John 3:13

John 3:13 in other versions

• King James Version (KJV)And no man hath ascended up to heaven, but he that came down from heaven, even the Son of man which is in heaven.
• New International Version (NIV)No one has ever gone into heaven except the one who came from heaven—the Son of Man.
• English Standard Version (ESV)No one has ascended into heaven except he who descended from heaven, the Son of Man.
• New King James Version (NKJV)No one has ascended to heaven but He who came down from heaven, that is, the Son of Man who is in heaven.

Context of John 3:13

11I assure you, we tell you what we know and have seen, and yet you won’t believe our testimony. 12But if you don’t believe me when I tell you about earthly things, how can you possibly believe if I tell you about heavenly things? No one has ever gone to heaven and returned. But the Son of Man has come down from heaven. 14And as Moses lifted up the bronze snake on a pole in the wilderness, so the Son of Man must be lifted up, 15so that everyone who believes in him will have eternal life.

John 3:13 word by word

καὶ οὐδεὶς ἀναβέβηκεν εἰς τὸν οὐρανὸν εἰ μὴ ὁ ἐκ τοῦ οὐρανοῦ καταβάς, ὁ υἱὸς τοῦ ἀνθρώπουRead the interlinear

Words taken from the KJV.

• ·ὁho hē to · the/this/whoG3588
• Andκαίkai · andG2532
• no manοὐδείςoudeis · noneG3762
• hath ascended upἀναβαίνωanabainō · to ascendG305
• toεἰςeis · towardG1519
• heavenοὐρανόςouranos · heavenG3772
• ·εἰei · if: notG1487
• butμήmē · notG3361
• came downκαταβαίνωkatabainō · to come/go downG2597
• fromἐκek ex · out fromG1537
• the Sonυἱόςuihos · sonG5207
• of manἄνθρωποςanthrōpos · a humanG444
• which isεἰμίeimi · to beG1510
• inἐνen · in/on/amongG1722

Cross-references for John 3:13

• John 1:18No one has ever seen God. But the unique One, who is himself God, is near to the Father’s heart. He has revealed God to us.
• John 6:46(Not that anyone has ever seen the Father; only I, who was sent from God, have seen him.)
• Deuteronomy 30:12It is not kept in heaven, so distant that you must ask, ‘Who will go up to heaven and bring it down so we can hear it and obey?’
• Proverbs 30:4Who but God goes up to heaven and comes back down? Who holds the wind in his fists? Who wraps up the oceans in his cloak? Who has created the whole wide world? What is his name—and his son’s name? Tell me if you know!
• Acts 2:34For David himself never ascended into heaven, yet he said, ‘The Lord said to my Lord, “Sit in the place of honor at my right hand
• Romans 10:6But faith’s way of getting right with God says, “Don’t say in your heart, ‘Who will go up to heaven?’ (to bring Christ down to earth).
• Ephesians 4:9Notice that it says “he ascended.” This clearly means that Christ also descended to our lowly world.
• John 6:33The true bread of God is the one who comes down from heaven and gives life to the world.”
• John 8:42Jesus told them, “If God were your Father, you would love me, because I have come to you from God. I am not here on my own, but he sent me.
• John 13:3Jesus knew that the Father had given him authority over everything and that he had come from God and would return to God.
• John 16:28Yes, I came from the Father into the world, and now I will leave the world and return to the Father.”
• John 17:5Now, Father, bring me into the glory we shared before the world began.
• 1 Corinthians 15:47Adam, the first man, was made from the dust of the earth, while Christ, the second man, came from heaven.
• Matthew 28:20Teach these new disciples to obey all the commands I have given you. And be sure of this: I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”
• Mark 16:19When the Lord Jesus had finished talking with them, he was taken up into heaven and sat down in the place of honor at God’s right hand.
• Acts 20:28“So guard yourselves and God’s people. Feed and shepherd God’s flock—his church, purchased with his own blood—over which the Holy Spirit has appointed you as leaders.

Commentaries on John 3:13

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 13No man hath ascended - This seems a figurative expression for, No man hath known the mysteries of the kingdom of God; as in Deuteronomy 30:12; Psalm 73:17; Proverbs 30:4; Romans 11:34. And the expression is founded upon this generally received maxim: That to be perfectly acquainted with the concerns of a place, it is necessary for a person to be on the spot. But our Lord probably spoke to correct a false notion among the Jews, viz. that Moses had ascended…Read the comment
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 13And no man hath ascended into heavens - No man, therefore, is qualified to speak of heavenly things, John 3:12. To speak of those things requires intimate acquaintance with them - demands that we have seen them; and as no one has ascended into heaven and returned, so no one is qualified to speak of them but He who came down from heaven. This does not mean that no one had Gone to heaven or had been saved, for Enoch and Elijah had been borne there (Genesis…Read the comment
• Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 13There is a great distance between this world and heaven (see 1:51; 3:31; 6:38, 42). Heaven represents God’s dwelling place. This world represents human life under sin and weakness. Jesus came down from heaven to this world. He made a way for people to know God. He proved that he came from God when he defeated death. After rising from the dead, he returned to the Father in heaven (16:5–11).Read the comment
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 11-1311-13. We speak that we know, and ... have seen--that is, by absolute knowledge and immediate vision of God, which "the only-begotten Son in the bosom of the Father" claims as exclusively His own (Joh 1:18). The "we" and "our" are here used, though Himself only is intended, in emphatic contrast, probably, with the opening words of Nicodemus, "Rabbi, we know.", &c. ye receive not, &c.--referring to the class to which Nicodemus belonged, but from which he…Read the comment

Topics related to John 3:13

• Jesus Continued
• Jesus, the Christ
• Life

In the dictionaries

• Son of man
• Born
• Condemn
• Condemnation
• Darkness
• Decrease
• Increase
• Love
• Nicodemus
• Testify

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