kosmos
form in verse: kosmon
worldhumanityordered worldworld-system
John can use this word for the world God loves and, elsewhere, the order that resists light. The sentence starts with the widest field in view.
“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.”
a lens does not decide the verse for you. it slows the reader down long enough to notice where English is already making choices.
John can use this word for the world God loves and, elsewhere, the order that resists light. The sentence starts with the widest field in view.
The phrase behind KJV 'whosoever believeth' is broad and active. It points to the person trusting, not to a narrowed qualifying group.
The phrase joins life with aionios. Plainverses should show the range first, then let the immediate context carry the weight.
stripped of every overlay, the verse names the world before it names anything else. the gift comes without condition. the only requirement it lists is whosoever — a word that does not narrow, it opens.
want a verse like this every morning?