For everyone who does evil hates the Light, and does not come to the Light, so that his deeds will not be exposed.
Parallel translations
- WEB For everyone who does evil hates the light, and doesn’t come to the light, lest his works would be exposed.
- KJV For every one that doeth evil hateth the light, neither cometh to the light, lest his deeds should be reproved.
- BSB Everyone who does evil hates the Light, and does not come into the Light for fear that his deeds will be exposed.
- NKJV For everyone practicing evil hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his deeds should be exposed.
- NLT All who do evil hate the light and refuse to go near it for fear their sins will be exposed.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Quick answer
Everyone who practices evil hates the light and avoids it, fearing exposure. Sin instinctively shrinks from the truth.
Overview
Jesus diagnoses why people resist him: the light of his presence and truth threatens to uncover their wrongdoing. This hatred of the light is the natural posture of the unregenerate heart. The verse reinforces that conversion requires more than information; it requires God to give a new love for the truth.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 12
- Eph 5:11–13Have no fellowship with the unfruitful deeds of darkness, but rather even reprove them.
- John 7:7The world can’t hate you, but it hates me, because I testify about it, that its works are evil.
- Job 24:13–17“These are of those who rebel against the light. They don’t know its ways, nor stay in its paths.
- Prov 1:29because they hated knowledge, and didn’t choose the fear of Yahweh.
- Prov 4:18But the path of the righteous is like the dawning light, that shines more and more until the perfect day.
- Jas 1:23–25For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man looking at his natural face in a mirror;
- 1 Kgs 22:8The king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat, “There is yet one man by whom we may inquire of Yahweh, Micaiah the son of Imlah; but I hate him, for he does not prophesy good concerning me, but evil.” Jehoshaphat said, “Don’t let the king say so.”
- Ps 50:17since you hate instruction, and throw my words behind you?
- Prov 5:12and say, “How I have hated instruction, and my heart despised reproof;
- Amos 5:10–11They hate him who reproves in the gate, and they abhor him who speaks blamelessly.
- Prov 15:12A scoffer doesn’t love to be reproved; he will not go to the wise.
- Luke 11:45One of the lawyers answered him, “Teacher, in saying this you insult us also.”
Themes, concepts, people & topics
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Christ at the center
John declares him plainly: the eternal Word made flesh, the Lamb of God, the great 'I AM' — bread, light, door, shepherd, way, truth, life, resurrection — that you may believe and have life in his name.
How John 3:20 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.
Original language
Each word below is tagged with its Strong’s number — tap one to see the underlying Greek word, its meaning, and every verse that uses it.