6:52 Then the Jews who were hostile to Jesus 3 began to argue with one another, 4 “How can this man 5 give us his flesh to eat?”
6:66 After this many of his disciples quit following him 10 and did not accompany him 11 any longer.
1 tn Grk “answered and said to them.”
2 tn Or “Do not grumble among yourselves.” The words “about me” are supplied to clarify the translation “complain to one another” (otherwise the Jewish opponents could be understood to be complaining about one another, rather than complaining to one another about Jesus).
3 tn Grk “Then the Jews began to argue.” Here the translation restricts the phrase to those Jews who were hostile to Jesus (cf. BDAG 479 s.v. ᾿Ιουδαῖος 2.e.β), since the “crowd” mentioned in 6:22-24 was almost all Jewish (as suggested by their addressing Jesus as “Rabbi” (6:25). See also the note on the phrase “the Jews who were hostile to Jesus” in v. 41.
4 tn Grk “with one another, saying.”
5 tn Grk “this one,” “this person.”
6 tn The words “these things” are not present in the Greek text but are implied. Direct objects in Greek were often omitted when clear from the context, and must be supplied for the English reader.
7 tn Or “hard,” “demanding.”
8 tn Or “teaching”; Grk “word.”
9 tn Or “obey it”; Grk “hear it.” The Greek word ἀκούω (akouw) could imply hearing with obedience here, in the sense of “obey.” It could also point to the acceptance of what Jesus had just said, (i.e., “who can accept what he said?” However, since the context contains several replies by those in the crowd of hearers that suggest uncertainty or confusion over the meaning of what Jesus had said (6:42; 6:52), the meaning “understand” is preferred here.
10 tn Grk “many of his disciples went back to what lay behind.”
11 tn Grk “were not walking with him.”