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John 3:16 — King James Version← Study notes

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 3:16Greek Interlinear

Greek · John 3:1625 words
GreekMeaning
ΟὕτωςHoutōs
ThusadverbG3779
γὰρgar
forwordG1063
ἠγάπησενēgapēsen
lovedverbG25
ho
thearticleG3588
θεὸςtheos
GodnounG2316
τὸνton
thearticleG3588
κόσμονkosmon
worldnounG2889
ὥστεhōste
thatwordG5620
τὸνton
thearticleG3588
υἱὸνhyion
SonnounG5207
τὸνton
thearticleG3588
μονογενῆmonogenē
only begottenadjectiveG3439
ἔδωκενedōken
He gaveverbG1325
ἵναhina
so thatwordG2443
πᾶςpas
everyoneadjectiveG3956
ho
whoarticleG3588
πιστεύωνpisteuōn
is believingverbG4100
εἰςeis
inprepositionG1519
αὐτὸνauton
HimpronounG846
μὴ
notadverbG3361
ἀπόληταιapolētai
may perishverbG622
ἀλλὰalla
butwordG235
ἔχῃechē
may haveverbG2192
ζωὴνzōēn
lifenounG2222
αἰώνιονaiōnion
eternaladjectiveG166
Greek text from the SBL Greek New Testament (SBLGNT). Transliteration follows SBL Academic conventions.

Church Fathers on John 3:16

Having said, Even so must the Son of man be lifted up, alluding to His death; lest His hearer should be cast down by His words, forming some human notion of Him, and thinking of His death as an evil, He corrects this by saying, that He who was given up to death was the Son of God, and that His death would be the source of life eternal; So God loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believes in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life; as if…

Chrysostom · 4th century

If it were only a creature given up for the sake of a creature, such a poor and insignificant loss were no great evidence of love. They must be precious things which prove our love, great things must evidence its greatness. God, in love to the world, gave His Son, not an adopted Son, but His own, even His Only Begotten. Here is proper Sonship, birth, truth: no creation, no adoption, no lie: here is the test of love and charity, that God sent His own and only begotten Son to…

Hilary of Poitiers · 4th century

As He said above, that the Son of man came down from heaven, not meaning that His flesh did come down from heaven, on account of the unity of person in Christ, attributing to man what belonged to God: so now conversely what belongs to man, he assigns to God the Word. The Son of God was impassible; but being one in respect of person with man who was passable, the Son is said to be given up to death, inasmuch as He truly suffered, not in His own nature, but in His own flesh.…

Theophylact · 11th century
Read all 13 entries in the readerCatena Aurea · St. Thomas Aquinas, tr. J. H. Newman · public domain
COMMUNITY REFLECTIONS
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Priya NairNote4mo ago
For God so loved the world
I grew up with this verse as a slogan. Coming back to it as an adult, what strikes me is the word "world" - kosmos in Greek. Not just people. The whole created order. The scope of God's love is larger...
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Aisha MbekiNote3mo ago
So Loved the World
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. The most quoted verse in Scripture. John summarizes the entire gospel...
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