John 3:16

John 3:16 (chapter 3, verse 16 of the Gospel of John) is one of the most widely quoted verses from the Christian Bible.^{[citation needed]} It has been called the "Bible in a nutshell" because it is considered a summary of some of the most central doctrines of traditional Christianity:

For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him shall not perish, but have everlasting life.

— John 3:16 (KJV)

A typical interpretation of the verse might be as follows:^{[original research?]}

• For God so loved the world... — God is a god of love and this love motivates his action in the rest of the verse
• ...that He gave... — God giving something to the world of humanity that he owned, his son, as a sacrifice
• ...His only begotten^[1] Son... — the firstborn of all creation Jesus of Nazareth is also the Son of God.
• ...that whosoever... — that any person
• ...believeth... — being saved is based on faith and trust in Jesus to save or faith
• ...in Him... — the belief being in Jesus, God's means of salvation for humanity
• ...shall not perish... — implies the fate of those who do not believe: eternal death
• ...but have everlasting life. — shows the reward of those who believe: eternal life

The verse occurs in a narrative in the third chapter of John taking place in Jerusalem. Nicodemus, a member of the ruling council, comes to talk with Jesus, whom he calls Rabbi. Jesus' "miraculous signs" have convinced Nicodemus that Jesus is "from God". In reply, Jesus declares, "I tell you the truth, no one can see the kingdom of God unless he is born again" (verses 5–6). John 3:16 summarizes Jesus' lesson to Nicodemus: that belief in Jesus is the path to eternal life. In this passage, Jesus proclaims himself the Messiah and lays out important aspects of Christian theology. This shows a contrast with the Gospel of Mark, for instance, in which Jesus often tries to keep his divinity secret until his final trip to Jerusalem.

The verse in the original Greek is as follows (associated Strong's Number in superscript):

Οὕτως³⁷⁷⁹ γὰρ¹⁰⁶³ ἠγάπησεν²⁵ ὁ³⁵⁸⁸ Θεὸς²³¹⁶ τὸν³⁵⁸⁸ κόσμον²⁸⁸⁹, ὥστε⁵⁶²⁰ τὸν³⁵⁸⁸ Υἱὸν⁵²⁰⁷ τὸν³⁵⁸⁸ μονογενῆ³⁴³⁹ ἔδωκεν¹³²⁵, ἵνα²⁴⁴³ πᾶς³⁹⁵⁶ ὁ³⁵⁸⁸ πιστεύων⁴¹⁰⁰ εἰς¹⁵¹⁹ Αὐτὸν^846[2] μὴ³³⁶¹ ἀπόληται⁶²² ἀλλ᾽²³⁵ ἔχῃ²¹⁹² ζωὴν²²²² αἰώνιον¹⁶⁶

Which could be translated literally to mean:

For in this way God loved the world: that he gave the unique^[1] son, so that all the ones trusting in him would not perish, but have eternal life.

The more familiar King James Version renders it as:

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.

Translations of this verse into various languages are a familiar part of the front matter of Gideon Bibles.

The text of the verse is also incorporated into the Divine Liturgy of St. John Chrysostom, eloquent fourth century archbishop of Constantinople, as part of a prayer said by the celebrant. This Divine Liturgy is still commonly used in the Eastern Orthodox Church and in the Byzantine rite of the Roman Catholic Church.

The various translations differ on whether this is a direct quote of Jesus or a comment of the narrator of the Gospel.

The computer scientist Donald Knuth produced an illustrated re-translation of Chapter 3, verse 16 of every book in the Bible, 3:16 Bible Texts Illuminated (ISBN 0–89579–252–4). 3:16 was chosen because of this key passage in John. Knuth's Things a Computer Scientist Rarely Talks About reproduces a lecture series that he gave at MIT, centred on his process of production of his book on 3:16.

• The phrase "John 3:16" is very short and can be written inconspicuously in out-of-the-way locations. In the U.S., the In-N-Out Burger chain prints it on the inside of the bottom rim of their paper cups, and clothing chain Forever 21 prints it on the bottom of their shopping bags.
• The citation can also be printed in large letters on small signs. Some people (such as the Rainbow Man) display the reference at sporting events, seeking the attention of fellow fans, the staff controlling the venue's giant video screens, and if the game is televised, the television audience.
• Various real and fictional characters have parodied the phrase by substituting their own name for "John", or pretending that the verse says something else. A prominent example includes wrestler Stone Cold Steve Austin who rose to fame following his version, "Austin 3:16".
• Video artist Paul Pfeiffer, who specializes in video installation works, created a piece called "John 3:16" in which he digitally edited footage from a basketball game so that the ball always stays the same size in the center of the frame. This was presented as a two-minute loop on a small LCD screen attached to a mounting arm.
• "John 3:16" is the title of various songs, including Wyclef Jean and DJ Muggs on Muggs' Soul Assassins album; Method Man on album Preemptive Hype Vol 6; and Katiejane Garside on The Ventriloquist.

• Perfect contrition