John 1:5

The light. That is, the light of divine love manifested in the incarnate Word (see on v. 4).

Darkness. That is, the moral darkness of sin, the mental darkness of ignorance concerning the love and mercy of God and the hopeless prospect of death (see Eph. 2:12). It was to dispel this pall of darkness that the Light of life came into the world (see 2 Cor. 4:6).

Comprehended. Gr. katalamband, “to apprehend,” “to seize,” “to comprehend,” whether literally with the hands or figuratively with the mind. Katalamband is used in the sense of “perceive” or “comprehend” in Acts 10:34; 25:25; Eph. 3:18, but more often in the sense of “take,” “overtake,” or “seize” in Mark 9:18; John 8:3, 4; 12:35; 1 Thess. 5:4; etc. The English word “apprehend” reflects both shades of meaning. The translation “overcome” (RSV) conveys the idea of good triumphant over evil (cf. Eph. 6:12; Col. 2:15). This translation was possibly influenced by the modernist concept that the Gospel of John reflects the dualism of Mithraism and the Essenes (see pp. 54, 92). However, the development of thought in John 1:9-12 favors the translation “comprehend,” in the sense that the personified darkness of men’s souls neither understood nor appreciated the Light of life (eh. 3:19; cf. DA 80).