And he said unto them, Ye are from beneath; I am from above: ye are of this world; I am not of this world.
Parallel translations
- WEB He said to them, “You are from beneath. I am from above. You are of this world. I am not of this world.
- BSB Then He told them, “You are from below; I am from above. You are of this world; I am not of this world.
- NKJV And He said to them, “You are from beneath; I am from above. You are of this world; I am not of this world.
- NASB And He was saying to them, “You are from below, I am from above; you are of this world, I am not of this world.
- NLT Jesus continued, “You are from below; I am from above. You belong to this world; I do not.
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 says they are from below and of this world, while He is from above and not of this world. He highlights the radical difference between His heavenly origin and their earthly outlook.
Overview
Jesus contrasts His divine, heavenly origin with the earthbound, sinful orientation of His hearers, explaining why they cannot understand or follow Him. This gulf can be bridged only by being born from above through faith in Him (John 3:3). His words press home that salvation requires receiving the one who comes from heaven to give life to those below.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 15
- John 3:31He 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.
- 1 Jn 2:15–16Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him.
- John 17:14I have given them thy word; and the world hath hated them, because they are not of the world, even as I am not of the world.
- John 17:16They are not of the world, even as I am not of the world.
- 1 Jn 4:5–6They are of the world: therefore speak they of the world, and the world heareth them.
- 1 Jn 5:19–20And we know that we are of God, and the whole world lieth in wickedness.
- Jas 4:4Ye adulterers and adulteresses, know ye not that the friendship of the world is enmity with God? whosoever therefore will be a friend of the world is the enemy of God.
- Ps 17:4Concerning the works of men, by the word of thy lips I have kept me from the paths of the destroyer.
- John 1:14And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth.
- Jas 3:15–17This wisdom descendeth not from above, but is earthly, sensual, devilish.
- John 3:13And no man hath ascended up to heaven, but he that came down from heaven, even the Son of man which is in heaven.
- 1 Cor 15:47–48The first man is of the earth, earthy: the second man is the Lord from heaven.
- John 15:18–19If the world hate you, ye know that it hated me before it hated you.
- Rom 8:7–8Because the carnal mind is enmity against God: for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be.
- Phil 3:19–21Whose end is destruction, whose God is their belly, and whose glory is in their shame, who mind earthly things.)
Themes, concepts, people & topics
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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 8:23 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.