses furent faites par elle, et sans elle pas une seule chose ne fut faite de ce qui a été fait.
German
Elberfelder 1871		Alles ward durch dasselbe, und ohne dasselbe ward auch nicht eines, das geworden ist.
Latin
Clementine Vulgate		Omnia per ipsum facta sunt: et sine ipso factum est nihil, quod factum est.