3:13a–b

No one has ascended into heaven except the One who descended from heaven—the Son of Man: This verse is a reference to Proverbs 30:4a, which reads “Who has ascended to heaven and come down?” The question in Proverbs is asking who has brought wisdom from God to earth. Here Jesus answered this question by saying that he himself had been in heaven and had come down from heaven. In that way he brought the knowledge of heavenly things to earth. See the notes on John 1:18. See also John 1:51, where the angels of God are said to “ascend” and “descend” on the Son of Man.

3:13a

No one has ascended into heaven: This clause is difficult to understand. It probably indicates that no one (but Jesus) had ever been in heaven and come down to earth. As such he was the only one who could truly tell what he had seen and knew of God. The word ascended means “went up.”

Here are other ways to translate this clause:

no one has ever gone up to heaven (Good News Translation)
-or-
no one has ever gone to heaven and returned (New Living Translation (2004))

heaven: The word heaven here refers to the place where God lives.

3:13b

except the One…the Son of Man: Jesus was referring to himself. In some languages it may be more natural to use a form like “I” or “me” to make that clear. For example:

I, the Son of Man, am the only one
-or-

I who became man/human
-or-

me, the Son of Man

the Son of Man: The Greek phrase that the Berean Standard Bible translates as the Son of Man is more literally “the Son of the human/person.” Jesus used this title to imply two things:

(a) He was a true human being, and he represented all people

(b) He came from God and had authority from God

Try to use an expression that implies both meanings. Here are some possible translations:

the Human-born
-or-
the Man from God/Heaven
-or-
the Representative of Mankind

Translators have also used expressions that are more literal. These more literal expressions may be suitable where readers are familiar with a literal expression in another translation.

See how you translated this term in 1:51.

See Son of Man in Key Biblical Terms.

General Comment on 3:13a–b

“No one…except” is a double negative with a positive emphasis. It indicates that Jesus, the Son of Man, is the only person to have been in heaven and come down to earth. In some languages it is more natural to translate with a positive statement. For example:

The only one who has ever gone up to heaven is the One who came down from heaven—the Son of Man. (New Century Version)
-or-
Who has gone to heaven? I, the true man from God, am the only one, because I came from heaven.

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