3:31 The one who comes from above is superior to all. 4 The one who is from the earth belongs to the earth and speaks about earthly things. 5 The one who comes from heaven 6 is superior to all. 7
1 tn Grk “judged.”
2 tn Grk “judged.”
3 tn See the note on the term “one and only” in 3:16.
4 tn Or “is above all.”
5 tn Grk “speaks from the earth.”
6 sn The one who comes from heaven refers to Christ. As in John 1:1, the Word’s preexistence is indicated here.
7 tc Ì75 א* D Ë1 565 as well as several versions and fathers lack the phrase “is superior to all” (ἐπάνω πάντων ἐστίν, epanw pantwn estin). This effectively joins the last sentence of v. 31 with v. 32: “The one who comes from heaven testifies about what he has seen and heard, but no one accepts his testimony.” On the other side, the phrase may have been deleted because of perceived redundancy, since it duplicates what is said earlier in the verse. The witnesses that include ἐπάνω πάντων ἐστίν in both places are weighty and widespread (Ì36vid,66 א2 A B L Ws Θ Ψ 083 086 Ë13 33 Ï lat sys,p,h bo). On balance, the longer reading should probably be considered authentic.
tn Or “is above all.”
8 tn Or “resurrect them all,” or “make them all live again”; Grk “raise it up.” The word “all” is supplied to bring out the collective nature of the neuter singular pronoun αὐτό (auto) in Greek. The plural pronoun “them” is used rather than neuter singular “it” because this is clearer in English, which does not use neuter collective singulars in the same way Greek does.