Robertson Word Pictures - John 3:17 - 3:17

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Robertson Word Pictures - John 3:17 - 3:17


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This Chapter Verse Commentaries:

For God sent not the Son (ou gar apesteilen ho theos ton huion). Explanation (gar) of God’s sending the Son into the world. First aorist active indicative of apostellō. John uses both apostellō from which comes apostolos (Joh 3:34; Joh 5:36, Joh 5:38, etc.) and pempō (Joh 4:34; Joh 5:23, Joh 5:24, Joh 5:30, etc.) for God’s sending the Son and pempō more frequently, but with no real difference in meaning. All the Gospels use ho huios in the absolute sense in contrast with the Father (Mar 13:32; Mat 11:27; Luk 10:22).

To judge (hina krinēi). Final clause with hina and the present (or aorist) active subjunctive of krinō. The Messiah does judge the world as Jesus taught (Mat 25:31.; Joh 5:27), but this was not the primary or the only purpose of his coming. See note on Mat 7:1 for krinō, to pick out, select, approve, condemn, used so often and in so many varying contexts in the N.T.

But that the world should be saved through him (all hina sōthēi ho kosmos di' autou). First aorist passive subjunctive of sōzō, the common verb to save (from sōs, safe and sound), from which sōtēr (Saviour) comes (the Saviour of the world, Joh 4:42; 1Jo 4:14) and sōtēria (salvation, Joh 4:22 here only in John). The verb sōzō is often used for physical health (Mar 5:28), but here of the spiritual salvation as in Joh 5:34.