Who Was the Original Audience for the Gospel of John?

The readers were likely non-Christians whom John hoped to win to faith (20:31). Many Semitic (Hebrew) expressions are given a Greek equivalent (e.g., Jn 1:38, 41), suggesting the readers were Greek-speaking. Sometimes Jewish concepts are left unexplained (e.g., “the Lamb of God,” 1:29). The natural conclusion is that John was writing to Greek-speaking, Jewish non-Christians living outside Israel, perhaps in Ephesus.