John 3:16
From Textus Receptus
Οὕτω γὰρ ἠγάπησεν ὁ Θεὸς τὸν κόσμον, ὥστε τὸν υἱὸν αὐτοῦ τὸν μονογενῆ ἔδωκεν, ἵνα πᾶς ὁ πιστεύων εἰς αὐτὸν μὴ ἀπόληται, ἀλλ’ ἔχῃ ζωὴν αἰώνιον.
Οὕτως γὰρ ἠγάπησεν ὁ Θεὸς τὸν κόσμον, ὥστε τὸν Υἱὸν τὸν μονογενῆ ἔδωκεν, ἵνα πᾶς ὁ πιστεύων εἰς Αὐτὸν μὴ ἀπόληται ἀλλ᾽ ἔχῃ ζωὴν αἰώνιον
(Textus Receptus, Novum Testamentum, Theodore Beza, 5th major edition. Geneva. 1598)
John 3:16 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.
(King James Version, Pure Cambridge Edition 1900)
- John 3:16 Because God loved the world so much He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.
(King James Version 2016 Edition, 2016) - buy the revised and updated printed 2023 Edition New Testament here
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Commentary
John 3:16 has been called the greatest verse of the bible. Consider:
- 1.) "For God" - The Greatest Person.
- 2.) "So loved the world" - The Greatest Truth.
- 3.) "That He gave" - The Greatest Act.
- 4.) "His only begotten Son" - The Greatest Gift.
- 5.) "That whosoever" - The Greatest Invitation.
- 6.) "Believeth in Him" - The Greatest Plan.
- 7.) "Should not perish" - The Greatest Promise.
- 8.) "But have" - The Greatest Certainty.
- 9.) "Everlasting life" - The Greatest Destiny.
King James Version 2016
At first people may not be used to this change. Usually because this is one of the first verses people memorize, the feel of the verse may cause people to initially reject the reading. The main difference with the KJV 2016 Edition and previous editions is the 2016 does not hold to a historical sentimentality and linguistic formalism. The reading is accurate and relevant to today's English. The grammar has been updated from:
- “For God so loved the world
to
- "Because God loved the world so much
Modern English would not say:
For Bill so love his country, that he gave his life... It would say: Because Bill loved his country so much he gave his life...
- 1611 For God so loued þe world, that he gaue his only begotten Sonne: that whosoeuer beleeueth in him, should not perish, but haue euerlasting life.
- 1900 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.
- 2016 Because God loved the world so much He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.
Greek
Textus Receptus
Οὕτως γὰρ ἠγάπησεν ὁ Θεὸς τὸν κόσμον, ὥστε τὸν Υἱὸν τὸν μονογενῆ ἔδωκεν, ἵνα πᾶς ὁ πιστεύων εἰς Αὐτὸν μὴ ἀπόληται ἀλλ᾽ ἔχῃ ζωὴν αἰώνιον
outōs gar ēgapēsen o theos ton kosmon ōste ton uion autou ton monogenē edōken ina pas o pisteuōn eis auton mē apolētai all echē zōēn aiōnion
Other Greek
English Translations
Wycliffe - For God louede so the world, that he ȝaf his oon bigetun sone, that ech man that bileueth in him perische not, but haue euerlastynge lijf.
Foreign Language Versions
German
- 1534 Also hatt Gott die wellt geliebt, das er seynen eynigen son gab, auff das alle die an yhn glewben, nicht verloren werden, sondern das ewige leben haben, (Luther)
- 1546 Also hat Gott die Welt geliebet, das er seinen eingebornen Son gab, Auff das alle die an jn gleuben, nicht verloren werden, sondern das ewige Leben haben.(Luther)
- 1912 Also hat Gott die Welt geliebt, daß er seinen eingeborenen Sohn gab, auf daß alle, die an ihn glauben, nicht verloren werden, sondern das ewige Leben haben.(Luther)
Omissions
The word Αὐτὸν appears in the Textus Receptus and the Byzantine text-type, but not the Alexandrian text-type.
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:
