John 3:16
16 For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that everyone who believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life.
注释
- 16 Or only begotten or unique; also in verse 18
About this passage
John 3:16 comes in the Gospel of John, in the account of Jesus' night-time conversation with Nicodemus, a Pharisee and member of the Jewish council. Christians commonly read it as a short summary of the gospel: that God's love, expressed in the sending of his Son, is offered to the whole world.
Bibles differ on where Jesus' words end and the writer's comment begins. Some translations close the quotation at verse 15, others run it through verse 21, so it is debated whether this verse is Jesus speaking or the evangelist reflecting.
Translations also vary on one phrase. The Greek word often rendered only begotten (monogenes) is given in some versions as one and only or only, and the sentence's final clause can be read as describing the outcome of belief in different ways.
Questions
Who is speaking in John 3:16?
Translations differ. Some print verses 3 to 21 as the words of Jesus to Nicodemus, while others close the quotation earlier and treat the rest as the Gospel writer's own commentary. Scholars and traditions disagree on where the speech ends.
Why does John 3:16 read differently in different Bibles?
Translators render the Greek differently, especially the word monogenes, which some give as only begotten and others as one and only. The wording of the final clause also varies slightly between versions.