What Does John 1:16 Mean in the King James?
And of his fulness have all we received, and grace for grace.
The analysis reads the King James wording.
King James Version The King James Version, first published in 1611. Selah Verse shows the standard text.
THE KEY
Every favor received here comes from fullness, and the phrase lets favor follow favor.
THE MEANING
His fullness is the source from which you receive; the verse places you among all who receive. Favor for favor pictures favor meeting favor, flowing from what is full.
WHAT THIS UNDOES
It unsettles the belief that favor arrives as a one-time allotment: the verse presents favor following favor from fullness.
THE ROOT
πληρώματος
plērōmatos
GROWS FROM
πληρ-
plēr-
To fill or make full; πλήρωμα names the resulting fullness.
The phrase ἐκ τοῦ πληρώματος means “out of the fullness”: fullness is the source from which all receive. The same word family describes filling and being full, keeping the image of fullness concrete.
ALSO GROWS
plēroō: To fill or bring to completion.
πληρόω
It shows the action carried by the same word family that names the fullness from which everyone receives.
plērēs: Full or filled.
πλήρης
John 1:14 uses this word for the Word as full of favor and truth; here that fullness becomes the source of receiving.
ἀντί
antí
GROWS FROM
ἀντι-
anti-
In place of, in exchange for, or corresponding to.
In χάριν ἀντὶ χάριτος, ἀντί lets the phrase carry the sense of favor in place of favor, or favor corresponding to favor. It gives “grace for grace” a sense of favor following or answering favor.
ALSO GROWS
antállagma: Something given in exchange.
ἀντάλλαγμα
It shows how ἀντί can carry the sense of exchange within the phrase.
antítypos: Something that corresponds to or answers to another thing.
ἀντίτυπος
It shows that ἀντί can mark correspondence as well as exchange.
χάριτος
charitos
GROWS FROM
χάρ-
char-
Favor or gracious regard.
“grace” in this verse is charitos. The repeated χάρις is favor, and it belongs to a word family that also describes freely granted gifts. Joined with ἀντί, it gives the phrase its movement of favor following favor.
ALSO GROWS
charizomai: To give freely or show favor.
χαρίζομαι
It brings out the freely given quality carried by the favor in this verse.
charisma: A gift freely given as favor.
χάρισμα
It shows favor taking shape as something received.
THE PATTERN
What is full gives from its abundance, and those who receive are satisfied from it.
They shall be abundantly satisfied with the fatness of thy house; and thou shalt make them drink of the river of thy pleasures.Ho, every one that thirsteth, come ye to the waters, and he that hath no money; come ye, buy, and eat; yea, come, buy wine and milk without money and without price.In whom we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of his grace;THE THREAD
And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth.John 1:14 calls the Word full of favor and truth; John 1:16 uses the same Greek fullness family and repeats charis, favor. The image moves from fullness embodied to everyone receiving from that fullness.
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