New King James Version
John 3:17
17For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved.
John 3:17 in other versions
- King James Version (KJV)For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved.
- New International Version (NIV)For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.
- English Standard Version (ESV)For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him.
- New Living Translation (NLT)God sent his Son into the world not to judge the world, but to save the world through him.
Context of John 3:17
15that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life. 16For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved. 18“He who believes in Him is not condemned; but he who does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God. 19And this is the condemnation, that the light has come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil.
Read all of John 3John 3:17 word by word
οὐ γὰρ ἀπέστειλεν ὁ θεὸς τὸν υἱὸν εἰς τὸν κόσμον ἵνα κρίνῃ τὸν κόσμον, ἀλλ᾽ ἵνα σωθῇ ὁ κόσμος δι᾽ αὐτοῦ.Read the interlinear
Words taken from the KJV.
- Forγάρgar · forG1063
- Godὁho hē to · the/this/whoG3588
- Godθεόςtheos · GodG2316
- sentἀποστέλλωapostellō · to sendG649
- notοὐou · noG3756
- hisαὐτόςautos · it/s/heG846
- Sonυἱόςuihos · sonG5207
- intoεἰςeis · towardG1519
- the worldκόσμοςkosmos · worldG2889
- toἵναhina · in order that/toG2443
- condemnκρίνωkrinō · to judgeG2919
- butἀλλάalla · butG235
- throughδιάdia · through/because ofG1223
- might be savedσῴζωsōzō · to saveG4982
Cross-references for John 3:17
- John 5:45Do not think that I shall accuse you to the Father; there is one who accuses you—Moses, in whom you trust.
- John 8:15You judge according to the flesh; I judge no one.
- John 12:47And if anyone hears My words and does not believe, I do not judge him; for I did not come to judge the world but to save the world.
- Luke 9:56For the Son of Man did not come to destroy men’s lives but to save them.” And they went to another village.
- John 1:29The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him, and said, “Behold! The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!
- John 6:40And this is the will of Him who sent Me, that everyone who sees the Son and believes in Him may have everlasting life; and I will raise him up at the last day.”
- Isaiah 45:21Tell and bring forth your case; Yes, let them take counsel together. Who has declared this from ancient time? Who has told it from that time? Have not I, the Lord? And there is no other God besides Me, A just God and a Savior; There is none besides Me.
- Isaiah 49:6Indeed He says, ‘It is too small a thing that You should be My Servant To raise up the tribes of Jacob, And to restore the preserved ones of Israel; I will also give You as a light to the Gentiles, That You should be My salvation to the ends of the earth.’ ”
- Isaiah 53:10Yet it pleased the Lord to bruise Him; He has put Him to grief. When You make His soul an offering for sin, He shall see His seed, He shall prolong His days, And the pleasure of the Lord shall prosper in His hand.
- Zechariah 9:9“Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion! Shout, O daughter of Jerusalem! Behold, your King is coming to you; He is just and having salvation, Lowly and riding on a donkey, A colt, the foal of a donkey.
- Matthew 1:23“Behold, the virgin shall be with child, and bear a Son, and they shall call His name Immanuel,” which is translated, “God with us.”
- Matthew 18:11For the Son of Man has come to save that which was lost.
- Luke 2:10Then the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid, for behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy which will be to all people.
- Luke 19:10for the Son of Man has come to seek and to save that which was lost.”
- 1 Timothy 2:5For there is one God and one Mediator between God and men, the Man Christ Jesus,
- 1 John 2:2And He Himself is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the whole world.
Commentaries on John 3:17
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 17For God sent not, etc. - It was the opinion of the Jews that the Gentiles, whom they often term the world, עלמה olmah, and העולם אומות omoth haolam, nations of the world, were to be destroyed in the days of the Messiah. Christ corrects this false opinion; and teaches here a contrary doctrine. God, by giving his Son, and publishing his design in giving him, shows that he purposes the salvation, not the destruction, of the world - the Gentile people…Read the comment
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 17To condemn the world - Not to judge, or pronounce sentence on mankind. God might justly have sent him for this. Man deserved condemnation, and it would have been right to have pronounced it; but God was willing that there should be an offer of pardon, and the sentence of condemnation was delayed. But, although Jesus did not come then to condemn mankind, yet the time is coming when he will return to judge the living and the dead, Acts 17:31; 2 Corinthians…Read the comment
- Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 16-21The original Greek text does not include quotation marks. Because of this, translators must decide where the words of Jesus end and where John's explanation begins. John 3:16–21 might be John’s explanation of what Jesus said.Read the comment
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 17-2117-21. not to condemn, &c.--A statement of vast importance. Though "condemnation" is to many the issue of Christ's mission (Joh 3:19), it is not the object of His mission, which is purely a saving one.Read the comment
Topics related to John 3:17
In the dictionaries
Commentaries on John 3
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
- Matthew Henry Concise Commentary
- Tyndale Open Study Notes
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary
- Calvin’s Commentaries
- John Wesley’s Notes
- Catena Aurea
- Illustrated New Testament
- Burkitt’s Expository Notes
- Darby Translation Notes
- Family Bible Notes
- Geneva Bible Translation Notes
- Kingcomments
- John Lightfoot Commentary
- Luther’s Commentary on Selected Bible Passages
- Matthew Henry’s Complete Commentary
- Matthew Henry’s Modern English Commentary
- The People’s New Testament
- Robertson’s Word Pictures
- Scofield Reference Notes, 1917 Edition
- The Fourfold Gospel and Commentary on Acts
- Original Douay–Rheims Annotations
- Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary
- EGW Writings
New King James Version — © 1982 Thomas Nelson, Inc
Commentaries