John 3:32

THE MESSAGE

Parallel Translations

Christian Standard Bible®
He testifies to what he has seen and heard, and yet no one accepts his testimony.

King James Version (1611)
And what hee hath seene and heard, that he testifieth, and no man receiueth his testimony:

King James Version
And what he hath seen and heard, that he testifieth; and no man receiveth his testimony.

English Standard Version
He bears witness to what he has seen and heard, yet no one receives his testimony.

New American Standard Bible
"What He has seen and heard, of this He testifies; and no one accepts His testimony.

New Century Version
He tells what he has seen and heard, but no one accepts what he says.

Amplified Bible
"What He has [actually] seen and heard, of that He testifies; and yet no one accepts His testimony [as true].

New American Standard Bible (1995)
"What He has seen and heard, of that He testifies; and no one receives His testimony.

Legacy Standard Bible
What He has seen and heard, of that He bears witness; and no one receives His witness.

Berean Standard Bible
He testifies to what He has seen and heard, yet no one accepts His testimony.

Contemporary English Version
He speaks about what he has seen and heard, and yet no one believes him.

Complete Jewish Bible
He testifies about what he has actually seen and heard, yet no one accepts what he says!

Darby Translation
[and] what he has seen and has heard, this he testifies; and no one receives his testimony.

Easy-to-Read Version
He tells what he has seen and heard, but people don't accept what he says.

Geneva Bible (1587)
And what hee hath seene and heard, that he testifieth: but no ma receiueth his testimonie.

George Lamsa Translation
And he testifies of what he has seen and heard, and yet no man accepts his testimony.

Good News Translation
He tells what he has seen and heard, yet no one accepts his message.

Lexham English Bible
What he has seen and heard, this he testifies, and no one accepts his testimony.

Literal Translation
And what He has seen and heard, this He testifies, and no one receives His testimony.

American Standard Version
What he hath seen and heard, of that he beareth witness; and no man receiveth his witness.

Bible in Basic English
He gives witness of what he has seen and of what has come to his ears; and no man takes his witness as true.

Hebrew Names Version
What he has seen and heard, of that he testifies; and no one receives his witness.

International Standard Version
He testifies about what he has seen and heard, yet no one accepts his testimony.John 3:11; 8:26; 15:15;">[xr]

Etheridge Translation
And what he hath seen and heard he testifieth, and his testimony no man receiveth.

Murdock Translation
and what he hath seen and heard, he testifieth; and his testimony, no one receiveth.

Bishop's Bible (1568)
And what he hath seene and hearde, that he testifieth: and no man receaueth his testimonie.

English Revised Version
What he hath seen and heard, of that he beareth witness; and no man receiveth his witness.

World English Bible
What he has seen and heard, of that he testifies; and no one receives his witness.

Wesley's New Testament (1755)
And what he hath seen and heard, that he testifieth: yet no man receiveth his testimony.

Weymouth's New Testament
What He has seen and heard, to that He bears witness; but His testimony no one receives.

Wycliffe Bible (1395)
And he witnessith that thing that he hath seie, and herde, and no man takith his witnessing.

Update Bible Version
What he has seen and heard, of that he bears witness; and no man receives his witness.

Webster's Bible Translation
And what he hath seen and heard, that he testifieth; and no man receiveth his testimony.

New English Translation
He testifies about what he has seen and heard, but no one accepts his testimony.

New King James Version
And what He has seen and heard, that He testifies; and no one receives His testimony.

New Living Translation
He testifies about what he has seen and heard, but how few believe what he tells them!

New Life Bible
He tells of what He has seen and heard. But no one believes what He says.

New Revised Standard
He testifies to what he has seen and heard, yet no one accepts his testimony.

J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
What he hath seen and heard, of, the same, he beareth witness, - and, his witness, no one, receiveth: -

Douay-Rheims Bible
And what he hath seen and heard, that he testifieth: and no man receiveth his testimony.

Revised Standard Version
He bears witness to what he has seen and heard, yet no one receives his testimony;

Tyndale New Testament (1525)
and what he hath sene and hearde: that he testifieth: but no man receaveth his testimonye.

Young's Literal Translation
`And what he hath seen and heard this he doth testify, and his testimony none receiveth;

Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
and testifieth what he hath sene & herde, and no man receaueth his wytnesse.

Mace New Testament (1729)
and what he hath seen and heard, that he testifieth; but his testimony doth no man receive.

Simplified Cowboy Version
He tells folks what he knows, but nobody listens or believes him.

Contextual Overview

²²After this conversation, Jesus went on with his disciples into the Judean countryside and relaxed with them there. He was also baptizing. At the same time, John was baptizing over at Aenon near Salim, where water was abundant. This was before John was thrown into jail. John's disciples got into an argument with the establishment Jews over the nature of baptism. They came to John and said, "Rabbi, you know the one who was with you on the other side of the Jordan? The one you authorized with your witness? Well, he's now competing with us. He's baptizing, too, and everyone's going to him instead of us." ²⁷John answered, "It's not possible for a person to succeed—I'm talking about eternal success—without heaven's help. You yourselves were there when I made it public that I was not the Messiah but simply the one sent ahead of him to get things ready. The one who gets the bride is, by definition, the bridegroom. And the bridegroom's friend, his ‘best man'—that's me—in place at his side where he can hear every word, is genuinely happy. How could he be jealous when he knows that the wedding is finished and the marriage is off to a good start? "That's why my cup is running over. This is the assigned moment for him to move into the center, while I slip off to the sidelines. "The One who comes from above is head and shoulders over other messengers from God. The earthborn is earthbound and speaks earth language; the heavenborn is in a league of his own. He sets out the evidence of what he saw and heard in heaven. No one wants to deal with these facts. But anyone who examines this evidence will come to stake his life on this: that God himself is the truth. "The One that God sent speaks God's words. And don't think he rations out the Spirit in bits and pieces. The Father loves the Son extravagantly. He turned everything over to him so he could give it away—a lavish distribution of gifts. That is why whoever accepts and trusts the Son gets in on everything, life complete and forever! And that is also why the person who avoids and distrusts the Son is in the dark and doesn't see life. All he experiences of God is darkness, and an angry darkness at that." ³⁰Born from Above There was a man of the Pharisee sect, Nicodemus, a prominent leader among the Jews. Late one night he visited Jesus and said, "Rabbi, we all know you're a teacher straight from God. No one could do all the God-pointing, God-revealing acts you do if God weren't in on it." Jesus said, "You're absolutely right. Take it from me: Unless a person is born from above, it's not possible to see what I'm pointing to—to God's kingdom." "How can anyone," said Nicodemus, "be born who has already been born and grown up? You can't re-enter your mother's womb and be born again. What are you saying with this ‘born-from-above' talk?" Jesus said, "You're not listening. Let me say it again. Unless a person submits to this original creation—the ‘wind-hovering-over-the-water' creation, the invisible moving the visible, a baptism into a new life—it's not possible to enter God's kingdom. When you look at a baby, it's just that: a body you can look at and touch. But the person who takes shape within is formed by something you can't see and touch—the Spirit—and becomes a living spirit. "So don't be so surprised when I tell you that you have to be ‘born from above'—out of this world, so to speak. You know well enough how the wind blows this way and that. You hear it rustling through the trees, but you have no idea where it comes from or where it's headed next. That's the way it is with everyone ‘born from above' by the wind of God, the Spirit of God." Nicodemus asked, "What do you mean by this? How does this happen?" Jesus said, "You're a respected teacher of Israel and you don't know these basics? Listen carefully. I'm speaking sober truth to you. I speak only of what I know by experience; I give witness only to what I have seen with my own eyes. There is nothing secondhand here, no hearsay. Yet instead of facing the evidence and accepting it, you procrastinate with questions. If I tell you things that are plain as the hand before your face and you don't believe me, what use is there in telling you of things you can't see, the things of God? "No one has ever gone up into the presence of God except the One who came down from that Presence, the Son of Man. In the same way that Moses lifted the serpent in the desert so people could have something to see and then believe, it is necessary for the Son of Man to be lifted up—and everyone who looks up to him, trusting and expectant, will gain a real life, eternal life. "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. God didn't go to all the trouble of sending his Son merely to point an accusing finger, telling the world how bad it was. He came to help, to put the world right again. Anyone who trusts in him is acquitted; anyone who refuses to trust him has long since been under the death sentence without knowing it. And why? Because of that person's failure to believe in the one-of-a-kind Son of God when introduced to him. "This is the crisis we're in: God-light streamed into the world, but men and women everywhere ran for the darkness. They went for the darkness because they were not really interested in pleasing God. Everyone who makes a practice of doing evil, addicted to denial and illusion, hates God-light and won't come near it, fearing a painful exposure. But anyone working and living in truth and reality welcomes God-light so the work can be seen for the God-work it is." After this conversation, Jesus went on with his disciples into the Judean countryside and relaxed with them there. He was also baptizing. At the same time, John was baptizing over at Aenon near Salim, where water was abundant. This was before John was thrown into jail. John's disciples got into an argument with the establishment Jews over the nature of baptism. They came to John and said, "Rabbi, you know the one who was with you on the other side of the Jordan? The one you authorized with your witness? Well, he's now competing with us. He's baptizing, too, and everyone's going to him instead of us." John answered, "It's not possible for a person to succeed—I'm talking about eternal success—without heaven's help. You yourselves were there when I made it public that I was not the Messiah but simply the one sent ahead of him to get things ready. The one who gets the bride is, by definition, the bridegroom. And the bridegroom's friend, his ‘best man'—that's me—in place at his side where he can hear every word, is genuinely happy. How could he be jealous when he knows that the wedding is finished and the marriage is off to a good start? "That's why my cup is running over. This is the assigned moment for him to move into the center, while I slip off to the sidelines. ³¹"The One who comes from above is head and shoulders over other messengers from God. The earthborn is earthbound and speaks earth language; the heavenborn is in a league of his own. He sets out the evidence of what he saw and heard in heaven. No one wants to deal with these facts. But anyone who examines this evidence will come to stake his life on this: that God himself is the truth. ³⁴"The One that God sent speaks God's words. And don't think he rations out the Spirit in bits and pieces. The Father loves the Son extravagantly. He turned everything over to him so he could give it away—a lavish distribution of gifts. That is why whoever accepts and trusts the Son gets in on everything, life complete and forever! And that is also why the person who avoids and distrusts the Son is in the dark and doesn't see life. All he experiences of God is darkness, and an angry darkness at that."

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

what: John 3:11, John 5:20, John 8:26, John 15:15

and no: John 3:26, John 3:33, John 1:11, Isaiah 50:2, Isaiah 53:1, Romans 10:16-21, Romans 11:2-6

Reciprocal: Psalms 19:7 - testimony Psalms 81:8 - Hear Proverbs 4:10 - my Isaiah 8:16 - the testimony John 4:3 - left John 8:38 - speak John 12:49 - General John 14:10 - words John 16:13 - for Hebrews 12:1 - witnesses 1 John 4:14 - we have 1 John 5:9 - we Revelation 1:1 - which God Revelation 1:5 - who is

Gill's Notes on the Bible

And what he hath seen and heard,.... Of the Father, of his mind and will, of his purposes and promises, of his love, grace, and mercy, in the council and covenant of peace, lying in his bosom, and being privy to all his secrets. The phrases express the clear and perfect knowledge Christ has of all truths and doctrines; he having all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge in him.

That he testifieth; fully, freely, and faithfully; withholds nothing, but declares the whole counsel of God; and is deservedly called the faithful witness, Revelation 1:5.

And no man receiveth his testimony; though it was the testimony of God, which is greater than that of man; yet few, and which were next to none at all, gave any heed or credit to it; few or none among the Jews, or among the disciples of John, or even among those that followed Christ. John, and his disciples, widely differed; they thought that all men came to Christ, and believed in him; and John thought few or none, in comparison of the numbers he could have wished, did: and indeed, no one person can receive the testimony of Christ, and believe in him, unless it be given him from above, by the grace of God: for the natural man receives not divine and spiritual things; see John 3:11.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

And what he hath seen ... - See John 3:11.

No man receiveth his testimony - The words “no man” are here to be understood in the sense of “few.” Though his doctrine is pure, plain, sublime, yet “few,” comparatively, received it in faith. Though multitudes came to him, drawn by various motives John 6:26, yet “few” became his “real” disciples, Matthew 26:56; Matthew 7:22.

His testimony - His doctrine. The truth to which he bears “witness” as having “seen” and “known” it, John 3:11. Often many persons “appear” for a time to become the followers of Christ, who in the end are seen to have known nothing of religion, Matthew 13:6; Luke 8:13.

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse 32. And no man receiveth his testimony. — Or, And this his testimony no man taketh up. That is, the testimony which John had borne to the Jews, that Jesus was the promised Messiah. No man taketh up. - No person is found to tread in my steps, and to publish to the Jews that this is the Christ, the Saviour of the world. See this sense of the original fully proved and vindicated by Kypke in loc.