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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. It has been called the "Bible in a nutshell" because it is considered a summary of some of the most central doctrines of traditional Christianity:

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. — John 3:16 (KJV)

A typical interpretation of the verse might be as follows:

For God so loved the world… — God is a God of love and this love motivates his action in the rest of the verse
…that He gave… — God giving something to the world of humanity that He owned, His Son as a sacrifice
…His only begotten^[1] Son… — the Firstborn of all creation Jesus of Nazareth is also the Son of God.
…that whosoever… — that any one
…believeth… — being saved is based on faith and trust in Jesus to save or faith
…in Him… — the belief being in Jesus, God's means of salvation for humanity
…shall not perish… — implies the fate of those who do not believe: spiritual eternal death
…but have everlasting life. — shows the reward of those who believe: eternal life

Context

The verse occurs in a narrative in the 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' "miraculous signs" have convinced Nicodemus that Jesus is "from God." In reply, Jesus declares, "I tell you the truth, no one can see the kingdom of God unless he is born again" (verses 5–6). John 3:16 summarizes Jesus' lesson to Nicodemus: that belief in Jesus is the path to eternal life. In this passage, Jesus proclaims himself the Messiah and lays out important aspects of Christian theology. This shows a contrast with the Gospel of Mark, for instance, in which Jesus often tries to keep his divinity secret until his final trip to Jerusalem.

Translations

The verse in the original Greek is as follows (associated Strong's Number in superscript):

Οὕτως³⁷⁷⁹ γὰρ¹⁰⁶³ ἠγάπησεν²⁵ ὁ³⁵⁸⁸ Θεὸς²³¹⁶ τὸν³⁵⁸⁸ κόσμον²⁸⁸⁹, ὥστε⁵⁶²⁰ τὸν³⁵⁸⁸ Υἱὸν⁵²⁰⁷ τὸν³⁵⁸⁸ μονογενῆ³⁴³⁹ ἔδωκεν¹³²⁵, ἵνα²⁴⁴³ πᾶς³⁹⁵⁶ ὁ³⁵⁸⁸ πιστεύων⁴¹⁰⁰ εἰς¹⁵¹⁹ Αὐτὸν⁸⁴⁶^[2] μὴ³³⁶¹ ἀπόληται⁶²² ἀλλ᾽²³⁵ ἔχῃ²¹⁹² ζωὴν²²²² αἰώνιον¹⁶⁶

Which could be translated literally to mean:

For in this way God loved the world: that He gave the unique^[1] son, so that all the ones trusting in Him would not perish, but have eternal life.

The more familiar King James Version renders it as:

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.

Translation	John 3:16
Greek	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.
Latin	Sic enim Deus dilexit mundum, ut Filium suum unigenitum daret: ut omnis qui credit in eum, non pereat, sed habeat vitam æternam.
American Standard Version	For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have eternal life.
Amplified Bible	For God so greatly loved and dearly prized the world that He [even] gave up His only begotten (unique) Son, so that whoever believes in (trusts in, clings to, relies on) Him shall not perish (come to destruction, be lost) but have eternal (everlasting) life.
A Voice In The Wilderness Holy Scriptures	For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that everyone believing into Him should not perish but have eternal life.
Bible in Basic English	For God had such love for the world that He gave His only Son, so that whoever has faith in Him may not come to destruction but have eternal life.
Contemporary English Version	God loved the people of this world so much that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who has faith in Him will have eternal life and never really die.
Douai-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.
Easy To Read Version	Yes, God loved the world so much that He gave His only Son, so that everyone who believes in Him would not be lost but have eternal life.
English Standard Version	For God so loved the world, that He gave His only Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life.
Geneva Bible	For God so loved the world, that He hath given His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him, should not perish, but have euerlasting life.
GOD'S WORD	God loved the world this way: He gave His only Son so that everyone who believes in Him will not die but will have eternal life.
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.
Holman 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 might not perish but have eternal life.
International Standard Version	For this is how God loved the world: He gave His unique Son so that everyone who believes in Him will not perish but have eternal life.
Jerusalem Bible	Yes, God loved the world so much that He gave His only Son, so that everyone who believes in Him may not be lost but may have eternal life.
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.
HSV	For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, so that whoever believes in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life.
The Living Bible	For God loved the world so much that He gave his only Son so that anyone who believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life.
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.
New American Bible	For God so loved the world that He gave His only Son, so that everyone who believes in Him might not perish but might have eternal life.
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.
New American Standard Bible Update	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.
New Century Version	God loved the world so much that He gave His one and only Son so that whoever believes in Him may not be lost, but have eternal life.
New English Bible	God loved the world so much that He gave His only Son, that everyone who has faith in Him may not die but have eternal life.
New English Translation	For this is the way God loved the world: He gave His one and only Son that everyone who believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life.
New International Readers Version	God loved the world so much that He gave His one and only Son. Anyone who believes in Him will not die but will have eternal life.
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.
New Jerusalem Bible	For this is how God loved the world: he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him may not perish but may have eternal life.
New King James Version	For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.
New Living Translation	For God so loved the world that He gave His only Son, so that everyone who believes in Him will not perish but have eternal life.
New Revised Standard Version	For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him may not perish but may have eternal life.
Recovery Version	For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that everyone who believes into Him would not perish, but would have eternal life.
Revised English Bible	God so loved the world that He gave His only son that everyone who has faith in Him may not perish but have eternal life
Revised Standard Version	For God so loved the world that He gave His only Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life.
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.
Today's 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.
William Tyndale	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.
World English Bible	For God so loved the world, that He gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish, but have eternal 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 0–89579–252–4). 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.

Allusions

John 3:16 printed on the bottom rim of an In-N-Out Burger paper cup.

The phrase "John 3:16" is very short and can be written inconspicuously in out-of-the-way locations.
- U.S.-based In-N-Out Burger chain prints it on the inside of the bottom rim of their paper cups.
- U.S.-based clothing chains Forever 21 and Heritage 1981 print it on the bottom of their shopping bags.
The citation can also be printed in large letters on small signs. Some people (such as the Rainbow Man) display the reference at sporting events, seeking the attention of fellow fans, the staff controlling the venue's giant video screens, and if the game is televised, the television audience.
Various real and fictional characters have parodied the phrase by substituting their own name for "John".
In a Pearls Before Swine strip, Pig thinks people holding signs reading "John 3:16" during football games are all the same person. He also thinks the person in question does this "so his friend John can know what time it is when he forgets his watch." While watching another one he states "Great. Now Luke forgot his watch."
Video artist Paul Pfeiffer, who specializes in video installation works, created a piece called "John 3:16" in which he digitally edited footage from a basketball game so that the ball always stays the same size in the center of the frame. This was presented as a two-minute loop on a small LCD screen attached to a mounting arm.
Rapper Wyclef Jean made a song titled "John 3:16" together with DJ Muggs, featured on Muggs Soul Assassins album.

References

^ ^a ^b Most modern translations use "unique Son," "only Son," and the like, because the second root-word of μονογενής is now understood to be γένος (genos "kind, type") rather than γεννάω ("to beget, to father"); hence "only + kind" rather than "only + begotten." See discussion in Louw and Nida, A Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament Based on Semantic Domains, p. 591; Moulton and Milligan, The Vocabulary of the Greek new Testament, pp. 416–17; Bauer, Danker, Arndt and Gingrich, A Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament and Other Early Christian Literature (2nd ed.), p. 527 (the Bauer Lexicon).
^ The word Αὐτὸν appears in the Textus Receptus and the Byzantine text-type, but not the Alexandrian text-type.

[begotten-1] Most modern translations use "unique Son," "only Son," and the like, because the second root-word of μονογενής is now understood to be γένος (genos "kind, type") rather than γεννάω ("to beget, to father"); hence "only + kind" rather than "only + begotten." See discussion in Louw and Nida, A Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament Based on Semantic Domains, p. 591; Moulton and Milligan, The Vocabulary of the Greek new Testament, pp. 416–17; Bauer, Danker, Arndt and Gingrich, A Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament and Other Early Christian Literature (2nd ed.), p. 527 (the Bauer Lexicon).

[auton-2] The word Αὐτὸν appears in the Textus Receptus and the Byzantine text-type, but not the Alexandrian text-type.

[1]

[2]

@@ Line 136: / Line 136: @@
 ** U.S.-based [[In-N-Out Burger]] chain prints it on the inside of the bottom rim of their [[paper cup]]s.
 ** U.S.-based clothing chains [[Forever 21]] and [[Heritage 1981]] print it on the bottom of their shopping bags.
-* The citation can also be printed in large letters on small signs. Some people (such as the [[Rollen Stewart|Rainbow Man]]) display the reference 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. A fictional example occurs in the 1996 movie ''Jerry Maguire.'' A John 3:16 sign is prominently visible in the football game crowd during the sequence in which Rod Tidwell (played by Cuba Gooding Jr.) is knocked unconscious.
+* The citation can also be printed in large letters on small signs. Some people (such as the [[Rollen Stewart|Rainbow Man]]) display the reference 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.
+* Various real and fictional characters have parodied the phrase by substituting their own name for "John".
-* The TV show ''[[Family Guy]]'' parodies this phenomenon by [[Brian Griffin|Brian]] looking the verse up before a [[Boston Red Sox|Red Sox]] [[baseball]] game and announcing that it reads, "And the Lord cried, 'Go Sox.'"
-* In the TV show ''[[Futurama]]'' there is another parody: as [[Bender]] is fighting, a fan in the audience holds a sign that reads "Bender 3:16."
-* Former [[World Wrestling Entertainment|WWE]] wrestler [[Stone Cold Steve Austin]] also parodied this verse with the phrase, "Austin 3:16," which said "I just wooped your ass" according to Austin. Steve Austin has insisted that the phrase was not sacrilegious or meant to mock Christianity at all. It was originally conceived when Austin mocked [[Jake Roberts]] who, at the time, had a religious [[Gimmick (professional wrestling)|gimmick]].
-* Former [[World Wrestling Entertainment|WWE]] wrestler [[Owen Hart]] also parodied the [[Stone Cold Steve Austin]] take on this verse with the phrase "Owen 3:16," which says, "I just broke your neck" — a reference to Owen breaking Stone Cold's neck in a botched sit-out at Tombstone.
 * In a [[Pearls Before Swine (comic strip)|Pearls Before Swine]] strip, Pig thinks people holding signs reading "John 3:16" during football games are all the same person. He also thinks the person in question does this "so his friend John can know what time it is when he forgets his watch." While watching another one he states "Great. Now Luke forgot his watch."
 * [[Video art]]ist [[Paul Pfeiffer]], who specializes in video installation works, created a piece called "John 3:16" in which he digitally edited footage from a basketball game so that the ball always stays the same size in the center of the frame. This was presented as a two-minute loop on a small [[LCD]] screen attached to a mounting arm.
 * Rapper [[Wyclef Jean]] made a song titled "John 3:16" together with [[DJ Muggs]], featured on Muggs ''Soul Assassins'' album.
-* In ''[[The Pacifier]],'' during the wrestling match between the [[Vin Diesel]] character and [[Brad Garrett]], in the crowd is visible a boy holding a poster with "John 3:16" written on it.
-* Australian comedian [[Julian Morrow]] offered Federal Treasurer [[Peter Costello]] a shirt with "John 3:16" written on it, saying that "We thought praying might work, nothing else seems to be."
-* In [[I am America (and so can you)]] one of the stickers has the text John 3:16.
 == References ==