1. In the beginning1 was the Miltha.2 And that Miltha was with Elohim.

And
Elohim was that
Miltha. 2. This was with Elohim in the beginning.3 3. Everything existed
through his hands,4
and without him, not even one thing existed of the things which have
existed. 4. In him was life,
and the life was the light of men.5 5. And that light shines in the
darkness,6 and the darkness
did not overtake it. 6. There was a man who was sent from Elohim whose
name was Yochanan.
7. This man came for a witness that he might testify concerning the light
that all might believe
through his hand. 8. He was not the light; rather that he might bear
witness concerning the light.
9. For the light was of truth, that which shines on all who come into the
world. 10. He was in
the world, and the world existed by his hand and the world did not know
him. 11. He came to
his own, and his own did not receive Him.7 12. But those who did receive
him he gave to them
authority that they might be the sons of Elohim, those who have believed
in his name. 13. Those
who neither by blood nor by the will of the flesh nor by the will of a man,
rather were begotten by
Elohim. 14. And the Miltha8 became flesh and dwelt among us and we
saw his glory,9 the glory as
the Only-Begotten10 who is from the Father who is full of grace and
truth. 15. Yochanan witnessed
concerning him and cried out and said, “This is he whom I said would
come after me, and yet
be before me because he was earlier than me.” 16. And from his fullness
we all have received
grace on account of grace; 17. Because Torah was given through
Moshe, but truth11 and grace12
through Y’shua who is the Mashiyach.13 18. Man has not ever seen
Elohim. The Only Begotten
of Elohim, he who is in the bosom14 of his Father, he has declared him.
19. And this is the witness
of Yochanan when the Yehudeans from Urishlim sent priests and Levites
to inquire of him, “Who
are you?” 20. And he confessed and did not deny and did not declare, “I
am the Mashiyach.”
21. And they asked him again, “Who therefore? Are you Eliyahu?” And
he said, “I am not.”
“Are you the Prophet?” And he said, “No!” 22. And they said to him, “And
then, who are you
that we might give an answer to those who sent us? What do you say
concerning yourself?”
23. He said: “I am the voice of the crying in the wilderness, ‘Make straight
the way of Master
YHWH.’ As Yesha’yahu the prophet had said.”15 24. And those who
were sent were from the
Pharisees. 25. And they inquired of him and said to him, “Why therefore
do you immerse? You
are not the Mashiyach nor Eliyahu nor the Prophet. 26. Yochanan
answered and said to them, “I
immerse with water among you, but he stands, him who you do not
know. 27. This is he who will
come after me, yet is before me. I am not worthy to loosen the straps of
his sandals.”
1 The phrase B’resheet aytohi hwa miltha breaks a most basic rule of
Aramaic grammar by combining a feminine noun
(miltha) with two masculine verbs for “to be” (aytohi, hwa). This is
unheard of in Aramaic literature other than right here
in this passage and in 1 John. This shows YHWH has male and female
“images/spirits” even though YHWH remains a
He. It may also be a midrash on Isaiah 11:1-2, which describes the Spirit
of YHWH descending on Mashiyach using both
masculine and feminine suffixes. This is not something easily translated,
let alone when it occurs within the first four words.
See Feminine Attributes in Appendix.
2 Miltha has no direct English equivalent. It can mean ‘Word’,
‘Manifestation’, ‘Instance’ or ‘Substance’ among other things.
In this context, it may best be left untranslated. (PY).
3 Fulfilling Messianic prophecy: Mashiyach (ruler of Israel) to have
origins of the ancient past Micah 5:2; Isaiah 48:16.
Bear in mind that Micah is referring to the spiritual “Israel of Elohim,”
those of the Kingdom of Heaven according to the
circumcision of heart.
4 Literal Aramaic reading; “through his hands” indicates the Word as a
creative force, like a sculptor working under the
orders of a king. See Psalm 33:6; Isaiah 44:24; 66:1, 2. Please see Alef
Tav in Appendix.
5 While Abba YHWH is in sole command of the creation process, the “his
hands” refers to the Word from His mouth and that
Word will become flesh as His Son. Since this is a form of Y’shua the
“him” is in small letters. The same is done for Yochanan
1:10-12. Although in another sense it is also accurate to say that Y’shua
is YHWH. See Luke 2:11 and 1 Corinthians 12:3.
6 Aramaic wordplay. Nohra b’chashokha menhar (light in the darkness
that shines) is a deliberate mirror-reversal of menharnohra (menorah),
which marks the conception of the light of the world at Hanukkah. This
puts the birth of Mashiyach nine
months from Hanukkah, during the fall feasts; many point to the first day
of Feast of Tabernacles for the date of Y’shua’s birth.
7 Fulfilling the Messianic prophecy: “his own did not receive him” Psalm
69:9; Isaiah 53:3; Daniel 9:24-26.
8 9 10 Miltha refers to the “Manifestation” of the Ruach haKodesh within
Mashiyach. The physical body of Mashiyach is not the
Word of YHWH, but his words and actions demonstrate the Will and
Word of YHWH, which upholds observance of Torah.
However, Christo-Pagans like Marcion and Constantine taught that
Y’shua’s body and spirit manifest a different “word” that
did away with Torah. The Word of YHWH was substituted with
dispensational and replacement “theologies,” which are
more popular among Christians.
9 Isaiah 42:8; 48:11
10 Ekhadaya is a beautiful term used among Eastern theologians and
poets; it literally means “THE ONE” (PY).
11 Shemot/Ex. 34:5, 6; D’varim/Deut. 32:4; Psalm 25:10; 31:5; 119:142,
151; 146:5, 6; Isaiah 65:16; Jer. 4:1, 2; John 17:17.
12 Genesis 6:8; Shemot/Ex. 33:12-17; Psalm 84:11; Jeremiah 31:1-3;
see footnote 1 Peter 5:10.
13 The Torah of Moshe is the Word of YHWH, but grace and truth
revealed in Y’shua are the impelling forces that uphold
all righteousness and keep the Word of YHWH (Torah) positioned in our
hearts; these are complimentary, not opposites. It is
according to the Grace of the Father YHWH that Mashiyach is revealed
in a person’s heart; see John 17:9, 10. See Eighteen
New Testament Misconceptions #12: Grace and Torah in Appendix.
14 A wordplay exists between “b’Awba” (in the bosom) and “d’Abuhi”
(of His Father) (PY).
15 Isaiah 40:3

28. These things occurred in Beth-Anya at the crossing of the Yordanan

where Yochanan was
immersing. 29. And on the day that followed, Yochanan saw Y’shua who
was coming towards
him, and said, “Behold the Lamb16 of Elohim, he who takes away the
sins of the world. 30. This
is he whom I spoke concerning that, ‘After me will come a man, yet he
was before me because
he is earlier than me.’ 31. And I did not know him except that he be made
known first to Yisrael.
Because of this, I have come that I might immerse with water 32. And
bear witness.” And
Yochanan said, “I saw the Spirit descending from Heaven like a dove
and it rested upon him. 33.
And I did not know him17 but He who sent me to immerse with water, He
said to me, ‘The one
whom you see the Spirit descend and rest upon him, he will immerse
with the Ruach haKodesh.’
34. And I saw and I testified that he is the Son of Elohim.” 35. And on
another day, Yochanan
and two of his disciples were standing, 36. And he stared at Y’shua while
walking, and he said,
“Behold the Lamb of Elohim!” 37. And both of his disciples heard when
he spoke, and they went
after Y’shua. 38. And Y’shua turned and saw those who were coming
after him and he said to
them, “What do you want, you?” They said to him, “Our Master, where
are18 you?” 39. He said
to them, “Come and you will see!” And they came and saw where he was
and remained with him
that day, and it was about the tenth hour.19 40. And one of them who
had heard from Yochanan
and went after Y’shua was Andraus, the brother of Shimon. 41. And this
one first saw Shimon, his
brother, and said to him, “I have found the Mashiyach.” 42. And he
brought him to Y’shua and
gazed at him. And Y’shua said, “You are Shimon the son of Yonah. You
will be called Keefa.”20
43. And on another day, Y’shua wanted to depart to Galeela and found
Peleepos and said to
him, “Come after21 me!” 44. Now Peleepos was from Beth-Saida,22 the
city of Andraus and of
Shimon. 45. And Peleepos found Nathaniel (Bar-Tulmay)23 and said to
him, “He concerning
whom Moshe wrote in Torah and the prophets, we have found him! He is
that Y’shua, the son
of Yosip of Nasrath.” 46. Nathaniel said to him, “Is it possible that
anything that is good to be
from Nasrath?” Peleepos said to him, “Come, and you will see!” 47. And
Y’shua saw Nathaniel
while coming toward him and said concerning him, “Behold, truly a son of
Yisrael in whom
there is no deceit!” 48. Nathaniel said to him, “From where do you know
me?” Y’shua said to
him, “Before Peleepos called you, while you were under the fig tree, I
saw you.” 49. Nathaniel
answered and said to him, “Rabbi, you are the Son of Elohim. You are
the King of Yisrael.”
50. Y’shua said to him, “Because I told you that I saw you under the fig
tree you have believed;
for even greater than these things you will see.” 51. He said to him,
“Truly I say to you that from
now on you will see the heavens that are opened and the Messengers of
Elohim while ascending
and descending24 to the Son of man.”
16 This “Lamb” harkens back to the Akeida (binding of Isaac) when
Isaac showed his willful obedience to lay down his life
at the command of his father Avraham. Avraham and Isaac did not know
then that YHWH would provide the ram caught in
the thicket. Yitzak (Isaac) the son of Avraham and Sarah foreshadows
Mashiyach ben Yoseph (the Son of YHWH via Yoseph
and Miriam). YHWH provided Himself a “seh” lamb for the Perfect and
complete sacrifice, not as the “ayil” (ram) caught
in the thicket, but through the Lamb of YHWH, His only “begotten” Son
Y’shua. The Akeida showed that YHWH provided
Himself as the life that was in the place of Yitzhak’s, as seen in the sin
sacrifices in the temple system, “A life for a life.”
17 In verse 31 and 33 Yochanan says, “I did not know him”, yet
according to Luke, Yochanan and Y’shua are second cousins.
It seems odd at first glance that Yochanan says he didn’t know his own
kin. Considering that both Y’shua and Yochanan had
been away from the Galilee for a number of years, Y’shua has now
returned a fully grown man, physically much different in
appearance than when they met as children. After years of walking in
intimate relationship with YHWH, Y’shua’s countenance emanated both
Separateness and the rejection of mankind (Isaiah 53:3) that would also
challenge Yochanan’s ability
to “know” him. The anointing of HaMashiyach meant his manifest
“presence”, and spiritual authority as a tsadiq (righteous
soul), also made him not only the quintessential Jew, but a human
enigma as indicated in Isaiah 53 and the Prophets.
18 Idiomatic expression meaning, ‘Where do you live?’
19 The tenth hour here is approximately 10 AM according to Roman time
reckoning from midnight. Hebrew time is
reckoned by dividing the duration between sunrise and sunset into twelve
equal portions or “hours”. If the sun rises at 6 AM
Roman time, then 9 AM would be the “third hour” according to Hebrew
time. The nighttime hours are similarly divided into
twelve portions. For more information please see the footnote for
Yochanan 19:14.
2120 “Keefa” means “Rock” in Aramaic.
21 Idiomatic expression meaning “Come and follow me.”
22 ‘Beth-Saida’ literally means “House/Place of fishing,” being situated
on the Sea of Galeela (Galilee).
23 Please see the related note on Matthew 10 for more information.
24 Genesis 28:12