If I have told you about earthly things and you do not believe, how will you believe if I tell you about heavenly things?
Parallel translations
- WEB If I told you earthly things and you don’t believe, how will you believe if I tell you heavenly things?
- KJV If I have told you earthly things, and ye believe not, how shall ye believe, if I tell you of heavenly things?
- NKJV If I have told you earthly things and you do not believe, how will you believe if I tell you heavenly things?
- NASB If I told you earthly things and you do not believe, how will you believe if I tell you heavenly things?
- NLT But if you don’t believe me when I tell you about earthly things, how can you possibly believe if I tell you about heavenly things?
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Quick answer
If Nicodemus cannot believe earthly illustrations, how will he believe heavenly realities? Jesus signals the deeper revelation about to come.
Overview
'Earthly things' likely refers to the new birth illustrated by wind and water; 'heavenly things' to the eternal mysteries of the Son's mission, death, and the Father's love. Jesus exposes the obstacle of unbelief that blocks reception of revelation. The verse builds toward the gospel heart of the passage in verses 14-16.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 12
- 1 Cor 3:1–2Brothers, I could not address you as spiritual, but as worldly—as infants in Christ.
- 1 Cor 2:7–9No, we speak of the mysterious and hidden wisdom of God, which He destined for our glory before time began.
- John 3:31–36The 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.
- Heb 5:11We have much to say about this, but it is hard to explain, because you are dull of hearing.
- 1 Pet 2:1–3Rid yourselves, therefore, of all malice, deceit, hypocrisy, envy, and slander.
- John 3:13–17No one has ascended into heaven except the One who descended from heaven—the Son of Man.
- John 3:5Jesus answered, “Truly, truly, I tell you, no one can enter the kingdom of God unless he is born of water and the Spirit.
- John 1:1–14In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
- John 3:8The wind blows where it wishes. You hear its sound, but you do not know where it comes from or where it is going. So it is with everyone born of the Spirit.”
- 1 Jn 4:10And love consists in this: not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son as the atoning sacrifice for our sins.
- John 3:3Jesus replied, “Truly, truly, I tell you, no one can see the kingdom of God unless he is born again.”
- 1 Tim 3:16By common confession, the mystery of godliness is great: He appeared in the flesh, was vindicated by the Spirit, was seen by angels, was proclaimed among the nations, was believed in throughout the world, was taken up in glory.
Themes, concepts, people & topics
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Hebrew/Greek interlinear, word definitions, and cross-references for this verse.
Christ at the center
John declares him plainly: the eternal Word made flesh, the Lamb of God, the great 'I AM' — bread, light, door, shepherd, way, truth, life, resurrection — that you may believe and have life in his name.
How John 3:12 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.
Original language
Each word below is tagged with its Strong’s number — tap one to see the underlying Greek word, its meaning, and every verse that uses it.