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John 3:16
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John 3:16 (chapter 3, verse 16 of the Gospel of John) is one of the most widely quoted verses from the Christian Bible, and has been called the most famous Bible verse. It has also been called the "Gospel in a nutshell" because it is considered a summary of some of the most central doctrines of traditional Christianity:
verse occurs in a narrative in the New Testament third chapter of John taking place in Jerusalem. Nicodemus, a member of the ruling council, comes to talk with Jesus, whom he calls Rabbi.
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Encyclopedia
John 3:16 (chapter 3, verse 16 of the Gospel of John) is one of the most widely quoted verses from the Christian Bible, and has been called the most famous Bible verse. It has also been called the "Gospel in a nutshell" because it is considered a summary of some of the most central doctrines of traditional Christianity:
Context
The verse occurs in a narrative in the New Testament third chapter of John taking place in Jerusalem. Nicodemus, a member of the ruling council, comes to talk with Jesus, whom he calls Rabbi. Jesus' miracles have convinced Nicodemus that Jesus is sent from God. In reply, Jesus declares, "I tell you the truth, no one can see the kingdom of God unless he is born again" (). John 3:16 summarizes Jesus's lesson to Nicodemus: that belief in Jesus is the only path to eternal life.
Translations
The verse in the original Greek is as follows (associated Strong's Number in superscript):
- , ,
This could be translated literally as:
- For in this way God loved the world: that he gave the unique son, so that all the ones trusting in him would not perish, but have eternal life.
A representative sample of published Bible translations render it as follows. (It is worth noting that since this is perhaps the most well-known verse, many translations have tried to maintain a traditional rendering.)
| Century & distinctive features | Translation | John 3:16 |
|---|
| C1 Greek | Original Koine Greek | | | C4 Latin | Vulgate | Sic enim Deus dilexit mundum, ut Filium suum unigenitum daret: ut omnis qui credit in eum, non pereat, sed habeat vitam æternam. | | C14 Middle English | Wyclif's Bible | For God louede so the world that he yaf his oon bigetun sone, that ech man that beliueth in him perische not, but haue euerlastynge lijf. | | C16 Protestant | Tyndale Bible | For God so loveth the world, that he hath given his only son, that none that believe in him, should perish: but should have everlasting life. | | C16 Roman Catholic | Douay-Rheims Bible, Challoner Revision | 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. | | C17, replaced Latin as a long-lasting standard | Authorized King James Version | For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him shall not perish, but have everlasting life. | | C19, forerunner of modern translations | Revised Version | For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth on him should not perish, but have eternal life. | | C20, formal equivalence | New American Standard Bible | For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish, but have eternal life. | | C20, dynamic equivalence | Good News Bible | 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. | | C20, in-between approach, best-seller | New International Version | 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. | | C21, formal equivalence | English Standard Version (unchanged from RSV) | For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. | | C21, paraphrase | The Message | 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. |
Other information
Translations of this verse into various languages are a familiar part of the front matter of Gideon Bibles.
The text of the verse is also incorporated into the Divine Liturgy of St. John Chrysostom, eloquent fourth century archbishop of Constantinople, as part of a prayer said by the celebrant. This Divine Liturgy is still commonly used in the Eastern Orthodox Church and in the Byzantine rite of the Roman Catholic Church.
The various translations differ on whether this is a direct quote of Jesus or a comment of the narrator of the Gospel.
The computer scientist Donald Knuth produced an illustrated re-translation of Chapter 3, verse 16 of every book in the Bible, 3:16 Bible Texts Illuminated (ISBN 978-0895792525). 3:16 was chosen because of this key passage in John. Knuth's Things a Computer Scientist Rarely Talks About reproduces a lecture series that he gave at MIT, centred on his process of production of his book on 3:16.
David Pawson challenged the meaning and interpretation of the verse in his 2007 book Is John 3:16 the Gospel? (ISBN 978-1901949551).
See also
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