1. 14
Et la parole a été faite chair, et elle a habité parmi nous, pleine de grâce et de vérité; et nous avons contemplé sa gloire, une gloire comme la gloire du Fils unique venu du Père.
1. 15
Jean lui a rendu témoignage, et s’est écrié: C’est celui dont j’ai dit: Celui qui vient après moi m’a précédé, car il était avant moi.
1. 16
Et nous avons tous reçu de sa plénitude, et grâce pour grâce;
1. 17
car la loi a été donnée par Moïse, la grâce et la vérité sont venues par Jésus Christ.
1. 18
Personne n’a jamais vu Dieu; le Fils unique, qui est dans le sein du Père, est celui qui l’a fait connaître
Verbs
Note: In English “to be” also functions as a linking verb. Similarily, French has two auxiliary or linking verbs “avoir” (to have, to possess, to own) and “etre” (to be, to exist). Some verbs prefer to form their passe compose (past tense) , for example, with the help of avoir or etre. The following verbs use “etre” in the passe compose (aller, venir, devenir, rentrer, rester, tomber, descendre, sortir, arriver, entrer, partir, revenir, retourner, rentrer, naitre, mourir, etc). Other verbs form their passe compose with avoir.
v. 14
a été faite (3r pers. pass. compose. passive voice) he/she has become, has made, or became, made, etc.
a habité (3rd pers. passe comp.) he/she dwelt, has dwelt, had dwelt or has tabernacled, tabernacled, had tabernacled, etc. Habiter (to inhabit, to dwell, to tabernacle) is the infinitive form.
avons contemplé (1st pers. pl. pass. comp.) we contempleted, have contemplented, or had contemplented. Contempler could also be translated to see, ponder upon, reflect, etc. Our english translations prefer “to see” thus ” we have seen his glory”
v. 15
a rendu (3rd. pers. sing. passe comp.) he/she gave testimony, testified, bore witness, etc. Rendre ( to bear, to give) is the infinitive form.
est écrié (3rd person. sing. passe comp) he/she cried, has cried, had cried. Ecrier ( to cry out) is the infinitive form.
est (3rd pers. sing. pl) is. etre is the infinitive form
ai dit (3rd pers. sing. passe comp.) he/she said, has said, had said. Dire is the infinite form.
vient (3rd pers. sing.) he/she/ comes
a précédé (3r perss. sing. passe comp.) to come before, rank before. Preceder is the infinitive form.
était (3rd. imparfait) he/she/it was
v.16
avons reçu (1st pers. pl. passe comp.) we received, have received, or had received. Recevoir (to receive) is the infinitive form.
v.17
a été donnée (3rd pers. sing. passe comp. passive voice) he/she has given, had given, had given.
sont venues (3rd pers. pl. passe comp.) they (“grace et verite”) came, had come, have come. Thus “grace and truth” have come through Jesus Christ.
v. 18
a vu (3rd. pers. sing. passe comp.) he/she has seen, had seen, saw. Voir (to see) is the infinitive form.
est (3rd pers. sing. present tense) he/she is. Etre as the infinitive form
a fait (3rd pers. sing. passe compose) she/she has made, had made, made. Faire is the infinitive meanining to “make” or “to do”. It also carries the notion of “performance”
connaître ,to know someone or be familiar with someone or something. In other words, the verb bears the idea of personal, intimate acquaintance/knowledge.
*In French, generally “savoir ” and “connaître” are used in different contexts to explain various or degrees of “knowledge.” Savoir is used for facts, things known by heart, or how to do something (i.e. knowledge and experience, various learnings, great learning, abilities, etc.) Connaître, however, means to know (someone) , and expresses personal knowlege, acquaintance, the sense of familiarity with with (someone or something). The French is very clear, specific, and right on target here indicating that it was “le Fils unique, qui est dans le sein du Père, est celui qui l’a fait connaître” (v.18) because Jesus came from God, knew God, shared glory with God, and was with God in and from the beginning (vv.1-3).
Nouns
v. 14
parole (n.f.) Word
grâce (n.f.) grace
vérité (n.f.) truth
gloire (n.f.) glory
Fils (n.masc.) Son
Père (n.masc.) Father
v. 15
Jean (n.masc.) John
témoignage (n.masc.) witness, account, story/or personal story
v. 16
plénitude (n.f.) fullness, power
grâce (n.f) grace
v. 17
loi (n.f.) law
Moïse (n.masc.) Moses
grâce (n.f.) grace
vérité (n.f.) truth
Jésus Christ (n.m.) Jesus Christ
v. 18
Fils (n.m) Son
sein (n.m) breast, side, bosom,
Père (n.m) Father
Articles
v. 14
la (f. sing. definite article) the
une (f. sing. indefinite article) a or an
v. 17
la (f. sing. definite article) the
v. 18
le (masc. sing. definite article) the
Adjectives
v. 14
chair (f.) flesh,
unique (it could describe or modify both masc. and fem. nouns) only, unique
sa (f. sing, possesive adj.) her (i.e. sa gloire/his glory).
*This is a a little hard to translate in English. For example, in French, “Parole” (Word) is a feminin noun, standing for “Jesus Christ” (v.10, 14,18). Therefore, French has to use a feminine adj. appropriating the gender of the noun which the adj. describes or modifies. In order words, as we have observed in our previous lesson on french adjectives. (Just like in biblical Greek), every adjective must agree in number and gender with the noun it describes.
v. 17
sa (see v.14 above)
v. 18
unique (see v. 14 above)
Pronouns
v. 14
elle (f.sing. ) replacing “Parole” (Word).
* In most english translations, v. 14a reads ” And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us.” In the Louis Segond French Translation of the Bible, the latter is two clauses separated by a “virgule”/comma, preceeded by the conjunction “et” as well. Thus it reads, “Et la Parole a été faite chair, et elle a habité parmi nous.” So here “parole” is rightly replaced by its subject pronoun “elle.”
v. 15
lui (masculin), an indirect object pronoun standing in the place of “fils” (v.14) or subsequently “il” (v.15a) and Jesus Christ (v.17)
c’ (m.sing) here “c,” (ce), in front of a vowel (est) functions as a demonstrative pronoun (hence “c’ instead of “ce.” ce + est = c’est). In other words, C’est celui “this is him.” Jean/John as witness pointing to Jesus, “la parole a ete faite chair” (the word became flesh”)
dont
j’ (subject pronoun, 1st person, masc. sing), J’ is contacted before a vowel (ai) (je + ai = j’)
qui (relative pronoun masc. sing) who, that. “Qui” (who) best functions here as a relative pronoun, the antecedent of “celui.”
moi (disjunctive pronoun) me.”Moi,” as a disjunctive pronoun stresses the pronoun “je.”
m’ (direct obj. pron.) me. “M’ ” is a contraction of me + a = m’)
il (3rd person. subject pron.) he
v. 16
nous (1st person, subj. pron. masc. pl.) we
v. 18
Personne
qui, celui, qui (see v. 15 for explaination)
l’ ( 3rd person, direct object pronoun, masc. sing.) le (him or he).
Adverbs /prepositions/conjunctions
v. 14
et (conj) and
parmi (prep.) among amongst
de (prep) of
comme (adv.) as
v. 15
et (conj) and
après (prep) after
car (conj) for, because
avant (prep) in front of, before
v. 16
et (conj) and
de (prep) of
pour (prep) for, upon
v. 17
car (conj) for, because
par (prep) by, per
et (conj) and
v. 18
ne jamais, never, an emphatic expression
dans (prep) in, inside, at
Prepositional phrases/Phrases
v. 14
pleine de grâce et de vérité, full of grace and truth
Fils unique du Père, only Son of God or only begotten Son of God
v. 16
grâce pour grâce, grace upon grace
v. 18
le Fils unique, the only Son or the only begotten Son
dans le sein du Père, at the Father’s side or in the bosom of the Father,
Celucien Joseph