John 3:16: Difference between revisions
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'''John 3:16''' (chapter 3, verse 16 of the [[Gospel of John]] of the New Testament) is one of the most widely quoted verses from the [[Christian Bible|Bible]],<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.topverses.com |title=TopVerses.com |accessdate=2014-11-29}}</ref> and has been called the most famous Bible verse.<ref name=Lucado316>[http://www.christianpost.com/article/20080108/30781_Max_Lucado_Launches_John_3:16_Movement.htm Max Lucado Launches John 3:16 Movement], ''Christian Post'', Jan 8, 2008.</ref> It has also been called the "Gospel in a nutshell", because it is considered a summary of the central theme of traditional [[Christianity]]:<ref name=Lucado316 /> |
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{{quotation|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. ([[KJV]])}} |
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== Biblical context == |
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[[File:William Brassey Hole Nicodemus.jpg|thumb|[[Jesus]] talking to [[Nicodemus]] depicted by [[William Hole (artist)|William Hole]]]] |
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In Exodus 4:22, the Israelites as a people are called "my firstborn son" by God using the singular form. In John, the focus shifts to the person of Jesus as representative of that title. The verse is part of the [[New Testament]] narrative in the [[John 3|third chapter of John]] in the discussion at Jerusalem between Jesus and [[Nicodemus]], who is called a "ruler of the Jews". (v.1) After speaking of the necessity of a man being born again before he could "see the kingdom of God", (v.3) Jesus spoke also of "heavenly things" (v.11-13) and of salvation (v.14-17) and the condemnation (v.18,19) of those that do not believe in Jesus. "14 And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of man be lifted up: 15 That whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have eternal life." (John 3:14-15) Note that verse 15 is nearly identical to the latter part of John 3:16. |
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== Translations == |
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A representative sample of published Bible translations renders it as follows. (It is worth noting that since this is perhaps the best-known verse, many translations have tried to maintain a traditional rendering).<ref>{{cite web|url=http://studybible.info/compare/John%203:16 |title=multiple Greek and English versions including Strong's numbers |publisher=Studybible.info |date= |accessdate=2014-05-20}}</ref> |
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<!-- PLEASE DISCUSS ON TALK PAGE BEFORE ADDING TO THIS LIST --> |
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{| class="wikitable" |
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! Century & distinctive features !! Translation !! John 3:16 |
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| C1, [[Greek language|Greek]] || Original [[Koine Greek]] || {{lang|grc|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.}}<br>''Houtōs gar ēgapēsen ho theos ton kosmon, hōste ton huion ton monogenē edōken, hina pas ho pisteuōn eis auton mē apolētai all᾽ echē zōēn aiōnion.'' |
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| C2, [[Syriac language|Syriac]] || [[Peshitta]] Bible || <div dir=rtl>{{lang|syc|ܗܟܢܐ ܓܝܪ ܐܝܝܩ ܐܠܗܐ ܠܥܠܡܐ ܐܝܟܢܐ ܕܠܒܪܗ ܝܚܝܕܝܐ ܢܬܠ ܕܟܠ ܡܢ ܕܡܗܝܡܢ ܟܗ ܠܐ ܢܐܟܙ ܐܠܐ ܢܗܘܘܢ ܠܗ ܝܚܐ ܕܠܥܠܡ܀}}</div><br>''Hāḵanā gér ʼaḥeḇ ʼalāhā lʻālmā ʼaykanā dlaḇreh yḥyḏāyā yetel dkul man damhaymen beh lā naḇaḏ élā nehwuwn leh ḥayé dalʻālam.'' |
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| C4, [[Latin Language|Latin]] || [[Vulgate]] || Sic enim Deus dilexit mundum, ut Filium suum unigenitum daret: ut omnis qui credit in eum, non pereat, sed habeat vitam æternam. |
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| C14, [[Middle English]] || [[Wycliffe's Bible]] || For God louede so the world that he ȝaf his oon bigetun sone, that ech man that beliueth in him perische not, but haue euerlastynge lijf. |
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| 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. |
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| C16, [[Roman Catholic]] || [[Douay–Rheims Bible]] 1899 American Edition || 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. |
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| 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 should not perish, but have everlasting life. |
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|C19, forerunner of modern version |
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|[[Revised Version]] |
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|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. |
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| 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 shall not perish, but have eternal life |
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| C20, [[dynamic equivalence]] || [[Good News Bible|Good News Translation]] || 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. |
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| 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. |
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| C21, [[formal equivalence]] || [[English Standard Version]] (unchanged from [[Revised Standard Version|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. |
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| C21, [[paraphrase]] || [[The Message (Bible)|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. |
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| C21, "[[Holman Christian Standard Bible#Translation philosophy|optimal equivalence]]" || [[Christian Standard Bible]] || 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. |
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<!-- PLEASE DISCUSS ON TALK PAGE BEFORE ADDING TO THIS LIST --> |
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(See also [[Modern English Bible translations]].) |
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== Sense and syntax == |
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Recent translation scholarship has struggled most with the Greek adverb οὕτως (houtos) which traditionally has been simply translated as "so" as in "''so'' loved" in the KJV. |
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Theologians Gundry and Howell<ref name=Gundry&Howell>Gundry, Robert H. and Russell W. Howell. "The Sense and Syntax of John 3:14-17 with Special Reference to the Use of Οὕτως…ὥστε in John 3:16." NovT 41 [1999]: 24-39).</ref> believe that the sense and syntax of the Greek Οὕτως…ὥστε make it likely that the author of the Gospel of John is emphasizing both (a) the ''degree'' to which God loved the world as well as (b) the ''manner'' in which God chose to express that love—by sending his only son. Gundry and Howell write that the Οὕτως term more frequently refers to the ''manner'' in which something is done (see BDAG 741–42 s.v. οὕτω/οὕτως). However, they add that the ὥστε clause that follows Οὕτως involves the indicative—meaning that it stresses an ''actual'' but usually unexpected result. They conclude that the sense and syntax of the Greek construction here focuses on the ''nature'' of God's love, addressing its mode, intensity, and extent. Accordingly, it emphasizes the ''greatness of the gift God has given.'' |
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There are other scholars agreeing with this assessment. "The 'so' (houtos) is an adverb of degree which points toward the clause which follows and here serves to express the idea of infinity, a love that is limitless, that is fully adequate."<ref>George Allen Turner and Julius R. Mantey, ''The Gospel according to John'' (The Evangelical Commentary on the Bible 4; Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, n.d.) 98.</ref> "The Greek construction…emphasizes the intensity of the love."<ref>[[Don Carson|D.A. Carson]], ''The Gospel according to John'' (Leicester: Inter-Varsity/Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1991) 204.</ref> |
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This understanding of the intent in the original Greek is reflected in various scholarly commentaries and translations such as these: |
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* "For God loved the world so much that he gave his only-begotten Son." (Schnackenburg)<ref>Rudolph Schnackenburg, ''The Gospel according to St John'' (HTCNT; New York: Herder, 1968) 398</ref> |
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* "Yes, God loved the world so much that He gave the only Son." ([[Raymond E. Brown|Brown]])<ref>[[Raymond E. Brown]], ''The Gospel according to John (i–xii)'' (AB Garden City: Doubleday, 1966) 129</ref> |
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* "God loved the world so much that he gave his only Son." ([[New English Bible|NEB]]) |
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* "God loved the people of this world so much that he gave his only Son." ([[Contemporary English Version|CEV]]) |
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* "For God loved the world so greatly that he gave the only Son." ([[George Beasley-Murray|Beasley-Murray]])<ref>[[George Beasley-Murray|George R. Beasley-Murray]], ''John'' ([[Word Biblical Commentary|WBC]] 36; Waco: Word, 1987) 44</ref> |
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Based on their analysis of the original Greek parallelistic structure of John 3:14–17, Gundry and Howell provide the following English translation showing the grammatical structure of that passage: |
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{{quotation| |
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'''PARALLELISTIC STRUCTURE OF JOHN 3:14–17'''<br> |
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'''MAIN CLAUSES (UNINDENTED)'''<br> |
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'''SUBORDINATE CLAUSES (INDENTED)'''<ref name=Gundry&Howell/> |
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::And just as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, |
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:in this way must the Son of man be lifted up |
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::in order that everyone believing might have in him life eternal, |
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:::for in this way God loved the world; |
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:and so God gave the only Son |
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::in order that everyone believing in him might not perish; rather, might have life eternal, |
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::for God did not send the Son into the world |
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:::in order that he might judge the world; |
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:::rather, in order that the world might be saved through him.}} |
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== Interpretations == |
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[[File:S5-Series-Case-bible-reference.jpg|right|thumb|John 3:16 printed on the bottom of an iPhone 5 Case bag]] |
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Various translations differ on whether this is a direct quote of Jesus or a comment of the narrator of the Gospel. For example, the Good News Bible ends the quotation marks after verse 13 after which there is a footnote 'The quotation may continue through verse 21.'<ref>{{cite web|author=br. Matej Nastran, OFMCap |url=http://www.biblija.net/biblija.cgi?Bible=Bible&m=Jn+3&id33=1&pos=0&set=3&l=en |title=Good News Bible online version |publisher=Biblija.net |date=2009-12-17 |accessdate=2014-05-20}}</ref> |
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Computer scientist [[Donald Knuth]] is the author of ''3:16 Bible Texts Illuminated'', in which he examines the Bible by an analysis of chapter 3, verse 16 of each [[Books of the Bible|book]]. Each verse is accompanied by a rendering in [[calligraphy|calligraphic]] art, contributed by a group of calligraphers under the leadership of [[Hermann Zapf]]. 3:16 was chosen because of this key passage in John.<ref>{{cite book|last=Knuth|first=Donald|title=3:16 : Bible texts illuminated|year=1991|publisher=A-R Eds.|isbn=978-0-89579-252-5}}{{pages needed|date=August 2016}}</ref> |
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[[David Pawson]] challenged the meaning and interpretation of the verse in his 2007 book ''Is John 3:16 the Gospel?''<ref>[[David Pawson]], ''Is John 3:16 the Gospel?'' (2007), {{ISBN|978-1-901949-55-1}}</ref> |
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== Popular culture == |
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[[Image:In-n-out-bible-reference.jpg|right|thumb|John 3:16 printed on the bottom rim of an [[In-N-Out Burger]] paper cup.]] |
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Some people (such as the [[Rollen Stewart|Rainbow Man]]) display the reference in large letters at sporting events, seeking the attention of fellow fans, the staff controlling the venue's [[JumboTron|giant video screens]] and, if the game is televised, the television audience.<ref>[http://www.straightdope.com/columns/read/457/whats-with-those-john-3 What's with those "John 3:16" signs] at [[The Straight Dope]], January 23, 1987</ref> The [[Heisman Trophy|Heisman]]-winning American football player [[Tim Tebow]] printed this reference (among other Bible verses) on his [[eye black]], notably during the [[2009 BCS National Championship Game|2009 BCS championship]].<ref name="Tebow">[http://www.sportsnetwork.com/merge/tsnform.aspx?c=sportsnetwork&page=cfoot/news/news.aspx?id=4202304 Tebow keeps promise to team, fans, God] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110604071531/http://www.sportsnetwork.com/merge/tsnform.aspx?c=sportsnetwork&page=cfoot%2Fnews%2Fnews.aspx%3Fid%3D4202304 |date=2011-06-04 }}, ''[[The Sports Network]]'', January 9, 2009</ref> Exactly three years later on January 8, 2012, was the game that would become known as "[[The 3:16 game]]", where Tebow threw for 316 yards in a [[2011–12 NFL playoffs|playoff upset]] against the [[Pittsburgh Steelers]]; a game in which measurements of 3, 16 and 31.6 were also noted, "John 3 16" became the top [[Google search]] in the US.<ref name="tebow-cbs">[http://www.cbssports.com/mcc/blogs/entry/22475988/34284646 John 3:16 trends again thanks to Tim Tebow], CBS Sport, January 9, 2012.</ref><ref>[http://newsfeed.time.com/2012/01/09/tim-tebows-316-passing-yards-evoke-biblical-number/ Tim Tebow’s 316 Passing Yards Evokes Biblical Number], ''Time'', January 9, 2012. Accessed 15 January 2012.</ref> |
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Convicted murderer [[Aaron Hernandez]] wrote John 3:16 on his head in marker before committing suicide in his jail cell. |
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Keith Urban has a song titled, "John Cougar, John Deere, John 3:16." |
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<!-- This section has been trimmed. Do not add trivial references from popular culture. If you think something is missing and not trivial, please seek consensus on the talk page first. --> |
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== See also == |
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{{Portal|Bible}} |
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* [[Contrition]] |
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* [[Conversion to Christianity]] |
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* [[Modern English Bible translations]] |
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* [[Monogenēs]] |
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* [[Only-begotten Son]] |
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== References == |
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{{reflist|30em}} |
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==External links== |
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{{commons category|John 3:16}} |
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*[http://www.time.com/time/photogallery/0,29307,1870689,00.html John 3:16 in Pop Culture], [[Time (magazine)|''Time'']] magazine photo essay (2009) |
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*[https://www.biblica.com/bible/?osis=NIV:John.3.16 John 3:16 in NIV Translation], ''[[Biblica]]'' |
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[[Category:Gospel of John verses|John 03:16]] |
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[[Category:John 3|16]] |
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