Verily, verily, I say unto thee, We speak that we do know, and testify that we have seen; and ye receive not our witness.

JOHN 3:11KJV
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John 3:11 (KJV)

What does John 3:11 mean?

John 3:11 records Jesus telling Nicodemus that He and others speak about what they truly know and have seen, but the people He is addressing do not accept their testimony. Jesus emphasizes the reliability of His message and the unwillingness of His audience to receive it.

In this scene, Jesus is speaking privately to Nicodemus, a respected Jewish leader, during a nighttime conversation. Jesus stresses that His teachings are based on firsthand knowledge and experience, not speculation. The verse highlights a tension: Jesus and others (possibly referring to Himself and the prophets or His followers) are sharing truth, but many—including Nicodemus’s peers—are not open to accepting it.

The Greek behind John 3:11

  • "Verily, verily" (ἀμὴν ἀμὴν, amēn amēn): This phrase is a strong way of saying, "Truly, truly," or "I assure you," signaling that what follows is especially important and trustworthy.
  • "Testify" (μαρτυρέω, martyreō): This word means to bear witness or give evidence. Jesus is not just sharing ideas; He is presenting what He knows as a reliable witness, like someone in a courtroom.
  • "Receive" (λαμβάνω, lambanō): This word means to accept or take in. The verse points out that the audience is not just passively missing the message—they are actively choosing not to accept the testimony Jesus gives.
  • "Witness" (μαρτυρία, martyria): This is the noun form of "testify," emphasizing that what Jesus brings is not just teaching, but a formal, trustworthy testimony.

Why John 3:11 matters

  • John 3:11 clears up the idea that Jesus’s message is based on speculation; He insists it comes from direct knowledge and experience.
  • The verse highlights a key theme in John’s Gospel: the struggle between divine truth and human resistance, showing that even religious leaders can be slow to accept what God reveals.
  • This statement sets the stage for the rest of Jesus’s conversation with Nicodemus about spiritual rebirth, emphasizing the need to listen and respond to what Jesus reveals.

Where else these words appear

“witness” Greek G3141 · used in 33 verses

  • Mark 14:55 And the chief priests and all the council sought for witness against Jesus to put him to death; and found none.
  • John 5:34 But I receive not testimony from man: but these things I say, that ye might be saved.
  • 1 John 5:10 He that believeth on the Son of God hath the witness in himself: he that believeth not God hath made him a liar; because he believeth not the record that God gave of his Son.

“seen” Greek G3708 · used in 55 verses

  • Matthew 8:4 And Jesus saith unto him, See thou tell no man; but go thy way, shew thyself to the priest, and offer the gift that Moses commanded, for a testimony unto them.
  • John 5:37 And the Father himself, which hath sent me, hath borne witness of me. Ye have neither heard his voice at any time, nor seen his shape.
  • 1 Corinthians 9:1 Am I not an apostle? am I not free? have I not seen Jesus Christ our Lord? are not ye my work in the Lord?

“testify” Greek G3140 · used in 75 verses

  • Matthew 23:31 Wherefore ye be witnesses unto yourselves, that ye are the children of them which killed the prophets.
  • John 10:25 Jesus answered them, I told you, and ye believed not: the works that I do in my Father's name, they bear witness of me.
  • Galatians 4:15 Where is then the blessedness ye spake of? for I bear you record, that, if it had been possible, ye would have plucked out your own eyes, and have given them to me.

“Verily” Greek G281 · used in 126 verses

  • Matthew 5:18 For verily I say unto you, Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled.
  • Mark 13:30 Verily I say unto you, that this generation shall not pass, till all these things be done.
  • Romans 15:33 Now the God of peace be with you all. Amen.