God & Savior

John 3:14

Just as Moses lifted up the snake in the wilderness, so the Son of Man must be lifted up,
John 3:14
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Study notes

As Moses lifted up the bronze snake in the wilderness, the Son of Man must be lifted up.

Explanation

Jesus recalls Numbers 21:4-9. The people were dying from snake bites, and God told Moses to put a bronze snake on a pole. Anyone who looked at it lived.

In the same way, the Son of Man "must be lifted up". John later explains that this lifting up points to the way Jesus would die, on a cross (12:32-33).

Theology

God provides the way of rescue, and people receive it by looking to what He has provided, not by curing themselves.

Original language
  • Μωϋσῆς (Mōusēs): Moses
    Greek · Noun, nominative, singular, masculine · Strong's G3475 · text: NA28 (as recorded in TAGNT)

    Moses.

    Source: STEP Bible (Tyndale House, Cambridge), TAGNT: Translators Amalgamated Greek New Testament, STEPBible-Data commit ed476a8, John 3:14, word 3

  • ὕψωσεν (hupsōsen): to lift up
    Greek · Verb, aorist, active, indicative, 3rd person singular · Strong's G5312 · text: NA28 (as recorded in TAGNT)

    Lifted up.

    Source: STEP Bible (Tyndale House, Cambridge), TAGNT: Translators Amalgamated Greek New Testament, STEPBible-Data commit ed476a8, John 3:14, word 4

  • ὄφιν (ophin): snake
    Greek · Noun, accusative, singular, masculine · Strong's G3789 · text: NA28 (as recorded in TAGNT)

    Serpent or snake.

    Source: STEP Bible (Tyndale House, Cambridge), TAGNT: Translators Amalgamated Greek New Testament, STEPBible-Data commit ed476a8, John 3:14, word 6

  • δεῖ (dei): be necessary
    Greek · Verb, present, active, indicative, 3rd person singular · Strong's G1163 · text: NA28 (as recorded in TAGNT)

    It is necessary: the Son of Man "must" be lifted up.

    Source: STEP Bible (Tyndale House, Cambridge), TAGNT: Translators Amalgamated Greek New Testament, STEPBible-Data commit ed476a8, John 3:14, word 12

Cross-references
  • Numbers 21:8-9 · Background

    The bronze snake on a pole; whoever looked at it lived.

  • John 8:28 · Related verse

    When you have lifted up the Son of Man, you will know who I am.

  • John 12:32-33 · Related verse

    Jesus says being lifted up points to the kind of death He would die.

Connected events
  • Moses lifts up the bronze snake
    A connection in theme

    Jesus names this event as a picture of His own lifting up.

    Numbers 21:4-9

  • The crucifixion of Jesus
    A connection in theme

    John links being "lifted up" to Jesus' death (12:32-33).

    John 19:16-30

  • Nicodemus visits Jesus at night
    This verse is part of it · jerusalem

    This verse is part of the conversation.

    John 3:1-21

Sources

Original language and places

Reference data from open datasets, shown as published by their sources. Word-by-word English is a literal guide, not a translation.

Original language (Greek)

καὶ καθὼς Μωϋσῆς ὕψωσεν τὸν ὄφιν ἐν τῇ ἐρήμῳ, οὕτως ὑψωθῆναι δεῖ τὸν υἱὸν τοῦ ἀνθρώπου,

  1. καὶkai“And”
    Conjunction · from καί · “and” · Strong's G2532
  2. καθὼςkathōs“even as”
    Conjunction · from καθώς · “as/just as” · Strong's G2531
  3. ΜωϋσῆςMōusēs“Moses”
    Noun, nominative, singular, masculine · from Μωϋσῆς, Μωσῆς · “Moses” · Strong's G3475
  4. ὕψωσενhupsōsen“lifted up”
    Verb, aorist, active, indicative, 3rd person singular · from ὑψόω · “to lift up” · Strong's G5312
  5. τὸνton“the”
    Article, accusative, singular, masculine · from ὁ · “the/this/who” · Strong's G3588
  6. ὄφινophin“serpent”
    Noun, accusative, singular, masculine · from ὄφις · “snake” · Strong's G3789
  7. ἐνen“in”
    Preposition · “in/on/among” · Strong's G1722
  8. τῇtēa“the”
    Article, dative, singular, feminine · from ὁ · “the/this/who” · Strong's G3588
  9. ἐρήμῳ,erēmō“wilderness,”
    Adjective, dative, singular, feminine · from ἔρημος · “deserted” · Strong's G2048
  10. οὕτωςhoutōs“thus”
    Adverb · from οὕτω, οὕτως · “thus(-ly)” · Strong's G3779
  11. ὑψωθῆναιhupsōthēnai“to be lifted up”
    Verb, aorist, passive, infinitive · from ὑψόω · “to lift up” · Strong's G5312
  12. δεῖdei“it behooves”
    Verb, present, active, indicative, 3rd person singular · “be necessary” · Strong's G1163
  13. τὸνton“the”
    Article, accusative, singular, masculine · from ὁ · “the/this/who” · Strong's G3588
  14. υἱὸνhuion“Son”
    Noun, accusative, singular, masculine · from υἱός · “son” · Strong's G5207
  15. τοῦtou“<the>”
    Article, genitive, singular, masculine · from ὁ · “the/this/who” · Strong's G3588
  16. ἀνθρώπου,anthrōpou“of Man,”
    Noun, genitive, singular, masculine · from ἄνθρωπος · “a human” · Strong's G0444
  • Prepared by the God & Savior team. Not yet reviewed by an editor.
  • Greek words: STEP Bible (STEPBible.org), based on work at Tyndale House, Cambridge. CC BY 4.0. Source (version ed476a8)