John 3:11
Read John 3:11 Using Other Translations
What does John 3:11 mean?
Verily, verily, I say unto thee, we speak that we do
know,
&c.] Meaning either himself, and John the Baptist his
forerunner, who preached the same doctrine of regeneration,
internal sanctification, and evangelical repentance, as well as
outward reformation, as necessary to entrance into the kingdom of
heaven, or the Gospel dispensation, he declared was just at hand;
or his disciples with himself, who were now with him, and whom he
had called to preach the same truths he himself did; or the
prophets of the Old Testament, who agreed with him in these
things; or the Father that was with him, and never left him
alone, and the Holy Spirit that was upon him, by whom he was
anointed to preach these things, and who spoke them in him; or
else he may use the plural number of himself alone, as being one
in authority, and speaking with it, as he sometimes did, (
Mark 4:30 ) ,
and the rather this seems to be the sense, since he immediately,
in the next verse, speaks in the singular number, "if I have told
you earthly things" Now Christ must needs thoroughly, and
certainly know what he spoke, since he was not only the
omniscient God, but, as Mediator, had all the treasures of wisdom
and knowledge in him, and the spirit of wisdom and knowledge
rested on him:
and testify that we have seen;
and therefore ought to have been received as a credible witness,
as he was a faithful one; since "seeing" and "knowing" are
qualifications in a witness, ( Leviticus
5:1 ) ; and though these were eminently in Christ, the
generality of the Jews gave no credit to his testimony:
and ye received not our witness;
which was an aggravation of their sin and unbelief; see (
John 3:32 ) .
