the Word was a god: Or “the Word was divine [or, “a godlike one”].” This statement by John describes a quality or characteristic of “the Word” (Greek,
ho loʹgos; see study note on
the Word in this verse), that is, Jesus Christ. The Word’s preeminent position as the firstborn Son of God through whom God created all other things is a basis for describing him as “a god; a godlike one; divine; a divine being.”
Many translators favor the rendering “the Word was God,” equating him with God Almighty. However, there are good reasons for saying that John did not mean that “the Word” was the same as Almighty God. First, the preceding clause and the following clause both clearly state that “the Word” was “with God.”
Also, the Greek word the·osʹ occurs three times in verses 1 and 2. In the first and third occurrences, the·osʹ is preceded by the definite article in Greek; in the second occurrence, there is no article. 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.” Therefore, a number of Bible translations in English, French, and German render the text in a way similar to the New World Translation, conveying the idea that “the Word” was “a god; divine; a divine being; of divine kind; godlike.” Supporting this view, ancient translations of John’s Gospel into the Sahidic and the Bohairic dialects of the Coptic language, probably produced in the third and fourth centuries C.E., handle the first occurrence of the·osʹ at Joh 1:1 differently from the second occurrence.
These renderings highlight a
quality of “the Word,” that his nature was like that of God, but they do not equate him with his Father, the almighty God. In harmony with this verse,
Col 2:9 describes Christ as having “all the fullness of the divine quality.” And according to
2Pe 1:4, even Christ’s joint heirs would “become sharers in divine nature.” Additionally, in the
Septuagint translation, the Greek word
the·osʹ is the usual equivalent of the Hebrew words rendered “God,”
ʼel and
ʼelo·himʹ, which are thought to convey the basic meaning “Mighty One; Strong One.” These Hebrew words are used with reference to the almighty God, other gods, and humans. (See
study note on Joh 10:34.)
Calling the Word “a god,” or “a mighty one,” would be in line with the prophecy at Isa 9:6, foretelling that the Messiah would be called “Mighty God” (not “Almighty God”) and that he would be the “Eternal Father” of all those privileged to live as his subjects. The zeal of his own Father, “Jehovah of armies,” would accomplish this.—Isa 9:7.
https://wol.jw.org/en/wol/b/r1/lp-e/nwtsty/43/1#study=discover&v=43:1:1
John 1:1 From Additional Translations
“In the beginning the Word existed. The Word was with God, and the Word was divine.”—
The Bible—An American Translation, 1935, by J.M.P. Smith and E. J. Goodspeed.
“The Logos existed in the very beginning, the Logos was with God, the Logos was divine.”—
The Bible—Containing the Old and New Testaments, 1950, by James Moffatt.
“The Word was in the beginning, and the word was with God, and the word was a god.”—
The New Testament in an Improved Version, 1808, edited by Thomas Belsham, based on a New Testament translation by William Newcome.
“In the beginning was the Word. And the Word was with God. So the Word was divine.”—
The Authentic New Testament, 1958, by Hugh J. Schonfield.
https://wol.jw.org/en/wol/d/r1/lp-e/502300113?q=mighty+god&p=sen
