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John 3:12

If I have told you earthly things, and ye believe not, how shall ye believe, if I tell you of heavenly things?

KJV

εἰ τὰ ἐπίγεια εἶπον ὑμῖν καὶ οὐ πιστεύετε, πῶς ἐὰν εἴπω ὑμῖν τὰ ἐπουράνια πιστεύσετε;

Greek NT

Si terrena dixi vobis, et non creditis : quomodo, si dixero vobis cælestia, credetis ?

Vulgate

If I told you earthly things and ye believe not, how shall ye believe if I tell you heavenly things?

ASV

If I have spoken to you earthly things, and you believe not: how will you believe, if I shall speak to you heavenly things?

Douay-Rheims

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In the original Greek

11 distinct Greek words appear in this verse.

εἰ
ei
conditional · 491×
καί
kai
conjunction · 8973×
λέγω
lego
verb · 2256×
οὐ
ou
particle · 1626×
πιστεύω
pisteuo
verb · 241×
πῶς
pos
adverb · 104×
ἐάν
ean
conditional · 333×
ἐπίγειος
epigeios
adjective · 7×
ἐπουράνιος
epouranios
adjective · 19×
o
article · 19778×
ὑμεῖς
umeis
pronoun · 1828×

Historic Christian voices

4 passages from patristic writers, Reformers, and church catechisms citing this verse.

1. Great mysteries are they, of which the Only-begotten Son of God has counted us worthy; great, and such as we were not worthy of, but such as it was meet for Him to give. For if one reckon our desert, we were not only unworthy of the gift, but also liable to punishment and vengeance; but He, because He looked not to this, not only delivered us from punishment, but freely gave…

Cross-references

  • 1Cor 2:7 — But we speak the wisdom of God in a mystery, even the hidden wisdom, which God ordained before the world unto our glory:
  • 1Cor 3:1 — And I, brethren, could not speak unto you as unto spiritual, but as unto carnal, even as unto babes in Christ.
  • 1Cor 15:47 — The first man is of the earth, earthy: the second man is the Lord from heaven.
  • 1John 4:10 — Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins.
  • 1Pet 2:1 — Wherefore laying aside all malice, and all guile, and hypocrisies, and envies, and all evil speakings,
  • 1Tim 3:16 — And without controversy great is the mystery of godliness: God was manifest in the flesh, justified in the Spirit, seen of angels, preached unto the Gentiles, believed on in the world, received up int
  • Heb 5:11 — Of whom we have many things to say, and hard to be uttered, seeing ye are dull of hearing.
  • John 1:1 — In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
  • John 3:3 — Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.
  • John 3:5 — Jesus answered, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God.
  • John 3:7 — Marvel not that I said unto thee, Ye must be born again.
  • John 3:8 — The wind bloweth where it listeth, and thou hearest the sound thereof, but canst not tell whence it cometh, and whither it goeth: so is every one that is born of the Spirit.
  • John 3:13 — And no man hath ascended up to heaven, but he that came down from heaven, even the Son of man which is in heaven.
  • John 3:31 — He that cometh from above is above all: he that is of the earth is earthly, and speaketh of the earth: he that cometh from heaven is above all.
  • John 3:31 — He that cometh from above is above all: he that is of the earth is earthly, and speaketh of the earth: he that cometh from heaven is above all.
  • Rom 10:6 — But the righteousness which is of faith speaketh on this wise, Say not in thine heart, Who shall ascend into heaven? (that is, to bring Christ down from above:)