New World Translation of the Holy Scriptures (Study Edition), “Study note on John 1:1, 'the Word was a god'”
“the Word was a god: Or “the Word was divine [or, “a godlike one”].” … Many scholars agree that the absence of the definite article before the second the·osʹ is significant. When the article is used in this context, the·osʹ refers to God Almighty. On the other hand, the absence of the article in this grammatical construction makes the·osʹ qualitative in meaning and describes a characteristic of “the Word.””
The current study note attached to John 1:1, giving the organisation's present-day reason for the rendering.
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Provenance and verification note for New World Translation of the Holy Scriptures (Study Edition), Study note on John 1:1, 'the Word was a god'
Confidence note. Study note read in full on the nwtsty John chapter 1 page on wol.jw.org, 19 September 2026.
Corroborated by. src-nwtv-int-app2a
Accessed. 19 September 2026 · Source ID. src-nwtv-nwtsty-note-john-1-1