Other religions and movementsDraft · awaiting advisor review
Does John 1:1 say the Word was “a god”?
In short
Nearly every translation renders it “the Word was God”. Greek has no word for “a”, and the form John uses stresses what the Word is: fully divine. Reading “a god” would put a second, lesser god beside the one God, which the Bible rules out.
The Objection
In Greek, “God” in the last clause of John 1:1 has no article, so it should be translated “the Word was a god”, as the New World Translation of the Jehovah’s Witnesses does. Jesus is a mighty spirit creature, not God himself.
Put as its strongest advocates would put it.
The Christian Case
- Historical evidence
Greek has no indefinite article. A noun without “the”, placed before the verb as here, usually describes quality or nature (“what God was, the Word was”). Almost all translations and Greek scholars render it “the Word was God”.
- Scripture
John uses “God” without the article several times in the same chapter for God the Father; no one translates those “a god”.
- Scripture
The Bible says there is one God and no other; a second, lesser god would contradict it. And all things were made through the Word, so he is not part of creation.
- Scripture
John’s Gospel ends as it began, with Thomas calling Jesus “my Lord and my God”.
Where the Evidence Is Weaker
The grammar is technical, and some translations phrase the clause differently to bring out its qualitative sense (“what God was, the Word was”) without saying “a god”.
Arguments to Avoid
- Overstating the grammar rule as if it settled everything by itself.
- Treating Jehovah’s Witnesses at your door with contempt.
Read for Yourself
John 1:1–18
1In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2The same was in the beginning with God. 3All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made. 4In him was life; and the life was the light of men. 5And the light shineth in darkness; and the darkness comprehended it not. 6There was a man sent from God, whose name was John. 7The same came for a witness, to bear witness of the Light, that all men through him might believe. 8He was not that Light, but was sent to bear witness of that Light. 9That was the true Light, which lighteth every man that cometh into the world. 10He was in the world, and the world was made by him, and the world knew him not. 11He came unto his own, and his own received him not. 12But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name: 13Which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God. 14And 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. 15John bare witness of him, and cried, saying, This was he of whom I spake, He that cometh after me is preferred before me: for he was before me. 16And of his fulness have all we received, and grace for grace. 17For the law was given by Moses, but grace and truth came by Jesus Christ. 18No man hath seen God at any time; the only begotten Son, which is in the bosom of the Father, he hath declared him.
Further Reading
- Reasoning from the Scriptures with the Jehovah’s Witnesses · Ron Rhodes (1993)
- Truth in Translation · Jason David BeDuhn (2003)A scholar who defends some New World Translation choices; useful for hearing the other side.
Drafted with Opened AI and awaiting review by Opened’s apologetics advisors. Labels show the kind of support each point has: Scripture is what the Bible says; historical evidence and philosophical arguments can be checked by anyone; “Christians differ” marks questions on which faithful Christians disagree.
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