YHN 3:31 Parallel Verse View

Note: This view shows ‘verses’ which are not natural language units and hence sometimes only part of a sentence will be visible—click on any Bible version abbreviation down the left-hand side to see the verse in more of its context. Normally the OET discourages the reading of individual ‘verses’, but this view is only designed as a tool for doing comparisons of different translations—the older translations are further down the page (so you can read up from the bottom to trace the English translation history). The OET segments on this page are still very early looks into the unfinished texts of the Open English Translation of the Bible—please double-check these texts in advance before using in public.

Text critical issues=small word differences Clarity of original=clear Importance to us=normal (All still tentative.)

OET (OET-RV) “The one who came down from heaven is greater than any of us. We came from this world and speak in our earthly ways. The one who came down from heaven is greater than any of us.

Key: khaki:verbs, light-green:nominative/subject, pink:genitive/possessor.
Note: Automatic aligning of the OET-RV to the LV is done by some temporary software, hence the RV alignments are incomplete (and may occasionally be wrong).

ULT The one coming from above is above all things. The one being from the earth is from the earth and speaks from the earth. The one coming from heaven is above all things.

UST Jesus comes from heaven, and he is greater than everyone and everything. Those like myself who are from the earth can only speak with the limited perspective of someone from the earth. The one who comes from heaven is greater than everyone and everything on the earth.

BSB The [One who] comes from above is above all. The [one who] is from the earth belongs to the earth and speaks [as one] from the earth. The [One who] comes from heaven is above all.[fn]

BLB The One coming from above is above all. The one being from the earth is from the earth, and speaks from the earth. The One coming from heaven is above all.

AICNT The one who comes from above is above all; he who is {of}[fn] the earth is from the earth[fn] [and speaks from the earth].[fn] The one coming from heaven [is above all];[fn][fn]

3:31, of: Some manuscripts read “on.” B(01) Latin(a, e) Some manuscripts read “upon.” D(05)

3:31, earth: Or “land.”

3:31, and speaks from the earth: Absent from 𝔓66.

3:31-36, It is disputed whether verses 31-36 are John's words or a narrative interlude by the author. Some translators regard all of verses 13-36 are quoting John while others believe these verses are a narrative interpolation including RSV, NRSV and NEB which omits quotation marks around verses 31-36. With respect to John 3:31-36, the UBS Handbooks for New Testament (20 Vols.) notes, “It is possible that these words are the comments of the author of the Gospel. This is the opinion held by TEV, NEB, and RSV. If this is the case, there is a parallel between verses 14-21 (or 16-21) and the present passage. That is, the earlier section represents the author's commentary on Jesus' dialogue with Nicodemus, while this passage serves as a commentary on the relationship between Jesus and John the Baptist.”

3:31, is above all: 𝔓36 𝔓66 A(02) B(03) Latin(a b e ff² ) Syriac(sy^s sy^p) BYZ TR NA28[ ] SBLGNT THGNT ‖ Absent from some manuscripts. 𝔓75 ℵ(01) D(05) Latin(it) Syriac(sy^c)

OEB He who comes from above is above all others; but a child of earth is earthly, and his teaching is earthly, too. He who comes from heaven is above all others.

LSB “He who comes from above is above all, he who is of the earth is from the earth and speaks of the earth. He who comes from heaven is above all.

WEBBE “He who comes from above is above all. He who is from the earth belongs to the earth and speaks of the earth. He who comes from heaven is above all.

WMBB (Same as above)

NET The one who comes from above is superior to all. The one who is from the earth belongs to the earth and speaks about earthly things. The one who comes from heaven is superior to all.

LSV He who is coming from above is above all; he who is from the earth, from the earth he is, and from the earth he speaks; He who is coming from Heaven is above all.

FBV He who comes from above is greater[fn] than all; he who comes from the earth belongs to the earth and talks about earthly things. He who comes from heaven is greater than all.

3:31 Or “above” in the sense of authority.

TCNT He who comes from above is above all. He who is from the earth belongs to the earth and speaks about earthly things. But he who comes from heaven is above all.

T4T Jesus came from heaven. He is more important than anyone else. Those who are born from parents here on earth [MTY] are just humans, and they speak about things that happen here on the earth. But since Jesus came from heaven, his words are more important than anyone else’s.

LEB The one who comes from above is over all. The one who is from the earth is from the earth and speaks from the earth; the one who comes from heaven is over all.

BBE He who comes from heaven is greater than all others: he who comes from earth is of the earth, and of the earth are his words: he who comes from heaven is over all.

Moff He who comes from above is far above all others; he who springs from earth belongs to earth and speaks of earth; he who comes from heaven [is far above all others.

Wymth He who comes from above is above all. He whose origin is from the earth is not only himself from the earth, his teaching also is from the earth. He who comes from Heaven is above all.

ASV He that cometh from above is above all: he that is of the earth is of the earth, and of the earth he speaketh: he that cometh from heaven is above all.

DRA He that cometh from above, is above all. He that is of the earth, of the earth he is, and of the earth he speaketh. He that cometh from heaven, is above all.

YLT he who from above is coming is above all; he who is from the earth, from the earth he is, and from the earth he speaketh; he who from the heaven is coming is above all.

Drby He who comes from above is above all. He who has his origin in the earth is of the earth, and speaks [as] of the earth. He who comes out of heaven is above all,

RV He that cometh from above is above all: he that is of the earth is of the earth, and of the earth he speaketh: he that cometh from heaven is above all.
(He that cometh/comes from above is above all: he that is of the earth is of the earth, and of the earth he speaketh/speaks: he that cometh/comes from heaven is above all. )

SLT He coming from above is above all, he being of the earth is of earth, and speaks of earth: he coming from heaven is above all.

Wbstr He that cometh from above is above all: he that is of the earth is earthly, and speaketh of the earth: he that cometh from heaven is above all.

KJB-1769 He that cometh from above is above all: he that is of the earth is earthly, and speaketh of the earth: he that cometh from heaven is above all.
(He that cometh/comes from above is above all: he that is of the earth is earthly, and speaketh/speaks of the earth: he that cometh/comes from heaven is above all. )

KJB-1611 Hee that commeth from aboue, is aboue all: hee that is of the earth, is earthly, and speaketh of the earth: hee that cōmeth from heauen is aboue all:
(Modernised spelling is same as from KJB-1769 above, apart from punctuation)

Bshps He that commeth from an hye, is aboue all: He that is of the earth, is earthlye, and speaketh of the earth. He that commeth from heauen, is aboue all:
(He that cometh/comes from an high, is above all: He that is of the earth, is earthlye, and speaketh/speaks of the earth. He that cometh/comes from heaven, is above all:)

Gnva Hee that is come from an hie, is aboue all: he that is of the earth, is of the earth, and speaketh of the earth: hee that is come from heauen, is aboue all.
(He that is come from an high, is above all: he that is of the earth, is of the earth, and speaketh/speaks of the earth: he that is come from heaven, is above all. )

Cvdl He that commeth from an hye, is aboue all. He that is of the earth, is earthly, and speaketh of the earth. He that commeth fro heauen, is aboue all,
(He that cometh/comes from an high, is above all. He that is of the earth, is earthly, and speaketh/speaks of the earth. He that cometh/comes from heaven, is above all,)

TNT He that commeth from an hye is above all: He that is of the erth is of the erth and speaketh of the erth. He that cometh from heaven is above all
(He that cometh/comes from an high is above all: He that is of the earth is of the earth and speaketh/speaks of the earth. He that cometh/comes from heaven is above all )

Wycl He that cam from aboue, is aboue alle; he that is of the erthe, spekith of the erthe; he that cometh from heuene, is aboue alle.
(He that came from above, is above all; he that is of the earth, speaketh/speaks of the earth; he that cometh/comes from heaven, is above alle.)

Luth Der von oben her kommt, ist über alle. Wer von der Erde ist, der ist von der Erde und redet von der Erde; der vom Himmel kommt, der ist über alle
(The from above her comes, is above all. Who from the/of_the earth/land/ground is, the/of_the is from the/of_the earth/land/ground and talks from the/of_the earth/land/ground; the/of_the from_the heaven comes, the/of_the is above alle)

ClVg Qui desursum venit, super omnes est. Qui est de terra, de terra est, et de terra loquitur. Qui de cælo venit, super omnes est.[fn]
(Who desursum he_came, over everyone it_is. Who it_is from/about earth/land, from/about earth/land it_is, and from/about earth/land speaks. Who from/about the_sky he_came, over everyone it_is. )

3.31 Me autem minui. Joannes figura legis est, Christus, veritas, lex minuitur, apparente veritate. Qui desursum venit, super omnes est, etc. ALC. Id est, de altitudine humanæ naturæ ante peccatum primi parentis, etc., usque ad secundo juxta altitudinem Patris, cui est æqualis. De terra. Id est, qui est de terrenis parentibus natus, a quibus peccatum et pœnam peccati contraxit, ex se nihil est nisi terra. Et quod vidit. Cum ipse Filius Dei sit verbum Patris, non aliud verbum Patris audit vel hominibus testatur, sed se verbum quod Pater locutus est, id est, edidit et genuit ex se, scit et indicat hominibus esse ex Patre. Hoc Evangelista dicit, ut potuit, quod plene dici vel intelligi nequit.

3.31 Me however minui. Yoannes figure/form law it_is, Christ/Messiah, the_truth, the_law minuitur, apparently with_truth. Who desursum he_came, over everyone it_is, etc. ALC. That it_is, from/about height human of_nature before sin first parentis, etc., until to secondly next_to height Father's, to_whom it_is equals. From/About earth/land. That it_is, who/which it_is from/about earthly to_parents born, from to_whom sin and punishment of_sin contraxit, from himself nothing it_is except earth/land. And that he_saw. Since exactly_that/himself Son of_God be the_word/saying Father's, not/no something_else the_word/saying Father's listens or to_humans testifies, but himself the_word/saying that Pater spoke it_is, that it_is, edidit and gave_birth from himself, he_knows and indicates to_humans to_be from Father. This Evangelista he_says, as could, that fully/completely to_be_said or to_be_understood nequit.

UGNT ὁ ἄνωθεν ἐρχόμενος, ἐπάνω πάντων ἐστίν. ὁ ὢν ἐκ τῆς γῆς, ἐκ τῆς γῆς ἐστιν, καὶ ἐκ τῆς γῆς λαλεῖ. ὁ ἐκ τοῦ οὐρανοῦ ἐρχόμενος, ἐπάνω πάντων ἐστίν.
(ho anōthen erⱪomenos, epanō pantōn estin. ho ōn ek taʸs gaʸs, ek taʸs gaʸs estin, kai ek taʸs gaʸs lalei. ho ek tou ouranou erⱪomenos, epanō pantōn estin.)

SBL-GNT Ὁ ἄνωθεν ἐρχόμενος ἐπάνω πάντων ἐστίν. ὁ ὢν ἐκ τῆς γῆς ἐκ τῆς γῆς ἐστιν καὶ ἐκ τῆς γῆς λαλεῖ· ὁ ἐκ τοῦ οὐρανοῦ ἐρχόμενος ἐπάνω πάντων ἐστίν·
(Ho anōthen erⱪomenos epanō pantōn estin. ho ōn ek taʸs gaʸs ek taʸs gaʸs estin kai ek taʸs gaʸs lalei; ho ek tou ouranou erⱪomenos epanō pantōn estin;)

RP-GNT Ὁ ἄνωθεν ἐρχόμενος ἐπάνω πάντων ἐστίν. Ὁ ὢν ἐκ τῆς γῆς, ἐκ τῆς γῆς ἐστιν, καὶ ἐκ τῆς γῆς λαλεῖ· ὁ ἐκ τοῦ οὐρανοῦ ἐρχόμενος ἐπάνω πάντων ἐστίν.
(Ho anōthen erⱪomenos epanō pantōn estin. Ho ōn ek taʸs gaʸs, ek taʸs gaʸs estin, kai ek taʸs gaʸs lalei; ho ek tou ouranou erⱪomenos epanō pantōn estin.)

TC-GNT Ὁ ἄνωθεν ἐρχόμενος ἐπάνω πάντων ἐστίν. Ὁ ὢν ἐκ τῆς γῆς, ἐκ τῆς γῆς ἐστι, καὶ ἐκ τῆς γῆς λαλεῖ· ὁ ἐκ τοῦ οὐρανοῦ ἐρχόμενος ἐπάνω πάντων ἐστί.
(Ho anōthen erⱪomenos epanō pantōn estin. Ho ōn ek taʸs gaʸs, ek taʸs gaʸs esti, kai ek taʸs gaʸs lalei; ho ek tou ouranou erⱪomenos epanō pantōn esti. )

Key for above GNTs: yellow:punctuation differs, red:words differ (from our SR-GNT base).

SOTN SIL Open Translator’s Notes:

Section 3:31–36: Jesus is the one who came from heaven

John the gospel writer says that Jesus is greater than everyone else. He is greater because he came from heaven and knows the truth about heavenly things. God the Father sent Jesus and given him authority over all things. However, people did not accept what Jesus said and so they will experience God’s anger. On the other hand, those who believe in Jesus, God’s Son, have eternal life.

Here are some other possible section headings:

Jesus was more important than John the Baptist

God sent Jesus to tell his message

Those who believe in God’s Son have eternal life

Paragraph 3:31–36

The Greek text does not have quotation marks, so it is not certain when John the Baptist stops speaking. There are two possible ways to understand where John the Baptist stops speaking:

John stops speaking at the end of 3:30. (NRSV, GNT, ESV, NIV2011, REB, NET, probably CEV)
John stops speaking at the end of 3:36. (BSB, NIV84, NJB, NASB, GW, NLT, NCV) The KJV does not use quotation marks and so does not indicate when the speaker changes.

It is recommended that you follow interpretation (1). These Notes end John the Baptist’s words at the end of verse 30. This is the view of many commentators.Kostenberger (p. 133) cites Dodd, Morris, Carson, Borchert, Beasley-Murray, Burge, Witherington, and Schnackenburg. The author probably wrote this paragraph in his own words. It is recommended that you translate these verses as the author’s words. But if other translations in your area have translated them as John the Baptist’s own words, that is acceptable.

In this paragraph the author states that Jesus is superior to John the Baptist.

3:31a

The One who comes from above is above all.

¶ The Chosen One who comes from God is greater than everything.
¶ Jesus is the one who comes from God and is greater than everyone else.

The One who comes from above: This expression refers to Jesus. Translate this expression so that this is clear. For example:

God’s Son comes from heaven and is greater than everything. (CEV)

comes from above: This phrase indicates that Jesus came from heaven, that is, from the place where God lives.

is above all: This phrase means that Jesus is more important than anything or anyone else. He is superior to all other beings.

Here is another way to translate this phrase:

is greater than all (GNT)

3:31b

The one who is from the earth belongs to the earth and speaks as one from the earth.

A human being from the earth belongs to the earth and can only say what he knows as someone from the earth.
John is just a human and teaches/speaks only what he knows as a person from earth.

The one who is from the earth belongs to the earth and speaks as one from the earth: The Greek clause that the BSB translates as The one who is from the earth belongs to the earth and speaks as one from the earth includes the same Greek phrase three times. That Greek phrase is more literally “of/from the earth.” So the entire clause is more literally “the one being of/from the earth is of/from the earth and of/from the earth he speaks.” Unlike Jesus, who was from heaven, those from the earth had never seen heaven. They could only tell what they knew as people from earth.

The author was referring to anyone and everyone apart from Jesus, including John the Baptist. For example:

Everyone who comes from the earth belongs to the earth and speaks about earthly things. (CEV)

speaks as one from the earth: There are at least three different interpretations about what this phrase means:

It means that people from the earth can only speak with the knowledge of people from the earth, as in the BSB and NIV.
It means that they speak about earthly things. For example:
we speak of earthly things (NLT) (NET, NASB, CEV, GNT, NCV, NLT, KJV, RSV, NRSV, GW)
It means that they speak in earthly ways. For example:
speaks in an earthly way (ESV) (ESV, REB, NJB)

It is recommended that you follow interpretation (1). It interprets the Greek phrase the same way that it was interpreted earlier in the clause. Also, many commentaries support this interpretation.

John spoke about things that he could know as a human. The things he said were not wrong, or sinful, but they came from the earth rather than heaven.3:31 John often uses the word “world” in a negative sense, referring to the sinful world system. But he uses the word “earth” in a neutral sense, without implying anything good or bad. He did not speak as Jesus did, coming from heaven with God’s direct authority and knowledge. He was a human and he could only speak what he knew as a human from earth. He had not come from heaven, that is, from God.

3:31c

The One who comes from heaven is above all.

The one who comes from God is the greatest one of all.
But Jesus is from God, and he is in charge of everything everywhere.

The One who comes from heaven is above all: There is a textual problem in this sentence:

Many Greek manuscripts read “the one who comes from heaven is above all.” For example:
The person who comes from heaven is superior to everyone. (GW) (BSB, NRSV, KJV, NASB, ESV, NIV, NET, GW, GNT, NLT, CEV, NCV)
Some Greek manuscripts read “the one from heaven.” The rest of the sentence is in verse 32: “testifies to what he has seen and heard.” For example:
He who comes from heaven bears witness… (NJB) (NJB, REB)

It is recommended that you follow option (1), along with most English translations.It is more likely that a few words were omitted in some Greek manuscripts than that some were added, because they are a repetition of what is in 3:31a.

The One who comes from heaven: This expression means the same as “The one who comes from above” in 3:31a. It refers to Jesus. He is the one from heaven, that is, from the place where God lives.

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

is above all: The expression is above all is the same as in 3:31a. See the note there.

UTN uW Translation Notes:

Note 1 topic: figures-of-speech / doublet

ὁ ἄνωθεν ἐρχόμενος, ἐπάνω πάντων ἐστίν & ὁ ἐκ τοῦ οὐρανοῦ ἐρχόμενος, ἐπάνω πάντων ἐστίν

(Some words not found in SR-GNT: Ὁ ἄνωθεν ἐρχόμενος ἐπάνω πάντων ἐστίν Ὁ ὤν ἐκ τῆς γῆς ἐκ τῆς γῆς ἐστίν καί ἐκ τῆς γῆς λαλεῖ Ὁ ἐκ τοῦ οὐρανοῦ ἐρχόμενος ἐπάνω πάντων ἐστίν)

These two phrases mean basically the same thing. John repeats himself to emphasize that Jesus is greater than every person and every thing. If it would be helpful in your language, you could combine these phrases and include words that show emphasis. Alternate translation: [The one who comes from heaven is certainly above all things]

Note 2 topic: figures-of-speech / explicit

ὁ ἄνωθεν ἐρχόμενος, ἐπάνω πάντων ἐστίν & ὁ ἐκ τοῦ οὐρανοῦ ἐρχόμενος, ἐπάνω πάντων ἐστίν

Both of these phrases refer to Jesus. If this might confuse your readers, you could express the meaning explicitly. Alternate translation: [Jesus, the one who comes from above, is above all things … Jesus, the one who comes from heaven, is above all things]

Note 3 topic: figures-of-speech / metonymy

ἄνωθεν

from_above

John the Baptist uses above to refer to heaven, the place where God dwells. If it would be helpful to your readers, you could express this plainly. Alternate translation: [from heaven]

Note 4 topic: figures-of-speech / metaphor

ἐπάνω πάντων ἐστίν

above all_‹things› is

John the Baptist uses above to refer to having superior status. If it would be helpful in your language, you could express the meaning plainly. Alternate translation: [is superior to all things]

Note 5 topic: figures-of-speech / 123person

ὁ ὢν ἐκ τῆς γῆς, ἐκ τῆς γῆς ἐστιν, καὶ ἐκ τῆς γῆς λαλεῖ

John the Baptist is referring to himself in the third person, but the statement is also true for all humans other than Jesus. If it would be helpful in your language, you could translate this in the first person. Alternate translation: [I, the one who is from the earth, am from the earth and speak from the earth]

Note 6 topic: figures-of-speech / metaphor

ἐκ τῆς γῆς ἐστιν

from the earth from the earth from (Some words not found in SR-GNT: Ὁ ἄνωθεν ἐρχόμενος ἐπάνω πάντων ἐστίν Ὁ ὤν ἐκ τῆς γῆς ἐκ τῆς γῆς ἐστίν καί ἐκ τῆς γῆς λαλεῖ Ὁ ἐκ τοῦ οὐρανοῦ ἐρχόμενος ἐπάνω πάντων ἐστίν)

This phrase refers to having an earthly origin, which is the case for John the Baptist and every human being other than Jesus. If this might confuse your readers, you could express the meaning plainly. Alternate translation: [originates from the earth] or [has an earthly origin]

Note 7 topic: figures-of-speech / metaphor

καὶ ἐκ τῆς γῆς λαλεῖ

This phrase refers to speaking based on an earthly perspective, which is the perspective of John the Baptist and every human being other than Jesus. If this might confuse your readers, you could express the meaning plainly. Alternate translation: [and speaks from an earthly perspective] or [and speaks as someone from the earth]

Note 8 topic: figures-of-speech / metaphor

(Occurrence 2) ἐπάνω πάντων ἐστίν