John 1:1
About this verseJohn opens his Gospel by declaring that the Word already existed at the beginning, was with God, and was himself God.
John 1:14
The eternal Word became a human being and lived among us, and those who saw him saw God's glory, full of grace and truth.
The Word became flesh and made his home among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.
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What John 1:14 means
Thirteen verses after calling him the Word who was God, John says he became flesh. The verb behind ‘made His home’ evokes pitching a tent, echoing the tabernacle where God’s presence rested among Israel in the wilderness.
‘We have seen’ is eyewitness language, not theory. And the pairing at the end — grace and truth together — is the combination people usually assume must be traded off against each other. John insists both were fully present in one person.
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Questions about John 1:14
What does John 1:14 mean?
It means the eternal Word became a human being and lived among us, and that those who saw him beheld the glory of God’s only Son, full of grace and truth.
What does ‘dwelt among us’ suggest?
The word pictures pitching a tent, recalling the tabernacle. God’s presence has come to live among his people again — this time in a person.