John 8:12 I am the light of the world:

Spoken to
audience

Jesus speaks to people including his opponents.

KJV

John 8:12 I am the light of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life.

NIV

John 8:12 I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.”

LISTENERS HEARD

I myself am the light of this society. The one following me should never walk around in the darkness. Instead, he will hold the light of this life.

LOST IN TRANSLATION

The reference to "light" here, like his earlier one about drink,  may be a reference to the specific ceremony conducted at the Feast of Tabernacles (Tents), the illumination of the Temple, at which Jesus was teaching. Jesus uses the concepts of "light" and "dark" as very closely related to knowledge and ignorance. We have this same sense in English when we say things such as "when he was thinking, a light went on" and "he is in the dark." In Greek, the noun "dark" has both masculine and feminine forms, masculine is more tangible, "the dark of night" while feminine is more conceptual, the "darkness of the soul."

The word "walk" specifically means "walk around," having the sense of wandering. Jesus didn't say "will never walk" in the future tense. He used the verb of probability, "might" or "should" never walk. The Greek verb "to have" has a much stronger sense of possession, carrying, and holding onto something than the English verb. Using "hold" or "carry" here makes Jesus's sense a little clearer.

The term translated as "world" here means the "world order" and "society." It specifically refers to how people organized themselves. 

MY TAKE

We should carry on the light rather than let it go out.

GREEK ORDER

Ἐγώ       εἰμι τὸ    φῶς     τοῦ κόσμου:            ἀκολουθῶν μοι οὐ μὴ  περιπατήσῃ             ἐν τῇ  σκοτίᾳ,
I myself am   the light of this society. The one following    me never  should walk around in the dark

ἀλλ᾽       ἕξει               τὸ φῶς       τῆς ζωῆς.
Instead, he will have the light of this life.

# KJV TRANSLATION ISSUES
9
  • CW - Confusing Word -- The "he" is not the common word usually translated as "he."
  • IW - Inserted Word -- The word "that" doesn't exist in the source.
  • WF - Wrong Form -  The "follow" is not an active verb but a participle, "following."
  • CW - Confusing Word -- The "shall" before "walk" does not mean the future tense.
  • CW - Confusing Word -- The "not" is not the common word usually translated as "not."
  • CW - Confusing Word -- The "walk" does not capture the specific meaning of the word.
  • MW - Missing Word -- The word "the" before "darkness" is not shown in the English translation.
  • CW - Confusing Word -- The "but" does not capture the specific meaning of the word.
  • MW - Missing Word -- The word "the" before "darkness" is not shown in the English translation.
# NIV TRANSLATION ISSUES
7
  • CW - Confusing Word -- The "whoever" is not the common word usually translated as "whoever."
  • WF - Wrong Form -  The "follow" is not an active verb but a participle, "following."
  • CW - Confusing Word -- The "will " before "walk" does not mean the future tense.
  • CW - Confusing Word -- The "walk" does not capture the specific meaning of the word.
  • MW - Missing Word -- The word "the" before "darkness" is not shown in the English translation.
  • CW - Confusing Word -- The "but" does not capture the specific meaning of the word.
  • MW - Missing Word -- The word "the" before "darkness" is not shown in the English translation.
EACH WORD of KJV

I -- The pronoun "I" is used here. Since, as the subject of the sentence, it is part of the verb, its explicit use accentuates who is speaking "I." Saying "I myself" captures this feeling in English.

am -- The verb "am" here is the common form of "to be" in Greek. It means to have a certain characteristic or remain in a certain condition. It also equates terms or assigns characteristics.

the   -- The word translated as "the" is the Greek definite article, without a noun, it has the sense of "the one." The Greek article is much closer to our demonstrative pronouns ("this," "that," "these," "those") than the English "the." See this article for more. 

light -- The Greek word translated as "the light" means "light," "daylight [primarily], "opening," and "public visibility." Jesus uses it as a metaphor for "knowledge,"

of -- This word "of"  comes from the genitive case of the following word that requires the addition of a preposition in English.  The most common is the "of" of possession.

the -- The word translated as "the" is the Greek definite article, without a noun, it has the sense of "the one." The Greek article is much closer to our demonstrative pronouns ("this," "that," "these," "those") than the English "the." See this article for more. 

world: -- Jesus uses the word translated as "the world" to mean "the world order," and "civilization," specifically its "rulers," or its organization. Today, we use the word "society" or "regime" in this sense. More about this word in this article about related words.

he-- (CW) The word translated as "the" is the Greek definite article, without a noun, it has the sense of "the one." The Greek article is much closer to our demonstrative pronouns ("this," "that," "these," "those") than the English "the." See this article for more. This is not the third-person pronoun.

that -- (IW) There is nothing that can be translated as "that" in the Greek source. It was added because the next verb was translated as active rather than as a participle.

followeth --  (WF) The term "follow" means "to follow," or "go with," in a physical sense, but it is also a metaphor meaning "to be guided by" or "to follow the meaning of."   The form of the word is not an active verb but a participle.

me -- The "me" is in the indirect object form on the first-person pronoun, so usually "to me," though the form has other uses in Greek.

shall -- (CW) This helping verb "shall" does not indicate the future tense, but that the verb describes a possibility, the subjunctive voice. A "might" or "should" in English is more appropriate, but is assumed in an "if/when/whoever/except" clause. Helping verbs are not needed in Greek since the main verb carries this information in its form.

not -- (CW) The "not" here is both of the Greek negatives used together. Greek has two negatives, one objective, one subjective. The use of both together is more extreme, like saying, "never" or literally, "you cannot really think." When a negative precedes the verb, it affects the whole clause. When it precedes other words, its force is limited to those words.

walk  -- (CW) "Walk" is a Greek verb that means "to walk up and down," "to walk about," and "to walk about while teaching." Jesus uses it somewhat humorously in the sense that we use "parade." It is not the simple word for "walk" or "step." Its prefix means "around."

in   -- The word translated as "in" means "in," "within," "with" (an instrument), "during" (time),  or "among"  with a dative object as the one here. 

missing "the"  -- (MW) The untranslated word is the Greek definite article,"the," which usually precedes a noun and, without a noun, takes the meaning of "the one." The Greek article is much closer to our demonstrative pronouns ("this," "that," "these," "those"). See this article for more. 

darkness,  - "Darkness" is a noun that means "darkness," "dark," "gloomy," [of persons] "in the dark," "in secret," and "secret." It is a metaphor for "obscure,"and "the nether world,. It was used as the opposite the Greek word meaning judgment, opinion, purpose and therefore also a metaphor for "ignorance."

but -- (CW) The Greek word translated as "but" denotes an exception or simple opposition. It is used to emphasize the contrast between things like we use "instead," "but instead,"or "rather." It is not the common word usually translated as "but." It is the Greek word "other" like we use "otherwise." Jesus often uses this conjunction to connect a negative clause, not doing something, with a positive one, "instead do this."

shall -- This helping verb "shall" indicates that the verb is the future tense. Helping or auxiliary verbs are needed to translate the Greek verb forms into English.

have -- The word translated as "have" means to "have," "possess," "bear," "keep close," "have means to do,"  "to have due to one," or "keep" and many specific uses. This verb isn't used to form past tenses as it is in English.

the   -- The word translated as "the" is the Greek definite article, without a noun, it has the sense of "the one." The Greek article is much closer to our demonstrative pronouns ("this," "that," "these," "those") than the English "the." See this article for more. 

light -- The Greek word translated as "the light" means "light," "daylight [primarily], "opening," and "public visibility." Jesus uses it as a metaphor for "knowledge,"

of -- This word "of"  comes from the genitive case of the following word that requires the addition of a preposition in English.  The most common is the "of" of possession.

missing "the"  -- (MW) The untranslated word is the Greek definite article,"the," which usually precedes a noun and, without a noun, takes the meaning of "the one." The Greek article is much closer to our demonstrative pronouns ("this," "that," "these," "those"). See this article for more. 

life. -- The word translated as "life" means "living" but it also means "substance," "existence," and "property."Jesus uses it to mean the "existence" of physical life, spirit plus body. To learn more read this article on life eternal, For more on how Christ uses this word with other words about human existence (soul, heart, spirit, body, etc.), read this article.

EACH WORD of NIV

I -- The pronoun "I" is used here. Since, as the subject of the sentence, it is part of the verb, its explicit use accentuates who is speaking "I." Saying "I myself" captures this feeling in English.

am -- The verb "am" here is the common form of "to be" in Greek. It means to have a certain characteristic or remain in a certain condition. It also equates terms or assigns characteristics.

the   -- The word translated as "the" is the Greek definite article, without a noun, it has the sense of "the one." The Greek article is much closer to our demonstrative pronouns ("this," "that," "these," "those") than the English "the." See this article for more. 

light -- The Greek word translated as "the light" means "light," "daylight [primarily], "opening," and "public visibility." Jesus uses it as a metaphor for "knowledge,"

of -- This word "of"  comes from the genitive case of the following word that requires the addition of a preposition in English.  The most common is the "of" of possession.

the -- The word translated as "the" is the Greek definite article, without a noun, it has the sense of "the one." The Greek article is much closer to our demonstrative pronouns ("this," "that," "these," "those") than the English "the." See this article for more. 

world: -- Jesus uses the word translated as "the world" to mean "the world order," and "civilization," specifically its "rulers," or its organization. Today, we use the word "society" or "regime" in this sense. More about this word in this article about related words.

Whoever -- (CW) The word translated as "whoever " is the Greek definite article, without a noun, it has the sense of "the one." The Greek article is much closer to our demonstrative pronouns ("this," "that," "these," "those") than the English "the." See this article for more. This is not the third-person pronoun.

follows --  (WF) The term "follow" means "to follow," or "go with," in a physical sense, but it is also a metaphor meaning "to be guided by" or "to follow the meaning of."   The form of the word is not an active verb but a participle.

me -- The "me" is in the indirect object form on the first-person pronoun, so usually "to me," though the form has other uses in Greek.

will -- (CW) This helping verb "will " does not indicate the future tense, but that the verb describes a possibility, the subjunctive voice. A "might" or "should" in English is more appropriate, but is assumed in an "if/when/whoever/except" clause. Helping verbs are not needed in Greek since the main verb carries this information in its form.

never-- The "never" here is both of the Greek negatives used together. Greek has two negatives, one objective, one subjective. The use of both together is more extreme, like saying, "never" or literally, "you cannot really think." When a negative precedes the verb, it affects the whole clause. When it precedes other words, its force is limited to those words.

walk  -- (CW) "Walk" is a Greek verb that means "to walk up and down," "to walk about," and "to walk about while teaching." Jesus uses it somewhat humorously in the sense that we use "parade." It is not the simple word for "walk" or "step." Its prefix means "around."

in   -- The word translated as "in" means "in," "within," "with" (an instrument), "during" (time),  or "among"  with a dative object as the one here. 

missing "the"  -- (MW) The untranslated word is the Greek definite article,"the," which usually precedes a noun and, without a noun, takes the meaning of "the one." The Greek article is much closer to our demonstrative pronouns ("this," "that," "these," "those"). See this article for more. 

darkness,  - "Darkness" is a noun that means "darkness," "dark," "gloomy," [of persons] "in the dark," "in secret," and "secret." It is a metaphor for "obscure,"and "the nether world,. It was used as the opposite the Greek word meaning judgment, opinion, purpose and therefore also a metaphor for "ignorance."

but -- (CW) The Greek word translated as "but" denotes an exception or simple opposition. It is used to emphasize the contrast between things like we use "instead," "but instead,"or "rather." It is not the common word usually translated as "but." It is the Greek word "other" like we use "otherwise." Jesus often uses this conjunction to connect a negative clause, not doing something, with a positive one, "instead do this."

will -- This helping verb "shall" indicates that the verb is the future tense. Helping or auxiliary verbs are needed to translate the Greek verb forms into English.

have -- The word translated as "have" means to "have," "possess," "bear," "keep close," "have means to do,"  "to have due to one," or "keep" and many specific uses. This verb isn't used to form past tenses as it is in English.

the   -- The word translated as "the" is the Greek definite article, without a noun, it has the sense of "the one." The Greek article is much closer to our demonstrative pronouns ("this," "that," "these," "those") than the English "the." See this article for more. 

light -- The Greek word translated as "the light" means "light," "daylight [primarily], "opening," and "public visibility." Jesus uses it as a metaphor for "knowledge,"

of -- This word "of"  comes from the genitive case of the following word that requires the addition of a preposition in English.  The most common is the "of" of possession.

missing "the"  -- (MW) The untranslated word is the Greek definite article,"the," which usually precedes a noun and, without a noun, takes the meaning of "the one." The Greek article is much closer to our demonstrative pronouns ("this," "that," "these," "those"). See this article for more. 

life. -- The word translated as "life" means "living" but it also means "substance," "existence," and "property."Jesus uses it to mean the "existence" of physical life, spirit plus body. To learn more read this article on life eternal, For more on how Christ uses this word with other words about human existence (soul, heart, spirit, body, etc.), read this article.

COMPARISON: GREEK to KJV

Ἐγώ [162 verses](pron 1st sg masc nom) "I" is ego, which is the first-person singular pronoun meaning "I." It also means "I at least," "for my part," "indeed," and for myself.

εἰμι [614 verses](1st sg pres ind act) "Am" is eimi, which means "to be," "to exist," "to be the case," of circumstance and events "to happen,"  and "is possible." With the genitive object, the sense is "belongs to." It can also mean "must" with a dative.

τὸ [821 verses](article sg neut nom)  "The" is the Greek definite article, hos, ("the").

φῶς [21 verses](noun sg neut nom) "Light" is phos, which means "light," "daylight [primarily], "illumination [of things and of the mind]," "light [of the eyes], "window," "opening," " public visibility," and "publicity." Christ uses it as a metaphor for "knowledge," but in Greek it is also a metaphor for "deliverance," "happiness," "victory," and "glory."

τοῦ [821 verses](article sg masc nom gen)  "The" is the Greek definite article, hos, ("the"). 

κόσμου: [63 verses](noun sg masc gen) "World" is kosmos, which mean "order," "good order," "ruler," "civilization," "world order," "universe," and "the world of men." It is a form of the is verb kosmeô, which means "to order," "to arrange," "to rule," "to adorn" (especially women), and "to equip." It especially means controlling and arranging an army.

[821 verses](article sg masc nom)  "He" is the Greek definite article, hos, ("the"). 

ἀκολουθῶν [22 verses](part sg pres act masc nom) "That followeth"is akoloutheo, which means "to follow," and "to go with." It also means "to be guided by" and means following a leader as a disciple.

μοί, [96 verses](pron 1st sg masc/fem dat) "Me" is moi (emoi) , which means "I," "me," and "my."

οὐ μὴ [39 verses](partic) "Never" is ou me, the two forms of Greek negative used together. Ou is the negative adverb for facts and statements, negating both single words and sentences. Mê (me) is the negative used in prohibitions and expressions of doubt meaning "not" and "no." As οὐ (ou) negates fact and statement; μή rejects, οὐ denies; μή is relative, οὐ absolute; μή subjective, οὐ objective.

περιπατήσῃ [13 verses](3rd sg aor subj act) "Walk" is peripateo, which means "to walk up and down," "to walk about," and "to walk about while teaching."

ἐν [413 verses](prep) "In" is en, which means, with a dative object, "in," "on," "at," "by," "among," "within," "surrounded by," "in one's hands," "in one's power," "during,"  and "with." With the accusative, it means "into," "on," and "for." Referring to time, it means. "in the course of" or "during."

τῇ [821 verses](article sg fem dat)  Untranslated is the Greek definite article, hos, ("the").

σκοτίᾳ, [5 verses](noun sg fem dat) "Darkness" is skotia, which means "darkness," "dark," "gloomy," [of persons] "in the dark," "in secret," and "secret." It is a metaphor for "obscure,"and "the nether world," and was used as the opposite the Greek word gnome, γνώμη, meaning judgment, opinion, purpose and therefore also a metaphor for "ignorance."

ἀλλ᾽ [154 verses](conj) "But" is alla, which means "otherwise," "but," "still," "at least," "except," "yet," nevertheless," "rather," "moreover," and "nay."

ἕξει [181 verses](3rd sg fut ind act) "Shall have" is echo, which means "to have," "to hold," "to possess," "to keep," "to have charge of," "to have due to one," "to maintain," "to hold fast," "to bear," "to carry," "to keep close," "to keep safe," and "to have means to do." In aorist, "acquire," "get,"

τὸ [821 verses](article sg neut nom)  "The" is the Greek definite article, hos, ("the"). 

φῶς [21 verses](noun sg neut nom) "Light" is phos, which means "light," "daylight [primarily], "illumination [of things and of the mind]," "light [of the eyes], "window," "opening," " public visibility," and "publicity." Christ uses it as a metaphor for "knowledge," but in Greek it is also a metaphor for "deliverance," "happiness," "victory," and "glory."

τῆς [821 verses](article sg fem gen) Untranslated is the Greek definite article, hos, ("the").  

ζωῆς. [42 verses] (noun sg fem gen) "Life" is zoe, which means "living," "substance," "property," "existence," and, incidentally, "the scum on milk." It has the sense of how we say "make a living" to mean property. Homer used it more to mean the opposite of death.

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