I’m not trying to turn this into a John 3:16 debate, but this does help demonstrate the point I was making. The KJV’s “whosoever” statement has (in a subtle like manner) impacted our interpretation of the verse,
There is no Greek counterpart/equivalent to the English term “whosoever.” In fact, the author of the gospel of John never uses the term “whosoever” or any other variations of this English word anywhere in this text. Some translations say “whoever” instead of the traditional “whosoever,” but even the Greek term hos an (“whoever”), which is used in Romans 10:13, was not used by the author in John 3:16. The term “whoever” translates from the Greek hos an, but what we have here in John 3:16 is not hos an, but rather, pas ho pisteuoon — literally meaning “all the believing.” It is “all the believing” that will be gifted with eternal life, not “whosoever wills.” I believe the NET, NMB, and Lexham are amongst those that are closest to the authors intent.
With that being said, the term “whosoever” is a 13th century English possessive pronoun, which the KJV uses, and has been grossly misinterpreted into the modern English language. It did not mean “whoever wills,” as it could be construed in todays modern English (“whoever wants to come to the picnic, can come”). Rather, the term “whosoever” refers to certain qualities/traits of a group, or of a certain individual. For example, “whoever possesses these traits will be hired,” or “whoever has green skin will get a free car” — not “whosoever wills to have green skin will get a free car.”
That is the issue.