Translations
The verse in the original Greek is as follows (associated Strong's Number in superscript):
- Οὕτως3779 γὰρ1063 ἠγάπησεν25 ὁ3588 Θεὸς2316 τὸν3588 κόσμον2889, ὥστε5620 τὸν3588 Υἱὸν 5207 τὸν3588 μονογενῆ3439 ἔδωκεν1325, ἵνα2443 πᾶς3956 ὁ3588 πιστεύων4100 εἰς1519 Αὐτὸν846 μὴ3361 ἀπόληται622 ἀλλ᾽235 ἔχῃ2192 ζωὴν2222 αἰώνιον166
This can be translated literally as:
- For in this way God loved the world: that he gave the unique son, so that all the ones trusting in him would not perish, but have eternal life.
A representative sample of published Bible translations renders it as follows. (It is worth noting that since this is perhaps the best-known verse, many translations have tried to maintain a traditional rendering.)
| Century & distinctive features | Translation | John 3:16 |
|---|---|---|
| C1 Greek | Original Koine Greek | Οὕτως γὰρ ἠγάπησεν ὁ Θεὸς τὸν κόσμον, ὥστε τὸν Υἱὸν τὸν μονογενῆ ἔδωκεν, ἵνα πᾶς ὁ πιστεύων εἰς Αὐτὸν μὴ ἀπόληται ἀλλ᾽ ἔχῃ ζωὴν αἰώνιον. Houtōs gar ēgapēsen ho Theos ton kosmon, hōste ton Huion ton monogenē edōken, hina pas ho pisteuōn eis Auton mē apolētai all᾽ echē zōēn aiōnion. |
| C2 Syriac | Peshitta Bible |
ܗܟܢܐ ܓܝܪ ܐܝܝܩ ܐܠܗܐ ܠܥܠܡܐ ܐܝܟܢܐ ܕܠܒܪܗ ܝܚܝܕܝܐ ܢܬܠ ܕܟܠ ܡܢ ܕܡܗܝܡܢ ܟܗ ܠܐ ܢܐܟܙ ܐܠܐ ܢܗܘܘܢ ܠܗ ܝܚܐ ܕܠܥܠܡ܀
Hāḵanā gér ʼaḥeḇ ʼalāhā lʻālmā ʼaykanā dlaḇreh yḥyḏāyā yetel dkul man damhaymen beh lā naḇaḏ élā nehwuwn leh ḥayé dalʻālam. |
| C4 Latin | Vulgate | Sic enim Deus dilexit mundum, ut Filium suum unigenitum daret: ut omnis qui credit in eum, non pereat, sed habeat vitam æternam. |
| C14 Middle English | Wyclif's Bible | For God louede so the world that he ȝaf his oon bigetun sone, that ech man that beliueth in him perische not, but haue euerlastynge lijf. |
| C16 Protestant | Tyndale Bible | For God so loveth the world, that he hath given his only son, that none that believe in him, should perish: but should have everlasting life. |
| C16 Roman Catholic | Douay–Rheims Bible, Challoner Revision | For God so loved the world, as to give his only begotten Son; that whosoever believeth in him, may not perish, but may have life everlasting. |
| C17, replaced Latin as a long-lasting standard | Authorized King James Version | For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. |
| C19, forerunner of modern translations | Revised Version | For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth on him should not perish, but have eternal life. |
| C20, formal equivalence | New American Standard Bible | For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish, but have eternal life. |
| C20, dynamic equivalence | Good News Bible | For God loved the world so much that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him may not die but have eternal life. |
| C20, in-between approach, best-seller | New International Version | For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. |
| C21, formal equivalence | English Standard Version (unchanged from RSV) | For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. |
| C21, paraphrase | The Message | This is how much God loved the world: he gave his Son, his one and only Son. And this is why: so that no one need be destroyed; by believing in him, anyone can have a whole and lasting life. |
| C21, "optimal equivalence" | HCSB | For God loved the world in this way: He gave His One and Only Son, so that everyone who believes in Him might not perish but have eternal life. |
(See also Modern English Bible translations.)
Read more about this topic: John 3:16
Famous quotes containing the word translations:
“Woe to the world because of stumbling blocks! Occasions for stumbling are bound to come, but woe to the one by whom the stumbling block comes!”
—Bible: New Testament, Matthew 18:7.
Other translations use “temptations.”