“For God so loved the world” — the most quoted verse in the Bible, explained phrase by phrase.
John 3:16 is part of Jesus's late-night conversation with Nicodemus, a Jewish religious leader who comes to question him privately. Jesus has just explained that he, the “Son of man,” must be “lifted up” the way Moses lifted a bronze serpent in the wilderness (Numbers 21) — a reference to his coming death by crucifixion. Verse 16 follows immediately, summarizing why.
John 3:14–17, King James Version.
And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of man be lifted up:
That whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have eternal life.
For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.
For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved. John 3:14–17, King James Version
"For God so loved the world"John 3:16a, King James Version
“So” here means “in this way” or “to this degree,” not just “so much” — the verse is about to describe how God's love was demonstrated, not just measure its size.
"that he gave his only begotten Son"John 3:16b, King James Version
The love described isn't abstract — it's expressed through a specific, costly action: God giving up his own Son, understood by Christians as Jesus's death on the cross.
"that whosoever believeth in him should not perish"John 3:16c, King James Version
The offer is explicitly universal (“whosoever”), not limited to any one ethnic or religious group — a notable claim for a Jewish teacher speaking to a fellow Jewish leader.
"but have everlasting life"John 3:16d, King James Version
The alternative to “perishing” isn't just avoiding punishment — it's a positive gift, ongoing life with God, framed as available now, not only after death.
Commonly cited as the most memorized and most publicly displayed verse in Christian culture, from church signs to stadium banners.
Verses 17–21, often left out of quotations, add that Jesus came “not to condemn the world, but to save it.”
Many scholars read verses 16–21 as John's own commentary continuing Jesus's words to Nicodemus, rather than a separate saying spoken aloud.