Commentaries:
Robertson's Word Pictures (NT)
Was given (edoqh). First aorist passive indicative of didwmi.
By Moses (dia Mwusewv). "Through Moses" as the intermediate agent of God.
Came (egeneto). The historical event, the beginning of Christianity.
By Jesus Christ (dia Ihsou Xristou). "Through Jesus Christ," the intermediate agent of God the Father. Here in plain terms John identifies the Pre-incarnate Logos with Jesus of Nazareth, the Messiah. The full historical name "Jesus Christ" is here for the first time in John. See also John 17:3 and four times in 1John and five times in Revelation. Without Christ there would have been no Christianity. John's theology is here pictured by the words "grace and truth" (h xariv kai h alhqeia), each with the article and each supplementary to the other. It is grace in contrast with law as Paul sets forth in Galatians and Romans. Paul had made grace "a Christian commonplace" (Bernard) before John wrote. It is truth as opposed to Gnostic and all other heresy as Paul shows in Colossians and Ephesians. The two words aptly describe two aspects of the Logos and John drops the use of Logov and xariv, but clings to alhqeia (see John 8:32 for the freedom brought by truth), though the ideas in these three words run all through his Gospel.
Other Robertson's Word Pictures (NT) entries containing John 1:17:
John 1:14
John 1:14
John 1:15
John 3:15
John 8:32
John 14:17
John 17:3
1 Peter 5:12
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