Paragraph 3:16–18
God sent his Son into the world to save people from being condemned.
3:16
People often memorize this verse, learning it so that they can remember it exactly. Your translation of this verse should be clear and natural. It should also sound good when it is spoken aloud, and it should be easy to memorize. The sentences should be neither too long nor too short. Also, the words should be fairly simple and not easily confused with other words. Ask a few people of different ages to memorize it to see if there are any problems.
It is not clear where Jesus’ speech ends and John begins to comment (if he did this at all). Most English translations indicate that Jesus’ speech continues through verse 21. However New International Version, NET Bible, and God’s Word indicate that 3:16 begins John’s comments. And Good News Translation indicates that Jesus’ speech ends at the end of 3:13 and John’s comments begin in 3:14. Wherever Jesus’ speech ends, it is all God’s Word. It is probably best to follow most English translations and continue the quotation of Jesus’ speech through verse 21. However, if the major language translation in your area begins John’s comments here, you may want to follow that example.
3:16a
For: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as For here means “because” and introduces an explanation of what Jesus had said in 3:15. People may receive eternal life because God loved the people of the world and acted to save them. Some translations leave this word implicit.
Here are other ways to translate this word:
That is because
-or-
Yes, (English Easy-to-Read Version)
God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son: This expression indicates that God’s love for the world’s people influenced him to give his Son to save them. God sent his Son into the world to save its people because he cared very much for them. Giving his Son was the way in which God showed his great love.
so loved…that: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as so can indicate both the way something is done and how much it is done. The way that God showed his great love for the world was by sending his Son. Some English translations indicate the way God showed his love and some indicate how much he loved. For example:
For God loved the world so much that (Good News Translation)
-or-
God loved the world this way: (God’s Word)
-or-
God loved the people on earth very much. Therefore…
Introduce what God did for the world in a way that is most natural in your language. Emphasize that God acted because he loved the world. By giving his Son he showed his great love.
loved: In many languages there are different words for “love.” Try to choose a word that refers to love that is unselfish. Love like this means that the one loving will lose something when he shows love. The love here is the love of someone who is stronger and greater toward someone who is weaker. You may be able to use a word that refers to the way a parent loves a child. Nowhere else in the New Testament does it say that God loves the world.
In some languages, the past tense word loved may imply that God no longer loves the world. If that is true in your language, you may want to use a present tense verb. For example:
God loves the people who live on earth very much
-or-
Because God’s love for the people of this world is great
-or-
God loves the people everywhere in the world
world: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as world here refers to the people in the world. For example:
God loved the people of this world (Contemporary English Version)
He gave: God gave his Son when he caused him to be born as a human so that he would die for us. God handed him over to be a sacrifice for sins. Here is another way to translate this phrase:
he sent
His one and only Son: This phrase here means “God’s unique Son.” God calls himself the Father of all, but Jesus is uniquely his Son. He is God’s Son in a way in which no one else is.
The title Son indicates that Jesus has the same nature and character as God. It also indicates that the relationship between God the Father and Jesus, his Son, is similar in some way to the relationship between human fathers and sons. God the Father does not have a physical body. He did not have a sexual relationship that resulted in Mary becoming pregnant and giving birth to Jesus.
For more information, see the note on “the Son of God” at 1:34.
If you have indicated that Jesus is talking here, it is important that people understand that he is talking about himself. You may need to make it explicit that Jesus spoke about himself. For example:
he sent me, his only son
one and only: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as only also appears in 1:18b. See the note there and refer to your translation of that verse. Here is another way to translate this word:
one and only (New Century Version)
3:16b
that everyone who believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life: This is a purpose clause. It expresses God’s purpose in giving his Son. The pronoun Him refers to God’s only Son, Jesus.
believes in Him: This phrase includes the idea of believing the facts about who Jesus was and what he did. But it also includes the idea of trusting Jesus instead of trusting oneself or someone else. Both ideas are very closely related. If someone believes the facts about Jesus, it should result in trusting him. See how you translated this idea in 1:7b, 1:12b, and 3:15. The pronoun Him refers to Jesus.
Here are other ways to translate this idea here:
has faith in him (Contemporary English Version)
-or-
trusts in him
perish: The Greek verb that the Berean Standard Bible translates as perish here refers to suffering eternal death, spiritual death. Spiritual death is when a person is separated from God forever and punished.
Here are other ways to translate this word:
be separated from God
-or-
be separated from God to be punished
-or-
lose his life forever
-or-
be punished forever
but: The Greek conjunction that the Berean Standard Bible translates as but here connects a negative statement (“may not perish”) to a positive statement (“may have eternal life”). This kind of sentence emphasizes the positive statement. Languages have different ways to indicate this type of emphasis. Here are some ways to show the emphasis:
• Use the conjunction but as in the Berean Standard Bible.
may not be lost, but have eternal life (New Century Version)
• Use a conjunction other than but. This is a common way in English to show this type of emphasis. For example:
he will not be separated from God for punishment; rather/instead he will have life that does not end
• Do not use a conjunction. For example:
will not be eternally separated from God. He will have eternal life.
• Change the order of the clauses. For example:
will have eternal life and never really die (Contemporary English Version)
You should translate this emphasis in the way that is most natural in your language.
have eternal life: This verb phrase means the same thing as the previous verb phrase, “shall not perish.” It is expressed in a positive rather than a negative way. This repeating emphasizes what Jesus was saying. Here are other ways to translate this phrase:
may live eternally
-or-
will live forever ⌊with God⌋
eternal life: This phrase refers to life with God that never ends. See how you translated this phrase in 3:15.
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