John 1:5 (DBY)

Passage

And the light appears in darkness, and the darkness apprehended it not.

Nearby Context

John 1:3 All things received being through him, and without him not one [thing] received being which has received being.

John 1:4 In him was life, and the life was the light of men.

John 1:5 And the light appears in darkness, and the darkness apprehended it not.

John 1:6 There was a man sent from God, his name John.

John 1:7 He came for witness, that he might witness concerning the light, that all might believe through him.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "light", "darkness", "appears", and "apprehended". It is saying that the contrast between light and darkness marks a real divide in how people respond to God's work.

The nearby context moves from verse 4's "In him was life and the life..." into verse 6's "There was a man sent from God...", so "light" and "darkness" belong inside that flow. In John context, the local focus is the identity of Jesus, new birth, eternal life, and belief and unbelief.

A plain takeaway is to answer the verse's own emphasis on "light" and "darkness" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.