John 1:9 (DBY)

Passage

The true light was that which, coming into the world, lightens every man.

Nearby Context

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

John 1:8 *He* was not the light, but that he might witness concerning the light.

John 1:9 The true light was that which, coming into the world, lightens every man.

John 1:10 He was in the world, and the world had [its] being through him, and the world knew him not.

John 1:11 He came to his own, and his own received him not;

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "world", "light", "true", "coming", and "lightens". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "world" and "light", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 8's "He was not the light but that..." into verse 10's "He was in the world and the...", so "world" and "light" 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 "world" and "light" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.