A key word is a word or phrase that functions to unlock the meaning of a text. There are a number of key words in John's Gospel but the most important is believe [pisteuo]. John used the verb believe 98 times which is more than all the uses in the Synoptic Gospels combined. In fact if one does a search for the believe (using the root belie*) in the NASB, there are 292 hits in 266 verses. It is astounding that John's Gospel contains almost 1/3 of all the Biblical occurrences of believe (belief, believes). And so it is not surprising that John's purpose statement in Jn 20:31-note emphasizes that those who believe in Jesus will receive life in His Name. Given John's purpose and the predominance of the key word believe, it is not surprising that one often hears the statement (which of course would be difficult to objectively measure) that more souls have believed in Jesus through the reading of the Gospel of John than any other book in the Bible! Perhaps God will clarify this for us when we get to heaven.
Here are the Key Words in the Gospel of John (in the NASB 1995 version) - Note that the approximate number of uses of each word (searched so as to find plural forms, etc) is found in the Gospel of John is in parentheses. I have also included John's additional uses in his epistles and in the Revelation for completeness.
Believe (pisteuo)(98x - Note there are 292 hits on "belie*" in the Bible-NASB) -
John 1:7, 12, 50; 2:11, 22f; 3:12, 15f, 18, 36; 4:21, 39, 41f, 48, 50, 53; 5:24, 38, 44, 46f; 6:29f, 35f, 40, 47, 64, 69; 7:5, 31, 38f, 48; 8:24, 30f, 45f; 9:18, 35f, 38; 10:25f, 37f, 42; 11:15, 25ff, 40, 42, 45, 48; 12:11, 36ff, 42, 44, 46; 13:19; 14:1, 10ff, 29; 16:9, 27, 30f; 17:8, 20f; 19:35; 20:8, 25, 27, 29, 31 (John's epistle - 1 John 3:23; 4:1, 16; 5:1, 5, 10, 13)
World (kosmos)(78x in the Gospel of John - Note there are 254 hits of world* in the Bible) -
John 1:9f, 29; 3:16f, 19; 4:42; 6:14, 33, 51; 7:4, 7; 8:12, 23, 26; 9:5, 39; 10:36; 11:9, 27; 12:19, 25, 31, 46f; 13:1; 14:17, 19, 22, 27, 30f; 15:18f; 16:8, 11, 20f, 28, 33; 17:5f, 9, 11, 13ff, 18, 21, 23ff; 18:20, 36f; 21:25; (John's epistles and Revelation = 1 John 2:2, 15ff; 3:1, 13, 17; 4:1, 3ff, 9, 14, 17; 5:4f, 19; 2 John 1:7; Jude 1:19; Rev 3:10; 11:15; 12:9; 13:8; 16:14; 17:8)
Love (agapao) (40x in the Gospel of John)
John 3:16, 19, 35; 8:42; 10:17; 11:5; 12:43; 13:1, 23, 34; 14:15, 21, 23f, 28, 31; 15:9, 12, 17; 17:23f, 26; 19:26; 21:7, 15f, 20; (John's epistles and Revelation = 1 John 2:10, 15; 3:10f, 14, 18, 23; 4:7f, 10ff, 19ff; 5:1f; 2 John 1:1, 5; 3 John 1:1; Rev 1:5; 3:9; 12:11; 20:9)
Love (agape) (7x in the Gospel of John) -
John 5:42; 13:35; 15:9f, 13; 17:26; (John's epistles and Revelation = 1 John 2:5, 15; 3:1, 16f; 4:7ff, 12, 16ff; 5:3; 2 John 1:3, 6; 3 John 1:6; Rev 2:4, 19)
Know (131x in the Gospel of John) - two "types" of knowledge (see Greek words below)
57x in the Gospel of John = Ginosko - John 1:10, 48; 2:24f; 3:10; 4:1, 53; 5:6, 42; 6:15, 69; 7:17, 26f, 49, 51; 8:27f, 32, 43, 52, 55; 10:6, 14f, 27, 38; 11:57; 12:9, 16; 13:7, 12, 28, 35; 14:7, 9, 17, 20, 31; 15:18; 16:3, 19; 17:3, 7f, 23, 25; 19:4; 21:17; (John's epistles and Revelation = 1 John 2:3ff, 13f, 18, 29; 3:1, 6, 16, 19f, 24; 4:2, 6ff, 13, 16; 5:2, 20; 2 John 1:1; Rev 2:23f; 3:3, 9)
84x in the Gospel of John = Eido - John 1:26, 31, 33; 2:9; 3:2, 8, 11; 4:10, 22, 25, 32, 42; 5:13, 32; 6:6, 42, 61, 64; 7:15, 27ff; 8:14, 19, 37, 55; 9:12, 20f, 24f, 29ff; 10:4f; 11:22, 24, 42, 49; 12:35, 50; 13:1, 3, 7, 11, 17f; 14:4f; 15:15, 21; 16:18, 30; 18:2, 4, 21; 19:10, 28, 35; 20:2, 9, 13f; 21:4, 12, 15ff, 24; (John's epistles and Revelation = 1 John 2:11, 20f, 29; 3:2, 5, 14f; 5:13, 15, 18ff; 3 John 1:12; Rev 2:2, 9, 13, 17, 19; 3:1, 8, 15, 17; 7:14; 12:12; 19:12)
Truly (Amen) (50x in the Gospel of John) Note every one of John's uses is "Truly, truly"
John 1:51; 3:3, 5, 11; 5:19, 24f; 6:26, 32, 47, 53; 8:34, 51, 58; 10:1, 7; 12:24; 13:16, 20f, 38; 14:12; 16:20, 23; 21:18; (Revelation =Rev 1:6f; 3:14; 5:14; 7:12; 19:4; 22:20)
Word (Logos) (45x in the Gospel of John)
John 1:1, 14; 2:22; 4:37, 39, 41, 50; 5:24, 38; 6:60; 7:36, 40; 8:31, 37, 43, 51f, 55; 10:19, 35; 12:38, 48; 14:23f; 15:3, 20, 25; 17:6, 14, 17, 20; 18:9, 32; 19:8, 13; 21:23; (John's epistles and Revelation = 1John 1:1, 10; 2:5, 7, 14; 3:18; 3 John 1:10; Rev 1:2f, 9; 3:8, 10; 6:9; 12:11; 17:17; 19:9, 13; 20:4; 21:5; 22:6f, 9f, 18f)
Life (zoe)(47x in the Gospel of John)
John 1:4; 3:15f, 36; 4:14, 36; 5:24, 26, 29, 39f; 6:27, 33, 35, 40, 47f, 51, 53f, 63, 68; 8:12; 10:10, 28; 11:25; 12:25, 50; 14:6; 17:2f; 20:31; (John's epistles and Revelation = 1 John 1:1f; 2:25; 3:14f; 5:11ff, 16, 20; Rev 2:7, 10; 3:5; 7:17; 11:11; 13:8; 16:3; 17:8; 20:12, 15; 21:6, 27; 22:1f, 14, 17, 19)
Truth or true (49x in the Gospel of John)
Truth (aletheia) (35x in the Gospel of John)
John 1:14, 17; 3:21; 4:23f; 5:33; 8:32, 40, 44ff; 14:6, 17; 15:26; 16:7, 13; 17:17, 19; 18:37f; 1 John 1:6, 8; 2:4, 21; 3:18f; 4:6; 5:6; 2 John 1:1ff; 3 John 1:1, 3f, 8, 12
True (alethes)(14x in the Gospel of John)
John 3:33; 4:18; 5:31f; 6:55; 7:18; 8:13f, 17, 26; 10:41; 19:35; 21:24; (John's epistles =1 John 2:8, 27; 3 John 1:12)
Judge or judgment (30x in the Gospel of John)
Judge (krino) (19x) - John 3:17f; 5:22, 30; 7:24, 51; 8:15f, 26, 50; 12:47f; 16:11; 18:31 (Revelation = Rev 6:10; 11:18; 16:5; 18:8, 20; 19:2, 11; 20:12f)
Judgment (krisis) (11x)
John 3:19; 5:22, 24, 27, 29f; 7:24; 8:16; 12:31; 16:8, 11; (John's epistles and Revelation =1 John 4:17; Rev 14:7; 16:7; 18:10; 19:2)
Witness, Be a Witness (47x in the Gospel of John)
Marturia(14x) - John 1:7, 19; 3:11, 32f; 5:31f, 34, 36; 8:13f, 17; 19:35; 21:24; (John's epistles and Revelation =1 John 5:9ff; 3 John 1:12; Rev 1:2, 9; 6:9; 11:7; 12:11, 17; 19:10; 20:4)
Martureo (33x) - John 1:7f, 15, 32, 34; 2:25; 3:11, 26, 28, 32; 4:39, 44; 5:31ff, 36f, 39; 7:7; 8:13f, 18; 10:25; 12:17; 13:21; 15:26f; 18:23, 37; 19:35; 21:24; (John's epistles and Revelation = 1 John 1:2; 4:14; 5:6f, 9f; 3 John 1:3, 6, 12; Rev 1:2; 22:16, 18, 20)
Ask (31x in the Gospel of John)
John 1:19, 21, 25; 4:9f, 40; 5:12; 8:7; 9:2, 15, 21, 23; 11:22; 12:21; 14:13f, 16; 15:7, 16; 16:5, 23f, 26; 17:9, 15, 20; 18:7; 19:31, 38
Name (25x in the Gospel of John)
Onoma - John 1:6, 12; 2:23; 3:1, 18; 5:43; 10:3, 25; 12:13, 28; 14:13f, 26; 15:16, 21; 16:23f, 26; 17:6, 11f, 26; 18:10; 20:31; (John's epistles and Revelation = 1 John 2:12; 3:23; 5:13; 3 John 1:7; Rev 2:3, 13, 17; 3:1, 4f, 8, 12; 6:8; 8:11; 9:11; 11:13, 18; 13:1, 6, 8, 17; 14:1, 11; 15:2, 4; 16:9; 17:3, 5, 8; 19:12f, 16; 21:12, 14; 22:4)
Light (22x in the Gospel of John)
Phos - John 1:4f, 7ff; 3:19ff; 5:35; 8:12; 9:5; 11:9f; 12:35f, 46; (John's epistles and Revelation = 1 John 1:5, 7; 2:8ff; Rev 18:23; 21:24; 22:5)
Comment: Did you notice that Light is not found after Jn 12:46. This marks the end of Jesus' public ministry! The nation of Israel had an opportunity to receive the Light but for the most part refused it and it was removed!
My Father (21x in the Gospel of John)
Pater - John 5:17; 6:32, 40; 8:19, 38, 49, 54; 10:18, 29, 37; 14:7, 20f, 23; 15:1, 8, 15, 23f; 20:17
Glory, glorify (40x in the Gospel of John)
Doxa (17x) - John 1:14; 2:11; 5:41, 44; 7:18; 8:50, 54; 9:24; 11:4, 40; 12:41; 17:5, 22, 24; (John's uses in Revelation = Rev 1:6; 4:9, 11; 5:12f; 7:12; 11:13; 14:7; 15:8; 16:9; 18:1; 19:1, 7; 21:11, 23f, 26)
Doxazo (23x) - John 7:39; 8:54; 11:4; 12:16, 23, 28; 13:31f; 14:13; 15:8; 16:14; 17:1, 4f, 10; 21:19; (John's uses in Revelation = Rev 15:4; 18:7)
Abide (13x in the Gospel of John)
Meno - John 3:36; 5:38; 6:56; 14:10, 17, 25; 15:4ff, 9f; (John's epistles = 1 John 2:6, 10, 14, 24, 27f; 3:6, 9, 14f, 17, 24; 4:12f, 15f; 2 John 1:2, 9)
Darkness or dark (9x in the Gospel of John)
Skotia, skotos - John 1:5 (2x); Jn 3:19; 6:17; 8:12; 12:35 (2x), Jn 12:46; 20:1 (John's epistles and Revelation = 1 John 1:5f; 2:8f, 11; Rev 8:12; 9:2; 16:10) Compared John 13:30 when Judas deserted Jesus and went out, John adding "and it was night!"
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- Precept Austin