John 3:32
New International Version
He testifies to what he has seen and heard, but no one accepts his testimony.

New Living Translation
He testifies about what he has seen and heard, but how few believe what he tells them!

English Standard Version
He bears witness to what he has seen and heard, yet no one receives his testimony.

Berean Standard Bible
He testifies to what He has seen and heard, yet no one accepts His testimony.

Berean Literal Bible
What He has seen and heard, this He testifies, but no one receives His testimony.

King James Bible
And what he hath seen and heard, that he testifieth; and no man receiveth his testimony.

New King James Version
And what He has seen and heard, that He testifies; and no one receives His testimony.

New American Standard Bible
What He has seen and heard, of this He testifies; and no one accepts His testimony.

NASB 1995
“What He has seen and heard, of that He testifies; and no one receives His testimony.

NASB 1977
“What He has seen and heard, of that He bears witness; and no man receives His witness.

Legacy Standard Bible
What He has seen and heard, of that He bears witness; and no one receives His witness.

Amplified Bible
What He has [actually] seen and heard, of that He testifies; and yet no one accepts His testimony [as true].

Christian Standard Bible
He testifies to what he has seen and heard, and yet no one accepts his testimony.

Holman Christian Standard Bible
He testifies to what He has seen and heard, yet no one accepts His testimony.

American Standard Version
What he hath seen and heard, of that he beareth witness; and no man receiveth his witness.

Contemporary English Version
He speaks about what he has seen and heard, and yet no one believes him.

English Revised Version
What he hath seen and heard, of that he beareth witness; and no man receiveth his witness.

GOD'S WORD® Translation
and tells what he has seen and heard. Yet, no one accepts what he says.

Good News Translation
He tells what he has seen and heard, yet no one accepts his message.

International Standard Version
He testifies about what he has seen and heard, yet no one accepts his testimony.

Majority Standard Bible
He testifies to what He has seen and heard, yet no one accepts His testimony.

NET Bible
He testifies about what he has seen and heard, but no one accepts his testimony.

New Heart English Bible
What he has seen and heard, of that he testifies; and no one receives his witness.

Webster's Bible Translation
And what he hath seen and heard, that he testifieth; and no man receiveth his testimony.

Weymouth New Testament
What He has seen and heard, to that He bears witness; but His testimony no one receives.

World English Bible
What he has seen and heard, of that he testifies; and no one receives his witness.
Literal Translations
Literal Standard Version
And what He has seen and heard—this He testifies, and none receives His testimony;

Berean Literal Bible
What He has seen and heard, this He testifies, but no one receives His testimony.

Young's Literal Translation
'And what he hath seen and heard this he doth testify, and his testimony none receiveth;

Smith's Literal Translation
And what he saw and heard, this be testifies: and none receives his testimony.
Catholic Translations
Douay-Rheims Bible
And what he hath seen and heard, that he testifieth: and no man receiveth his testimony.

Catholic Public Domain Version
And what he has seen and heard, about this he testifies. And no one accepts his testimony.

New American Bible
He testifies to what he has seen and heard, but no one accepts his testimony.

New Revised Standard Version
He testifies to what he has seen and heard, yet no one accepts his testimony.
Translations from Aramaic
Lamsa Bible
And he testifies of what he has seen and heard, and yet no man accepts his testimony.

Aramaic Bible in Plain English
And whatever he has seen and heard he testifies, and no one is receiving his testimony.
NT Translations
Anderson New Testament
and what he has seen and heard, this he testifies; and no one receives his testimony.

Godbey New Testament
the one being of the earth is of the earth, and speaks of the earth. The one coming from heaven witnesses what He has seen and heard, and no one receives His testimony.

Haweis New Testament
And what he hath seen and heard, that he testifieth; though no man receiveth his testimony.

Mace New Testament
and what he hath seen and heard, that he testifieth; but his testimony doth no man receive.

Weymouth New Testament
What He has seen and heard, to that He bears witness; but His testimony no one receives.

Worrell New Testament
What He hath seen, and what He heard, of this He bears testimony; and no man receives His testimony.

Worsley New Testament
but He that cometh from heaven, is above all: and what He hath seen and heard, this He testifieth: and yet scarce any one receiveth his testimony.

Additional Translations ...
Audio Bible



Context
John's Testimony about Jesus
31The 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. 32He testifies to what He has seen and heard, yet no one accepts His testimony. 33Whoever accepts His testimony has certified that God is truthful.…

Cross References
John 1:11
He came to His own, and His own did not receive Him.

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 15:15
No 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 5:19-20
So Jesus replied, “Truly, truly, I tell you, the Son can do nothing by Himself, unless He sees the Father doing it. For whatever the Father does, the Son also does. / The Father loves the Son and shows Him all He does. And to your amazement, He will show Him even greater works than these.

John 12:49-50
I have not spoken on My own, but the Father who sent Me has commanded Me what to say and how to say it. / And I know that His command leads to eternal life. So I speak exactly what the Father has told Me to say.”

John 14:24
Whoever does not love Me does not keep My words. The word that you hear is not My own, but it is from the Father who sent Me.

John 17:8
For I have given them the words You gave Me, and they have received them. They knew with certainty that I came from You, and they believed that You sent Me.

1 John 5:9-10
Even if we accept human testimony, the testimony of God is greater. For this is the testimony that God has given about His Son. / Whoever believes in the Son of God has this testimony within him; whoever does not believe God has made Him out to be a liar, because he has not believed in the testimony that God has given about His Son.

Matthew 11:27
All things have been entrusted to Me by My Father. No one knows the Son except the Father, and no one knows the Father except the Son and those to whom the Son chooses to reveal Him.

Luke 10:22
All things have been entrusted to Me by My Father. No one knows who the Son is except the Father, and no one knows who the Father is except the Son and those to whom the Son chooses to reveal Him.”

Hebrews 2:3
how shall we escape if we neglect such a great salvation? This salvation was first announced by the Lord, was confirmed to us by those who heard Him,

1 Corinthians 2:14
The natural man does not accept the things that come from the Spirit of God. For they are foolishness to him, and he cannot understand them, because they are spiritually discerned.

Isaiah 53:1
Who has believed our message? And to whom has the arm of the LORD been revealed?

Jeremiah 6:10
To whom can I give this warning? Who will listen to me? Look, their ears are closed, so they cannot hear. See, the word of the LORD has become offensive to them; they find no pleasure in it.

Ezekiel 3:7
But the house of Israel will be unwilling to listen to you, since they are unwilling to listen to Me. For the whole house of Israel is hard-headed and hard-hearted.


Treasury of Scripture

And what he has seen and heard, that he testifies; and no man receives his testimony.

what.

John 3:11
Verily, verily, I say unto thee, We speak that we do know, and testify that we have seen; and ye receive not our witness.

John 5:20
For the Father loveth the Son, and sheweth him all things that himself doeth: and he will shew him greater works than these, that ye may marvel.

John 8:26
I have many things to say and to judge of you: but he that sent me is true; and I speak to the world those things which I have heard of him.

and no.

John 3:26,33
And they came unto John, and said unto him, Rabbi, he that was with thee beyond Jordan, to whom thou barest witness, behold, the same baptizeth, and all men come to him…

John 1:11
He came unto his own, and his own received him not.

Isaiah 50:2
Wherefore, when I came, was there no man? when I called, was there none to answer? Is my hand shortened at all, that it cannot redeem? or have I no power to deliver? behold, at my rebuke I dry up the sea, I make the rivers a wilderness: their fish stinketh, because there is no water, and dieth for thirst.

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John 3
1. Jesus teaches Nicodemus the necessity of being born again,
14. of faith in his death,
16. the great love of God toward the world,
18. and the condemnation for unbelief.
22. Jesus baptizes in Judea.
23. The baptism, witness, and doctrine of John concerning Jesus.














He testifies
The word "testifies" comes from the Greek "martyrei," which is derived from "martureo," meaning to bear witness or give evidence. In the context of the Gospel of John, this term is significant as it underscores the role of Jesus as a divine witness to the truth of God. Jesus' testimony is not based on secondhand knowledge but on firsthand experience of the heavenly realities. This emphasizes His authority and authenticity as the Son of God, who reveals the divine will and character to humanity.

to what He has seen and heard
The phrase "to what He has seen and heard" highlights the direct and personal nature of Jesus' knowledge. The Greek words "heoraken" (seen) and "ekousen" (heard) suggest a complete and intimate understanding of divine truths. This is not mere intellectual knowledge but experiential, indicating that Jesus' teachings are rooted in His eternal relationship with the Father. Historically, this underscores the unique position of Jesus as the incarnate Word, who bridges the gap between heaven and earth, bringing a message that is both profound and transformative.

yet no one accepts His testimony
The phrase "yet no one accepts His testimony" reflects a tragic reality of human unbelief. The Greek word "lambanei" (accepts) implies receiving or taking hold of something offered. Despite the clarity and authority of Jesus' witness, many in His time—and indeed throughout history—have rejected His message. This rejection is not due to a lack of evidence but rather a spiritual blindness and hardness of heart. Scripturally, this echoes the broader theme of the Gospel of John, where light comes into the world, but people love darkness instead of light (John 3:19). It serves as a sobering reminder of the necessity of faith and the openness of heart required to truly receive the truth of Christ's testimony.

(32) And what he hath seen and heard.--This is the opposite of the third point, the speaking of the earth in the last verse. Divine in origin, divine in nature, He is divine in teaching. That teaching, too, is a witness of things seen and heard. (Comp. Notes on John 6:11-12.) It was a message from the Father's home, brought by the Son Himself. His own message was but that of a servant who did not fully know its meaning.

No man receiveth his testimony.--These words are shown by those which immediately follow to go in their pathos beyond the strict limit of the facts present to his own mind. Yet he may well have said "no man." Of the crowds that thronged to his own baptism, of those who were then thronging to the baptism of Jesus, how many were there who were receiving like testimony of the things seen and heard? (Comp. again John 3:11.) How great the first promise, how bitter the last disappointment, of the Baptist's life! These words of intense feeling are not to be measured by the cold standard of a formal exactness. And still it may be that the sadness of his tone arises from the fact that of those to whom he speaks, and at the time when he speaks, there was literally no one receiving this testimony, but all were seeking to make the earthly teacher a rival of the divine. The tense is present; those in the next verse are past.

Verse 32. - That which he hath seen and heard, this he testifieth; or, beareth witness to. His pre-existent glory with the Father makes him the adequate Witness to the heavenly things (ἐπουράνια) of which he hath authoritatively spoken; i.e. the eternal love of the Father, the purpose of the Son being sent into the world from the heart of God, and its ultimate issues - eternal life to the believer, and condemnation to those who love the darkness and do not believe. Westcott, who regards these words as the free reflections of the evangelist, thinks that reference is being made to the continued testimony of the Church as the voice of Christ; but the spirit of the passage is obscured by this interpretation. The living present vocal testimony of Christ is being throughout contrasted with that of John. And no man receiveth his witness. This seems in direct antagonism to the language of the disciples, "All men come to him;" and to John's own language, "He must increase." Westcott regards it, again, as the melancholy reflection of the aged apostle towards the close of the century. This seems to me to be an inadequate explanation. The reception of the witness of Christ had moved the whole world when John wrote his Gospel; and it would be inconsistent with the tone of exhilaration with which the evangelist closes his work. The forerunner may, however, have used this strong expression in purposed contrast to the jealous language of his own followers. "No man" - in comparison with the multitudes who ought to have already accepted him as the Son of God, as the heavenly Bridegroom. The concourse who crowded to the baptism of Jesus for a little moment did not blind the Baptist to the persistent and malignant opposition which awaited Jesus. "His joy (ver. 29) and his grief (ver. 32) both formed a noble contrast to the jealousy of his own disciples" (Meyer).

Parallel Commentaries ...


Greek
He testifies
μαρτυρεῖ (martyrei)
Verb - Present Indicative Active - 3rd Person Singular
Strong's 3140: To witness, bear witness, give evidence, testify, give a good report. From martus; to be a witness, i.e. Testify.

to
τοῦτο (touto)
Demonstrative Pronoun - Accusative Neuter Singular
Strong's 3778: This; he, she, it.

what
(ho)
Personal / Relative Pronoun - Accusative Neuter Singular
Strong's 3739: Who, which, what, that.

He has seen
ἑώρακεν (heōraken)
Verb - Perfect Indicative Active - 3rd Person Singular
Strong's 3708: Properly, to stare at, i.e. to discern clearly; by extension, to attend to; by Hebraism, to experience; passively, to appear.

and
καὶ (kai)
Conjunction
Strong's 2532: And, even, also, namely.

heard,
ἤκουσεν (ēkousen)
Verb - Aorist Indicative Active - 3rd Person Singular
Strong's 191: To hear, listen, comprehend by hearing; pass: is heard, reported. A primary verb; to hear.

yet
καὶ (kai)
Conjunction
Strong's 2532: And, even, also, namely.

no one
οὐδεὶς (oudeis)
Adjective - Nominative Masculine Singular
Strong's 3762: No one, none, nothing.

accepts
λαμβάνει (lambanei)
Verb - Present Indicative Active - 3rd Person Singular
Strong's 2983: (a) I receive, get, (b) I take, lay hold of.

His
αὐτοῦ (autou)
Personal / Possessive Pronoun - Genitive Masculine 3rd Person Singular
Strong's 846: He, she, it, they, them, same. From the particle au; the reflexive pronoun self, used of the third person, and of the other persons.

testimony.
μαρτυρίαν (martyrian)
Noun - Accusative Feminine Singular
Strong's 3141: Witness, evidence, testimony, reputation. From martus; evidence given.


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NT Gospels: John 3:32 What he has seen and heard (Jhn Jo Jn)
John 3:31
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