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Behold, a voice out of the heavens said, “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased.”
Matthew 3:17 · World English Bible
Parallel translations
  • KJV And lo a voice from heaven, saying, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.
  • BSB And a voice from heaven said, “This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased!”
  • NKJV And suddenly a voice came from heaven, saying, “This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.”
  • NASB and behold, a voice from the heavens said, “This is My beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased.”
  • NLT And a voice from heaven said, “This is my dearly loved Son, who brings me great joy.”

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.

Cross-references & the web

Cross-references · 15

  • Isa 42:1“Behold, my servant, whom I uphold; my chosen, in whom my soul delights — I have put my Spirit on him. He will bring justice to the nations.
  • Matt 17:5While he was still speaking, behold, a bright cloud overshadowed them. Behold, a voice came out of the cloud, saying, “This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased. Listen to him.”
  • Ps 2:7I will tell of the decree. Yahweh said to me, “You are my son. Today I have become your father.
  • Luke 9:35A voice came out of the cloud, saying, “This is my beloved Son. Listen to him!”
  • Matt 12:18“Behold, my servant whom I have chosen; my beloved in whom my soul is well pleased: I will put my Spirit on him. He will proclaim justice to the nations.
  • Mark 9:7A cloud came, overshadowing them, and a voice came out of the cloud, “This is my beloved Son. Listen to him.”
  • 2 Pet 1:17For he received from God the Father honor and glory, when the voice came to him from the Majestic Glory, “This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.”
  • Luke 3:22and the Holy Spirit descended in a bodily form like a dove on him; and a voice came out of the sky, saying “You are my beloved Son. In you I am well pleased.”
  • Mark 1:11A voice came out of the sky, “You are my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.”
  • John 12:28–30Father, glorify your name!” Then there came a voice out of the sky, saying, “I have both glorified it, and will glorify it again.”
  • Col 1:13who delivered us out of the power of darkness, and translated us into the Kingdom of the Son of his love;
  • Eph 1:6to the praise of the glory of his grace, by which he freely gave us favor in the Beloved,
  • John 5:37The Father himself, who sent me, has testified about me. You have neither heard his voice at any time, nor seen his form.
  • Isa 42:21It pleased Yahweh, for his righteousness’ sake, to magnify the law, and make it honorable.
  • Rev 14:2I heard a sound from heaven, like the sound of many waters, and like the sound of a great thunder. The sound which I heard was like that of harpists playing on their harps.

Themes, concepts, people & topics

Topics (3)

Resources, by level

Commentaries & study tools

  • VideoBibleProject — Matthew videosBibleProject · Lay · Free · evangelical

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

  • VideoWatch teaching on Matthew 3:17YouTube · 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 MatthewMatthew 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

Matthew presents Jesus as the promised King — son of David, son of Abraham — the new Moses and true Israel in whom every prophecy reaches 'that it might be fulfilled.'

How Matthew 3:17 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.