John 5:33-36

5:33 You have sent to John, ¹  and he has testified to the truth. 5:34 (I do not accept ²  human testimony, but I say this so that you may be saved.) 5:35 He was a lamp that was burning and shining, ³  and you wanted to rejoice greatly for a short time ⁴  in his light.

5:36 “But I have a testimony greater than that from John. For the deeds ⁵  that the Father has assigned me to complete – the deeds ⁶  I am now doing – testify about me that the Father has sent me.

¹ sn John refers to John the Baptist.

² tn Or “I do not receive.”

³ sn He was a lamp that was burning and shining. Sir 48:1 states that the word of Elijah was “a flame like a torch.” Because of the connection of John the Baptist with Elijah (see John 1:21 and the note on John’s reply, “I am not”), it was natural for Jesus to apply this description to John.

⁴ tn Grk “for an hour.”

⁵ tn Or “works.”

⁶ tn Grk “complete, which I am now doing”; the referent of the relative pronoun has been specified by repeating “deeds” from the previous clause.