John 3:16
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John 3:16 is the sixteenth verse in the third chapter of the Gospel of John, one of the four gospels in the New Testament. It is the most popular verse from the Bible<ref>https://google.com/+topverses. (n.d.). Discover and explore all the most popular verses in the Bible - Top Verses Bible. Top Verses. Retrieved February 1, 2025, from https://www.topverses.com/</ref> and is a summary of one of Christianity's central doctrines—the relationship between the Father (God) and the Son of God (Jesus). Particularly famous among evangelical Protestants, the verse has been frequently referenced by the Christian media and figures.
It reads:
In the King James Version, this is translated as:
For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life.
John 3:16 appears in the conversation between Nicodemus, a Pharisee, who only appears in the gospel, and Jesus, the Son of God, and shows the motives of God the Father on sending Jesus to save humanity.
Biblical context
The third chapter of the Gospel of JohnTemplate:Sfnm begins with the conversation between Nicodemus, a Pharisee,Template:Sfnm and Jesus, a Jewish itinerant preacher.Template:Sfnm Nicodemus is never mentioned in the synoptic Gospels, and this is one of four times John mentions him:Template:Sfn<ref>Template:Cite journal</ref> the others are 2:23–25, where he appeared but was unmentioned; 7:50; and 19:39.Template:Sfnm The meeting, likely in Jerusalem, is part of the passion of Jesus.Template:Sfnm Unlike Matthew, Mark, and Luke, the Gospel of John is the only one to mention Jesus' life not in chronological order.Template:Sfnm
Nicodemus was a member of the Pharisees,Template:Sfnm a Jewish religious movement in Second Temple Judaism. It was known for its strict adherence to the halakha (Jewish law),Template:Sfnm and for its highly oppositional attitudes of the ministry of Jesus.Template:Sfnm To avoid trouble with other Pharisees,Template:Sfn Nicodemus came to Jesus at night;Template:Sfnm it is the only time a Pharisee is presented positively in the presence of Jesus.Template:Sfn Later, Nicodemus became a follower of Jesus.Template:Sfn
Nicodemus said he knew Jesus was "a teacher who came from God".Template:Sfnm He then added: "For no-one could perform the miraculous signs he was doing if God were not with him."Template:Sfnm They then discussed the need to be born again before being able to see the Kingdom of GodTemplate:Sfnm and where the spirit goes after the death of the body.Template:Sfn Jesus then spoke about salvation.Template:Sfn He also criticized Nicodemus for his lack in the understanding of theology.Template:Sfnm
Translations
Some of translations for the verse have been provided as below:<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
| Language(s) or distinctive feature(s) | Translation | Contents |
|---|---|---|
| Syriac | Peshitta | ܗܟܢܐ ܓܝܪ ܐܝܝܩ ܐܠܗܐ ܠܥܠܡܐ ܐܝܟܢܐ ܕܠܒܪܗ ܝܚܝܕܝܐ ܢܬܠ ܕܟܠ ܡܢ ܕܡܗܝܡܢ ܟܗ ܠܐ ܢܐܟܙ ܐܠܐ ܢܗܘܘܢ ܠܗ ܝܚܐ ܕܠܥܠܡ܀ Hāḵanā gér ʼaḥeḇ ʼalāhā lʻālmā ʼaykanā dlaḇreh yḥyḏāyā yetel dkul man damhaymen beh lā naḇaḏ élā nehwuwn leh ḥayé dalʻālam. |
| Latin | Vetus Latina type<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> | Sic enim dilexit DS mundu ut etiam unicum filium suum mittere in hunc mundu ut omnis qui crediderit in eum non pereat sed habeat utiam aeterna |
| Latin | Vulgate | Sic enim Deus dilexit mundum, ut Filium suum unigenitum daret: ut omnis qui credit in eum, non pereat, sed habeat vitam æternam. |
| Old English - Mercian | Rushworth Manuscript (c.950)<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> | Template:Lang |
| Old English - West Saxon | Wessex Gospels (c.950-1175) | Template:Lang |
| Middle English | Wycliffite Bible - Early Version (c.1382) | Template:Lang |
| Middle English | Wycliffite Bible - Later Version (c. 1394-97) | For God lovede so the world, that he ȝaf his oon bigeten sone, that ech man that bileveth in him perische not, but have everlastynge lıȷf.. |
| Middle Scots | Murdoch Nisbet (c.1520)[1]: | For God luvet sa the warld, that he gafe his aan begottin sonn, that ilk man that beleves in him perise nocht, bot haue euirlastand lif. |
| Early New High German | Luther Bible (1522)<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> | Also hatt Gott die wellt geliebt/ das er ſeynen eynigen ſon gab/ auff daß alle die an yhn glewben/ nicht verloren werden/ ſondern das ewige leben haben. |
| Early Modern English | Tyndale Bible (1525) | God soo loved the worlde /that he gave his only sonne fo the entent /that none that beleve in hym /shulde perisshe: Butt shuld have everlastinge lyfe. |
| Early Modern English | Tyndale Bible (1531) | For God so loveth the worlde yͭ he hath geven his only sonne that none that beleve in him shuld perisshe: but shuld have everlastinge lyfe. |
| Early Modern English | Coverdale (1535) | For God so loued the worlde, that he gaue his onely sonne, that who so euer beleueth in hi, shulde not perishe, but haue euerlastinge life. |
| Early Modern English | Rheims New Testament (1582)<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> | For so God loued the world, that he gaue his only-begotten Sonne; that euery one that beleeueth in him, perish not, but may haue life euerlasting. |
| Early Modern English | King James Version (1611) | For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. |
| English | Douay–Rheims (Challoner) (1750) | For God so loved the world, as to give his only begotten Son; that whosoever believeth in him, may not perish, but may have life everlasting. |
| English; literal translation | Young's Literal Translation (1862, 1898) | for God did so love the world, that His Son—the only begotten—He gave, that every one who is believing in him may not perish, but may have life age-during. |
| English | Revised Version (1881) | For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have eternal life. |
| English - literary translation<ref>Template:Cite journal</ref> | The Holy Bible (Ronald Knox) (1945) | God so loved the world, that he gave up his only-begotten Son, so that those who believe in him may not perish, but have eternal life. |
| English; dynamic equivalence | Good News Translation (1966) | For God loved the world so much that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him may not die but have eternal life. |
| English; formal equivalence | New American Standard Bible (1971) | For God so loved the world, that He gave His only Son, so that everyone who believes in Him will not perish, but have eternal life. |
| English; in-between approach | New International Version (1978, 2011) | For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. |
| English; formal equivalence | English Standard Version (2001) | For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. |
| English; paraphrase | The Message (1992, 2013) | This is how much God loved the world: He gave his Son, his one and only Son. And this is why: so that no one need be destroyed; by believing in him, anyone can have a whole and lasting life. |
| English; dynamic equivalence | Kingdom New Testament (N. T. Wright) (2011) | This, you see, is how much God loved the world: enough to give his only, special son, so that everyone who believes in him should not be lost but should share in the life of God's new age. |
| English; optimal equivalence | Christian Standard Bible (2016) | For God loved the world in this way: He gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life. |
| English; formal equivalence<ref>"...some passages are an almost piteously literal rendering..." Template:Cite web</ref> | A Translation of the New Testament (David Bentley Hart) (2017) | For God so loved the cosmos as to give the Son, the only one, so that everyone having faith in him might not perish, but have the life of the Age.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> |
Analysis
Exegesis
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John 3:16 has been termed as "the golden text of the Bible",Template:Sfn "the gospel in a nutshell",Template:Sfnm and "everyman's text".Template:Sfn One of the verses pivotal to the Johannine theology,Template:Sfn it concerns God's motive for sending Jesus.Template:Sfnm In Christianity, it is thought that believing in Jesus grants eternal life to the believer.Template:Sfnm Eternal life is a dominant theme throughout John's entire Gospel,Template:Sfn and its first appearance in the Gospel is in this verse. Theologian Larry Hurtado sees the verse as reflecting Jesus' importance in Christianity.Template:Sfn The Methodist minister C. K. Barrett wrote, "Mention of ... the eternal life given ... to believers ... suggests ... the general setting of the work of Christ in the love and judgement of God."Template:Sfn
The verse (which has parallels with John 3:15Template:Efn and John 3:17Template:Efn)Template:Sfnm has been used by some to support Christian universalism,Template:Sfnm a view that all humans will eventually be saved by God.Template:Sfn However, Anglican bishop N. T. Wright has argued against this, saying that the "position is quite clear: God in His great love has made one way of salvation for all men without exception. Those who refuse this way have no alternative left to them. And accepting the way of salvation, for John as for Paul, is bound up with faith in Jesus Christ."<ref>Template:Cite journal</ref>
Purpose
Theologians have assumed the verse's purpose to be that of strengthening the faith of Christians rather than as an evangelical tool. This is because John 3:16 does not contain commands of vital sacraments (such as repentance and baptism).Template:Sfnm In the words of theologian David Pawson, it is problematic to use a verse in evangelism that does not tell the hearers "how to respond in proper detail ... that you get a simple decision which is not enough for a real change in life ... It is not dealing with a gospel situation and outward evangelistic thrust".Template:Sfn Instead, the emphasis of the verse is toward continuing belief for Christians.Template:Sfn
Christian commentary
John 3:16 has been popular for theology comments.<ref>Template:Cite journal</ref> In evangelist Andreas J. Köstenberger's opinion, the verse summarizes central teachings in Christianity that are to put beliefs in Jesus,Template:Sfn and "there is no middle ground: believing in the Son (resulting in eternal life) or refusing to believe (resulting in destruction) are the only options."Template:Sfn Christian philosopher William Lane Craig said the verse denotes salvation through Jesus only.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> According to theologian Paul T. Butler: "God, motivated by infinite love, sent His only son ... not to condemn but to save everyone who believes in His Son ... This text shows God loving us, not for His sake alone, but for our sakes."Template:Sfn
Biblical scholar F. F. Bruce interpreted John 3:16 that God has a limitless and universal love to all humans.Template:Sfn Barrett noted that the salvation would only be advantageous whenever there is a belief in Jesus.Template:Sfn Calvinist theologian D. A. Carson said the verse "makes it clear that, as applied to human beings, the love of God is not the consequence of their loveliness but of the sublime truth that 'God is love'."Template:Sfn Theologian Robert E. Webber described it as "an invitation to embrace a sweeping story that encompassed the whole of history".Template:Sfn Bible commentator J. Ramsey Michaels wrote: "God's intent is a saving intent, and the scope of his salvation is worldwide. His love for the whole human race expressed itself in the giving of his only Son [who would] die on the cross."Template:Sfn
Bruce Vawter, a Catholic priest, stated: "The only explanation that we shall ever have of the gift of eternal life made possible for us in the redemption achieved in Christ is the incredible love of God for the world."Template:Sfn Anglican priest Leon Morris compared the idea of God's universal love with God's exclusive love to Jews,Template:Sfn which is frequently mentioned in the Old Testament.<ref>Template:Cite journal</ref> He then concluded that "it is a distinctively Christian idea that God's love is wide enough to embrace all mankind. His love is not confined to any national group or any spiritual elite. It is a love which proceeds from the fact that He is love."Template:Sfn Presbyterian pastor Lamar Williamson found that John 3:16 emphasises the significance of Jesus in Christianity as God the Son.Template:Sfn Catholic theologian Neal M. Flanagan said that the verse is pivotal to the Johannine theology.Template:Sfn
Status as Jesus' words
Beginning in John 3:21, the conversation becomes Jesus' monologue.Template:Sfnm Because ancient Bible copies do not use quotation marks for dialogues,Template:Sfnm biblical scholars have disputed on where Jesus and Nicodemus' conversation ends.Template:Sfnm Speculations that John 3:16 is the personal commentary of an evangelist (traditionally named John the Evangelist) have arisen,Template:Sfnm but it remains controversial.Template:Sfnm Pawson said it is unusual for Jesus to speak from the third-person perspective,Template:Sfn or to repeat or expand on what he had said. Jesus never referred to himself as the "only begotten Son"Template:Sfn but as the "Son of Man".Template:Sfnm The only begotten son is what the evangelist calls Jesus in John 1.Template:Sfnm Theologian Robert E. Van Voorst has commented that it is not important to know if John 3:16 is Jesus's words, and that words not spoken by Jesus are no less true than those that are.Template:Sfn
Wording
John 3:16's wording is deemed by Bible commentators to be straightforward,<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> concise,Template:Sfn and authoritative.Template:Sfn The verse is only 25 words long in the King James Version.Template:Sfn First, the verse begins with for to link with prior verse.Template:Sfnm God here is understood to be God the Father,Template:Sfnm the first person in the Trinity.<ref>Template:Cite journal</ref> The word so—similar to thus—shows a comparison from John 3:15.Template:Sfn This is not a quantity but was mistranslated as such in most modern translations (for instance, in the Amplified Bible).Template:Sfnm Many scholars said the word should be placed near the beginning to keep the original meaning, as was in Koine Greek, the original Bible language:Template:Sfn
Template:Lang
Thus for loved God the world that the Son the only begotten, He gave so that everyone believing in Him not should perish but should have life eternal.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
The next word is loved,Template:Sfnm known in Greek as agape. This concept does not have an equal word in English,Template:Sfnm but it can be translated as the selfless, nonsexual love of God for human and of human for God.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> While some theologians have argued that world refers to only Israel,<ref>Template:Cite journal</ref> other theologians have generally agreed that it means the entire human race,Template:Sfnm showing God's unlimited and universal loveTemplate:Sfnm for both believers and unbelievers.<ref>Template:Cite journal</ref> Pawson suggested there should be a better alternative to world, because he thought it connotes an immoral meaning.Template:Sfn Sharing similar sentiments, Harris remarked, "Often in this Gospel there are ominous, negative ideas attaching to the term. The world is evil and needs a saviour."Template:Sfn The verb gave, in past tense, does not have a clear subject; Pawson assumed that the word refers to the prior world.Template:Sfn
The word whosoever refers to believers, specified by "believeth in Him".Template:Sfnm Whether the objective pronoun Him refers to Jesus or God the Father is debated; general consensus among the analysts is more inclined to the former.Template:Sfnm The word perish is interpreted by theologians as annihilation,Template:Sfnm though it is unclear if the word refers the perishing of death or the Last Judgement.Template:Sfnm Köstenberger stated perish meant living eternally in God's absence,Template:Sfnm and Pawson stated it as "a state of ruin or utter uselessness".Template:Sfn The meaning of everlasting has been controversial.Template:Sfn Theologian Marianne Thompson said it does not mean solely "unending: it is qualitatively different from mortal life in the present world, because it participates in the blessings of the coming age, including being with God, who is living and eternal ... such life is characterized by fullness and abundance";Template:Sfn though according to the New Testament professor Merrill C. Tenney the word refers to imperishability.Template:Sfn
"Only begotten"
The Gospel of John uses lexically and syntactically unsophisticated language, and has a significant number of theologically laden phrases that have become an important part of Christianity.<ref name="rise">Template:Citation</ref> John 3:16 also contains the designation for Jesus as the "only begotten", a key Christological title in the pre-modern versions of the English Bible, which has almost completely disappeared from most contemporary translations.<ref name="rise"/> The original word, monogens, has a complex etymological analysis, and there is no consensus among scholars on its exact development and meaning. The phrase "only begotten" is traceable to the Latin translation made by the Church Father Jerome in the late fourth century called the Biblia vulgata. Jerome translated the Greek adjective monogens into the Latin cognate unigenitus, which recurred in English translations as "only begotten" for almost six centuries.<ref name="rise" />
The "only begotten Son" shows a deep relationship between God the Father and God the Son (Jesus).Template:Sfnm However, post-1950s translations changed it to "only Son"Template:Sfn or "one and only Son";Template:Sfnm this met criticism for setting aside the virgin birth of Jesus<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> to his mother Mary.Template:Sfnm Dale Moody of the Journal of Biblical Literature offered two alternatives for John 3:16: "Only one of his kind" (from Template:Lang [monos, one] and Template:Lang [genos, kind]), or "his 'unique' son".<ref>Template:Cite journal</ref> The author Paul Borthwick wrote "only begotten Son" signifies that Jesus possesses "every artibute of pure Godhood";Template:Sfnm Pawson, however, argued that the phrase stated Jesus is not everlasting.Template:SfnTemplate:Efn Theologian Pheme Perkins believed the phrase "He gave His only begotten Son" could be a reference to his later crucifixion,Template:Sfnm an opinion shared by Murray J. Harris and Robert E. Van Voorst.Template:Sfnm
Muslim commentary
The validity of Jesus' status as the "only begotten son" of God, as described in John 3:16, has been disputed by Muslim scholars especially,<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> who deny the Trinity and consider such concepts as a denial of tawhid (oneness of God).<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Gombe State University's Yakubu Modibbo and University of Maiduguri's Dani Mamman claimed other verses from the Bible that, they believed, are an affirmation of other "begotten sons" of God, and thus contradict Jesus' words or John's commentary; Psalms 2:7 for example, which reads, "I will tell of the decree: The Lord said to me, 'You are my Son; today I have begotten you'."<ref name="status" /> They added that, despite unambiguous, "Christians still regards all the biblical sons of God as adopted sons by God, through faith in Jesus."<ref name="status">Template:Citation</ref> However, the Christian apologist A. Yousef Al-Katib wrote that it is actually a reference to the coming son of God, who in Christian theology is identified as Jesus; he also wrote of Acts 13:33 that quotes the verse to prove Jesus' divine sonship.Template:Sfn
Influences
John 3:16 is considered to be a popular Bible verseTemplate:Sfnm and acknowledged as a summary of the gospel.Template:Sfnm In the United States, the verse is often used by preachers during sermonsTemplate:Sfnm and widely memorized among evangelical churches' members.Template:Sfn 16th-century German Protestant theologian Martin Luther said the verse is "the gospel in miniature".Template:Sfnm The author Max Lucado, who described the verse as "a twenty-[five] word parade of hope", wrote in 2007 that the conciseness of the verse made it easy to remember.Template:Sfn In 2014, John 3:16 was among the ten most-searched verses on BibleGateway.com, a popular Bible website.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> In a 2017 report by Christianity Today, the verse was a popular choice for passwords.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
Template:Quote box The verse has been frequently referenced by consumer products and public figures. In the United States, where Christianity is dominant, evangelists often write "John 3:16" on signs and walls to attract people's attention. Voorst added, "They hope that some people will recognise as a Bible reference, look up the verse, and come to faith in Jesus Christ."Template:Sfn The American footballer Tim Tebow wrote John 3:16 on the eye black during the 2009 BCS National Championship Game, making it the most popular search term for more than 24 hours.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> The verse has been printed on the shopping bags by Forever 21 fashion retailer<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> and on paper cups' bottom by In-N-Out Burger fast-food chain.Template:Sfn An American denim brand was named 3sixteen to show that its “foundation is in our faith”.<ref>About 3sixteen</ref> In 1996, professional wrestler Stone Cold Steve Austin referenced the verse in a promo to Jake "The Snake" Roberts (who had a preacher gimmick at the time) after defeating him during WWF's King of the Ring event, famously ad-libbing to Roberts that "Austin 3:16 says I just whipped your ass!" The "Austin 3:16" promo would go on to become one of the catalysts for Austin's early popularity, and became one of wrestling's best known catchphrases.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref name="slam">Template:Cite web</ref>
Many books have been written that are based on John 3:16. Lutheran computer scientist Donald Knuth published 3:16 Bible Texts Illuminated in 1991, examining and illustrating the sixteenth verse of every third chapter in biblical books.Template:Sfn In 2009, Lucado wrote 3:16: The Numbers of Hope,<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> where portions of the verse are titled in its chapters.Template:Sfn Pawson wrote Is John 3:16 the Gospel?, analyzing every word and grammatical structure and remarking it is the "most misunderstood verse".Template:Sfn John 3:16: What's It All About? and Mission 3:16, were written by Harris in 2015 and Borthwick in 2020, respectively.Template:Sfnm
See also
Notes
References
Bibliography
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External links
- Other study tools available include Strong's Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible, Webster's 1828 Dictionary Oxford English Dictionaries, Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary
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