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He testifies to what He has seen and heard, yet no one accepts His testimony.
John 3:32 · Berean Standard Bible
Parallel translations
  • WEB What he has seen and heard, of that he testifies; and no one receives his witness.
  • KJV And what he hath seen and heard, that he testifieth; and no man receiveth his testimony.
  • NKJV And what He has seen and heard, that He testifies; and no one receives His testimony.
  • NASB What He has seen and heard, of this He testifies; and no one accepts His testimony.
  • NLT He testifies about what he has seen and heard, but how few believe what he tells them!

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

Jesus testifies to what he has seen and heard from heaven, yet people generally reject his witness. His firsthand divine testimony meets widespread unbelief.

Overview

Because Jesus comes from above, his testimony is direct knowledge of heavenly realities. The lament that 'no one' receives it echoes John's theme of the world's rejection of the light. Yet, as the next verse shows, those who do receive it confirm that God is true.

Cross-references & the web

Cross-references · 11

  • John 3:11Truly, truly, I tell you, we speak of what we know, and we testify to what we have seen, and yet you people do not accept our testimony.
  • John 15:15No longer do I call you servants, for a servant does not understand what his master is doing. But I have called you friends, because everything I have learned from My Father I have made known to you.
  • John 8:26“I have much to say about you and much to judge. But the One who sent Me is truthful, and what I have heard from Him, I tell the world.”
  • John 1:11He came to His own, and His own did not receive Him.
  • John 5:20The Father loves the Son and shows Him all He does. And to your amazement, He will show Him even greater works than these.
  • John 3:33Whoever accepts His testimony has certified that God is truthful.
  • Isa 53:1Who has believed our message? And to whom has the arm of the LORD been revealed?
  • Isa 50:2Why was no one there when I arrived? Why did no one answer when I called? Is My hand too short to redeem you? Or do I lack the strength to deliver you? Behold, My rebuke dries up the sea; I turn the rivers into a desert; the fish rot for lack of water and die of thirst.
  • John 3:26So John’s disciples came to him and said, “Look, Rabbi, the One who was with you beyond the Jordan, the One you testified about—He is baptizing, and everyone is going to Him.”
  • Rom 11:2–6God did not reject His people, whom He foreknew. Do you not know what the Scripture says about Elijah, how he appealed to God against Israel:
  • Rom 10:16–21But not all of them welcomed the good news. For Isaiah says, “Lord, who has believed our message?”

Themes, concepts, people & topics

Topics (2)

Resources, by level

Commentaries & study tools

  • VideoBibleProject — John videosBibleProject · Lay · Free · evangelical

    Free animated overview and word-study videos for this book.

  • VideoWatch teaching on John 3:32YouTube · Lay · Free

    Sermons and teaching on this passage from across YouTube.

  • CommentaryEnduring Word — verse-by-verseDavid Guzik · Lay · Free · evangelical

    Clear, readable, conservative exposition — the best free place to start on any passage.

  • CommentaryClassic commentaries for this verseBibleHub (20+ works) · Pastoral · Free

    Matthew Henry, Barnes, Gill, the Pulpit Commentary, Ellicott, Cambridge, and more — stacked on one page for this exact verse.

  • CommentaryMatthew Henry on JohnMatthew Henry · Pastoral · Free · evangelical

    The beloved Puritan exposition of this whole book — warm, devotional, and verse by verse (free, CCEL).

  • ReferenceInterlinear, lexicon & Strong'sBlue Letter Bible · Seminary · Free

    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 3:32 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.