John answered translates a Hebraism which is redundant for the English reader (literally “John answered and said”).

Unless God gives it to him is literally “unless it has been given to him from heaven.” But “from heaven” is merely a Semitic way of speaking of God, and so Good News Translation makes the information explicit, at the same time transforming the passive expression into an active one. New English Bible does likewise (“a man can have only what God gives him”), while Phillips attempts to reproduce the meaning by spelling “Heaven” with a capital H. In 19.11 the adverb “from above” is used in the same sense, and in Good News Translation this phrase appears as by God.

Some difficulties may be involved in a literal translation of verse 27, since anything seems to refer specifically to objects, while the reference in this particular context may be to events, that is, the popularity of Jesus as demonstrated by throngs of people who went to be baptized by him. To indicate specifically that the reference here is to an event, one may say, “Nothing can happen to anyone like this unless God causes it.”

Quoted with permission from Newman, Barclay M. and Nida, Eugene A. A Handbook on the Gospel of John. (UBS Handbook Series). New York: UBS, 1980. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .