7:10 But when his brothers had gone up to the feast, then Jesus 1 himself also went up, not openly but in secret. 7:11 So the Jewish leaders 2 were looking for him at the feast, asking, “Where is he?” 3 7:12 There was 4 a lot of grumbling 5 about him among the crowds. 6 Some were saying, “He is a good man,” but others, “He deceives the common people.” 7 7:13 However, no one spoke openly about him for fear of the Jewish leaders. 8
7:14 When the feast was half over, Jesus went up to the temple courts 9 and began to teach. 10 7:15 Then the Jewish leaders 11 were astonished 12 and said, “How does this man know so much when he has never had formal instruction?” 13 7:16 So Jesus replied, 14 “My teaching is not from me, but from the one who sent me. 15 7:17 If anyone wants to do God’s will, 16 he will know about my teaching, whether it is from God or whether I speak from my own authority. 17 7:18 The person who speaks on his own authority 18 desires 19 to receive honor 20 for himself; the one who desires 21 the honor 22 of the one who sent him is a man of integrity, 23 and there is no unrighteousness in him. 7:19 Hasn’t Moses given you the law? Yet not one of you keeps 24 the law! Why do you want 25 to kill me?”
7:20 The crowd 26 answered, “You’re possessed by a demon! 27 Who is trying to kill you?” 28 7:21 Jesus replied, 29 “I performed one miracle 30 and you are all amazed. 31 7:22 However, because Moses gave you the practice of circumcision 32 (not that it came from Moses, but from the forefathers), you circumcise a male child 33 on the Sabbath. 7:23 But if a male child 34 is circumcised 35 on the Sabbath so that the law of Moses is not broken, 36 why are you angry with me because I made a man completely well 37 on the Sabbath? 7:24 Do not judge according to external appearance, 38 but judge with proper 39 judgment.”
7:25 Then some of the residents of Jerusalem 40 began to say, “Isn’t this the man 41 they are trying 42 to kill? 7:26 Yet here he is, speaking publicly, 43 and they are saying nothing to him. 44 Do the rulers really know that this man 45 is the Christ? 46 7:27 But we know where this man 47 comes from. 48 Whenever the Christ 49 comes, no one will know where he comes from.” 50
7:28 Then Jesus, while teaching in the temple courts, 51 cried out, 52 “You both know me and know where I come from! 53 And I have not come on my own initiative, 54 but the one who sent me 55 is true. You do not know him, 56 7:29 but 57 I know him, because I have come from him 58 and he 59 sent me.”
7:30 So then they tried to seize Jesus, 60 but no one laid a hand on him, because his time 61 had not yet come. 7:31 Yet many of the crowd 62 believed in him and said, “Whenever the Christ 63 comes, he won’t perform more miraculous signs than this man did, will he?” 64
7:32 The Pharisees 65 heard the crowd 66 murmuring these things about Jesus, 67 so the chief priests and the Pharisees sent officers 68 to arrest him. 69 7:33 Then Jesus said, “I will be with you for only a little while longer, 70 and then 71 I am going to the one who sent me. 7:34 You will look for me 72 but will not find me, and where I am you cannot come.”
7:35 Then the Jewish leaders 73 said to one another, “Where is he 74 going to go that we cannot find him? 75 He is not going to go to the Jewish people dispersed 76 among the Greeks and teach the Greeks, is he? 77 7:36 What did he mean by saying, 78 ‘You will look for me 79 but will not find me, and where I am you cannot come’?”
7:37 On the last day of the feast, the greatest day, 80 Jesus stood up and shouted out, 81 “If anyone is thirsty, let him come to me, and 7:38 let the one who believes in me drink. 82 Just as the scripture says, ‘From within him 83 will flow rivers of living water.’” 84 7:39 (Now he said this about the Spirit, whom those who believed in him were going to receive, for the Spirit had not yet been given, 85 because Jesus was not yet glorified.) 86
7:40 When they heard these words, some of the crowd 87 began to say, “This really 88 is the Prophet!” 89 7:41 Others said, “This is the Christ!” 90 But still others said, “No, 91 for the Christ doesn’t come from Galilee, does he? 92 7:42 Don’t the scriptures say that the Christ is a descendant 93 of David 94 and comes from Bethlehem, 95 the village where David lived?” 96 7:43 So there was a division in the crowd 97 because of Jesus. 98 7:44 Some of them were wanting to seize him, but no one laid a hand on him. 99
7:45 Then the officers 100 returned 101 to the chief priests and Pharisees, 102 who said to them, “Why didn’t you bring him back with you?” 103 7:46 The officers replied, “No one ever spoke like this man!” 7:47 Then the Pharisees answered, 104 “You haven’t been deceived too, have you? 105 7:48 None of the rulers 106 or the Pharisees have believed in him, have they? 107 7:49 But this rabble 108 who do not know the law are accursed!”
7:50 Nicodemus, who had gone to Jesus 109 before and who was one of the rulers, 110 said, 111 7:51 “Our law doesn’t condemn 112 a man unless it first hears from him and learns 113 what he is doing, does it?” 114 7:52 They replied, 115 “You aren’t from Galilee too, are you? 116 Investigate carefully and you will see that no prophet 117 comes from Galilee!”
7:53 118 [[And each one departed to his own house. 8:1 But Jesus went to the Mount of Olives. 119 8:2 Early in the morning he came to the temple courts again. All the people came to him, and he sat down and began to teach 120 them. 8:3 The experts in the law 121 and the Pharisees 122 brought a woman who had been caught committing adultery. They made her stand in front of them 8:4 and said to Jesus, 123 “Teacher, this woman was caught in the very act of adultery. 8:5 In the law Moses commanded us to stone to death 124 such women. 125 What then do you say?” 8:6 (Now they were asking this in an attempt to trap him, so that they could bring charges against 126 him.) 127 Jesus bent down and wrote on the ground with his finger. 128 8:7 When they persisted in asking him, he stood up straight 129 and replied, 130 “Whoever among you is guiltless 131 may be the first to throw a stone at her.” 8:8 Then 132 he bent over again and wrote on the ground.
8:9 Now when they heard this, they began to drift away one at a time, starting with the older ones, 133 until Jesus was left alone with the woman standing before him. 8:10 Jesus stood up straight 134 and said to her, “Woman, 135 where are they? Did no one condemn you?” 8:11 She replied, “No one, Lord.” And Jesus said, “I do not condemn you either. Go, and from now on do not sin any more.”]] 136
8:12 Then Jesus spoke out again, 137 “I am the light of the world. 138 The one who follows me will never 139 walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.” 8:13 So the Pharisees 140 objected, 141 “You testify about yourself; your testimony is not true!” 142 8:14 Jesus answered, 143 “Even if I testify about myself, my testimony is true, because I know where I came from and where I am going. But you people 144 do not know where I came from or where I am going. 145 8:15 You people 146 judge by outward appearances; 147 I do not judge anyone. 148 8:16 But if I judge, my evaluation is accurate, 149 because I am not alone when I judge, 150 but I and the Father who sent me do so together. 151 8:17 It is written in your law that the testimony of two men is true. 152 8:18 I testify about myself 153 and the Father who sent me testifies about me.”
8:19 Then they began asking 154 him, “Who is your father?” Jesus answered, “You do not know either me or my Father. If you knew me you would know my Father too.” 155 8:20 (Jesus 156 spoke these words near the offering box 157 while he was teaching in the temple courts. 158 No one seized him because his time 159 had not yet come.) 160
8:21 Then Jesus 161 said to them again, 162 “I am going away, and you will look for me 163 but will die in your sin. 164 Where I am going you cannot come.” 8:22 So the Jewish leaders 165 began to say, 166 “Perhaps he is going to kill himself, because he says, ‘Where I am going you cannot come.’” 8:23 Jesus replied, 167 “You people 168 are from below; I am from above. You people are from this world; I am not from this world. 8:24 Thus I told you 169 that you will die in your sins. For unless you believe that I am he, 170 you will die in your sins.”
8:25 So they said to him, “Who are you?” Jesus replied, 171 “What I have told you from the beginning. 8:26 I have many things to say and to judge 172 about you, but the Father 173 who sent me is truthful, 174 and the things I have heard from him I speak to the world.” 175 8:27 (They did not understand that he was telling them about his Father.) 176
8:28 Then Jesus said, 177 “When you lift up the Son of Man, then you will know that I am he, 178 and I do nothing on my own initiative, 179 but I speak just what the Father taught me. 180 8:29 And the one who sent me is with me. He has not left me alone, 181 because I always do those things that please him.” 8:30 While he was saying these things, many people 182 believed in him.
8:31 Then Jesus said to those Judeans 183 who had believed him, “If you continue to follow my teaching, 184 you are really 185 my disciples 8:32 and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” 186 8:33 “We are descendants 187 of Abraham,” they replied, 188 “and have never been anyone’s slaves! How can you say, 189 ‘You will become free’?” 8:34 Jesus answered them, “I tell you the solemn truth, 190 everyone who practices 191 sin is a slave 192 of sin. 8:35 The slave does not remain in the family 193 forever, but the son remains forever. 194 8:36 So if the son 195 sets you free, you will be really free. 8:37 I know that you are Abraham’s descendants. 196 But you want 197 to kill me, because my teaching 198 makes no progress among you. 199 8:38 I am telling you the things I have seen while with the 200 Father; 201 as for you, 202 practice the things you have heard from the 203 Father!”
8:39 They answered him, 204 “Abraham is our father!” 205 Jesus replied, 206 “If you are 207 Abraham’s children, you would be doing 208 the deeds of Abraham. 8:40 But now you are trying 209 to kill me, a man who has told you 210 the truth I heard from God. Abraham did not do this! 211 8:41 You people 212 are doing the deeds of your father.”
Then 213 they said to Jesus, 214 “We were not born as a result of immorality! 215 We have only one Father, God himself.” 8:42 Jesus replied, 216 “If God were your Father, you would love me, for I have come from God and am now here. 217 I 218 have not come on my own initiative, 219 but he 220 sent me. 8:43 Why don’t you understand what I am saying? It is because you cannot accept 221 my teaching. 222 8:44 You people 223 are from 224 your father the devil, and you want to do what your father desires. 225 He 226 was a murderer from the beginning, and does not uphold the truth, 227 because there is no truth in him. Whenever he lies, 228 he speaks according to his own nature, 229 because he is a liar and the father of lies. 230 8:45 But because I am telling you 231 the truth, you do not believe me. 8:46 Who among you can prove me guilty 232 of any sin? 233 If I am telling you 234 the truth, why don’t you believe me? 8:47 The one who belongs to 235 God listens and responds 236 to God’s words. You don’t listen and respond, 237 because you don’t belong to God.” 238
8:48 The Judeans 239 replied, 240 “Aren’t we correct in saying 241 that you are a Samaritan and are possessed by a demon?” 242 8:49 Jesus answered, “I am not possessed by a demon, 243 but I honor my Father – and yet 244 you dishonor me. 8:50 I am not trying to get 245 praise for myself. 246 There is one who demands 247 it, and he also judges. 248 8:51 I tell you the solemn truth, 249 if anyone obeys 250 my teaching, 251 he will never see death.” 252
8:52 Then 253 the Judeans 254 responded, 255 “Now we know you’re possessed by a demon! 256 Both Abraham and the prophets died, and yet 257 you say, ‘If anyone obeys 258 my teaching, 259 he will never experience 260 death.’ 261 8:53 You aren’t greater than our father Abraham who died, are you? 262 And the prophets died too! Who do you claim to be?” 8:54 Jesus replied, 263 “If I glorify myself, my glory is worthless. 264 The one who glorifies me is my Father, about whom you people 265 say, ‘He is our God.’ 8:55 Yet 266 you do not know him, but I know him. If I were to say that I do not know him, 267 I would be a liar like you. But I do know him, and I obey 268 his teaching. 269 8:56 Your father Abraham was overjoyed 270 to see my day, and he saw it and was glad.” 271
8:57 Then the Judeans 272 replied, 273 “You are not yet fifty years old! 274 Have 275 you seen Abraham?” 8:58 Jesus said to them, “I tell you the solemn truth, 276 before Abraham came into existence, 277 I am!” 278 8:59 Then they picked up 279 stones to throw at him, 280 but Jesus hid himself and went out from the temple area. 281
9:1 Now as Jesus was passing by, 282 he saw a man who had been blind from birth. 9:2 His disciples asked him, 283 “Rabbi, who committed the sin that caused him to be born blind, this man 284 or his parents?” 285 9:3 Jesus answered, “Neither this man 286 nor his parents sinned, but he was born blind so that 287 the acts 288 of God may be revealed 289 through what happens to him. 290 9:4 We must perform the deeds 291 of the one who sent me 292 as long as 293 it is daytime. Night is coming when no one can work. 9:5 As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world.” 294 9:6 Having said this, 295 he spat on the ground and made some mud 296 with the saliva. He 297 smeared the mud on the blind man’s 298 eyes 9:7 and said to him, “Go wash in the pool of Siloam” 299 (which is translated “sent”). 300 So the blind man 301 went away and washed, and came back seeing.
9:8 Then the neighbors and the people who had seen him previously 302 as a beggar began saying, 303 “Is this not the man 304 who used to sit and beg?” 9:9 Some people said, 305 “This is the man!” 306 while others said, “No, but he looks like him.” 307 The man himself 308 kept insisting, “I am the one!” 309 9:10 So they asked him, 310 “How then were you made to see?” 311 9:11 He replied, 312 “The man called Jesus made mud, 313 smeared it 314 on my eyes and told me, 315 ‘Go to Siloam and wash.’ So I went and washed, and was able to see.” 316 9:12 They said 317 to him, “Where is that man?” 318 He replied, 319 “I don’t know.”
9:13 They brought the man who used to be blind 320 to the Pharisees. 321 9:14 (Now the day on which Jesus made the mud 322 and caused him to see 323 was a Sabbath.) 324 9:15 So the Pharisees asked him again how he had gained his sight. 325 He replied, 326 “He put mud 327 on my eyes and I washed, and now 328 I am able to see.”
9:16 Then some of the Pharisees began to say, 329 “This man is not from God, because he does not observe 330 the Sabbath.” 331 But others said, “How can a man who is a sinner perform 332 such miraculous signs?” Thus there was a division 333 among them. 9:17 So again they asked the man who used to be blind, 334 “What do you say about him, since he caused you to see?” 335 “He is a prophet,” the man replied. 336
9:18 Now the Jewish religious leaders 337 refused to believe 338 that he had really been blind and had gained his sight until at last they summoned 339 the parents of the man who had become able to see. 340 9:19 They asked the parents, 341 “Is this your son, whom you say 342 was born blind? Then how does he now see?” 9:20 So his parents replied, 343 “We know that this is our son and that he was born blind. 9:21 But we do not know how he is now able to see, nor do we know who caused him to see. 344 Ask him, he is a mature adult. 345 He will speak for himself.” 9:22 (His parents said these things because they were afraid of the Jewish religious leaders. 346 For the Jewish leaders had already agreed that anyone who confessed Jesus 347 to be the Christ 348 would be put out 349 of the synagogue. 350 9:23 For this reason his parents said, “He is a mature adult, 351 ask him.”) 352
9:24 Then they summoned 353 the man who used to be blind 354 a second time and said to him, “Promise before God to tell the truth. 355 We know that this man 356 is a sinner.” 9:25 He replied, 357 “I do not know whether he is a sinner. I do know one thing – that although I was blind, now I can see.” 9:26 Then they said to him, “What did he do to you? How did he cause you to see?” 358 9:27 He answered, 359 “I told you already and you didn’t listen. 360 Why do you want to hear it 361 again? You people 362 don’t want to become his disciples too, do you?”
9:28 They 363 heaped insults 364 on him, saying, 365 “You are his disciple! 366 We are disciples of Moses! 9:29 We know that God has spoken to Moses! We do not know where this man 367 comes from!” 9:30 The man replied, 368 “This is a remarkable thing, 369 that you don’t know where he comes from, and yet he caused me to see! 370 9:31 We know that God doesn’t listen to 371 sinners, but if anyone is devout 372 and does his will, God 373 listens to 374 him. 375 9:32 Never before 376 has anyone heard of someone causing a man born blind to see. 377 9:33 If this man 378 were not from God, he could do nothing.” 9:34 They replied, 379 “You were born completely in sinfulness, 380 and yet you presume to teach us?” 381 So they threw him out.
9:35 Jesus heard that they had thrown him out, so he found the man 382 and said to him, “Do you believe in the Son of Man?” 383 9:36 The man 384 replied, 385 “And who is he, sir, that 386 I may believe in him?” 9:37 Jesus told him, “You have seen him; he 387 is the one speaking with you.” 388 9:38 [He said, “Lord, I believe,” and he worshiped him. 389 9:39 Jesus 390 said,] 391 “For judgment I have come into this world, so that those who do not see may gain their sight, 392 and the ones who see may become blind.”
9:40 Some of the Pharisees 393 who were with him heard this 394 and asked him, 395 “We are not blind too, are we?” 396 9:41 Jesus replied, 397 “If you were blind, you would not be guilty of sin, 398 but now because you claim that you can see, 399 your guilt 400 remains.” 401
10:1 “I tell you the solemn truth, 402 the one who does not enter the sheepfold 403 by the door, 404 but climbs in some other way, is a thief and a robber. 10:2 The one who enters by the door is the shepherd of the sheep. 10:3 The doorkeeper 405 opens the door 406 for him, 407 and the sheep hear his voice. He 408 calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. 409 10:4 When he has brought all his own sheep 410 out, he goes ahead of them, and the sheep follow him because they recognize 411 his voice. 10:5 They will never follow a stranger, 412 but will run away from him, because they do not recognize 413 the stranger’s voice.” 414 10:6 Jesus told them this parable, 415 but they 416 did not understand 417 what he was saying to them.
10:7 So Jesus said to them again, “I tell you the solemn truth, 418 I am the door for the sheep. 419 10:8 All who came before me were 420 thieves and robbers, but the sheep did not listen to them. 421 10:9 I am the door. If anyone enters through me, he will be saved, and will come in and go out, 422 and find pasture. 423 10:10 The thief comes only to steal and kill 424 and destroy; I have come so that they may have life, and may have it abundantly. 425
10:11 “I am the good 426 shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life 427 for the sheep. 10:12 The hired hand, 428 who is not a shepherd and does not own sheep, sees the wolf coming and abandons 429 the sheep and runs away. 430 So the wolf attacks 431 the sheep and scatters them. 10:13 Because he is a hired hand and is not concerned about the sheep, 432 he runs away. 433
10:14 “I am the good shepherd. I 434 know my own 435 and my own know me – 10:15 just as the Father knows me and I know the Father – and I lay down my life 436 for 437 the sheep. 10:16 I have 438 other sheep that do not come from 439 this sheepfold. 440 I must bring them too, and they will listen to my voice, 441 so that 442 there will be one flock and 443 one shepherd. 10:17 This is why the Father loves me 444 – because I lay down my life, 445 so that I may take it back again. 10:18 No one takes it away from me, but I lay it down 446 of my own free will. 447 I have the authority 448 to lay it down, and I have the authority 449 to take it back again. This commandment 450 I received from my Father.”
10:19 Another sharp division took place among the Jewish people 451 because of these words. 10:20 Many of them were saying, “He is possessed by a demon and has lost his mind! 452 Why do you listen to him?” 10:21 Others said, “These are not the words 453 of someone possessed by a demon. A demon cannot cause the blind to see, 454 can it?” 455
10:22 Then came the feast of the Dedication 456 in Jerusalem. 457 10:23 It was winter, 458 and Jesus was walking in the temple area 459 in Solomon’s Portico. 460 10:24 The Jewish leaders 461 surrounded him and asked, 462 “How long will you keep us in suspense? 463 If you are the Christ, 464 tell us plainly.” 465 10:25 Jesus replied, 466 “I told you and you do not believe. The deeds 467 I do in my Father’s name testify about me. 10:26 But you refuse to believe because you are not my sheep. 10:27 My sheep listen to my voice, and I know them, and they follow me. 10:28 I give 468 them eternal life, and they will never perish; 469 no one will snatch 470 them from my hand. 10:29 My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all, 471 and no one can snatch 472 them from my Father’s hand. 10:30 The Father and I 473 are one.” 474
10:31 The Jewish leaders 475 picked up rocks again to stone him to death. 10:32 Jesus said to them, 476 “I have shown you many good deeds 477 from the Father. For which one of them are you going to stone me?” 10:33 The Jewish leaders 478 replied, 479 “We are not going to stone you for a good deed 480 but for blasphemy, 481 because 482 you, a man, are claiming to be God.” 483
10:34 Jesus answered, 484 “Is it not written in your law, ‘I said, you are gods’? 485 10:35 If those people to whom the word of God came were called ‘gods’ (and the scripture cannot be broken), 486 10:36 do you say about the one whom the Father set apart 487 and sent into the world, ‘You are blaspheming,’ because I said, ‘I am the Son of God’? 10:37 If I do not perform 488 the deeds 489 of my Father, do not believe me. 10:38 But if I do them, even if you do not believe me, believe the deeds, 490 so that you may come to know 491 and understand that I am in the Father and the Father is in me.” 10:39 Then 492 they attempted 493 again to seize him, but he escaped their clutches. 494
10:40 Jesus 495 went back across the Jordan River 496 again to the place where John 497 had been baptizing at an earlier time, 498 and he stayed there. 10:41 Many 499 came to him and began to say, “John 500 performed 501 no miraculous sign, but everything John said about this man 502 was true!” 10:42 And many believed in Jesus 503 there.
1 tn Grk “he”; the referent (Jesus) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
2 tn Or “the Jewish authorities”; Grk “the Jews.” Here the phrase refers to the Jewish authorities or leaders who were Jesus’ primary opponents. See the note on the phrase “the Jewish leaders” in v. 1.
3 tn Grk “Where is that one?”
4 tn Grk “And there was.”
5 tn Or “complaining.”
6 tn Or “among the common people” (as opposed to the religious authorities mentioned in the previous verse).
7 tn Or “the crowd.”
8 tn Or “the Jewish authorities”; Grk “the Jews.” Here the phrase refers to the Jewish authorities or leaders who were Jesus’ primary opponents. See also the note on the phrase “the Jewish leaders” in v. 1.
9 tn Grk “to the temple.”
10 tn Or “started teaching.” An ingressive sense for the imperfect verb (“began to teach” or “started teaching”) fits well here, since the context implies that Jesus did not start his teaching at the beginning of the festival, but began when it was about half over.
11 tn Or “the Jewish authorities”; Grk “the Jews.” Here the phrase refers to the Jewish authorities or leaders who were Jesus’ primary opponents. See the note on the phrase “the Jewish leaders” in v. 1.
12 tn Or “began to be astonished.” This imperfect verb could also be translated ingressively (“began to be astonished”), but for English stylistic reasons it is rendered as a simple past.
13 tn Grk “How does this man know learning since he has not been taught?” The implication here is not that Jesus never went to school (in all probability he did attend a local synagogue school while a youth), but that he was not the disciple of a particular rabbi and had not had formal or advanced instruction under a recognized rabbi (compare Acts 4:13 where a similar charge is made against Peter and John; see also Paul’s comment in Acts 22:3).
14 tn Grk “So Jesus answered and said to them.”
15 tn The phrase “the one who sent me” refers to God.
16 tn Grk “his will.”
17 tn Grk “or whether I speak from myself.”
18 tn Grk “who speaks from himself.”
19 tn Or “seeks.”
20 tn Or “praise”; Grk “glory.”
21 tn Or “seeks.”
22 tn Or “praise”; Grk “glory.”
23 tn Or “is truthful”; Grk “is true.”
24 tn Or “accomplishes”; Grk “does.”
25 tn Grk “seek.”
26 tn Or “The common people” (as opposed to the religious authorities mentioned in 7:15).
27 tn Grk “You have a demon!”
28 tn Grk “Who is seeking to kill you?”
29 tn Grk “Jesus answered and said to them.”
30 tn Grk “I did one deed.”
31 sn The “one miracle” that caused them all to be amazed was the last previous public miracle in Jerusalem recorded by the author, the healing of the paralyzed man in John 5:1-9 on the Sabbath. (The synoptic gospels record other Sabbath healings, but John does not mention them.)
32 tn Grk “gave you circumcision.”
33 tn Grk “a man.” While the text literally reads “circumcise a man” in actual fact the practice of circumcising male infants on the eighth day after birth (see Phil 3:5) is primarily what is in view here.
34 tn Grk “a man.” See the note on “male child” in the previous verse.
35 tn Grk “receives circumcision.”
36 sn If a male child is circumcised on the Sabbath so that the law of Moses is not broken. The Rabbis counted 248 parts to a man’s body. In the Talmud (b. Yoma 85b) R. Eleazar ben Azariah (ca.
37 tn Or “made an entire man well.”
38 tn Or “based on sight.”
39 tn Or “honest”; Grk “righteous.”
40 map For location see Map5-B1; Map6-F3; Map7-E2; Map8-F2; Map10-B3; JP1-F4; JP2-F4; JP3-F4; JP4-F4.
41 tn Grk “Is it not this one.”
42 tn Grk “seeking.”
43 tn Or “speaking openly.”
44 sn They are saying nothing to him. Some people who had heard Jesus were so impressed with his teaching that they began to infer from the inactivity of the opposing Jewish leaders a tacit acknowledgment of Jesus’ claims.
45 tn Grk “this one.”
46 tn Or “the Messiah” (Both Greek “Christ” and Hebrew and Aramaic “Messiah” mean “one who has been anointed”).
47 tn Grk “this one.”
48 sn We know where this man comes from. The author apparently did not consider this objection worth answering. The true facts about Jesus’ origins were readily available for any reader who didn’t know already. Here is an instance where the author assumes knowledge about Jesus that is independent from the material he records.
49 tn Or “the Messiah” (Both Greek “Christ” and Hebrew and Aramaic “Messiah” mean “one who has been anointed”).
50 sn The view of these people regarding the Messiah that no one will know where he comes from reflects the idea that the origin of the Messiah is a mystery. In the Talmud (b. Sanhedrin 97a) Rabbi Zera taught: “Three come unawares: Messiah, a found article, and a scorpion.” Apparently OT prophetic passages like Mal 3:1 and Dan 9:25 were interpreted by some as indicating a sudden appearance of Messiah. It appears that this was not a universal view: The scribes summoned by Herod at the coming of the Magi in Matt 2 knew that the Messiah was to be born in Bethlehem. It is important to remember that Jewish messianic expectations in the early 1st century were not monolithic.
51 tn Grk “the temple.”
52 tn Grk “Then Jesus cried out in the temple, teaching and saying.”
53 sn You both know me and know where I come from! Jesus’ response while teaching in the temple is difficult – it appears to concede too much understanding to his opponents. It is best to take the words as irony: “So you know me and know where I am from, do you?” On the physical, literal level, they did know where he was from: Nazareth of Galilee (at least they thought they knew). But on another deeper (spiritual) level, they did not: He came from heaven, from the Father. Jesus insisted that he has not come on his own initiative (cf. 5:37), but at the bidding of the Father who sent him.
54 tn Grk “And I have not come from myself.”
55 tn The phrase “the one who sent me” refers to God.
56 tn Grk “the one who sent me is true, whom you do not know.”
57 tn Although the conjunction “but” is not in the Greek text, the contrast is implied (an omitted conjunction is called asyndeton).
58 tn The preposition παρά (para) followed by the genitive has the local sense preserved and can be used of one person sending another. This does not necessarily imply origin in essence or eternal generation.
59 tn Grk “and that one.”
60 tn Grk “him”; the referent (Jesus) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
61 tn Grk “his hour.”
62 tn Or “The common people” (as opposed to the religious authorities).
63 tn Or “the Messiah” (Both Greek “Christ” and Hebrew and Aramaic “Messiah” mean “one who has been anointed”).
64 tn Questions prefaced with μή (mh) in Greek anticipate a negative answer. This can sometimes be indicated by using a “tag” at the end in English (here it is “will he?”).
65 sn See the note on Pharisees in 1:24.
66 tn Or “The common people” (as opposed to the religious authorities like the Pharisees).
67 tn Grk “him”; the referent (Jesus) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
68 tn Or “servants.” The “chief priests and Pharisees” is a comprehensive term for the groups represented in the ruling council (the Sanhedrin) as in John 7:45; 18:3; Acts 5:22, 26. As “servants” or “officers” of the Sanhedrin their representatives should be distinguished from the Levites serving as temple police (perhaps John 7:30 and 44; also John 8:20; 10:39; 19:6; Acts 4:3). Even when performing “police” duties such as here, their “officers” are doing so only as part of their general tasks (see K. H. Rengstorf, TDNT 8:540).
69 tn Grk “to seize him.” In the context of a deliberate attempt by the servants of the chief priests and Pharisees to detain Jesus, the English verb “arrest” conveys the point more effectively.
70 tn Grk “Yet a little I am with you.”
71 tn The word “then” is not in the Greek text, but is implied.
72 tn Grk “seek me.”
73 tn Or “the Jewish authorities”; Grk “the Jews.” In NT usage the term ᾿Ιουδαῖοι (Ioudaioi) may refer to the entire Jewish people, the residents of Jerusalem and surrounding territory, the authorities in Jerusalem, or merely those who were hostile to Jesus. (For further information see R. G. Bratcher, “‘The Jews’ in the Gospel of John,” BT 26 [1975]: 401-9.) Here the phrase is understood to refer to the Jewish authorities or leaders, since the Jewish leaders are mentioned in this context both before and after the present verse (7:32, 45).
74 tn Grk “this one.”
75 tn Grk “will not find him.”
76 sn The Jewish people dispersed (Grk “He is not going to the Diaspora”). The Greek term diaspora (“dispersion”) originally meant those Jews not living in Palestine, but dispersed or scattered among the Gentiles.
77 tn Questions prefaced with μή (mh) in Greek anticipate a negative answer. This can sometimes be indicated by using a “tag” at the end in English (here the tag is “is he?”).
78 tn Grk “What is this word that he said.”
79 tn Grk “seek me.”
80 sn There is a problem with the identification of this reference to the last day of the feast, the greatest day: It appears from Deut 16:13 that the feast went for seven days. Lev 23:36, however, makes it plain that there was an eighth day, though it was mentioned separately from the seven. It is not completely clear whether the seventh or eighth day was the climax of the feast, called here by the author the “last great day of the feast.” Since according to the Mishnah (m. Sukkah 4.1) the ceremonies with water and lights did not continue after the seventh day, it seems more probable that this is the day the author mentions.
81 tn Grk “Jesus stood up and cried out, saying.”
82 tn An alternate way of punctuating the Greek text of vv. 37-38 results in this translation: “If anyone is thirsty, let him come to me and drink. The one who believes in me, just as the scripture says, ‘From within him will flow rivers of living water.’” John 7:37-38 has been the subject of considerable scholarly debate. Certainly Jesus picks up on the literal water used in the ceremony and uses it figuratively. But what does the figure mean? According to popular understanding, it refers to the coming of the Holy Spirit to dwell in the believer. There is some difficulty in locating an OT text which speaks of rivers of water flowing from within such a person, but Isa 58:11 is often suggested: “The
83 tn Or “out of the innermost part of his person”; Grk “out of his belly.”
84 sn An OT quotation whose source is difficult to determine; Isa 44:3, 55:1, 58:11, and Zech 14:8 have all been suggested.
85 tn Grk “for the Spirit was not yet.” Although only B and a handful of other NT
86 sn This is a parenthetical note by the author.
87 tn Or “The common people” (as opposed to the religious authorities like the chief priests and Pharisees).
88 tn Or “truly.”
89 sn The Prophet is a reference to the “prophet like Moses” of Deut 18:15, by this time an eschatological figure in popular belief.
90 tn Or “the Messiah” (Both Greek “Christ” and Hebrew and Aramaic “Messiah” mean “one who has been anointed”).
91 tn An initial negative reply (“No”) is suggested by the causal or explanatory γάρ (gar) which begins the clause.
92 tn Questions prefaced with μή (mh) in Greek anticipate a negative answer. This can sometimes be indicated by using a “tag” at the end in English (here the tag is “does he?”).
93 tn Grk “is from the seed” (an idiom for human descent).
94 sn An allusion to Ps 89:4.
95 sn An allusion to Mic 5:2.
96 tn Grk “the village where David was.”
97 tn Or “among the common people” (as opposed to the religious authorities like the chief priests and Pharisees).
98 tn Grk “him”; the referent (Jesus) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
99 sn Compare John 7:30 regarding the attempt to seize Jesus.
100 tn Or “servants.” The “chief priests and Pharisees” is a comprehensive term for the groups represented in the ruling council (the Sanhedrin) as in John 7:45; 18:3; Acts 5:22, 26. As “servants” or “officers” of the Sanhedrin, their representatives should be distinguished from the Levites serving as temple police (perhaps John 7:30 and 44; also John 8:20; 10:39; 19:6; Acts 4:3). Even when performing ‘police’ duties such as here, their “officers” are doing so only as part of their general tasks (See K. H. Rengstorf, TDNT 8:540).
101 tn Grk “came.”
102 sn See the note on Pharisees in 1:24.
103 tn Grk “Why did you not bring him?” The words “back with you” are implied.
104 tn Grk “answered them.”
105 tn Questions prefaced with μή (mh) in Greek anticipate a negative answer. This can sometimes be indicated by using a “tag” at the end in English (here the tag is “have you?”).
106 sn The chief priests and Pharisees (John 7:45) is a comprehensive term for the groups represented in the ruling council (the Sanhedrin) as in John 7:45; 18:3; Acts 5:22, 26. Likewise the term ruler here denotes a member of the Sanhedrin, the highest legal, legislative, and judicial body among the Jews. Note the same word (“ruler”) is used to describe Nicodemus in John 3:1, and Nicodemus also speaks up in this episode (John 7:50).
107 tn Questions prefaced with μή (mh) in Greek anticipate a negative answer. This can sometimes be indicated by using a “tag” at the end in English (here the tag is “have they?”).
108 tn Grk “crowd.” “Rabble” is a good translation here because the remark by the Pharisees is so derogatory.
109 tn Grk “him”; the referent (Jesus) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
110 tn Grk “who was one of them”; the referent (the rulers) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
111 tn Grk “said to them.”
112 tn Grk “judge.”
113 tn Grk “knows.”
114 tn Questions prefaced with μή (mh) in Greek anticipate a negative answer. This can sometimes be indicated by using a “tag” at the end in English (here the tag is “does it?”).
115 tn Grk “They answered and said to him.”
116 tn Questions prefaced with μή (mh) in Greek anticipate a negative answer. This can sometimes be indicated by using a “tag” at the end in English (here the tag is “are you?”).
117 tc At least one early and important ms (Ì66*) places the article before “prophet” (ὁ προφήτης, Jo profhths), making this a reference to the “prophet like Moses” mentioned in Deut 18:15.
118 tc This entire section, 7:53-8:11, traditionally known as the pericope adulterae, is not contained in the earliest and best
119 sn The Mount of Olives is a hill running north to south about 1.8 mi (3 km) long, lying east of Jerusalem across the Kidron Valley. It was named for the large number of olive trees that grew on it.
120 tn An ingressive sense for the imperfect fits well here following the aorist participle.
121 tn Or “The scribes.” The traditional rendering of γραμματεύς (grammateu") as “scribe” does not communicate much to the modern English reader, for whom the term might mean “professional copyist,” if it means anything at all. The people referred to here were recognized experts in the law of Moses and in traditional laws and regulations. Thus “expert in the law” comes closer to the meaning for the modern reader.
122 sn See the note on Pharisees in 1:24.
123 tn Grk “to him”; the referent (Jesus) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
124 sn An allusion to Lev 20:10 and Deut 22:22-24.
125 sn The accusers themselves subtly misrepresented the law. The Mosaic law stated that in the case of adultery, both the man and woman must be put to death (Lev 20:10, Deut 22:22), but they mentioned only such women.
126 tn Grk “so that they could accuse.”
127 sn This is a parenthetical note by the author of 7:53–8:11.
128 tn Or possibly “Jesus bent down and wrote an accusation on the ground with his finger.” The Greek verb καταγράφω (katagrafw) may indicate only the action of writing on the ground by Jesus, but in the overall context (Jesus’ response to the accusation against the woman) it can also be interpreted as implying that what Jesus wrote was a counteraccusation against the accusers (although there is no clue as to the actual content of what he wrote, some scribes added “the sins of each one of them” either here or at the end of v. 8 [U 264 700 al]).
129 tn Or “he straightened up.”
130 tn Grk “and said to them.”
131 tn Or “sinless.”
132 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “Then” to indicate the implied sequence of events within the narrative. Greek style often begins sentences or clauses with “and,” but English style generally does not.
133 tn Or “beginning from the eldest.”
134 tn Or “straightened up.”
135 sn Woman was a polite form of address (see BDAG 208-9 s.v. γυνή 1), similar to “Madam” or “Ma’am” used in English in different regions.
136 tc The earliest and best
137 tn Grk “Then again Jesus spoke to them saying.”
138 sn The theory proposed by F. J. A. Hort (The New Testament in the Original Greek, vol. 2, Introduction; Appendix, 87-88), that the backdrop of 8:12 is the lighting of the candelabra in the court of women, may offer a plausible setting to the proclamation by Jesus that he is the light of the world. The last time that Jesus spoke in the narrative (assuming 7:53-8:11 is not part of the original text, as the textual evidence suggests) is in 7:38, where he was speaking to a crowd of pilgrims in the temple area. This is where he is found in the present verse, and he may be addressing the crowd again. Jesus’ remark has to be seen in view of both the prologue (John 1:4, 5) and the end of the discourse with Nicodemus (John 3:19-21). The coming of Jesus into the world provokes judgment: A choosing up of sides becomes necessary. The one who comes to the light, that is, who follows Jesus, will not walk in the darkness. The one who refuses to come, will walk in the darkness. In this contrast, there are only two alternatives. So it is with a person’s decision about Jesus. Furthermore, this serves as in implicit indictment of Jesus’ opponents, who still walk in the darkness, because they refuse to come to him. This sets up the contrast in chap. 9 between the man born blind, who receives both physical and spiritual sight, and the Pharisees (John 9:13, 15, 16) who have physical sight but remain in spiritual darkness.
139 tn The double negative οὐ μή (ou mh) is emphatic in 1st century Hellenistic Greek.
140 sn See the note on Pharisees in 1:24.
141 tn Grk “Then the Pharisees said to him.”
142 sn Compare the charge You testify about yourself; your testimony is not true! to Jesus’ own statement about his testimony in 5:31.
143 tn Grk “Jesus answered and said to them.”
144 tn The word “people” is supplied in the translation to indicate that the pronoun (“you”) and verb (“do not know”) in Greek are plural.
145 sn You people do not know where I came from or where I am going. The ignorance of the religious authorities regarding Jesus’ origin works on two levels at once: First, they thought Jesus came from Galilee (although he really came from Bethlehem in Judea) and second, they did not know that he came from heaven (from the Father), and this is where he would return. See further John 7:52.
146 tn The word “people” is supplied in the translation to indicate that the pronoun and verb (“judge”) in Greek are plural.
147 tn Or “judge according to external things”; Grk “according to the flesh.” These translations are given by BDAG 916 s.v. σάρξ 5.
148 sn What is the meaning of Jesus’ statement “I do not judge anyone”? It is clear that Jesus did judge (even in the next verse). The point is that he didn’t practice the same kind of judgment that the Pharisees did. Their kind of judgment was condemnatory. They tried to condemn people. Jesus did not come to judge the world, but to save it (3:17). Nevertheless, and not contradictory to this, the coming of Jesus did bring judgment, because it forced people to make a choice. Would they accept Jesus or reject him? Would they come to the light or shrink back into the darkness? As they responded, so were they judged – just as 3:19-21 previously stated. One’s response to Jesus determines one’s eternal destiny.
149 tn Grk “my judgment is true.”
150 tn The phrase “when I judge” is not in the Greek text, but is implied by the context.
151 tn The phrase “do so together” is not in the Greek text, but is implied by the context.
152 sn An allusion to Deut 17:6.
153 tn Grk “I am the one who testifies about myself.”
154 tn Grk “Then they were saying to him.” The imperfect verb has been translated with ingressive force here because of the introduction of a new line of questioning by the Pharisees. Jesus had just claimed his Father as a second witness; now his opponents want to know who his father is.
155 sn If you knew me you would know my Father too. Jesus’ reply is based on his identity with the Father (see also John 1:18; 14:9).
156 tn Grk “He”; the referent (Jesus) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
157 tn The term γαζοφυλάκιον (gazofulakion) can be translated “treasury” or “treasure room” in this context. BDAG 186 s.v. 1 notes, “It can be taken in this sense J 8:20 (sing.) in (or at) the treasury.” BDAG 186 s.v. 2 argues that the occurrences of this word in the synoptic gospels also refer to the treasury: “For Mk 12:41, 43; Lk 21:1 the mng. contribution box or receptacle is attractive. Acc. to Mishnah, Shekalim 6, 5 there were in the temple 13 such receptacles in the form of trumpets. But even in these passages the general sense of ‘treasury’ is prob., for the contributions would go [into] the treasury via the receptacles.” Based upon the extra-biblical evidence (see sn following), however, the translation opts to refer to the actual receptacles and not the treasury itself.
158 tn Grk “the temple.”
159 tn Grk “his hour.”
160 sn This is a parenthetical note by the author.
161 tn Grk “He”; the referent (Jesus) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
162 tn The expression οὖν πάλιν (oun palin) indicates some sort of break in the sequence of events, but it is not clear how long. The author does not mention the interval between 8:12-20 and this next recorded dialogue. The feast of Tabernacles is past, and the next reference to time is 10:22, where the feast of the Dedication is mentioned. The interval is two months, and these discussions could have taken place at any time within that interval, as long as one assumes something of a loose chronological framework. However, if the material in the Fourth Gospel is arranged theologically or thematically, such an assumption would not apply.
163 tn Grk “you will seek me.”
164 tn The expression ἐν τῇ ἁμαρτίᾳ ὑμῶν ἀποθανεῖσθε (en th Jamartia Jumwn apoqaneisqe) is similar to an expression found in the LXX at Ezek 3:18, 20 and Prov 24:9. Note the singular of ἁμαρτία (the plural occurs later in v. 24). To die with one’s sin unrepented and unatoned would be the ultimate disaster to befall a person. Jesus’ warning is stern but to the point.
165 tn Or “the Jewish authorities”; Grk “the Jews.” In NT usage the term ᾿Ιουδαῖοι (Ioudaioi) may refer to the entire Jewish people, the residents of Jerusalem and surrounding territory, the authorities in Jerusalem, or merely those who were hostile to Jesus. (For further information see R. G. Bratcher, “‘The Jews’ in the Gospel of John,” BT 26 [1975]: 401-9.) Here the phrase refers to the Jewish authorities or leaders in Jerusalem. It was the Pharisees who had begun this line of questioning in John 8:13, and there has been no clear change since then in the identity of Jesus’ opponents.
166 tn The imperfect verb has been translated with ingressive force (“began to say”) because the comments that follow were occasioned by Jesus’ remarks in the preceding verse about his upcoming departure.
167 tn Grk “And he said to them.”
168 tn The word “people” is supplied in English to clarify the plural Greek pronoun and verb.
169 tn Grk “thus I said to you.”
170 tn Grk “unless you believe that I am.” In this context there is an implied predicate nominative (“he”) following the “I am” phrase. What Jesus’ hearers had to acknowledge is that he was who he claimed to be, i.e., the Messiah (cf. 20:31). This view is also reflected in English translations like NIV (“if you do not believe that I am the one I claim to be”), NLT (“unless you believe that I am who I say I am”), and CEV (“if you don’t have faith in me for who I am”). For a different view that takes this “I am” and the one in 8:28 as nonpredicated (i.e., absolute), see R. E. Brown, John (AB), 1:533-38. Such a view refers sees the nonpredicated “I am” as a reference to the divine Name revealed in Exod 3:14, and is reflected in English translations like NAB (“if you do not believe that I AM, you will die in your sins”) and TEV (“you will die in your sins if you do not believe that ‘I Am Who I Am’”).
171 tn Grk “Jesus said to them.”
172 tn Or “I have many things to pronounce in judgment about you.” The two Greek infinitives could be understood as a hendiadys, resulting in one phrase.
173 tn Grk “the one”; the referent (the Father) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
174 tn Grk “true” (in the sense of one who always tells the truth).
175 tn Grk “and what things I have heard from him, these things I speak to the world.”
176 sn They did not understand…about his Father is a parenthetical note by the author. This type of comment, intended for the benefit of the reader, is typical of the “omniscient author” convention adopted by the author, who is writing from a postresurrection point of view. He writes with the benefit of later knowledge that those who originally heard Jesus’ words would not have had.
177 tn Grk “Then Jesus said to them” (the words “to them” are not found in all
178 tn Grk “that I am.” See the note on this phrase in v. 24.
179 tn Grk “I do nothing from myself.”
180 tn Grk “but just as the Father taught me, these things I speak.”
181 tn That is, “he has not abandoned me.”
182 tn The word “people” is not in the Greek text, but is supplied for clarity and smoothness in the translation.
183 tn Grk “to the Jews.” In NT usage the term ᾿Ιουδαῖοι (Ioudaioi) may refer to the entire Jewish people, the residents of Jerusalem and surrounding territory (i.e., “Judeans”), the authorities in Jerusalem, or merely those who were hostile to Jesus. (For further information see R. G. Bratcher, “‘The Jews’ in the Gospel of John,” BT 26 [1975]: 401-9; also BDAG 479 s.v. ᾿Ιουδαῖος 2.e.) Here the phrase refers to the Jewish people in Jerusalem who had been listening to Jesus’ teaching in the temple and had believed his claim to be the Messiah, hence, “those Judeans who had believed him.” The term “Judeans” is preferred here to the more general “people” because the debate concerns descent from Abraham (v. 33).
184 tn Grk “If you continue in my word.”
185 tn Or “truly.”
186 tn Or “the truth will release you.” The translation “set you free” or “release you” (unlike the more traditional “make you free”) conveys more the idea that the hearers were currently in a state of slavery from which they needed to be freed. The following context supports precisely this idea.
187 tn Grk “We are the seed” (an idiom).
188 tn Grk “They answered to him.”
189 tn Or “How is it that you say.”
190 tn Grk “Truly, truly, I say to you.”
191 tn Or “who commits.” This could simply be translated, “everyone who sins,” but the Greek is more emphatic, using the participle ποιῶν (poiwn) in a construction with πᾶς (pas), a typical Johannine construction. Here repeated, continuous action is in view. The one whose lifestyle is characterized by repeated, continuous sin is a slave to sin. That one is not free; sin has enslaved him. To break free from this bondage requires outside (divine) intervention. Although the statement is true at the general level (the person who continually practices a lifestyle of sin is enslaved to sin) the particular sin of the Jewish authorities, repeatedly emphasized in the Fourth Gospel, is the sin of unbelief. The present tense in this instance looks at the continuing refusal on the part of the Jewish leaders to acknowledge who Jesus is, in spite of mounting evidence.
192 tn See the note on the word “slaves” in 4:51.
193 tn Or “household.” The Greek work οἰκία (oikia) can denote the family as consisting of relatives by both descent and marriage, as well as slaves and servants, living in the same house (more the concept of an “extended family”).
194 sn Jesus’ point is that while a slave may be part of a family or household, the slave is not guaranteed a permanent place there, while a son, as a descendant or blood relative, will always be guaranteed a place in the family (remains forever).
195 tn Or “Son.” The question is whether “son” is to be understood as a direct reference to Jesus himself, or as an indirect reference (a continuation of the generic illustration begun in the previous verse).
196 tn Grk “seed” (an idiom).
197 tn Grk “you are seeking.”
198 tn Grk “my word.”
199 tn Or “finds no place in you.” The basic idea seems to be something (in this case Jesus’ teaching) making headway or progress where resistance is involved. See BDAG 1094 s.v. χωρέω 2.
200 tc The first person pronoun μου (mou, “my”) may be implied, especially if ὑμῶν (Jumwn, “your”) follows the second mention of “father” in this verse (as it does in the majority of
201 tn Grk “The things which I have seen with the Father I speak about.”
202 tn Grk “and you.”
203 tc A few significant witnesses lack ὑμῶν (Jumwn, “your”) here (Ì66,75 B L W 070 pc), while the majority have the pronoun (א C D Θ Ψ 0250 Ë1,13 33 565 892 Ï al lat sy). However, these
204 tn Grk “They answered and said to him.”
205 tn Or “Our father is Abraham.”
206 tn Grk “Jesus said to them.”
207 tc Although most
208 tc Some important
209 tn Grk “seeking.”
210 tn Grk “has spoken to you.”
211 tn The Greek word order is emphatic: “This Abraham did not do.” The emphasis is indicated in the translation by an exclamation point.
212 tn The word “people” is not in the Greek text, but is supplied in English to clarify the plural Greek pronoun and verb.
213 tc ‡ Important and early witnesses (א B L W 070 it sys,p co) lack the conjunction here, while the earliest witnesses along with many others read οὖν (oun, “therefore”; Ì66,75 C D Θ Ψ 0250 Ë13 33 Ï). This conjunction occurs in John some 200 times, far more than in any other NT book. Even though the combined testimony of two early papyri for the conjunction is impressive, the reading seems to be a predictable scribal emendation. In particular, οὖν is frequently used with the plural of εἶπον (eipon, “they said”) in John (in this chapter alone, note vv. 13, 39, 48, 57, and possibly 52). On balance, it is probably best to consider the shorter reading as authentic, even though “Then” is virtually required in translation for English stylistic reasons. NA27 has the conjunction in brackets, indicating some doubt as to its authenticity.
214 tn Grk “him”; the referent (Jesus) is specified in the translation for clarity.
215 sn We were not born as a result of immorality! is ironic, because Jesus’ opponents implied that it was not themselves but Jesus who had been born as a result of immoral behavior. This shows they did not know Jesus’ true origin and were not aware of the supernatural events surrounding his birth. The author does not even bother to refute the opponents’ suggestion but lets it stand, assuming his readers will know the true story.
216 tn Grk “Jesus said to them.”
217 tn Or “I came from God and have arrived.”
218 tn Grk “For I.” Here γάρ (gar) has not been translated.
219 tn Grk “from myself.”
220 tn Grk “that one” (referring to God).
221 tn Grk “you cannot hear,” but this is not a reference to deafness, but rather hearing in the sense of listening to something and responding to it.
222 tn Grk “my word.”
223 tn The word “people” is supplied in the translation to clarify that the Greek pronoun and verb are plural.
224 tn Many translations read “You are of your father the devil” (KJV, ASV, RSV, NASB) or “You belong to your father, the devil” (NIV), but the Greek preposition ἐκ (ek) emphasizes the idea of source or origin. Jesus said his opponents were the devil’s very offspring (a statement which would certainly infuriate them).
225 tn Grk “the desires of your father you want to do.”
226 tn Grk “That one” (referring to the devil).
227 tn Grk “he does not stand in the truth” (in the sense of maintaining, upholding, or accepting the validity of it).
228 tn Grk “Whenever he speaks the lie.”
229 tn Grk “he speaks from his own.”
230 tn Grk “because he is a liar and the father of it.”
231 tn Or “because I tell you.”
232 tn Or “can convict me.”
233 tn Or “of having sinned”; Grk “of sin.”
234 tn Or “if I tell you.”
235 tn Grk “who is of.”
236 tn Grk “to God hears” (in the sense of listening to something and responding to it).
237 tn Grk “you do not hear” (in the sense of listening to something and responding to it).
238 tn Grk “you are not of God.”
239 tn Grk “the Jews.” See the note on this term in v. 31. Here the phrase refers to the Jewish people in Jerusalem (“Judeans”; cf. BDAG 479 s.v. ᾿Ιουδαῖος 2.e) who had been listening to Jesus’ teaching in the temple courts (8:20) and had initially believed his claim to be the Messiah (cf. 8:31). They had become increasingly hostile as Jesus continued to teach. Now they were ready to say that Jesus was demon-possessed.
240 tn Grk “answered and said to him.”
241 tn Grk “Do we not say rightly.”
242 tn Grk “and have a demon.” It is not clear what is meant by the charge Σαμαρίτης εἶ σὺ καὶ δαιμόνιον ἔχεις (Samarith" ei su kai daimonion ecei"). The meaning could be “you are a heretic and are possessed by a demon.” Note that the dual charge gets one reply (John 8:49). Perhaps the phrases were interchangeable: Simon Magus (Acts 8:14-24) and in later traditions Dositheus, the two Samaritans who claimed to be sons of God, were regarded as mad, that is, possessed by demons.
243 tn Grk “I do not have a demon.”
244 tn “Yet” is supplied to show the contrastive element present in the context.
245 tn Grk “I am not seeking.”
246 tn Grk “my glory.”
247 tn Grk “who seeks.”
248 tn Or “will be the judge.”
249 tn Grk “Truly, truly, I say to you.”
250 tn Grk “If anyone keeps.”
251 tn Grk “my word.”
252 tn Grk “he will never see death forever.” The Greek negative here is emphatic.
253 tc ‡ Important and early witnesses (Ì66 א B C W Θ 579 it) lack the conjunction here, while other witnesses read οὖν (oun, “therefore”; Ì75 D L Ψ 070 Ë1,13 33 Ï lat). This conjunction occurs in John some 200 times, far more than in any other NT book. Even though the most important Johannine papyrus (Ì75) has the conjunction, the combination of Ì66 א B for the omission is even stronger. Further, the reading seems to be a predictable scribal emendation. In particular, οὖν is frequently used with the plural of εἶπον (eipon, “they said”) in John (in this chapter alone, note vv. 13, 39, 48, 57, and possibly 41). On balance, it is probably best to consider the shorter reading as authentic, even though “Then” is virtually required in translation for English stylistic reasons. NA27 has the conjunction in brackets, indicating some doubt as to its authenticity.
254 tn Grk “the Jews.” See the note on this term in v. 31. Here, as in vv. 31 and 48, the phrase refers to the Jewish people in Jerusalem (“Judeans”; cf. BDAG 479 s.v. ᾿Ιουδαῖος 2.e) who had been listening to Jesus’ teaching in the temple courts (8:20) and had initially believed his claim to be the Messiah (cf. 8:31).
255 tn Grk “said to him.”
256 tn Grk “you have a demon.”
257 tn “Yet” has been supplied to show the contrastive element present in the context.
258 tn Grk “If anyone keeps.”
259 tn Grk “my word.”
260 tn Grk “will never taste.” Here the Greek verb does not mean “sample a small amount” (as a typical English reader might infer from the word “taste”), but “experience something cognitively or emotionally; come to know something” (cf. BDAG 195 s.v. γεύομαι 2).
261 tn Grk “he will never taste of death forever.” The Greek negative here is emphatic.
262 tn Questions prefaced with μή (mh) in Greek anticipate a negative answer. This can sometimes be indicated by using a “tag” at the end in English (here the tag is “are you?”).
263 tn Grk “Jesus answered.”
264 tn Grk “is nothing.”
265 tn The word “people” is not in the Greek text, but is supplied in English to clarify the plural Greek pronoun and verb.
266 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “Yet” to indicate the contrast present in the context.
267 tn Grk “If I say, ‘I do not know him.’”
268 tn Grk “I keep.”
269 tn Grk “his word.”
270 tn Or “rejoiced greatly.”
271 tn What is the meaning of Jesus’ statement that the patriarch Abraham “saw” his day and rejoiced? The use of past tenses would seem to refer to something that occurred during the patriarch’s lifetime. Genesis Rabbah 44:25ff, (cf. 59:6) states that Rabbi Akiba, in a debate with Rabbi Johanan ben Zakkai, held that Abraham had been shown not this world only but the world to come (this would include the days of the Messiah). More realistically, it is likely that Gen 22:13-15 lies behind Jesus’ words. This passage, known to rabbis as the Akedah (“Binding”), tells of Abraham finding the ram which will replace his son Isaac on the altar of sacrifice – an occasion of certain rejoicing.
272 tn Grk “Then the Jews.” See the note on this term in v. 31. Here, as in vv. 31, 48, and 52, the phrase refers to the Jewish people in Jerusalem (“Judeans”; cf. BDAG 479 s.v. ᾿Ιουδαῖος 2.e) who had been listening to Jesus’ teaching in the temple courts (8:20) and had initially believed his claim to be the Messiah (cf. 8:31). They have now become completely hostile, as John 8:59 clearly shows.
273 tn Grk “said to him.”
274 tn Grk ‘You do not yet have fifty years” (an idiom).
275 tn Grk “And have.”
276 tn Grk “Truly, truly, I say to you.”
277 tn Grk “before Abraham was.”
278 sn I am! is an explicit claim to deity. Although each occurrence of the phrase “I am” in the Fourth Gospel needs to be examined individually in context to see if an association with Exod 3:14 is present, it seems clear that this is the case here (as the response of the Jewish authorities in the following verse shows).
279 tn Grk “they took up.”
280 sn Jesus’ Jewish listeners understood his claim to deity, rejected it, and picked up stones to throw at him for what they considered blasphemy.
281 tc Most later witnesses (A Θc Ë1,13 Ï) have at the end of the verse “passing through their midst, he went away in this manner” (διελθὼν διὰ μέσου καὶ παρῆγεν οὕτως, dielqwn dia mesou kai parhgen {outw"), while many others have similar permutations (so א1,2 C L N Ψ 070 33 579 892 1241 al). The wording is similar to two other texts: Luke 4:30 (διελθὼν διὰ μέσου; in several
282 tn Or “going along.” The opening words of chap. 9, καὶ παράγων (kai paragwn), convey only the vaguest indication of the circumstances.
283 tn Grk “asked him, saying.”
284 tn Grk “this one.”
285 tn Grk “in order that he should be born blind.”
286 tn Grk “this one.”
287 tn Grk “but so that.” There is an ellipsis that must be supplied: “but [he was born blind] so that” or “but [it happened to him] so that.”
288 tn Or “deeds”; Grk “works.”
289 tn Or “manifested,” “brought to light.”
290 tn Grk “in him.”
291 tn Grk “We must work the works.”
292 tn Or “of him who sent me” (God).
293 tn Or “while.”
294 sn Jesus’ statement I am the light of the world connects the present account with 8:12. Here (seen more clearly than at 8:12) it is obvious what the author sees as the significance of Jesus’ statement. “Light” is not a metaphysical definition of the person of Jesus but a description of his effect on the world, forcing everyone in the world to ‘choose up sides’ for or against him (cf. 3:19-21).
295 tn Grk “said these things.”
296 tn Or “clay” (moistened earth of a clay-like consistency). The textual variant preserved in the Syriac text of Ephraem’s commentary on the Diatessaron (“he made eyes from his clay”) probably arose from the interpretation given by Irenaeus in Against Heresies: “that which the Artificer, the Word, had omitted to form in the womb, he then supplied in public.” This involves taking the clay as an allusion to Gen 2:7, which is very unlikely.
297 tn Because of the length and complexity of the Greek sentence, the conjunction καί (kai) was replaced by a third person pronoun and a new sentence started here in the translation.
298 tn Grk “on his.”
299 tn The pool’s name in Hebrew is shiloah from the Hebrew verb “to send.” In Gen 49:10 the somewhat obscure shiloh was interpreted messianically by later Jewish tradition, and some have seen a lexical connection between the two names (although this is somewhat dubious). It is known, however, that it was from the pool of Siloam that the water which was poured out at the altar during the feast of Tabernacles was drawn.
300 sn This is a parenthetical note by the author. Why does he comment on the meaning of the name of the pool? Here, the significance is that the Father sent the Son, and the Son sent the man born blind. The name of the pool is applicable to the man, but also to Jesus himself, who was sent from heaven.
301 tn Grk “So he”; the referent (the blind man) is specified in the translation for clarity.
302 tn Or “formerly.”
303 tn An ingressive force (“began saying”) is present here because the change in status of the blind person provokes this new response from those who knew him.
304 tn Grk “the one.”
305 tn Grk “Others were saying.”
306 tn Grk “This is the one.”
307 tn Grk “No, but he is like him.”
308 tn Grk “That one”; the referent (the man himself) is specified in the translation for clarity.
309 tn Grk “I am he.”
310 tn Grk “So they were saying to him.”
311 tn Grk “How then were your eyes opened” (an idiom referring to restoration of sight).
312 tn Grk “That one answered.”
313 tn Or “clay” (moistened earth of a clay-like consistency).
314 tn Grk “and smeared.” Direct objects in Greek were often omitted when obvious from the context.
315 tn Grk “said to me.”
316 tn Or “and I gained my sight.”
317 tn Grk “And they said.”
318 tn Grk “that one.” “Man” is more normal English style for the referent.
319 tn Grk “He said.”
320 tn Grk “who was formerly blind.”
321 sn See the note on Pharisees in 1:24.
322 tn Or “clay” (moistened earth of a clay-like consistency).
323 tn Grk “and opened his eyes” (an idiom referring to restoration of sight).
324 sn This is a parenthetical note by the author.
325 tn Or “how he had become able to see.”
326 tn Grk “And he said to them.”
327 tn Or “clay” (moistened earth of a clay-like consistency).
328 tn The word “now” is not in the Greek text, but is supplied to indicate the contrast between the man’s former state (blind) and his present state (able to see).
329 tn As a response to the answers of the man who used to be blind, the use of the imperfect tense in the reply of the Pharisees is best translated as an ingressive imperfect (“began to say” or “started saying”).
330 tn Grk “he does not keep.”
331 sn The Jewish religious leaders considered the work involved in making the mud to be a violation of the Sabbath.
332 tn Grk “do.”
333 tn Or “So there was discord.”
334 tn Grk “the blind man.”
335 tn Grk “since he opened your eyes” (an idiom referring to restoration of sight).
336 tn Grk “And he said, ‘He is a prophet.’”
337 tn Or “the Jewish religious authorities”; Grk “the Jews.” In NT usage the term ᾿Ιουδαῖοι (Ioudaioi) may refer to the entire Jewish people, the residents of Jerusalem and surrounding territory, the authorities in Jerusalem, or merely those who were hostile to Jesus. (For further information see R. G. Bratcher, “‘The Jews’ in the Gospel of John,” BT 26 [1975]: 401-9.) Here the phrase refers mainly to the Pharisees, mentioned by name in John 9:13, 15, 16. References in this context to Pharisees and to the synagogue (v. 22) suggest an emphasis on the religious nature of the debate which is brought out by the translation “the Jewish religious leaders.”
338 tn The Greek text contains the words “about him” at this point: “the Jewish authorities did not believe about him…”
339 tn Grk “they called.”
340 tn Or “the man who had gained his sight.”
341 tn Grk “and they asked them, saying”; the referent (the parents) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
342 tn The Greek pronoun and verb are both plural (both parents are addressed).
343 tn Grk “So his parents answered and said.”
344 tn Grk “who opened his eyes” (an idiom referring to restoration of sight).
345 tn Or “he is of age.”
346 tn Or “the Jewish religious authorities”; Grk “the Jews.” Twice in this verse the phrase refers to the Pharisees, mentioned by name in John 9:13, 15, 16. The second occurrence is shortened to “the Jewish leaders” for stylistic reasons. See the note on the phrase “the Jewish religious leaders” in v. 18.
347 tn Grk “confessed him.”
348 tn Or “the Messiah” (Both Greek “Christ” and Hebrew and Aramaic “Messiah” mean “one who has been anointed”).
349 tn Or “would be expelled from.”
350 sn This reference to excommunication from the Jewish synagogue for those who had made some sort of confession about Jesus being the Messiah is dismissed as anachronistic by some (e.g., Barrett) and nonhistorical by others. In later Jewish practice there were at least two forms of excommunication: a temporary ban for thirty days, and a permanent ban. But whether these applied in NT times is far from certain. There is no substantial evidence for a formal ban on Christians until later than this Gospel could possibly have been written. This may be a reference to some form of excommunication adopted as a contingency to deal with those who were proclaiming Jesus to be the Messiah. If so, there is no other record of the procedure than here. It was probably local, limited to the area around Jerusalem. See also the note on synagogue in 6:59.
351 tn Or “he is of age.”
352 sn This is a parenthetical note by the author explaining the parents’ response.
353 tn Grk “they called.”
354 tn Grk “who was blind.”
355 tn Grk “Give glory to God” (an idiomatic formula used in placing someone under oath to tell the truth).
356 tn The phrase “this man” is a reference to Jesus.
357 tn Grk “Then that one answered.”
358 tn Grk “open your eyes” (an idiom referring to restoration of sight).
359 tn Grk “He answered them.” The indirect object αὐτοῖς (autois) has not been translated for stylistic reasons.
360 tn Grk “you did not hear.”
361 tn “It” is not in the Greek text but has been supplied. Direct objects in Greek were often omitted when they were clearly implied in the context.
362 tn The word “people” is supplied in the translation to clarify the plural Greek pronoun and verb.
363 tn Grk “And they.” Because of the difference between Greek style, which often begins sentences or clauses with “and,” and English style, which generally does not, καί (kai) has not been translated here.
364 tn The Greek word means “to insult strongly” or “slander.”
365 tn Grk “and said.”
366 tn Grk “You are that one’s disciple.”
367 tn Grk “where this one.”
368 tn Grk “The man answered and said to them.” This has been simplified in the translation to “The man replied.”
369 tn Grk “For in this is a remarkable thing.”
370 tn Grk “and he opened my eyes” (an idiom referring to restoration of sight).
371 tn Grk “God does not hear.”
372 tn Or “godly.”
373 tn Grk “he”; the referent (God) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
374 tn Or “hears.”
375 tn Grk “this one.”
376 tn Or “Never from the beginning of time,” Grk “From eternity.”
377 tn Grk “someone opening the eyes of a man born blind” (“opening the eyes” is an idiom referring to restoration of sight).
378 tn Grk “this one.”
379 tn Grk “They answered and said to him.” This has been simplified in the translation to “They replied.”
380 tn Or “From birth you have been evil.” The implication of this insult, in the context of John 9, is that the man whom Jesus caused to see had not previously adhered rigorously to all the conventional requirements of the OT law as interpreted by the Pharisees. Thus he had no right to instruct them about who Jesus was.
381 tn Grk “and are you teaching us?”
382 tn Grk “found him”; the referent (the man) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
383 tc Although most witnesses (A L Θ Ψ 070 0250 Ë1,13 33 Ï lat) have θεοῦ (qeou, “of God”) instead of ἀνθρώπου (anqrwpou, “of man”) here, the better witnesses (Ì66,75 א B D W sys) have ἀνθρώπου. Not only is the external evidence decidedly on the side of ἀνθρώπου, but it is difficult to see such early and diverse witnesses changing θεοῦ to ἀνθρώπου. The wording “Son of Man” is thus virtually certain.
384 tn Grk “That one.”
385 tn Grk answered and said.” This has been simplified in the translation to “replied.”
386 tn Or “And who is he, sir? Tell me so that…” Some translations supply elliptical words like “Tell me” (NIV, NRSV) following the man’s initial question, but the shorter form given in the translation is clear enough.
387 tn Grk “that one.”
388 tn The καί – καί (kai – kai) construction would normally be translated “both – and”: “You have both seen him, and he is the one speaking with you.” In this instance the English semicolon was used instead because it produces a smoother and more emphatic effect in English.
389 sn Assuming the authenticity of John 9:38-39a (see the tc note following the bracket in v. 39), the man’s response after Jesus’ statement of v. 37 is extremely significant: He worshiped Jesus. In the Johannine context the word would connote its full sense: This was something due God alone. Note also that Jesus did not prevent the man from doing this. The verb προσκυνέω (proskunew) is used in John 4:20-25 of worshiping God, and again with the same sense in 12:20. This would be the only place in John’s Gospel where anyone is said to have worshiped Jesus using this term. As such, it forms the climax of the story of the man born blind, but the uniqueness of the concept of worshiping Jesus at this point in John's narrative (which reaches its ultimate climax in the confession of Thomas in John 20:28) may suggest it is too early for such a response and it represents a later scribal addition.
390 tn Grk “And Jesus.” Because of the difference between Greek style, which often begins sentences or clauses with “and,” and English style, which generally does not, καί (kai) has not been translated here.
391 tc ‡ Some early and important witnesses (Ì75 א* W b sams ac2 mf) lack the words, “He said, ‘Lord, I believe,’ and he worshiped him. Jesus said,” (vv. 38-39a). This is weighty evidence for the omission of these words. It is difficult to overstate the value of Ì75 here, since it is the only currently available papyrus ms extant for the text of John 9:38-39. Further, א is an important and early Alexandrian witness for the omission. The versional testimony and codex W also give strong support to the omission. Nearly all other
392 tn Or “that those who do not see may see.”
393 sn See the note on Pharisees in 1:24.
394 tn Grk “heard these things.”
395 tn Grk “and said to him.”
396 tn Questions prefaced with μή (mh) in Greek anticipate a negative answer. This can sometimes be indicated by using a “tag” at the end in English (here the tag is “are we?”).
397 tn Grk “Jesus said to them.”
398 tn Grk “you would not have sin.”
399 tn Grk “now because you say, ‘We see…’”
400 tn Or “your sin.”
401 sn Because you claim that you can see, your guilt remains. The blind man received sight physically, and this led him to see spiritually as well. But the Pharisees, who claimed to possess spiritual sight, were spiritually blinded. The reader might recall Jesus’ words to Nicodemus in 3:10, “Are you the teacher of Israel and don’t understand these things?” In other words, to receive Jesus was to receive the light of the world, to reject him was to reject the light, close one’s eyes, and become blind. This is the serious sin of which Jesus had warned before (8:21-24). The blindness of such people was incurable since they had rejected the only cure that exists (cf. 12:39-41).
402 tn Grk “Truly, truly, I say to you.”
403 sn There was more than one type of sheepfold in use in Palestine in Jesus’ day. The one here seems to be a courtyard in front of a house (the Greek word used for the sheepfold here, αὐλή [aulh] frequently refers to a courtyard), surrounded by a stone wall (often topped with briars for protection).
404 tn Or “entrance.”
405 tn Or “porter” (British English).
406 tn The words “the door” are not in the Greek text but are implied. Direct objects in Greek were often omitted when clear from the context.
407 tn Grk “For this one.”
408 tn Grk “And he.” Because of the difference between Greek style, which often begins sentences or clauses with “and,” and English style, which generally does not, καί (kai) has not been translated here.
409 sn He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. Some interpreters have suggested that there was more than one flock in the fold, and there would be a process of separation where each shepherd called out his own flock. This may also be suggested by the mention of a doorkeeper in v. 3 since only the larger sheepfolds would have such a guard. But the Gospel of John never mentions a distinction among the sheep in this fold; in fact (10:16) there are other sheep which are to be brought in, but they are to be one flock and one shepherd.
410 tn The word “sheep” is not in the Greek text, but is implied.
411 tn Grk “because they know.”
412 tn Or “someone whom they do not know.”
413 tn Grk “know.”
414 tn Or “the voice of someone they do not know.”
415 sn A parable is a fairly short narrative that has symbolic meaning. The Greek word παροιμίαν (paroimian) is used again in 16:25, 29. This term does not occur in the synoptic gospels, where παραβολή (parabolh) is used. Nevertheless it is similar, denoting a short narrative with figurative or symbolic meaning.
416 tn Grk “these.”
417 tn Or “comprehend.”
418 tn Grk “Truly, truly, I say to you.”
419 tn Or “I am the sheep’s door.”
420 tn Grk “are” (present tense).
421 tn Or “the sheep did not hear them.”
422 tn Since the Greek phrase εἰσέρχομαι καὶ ἐξέρχομαι (eisercomai kai exercomai, “come in and go out”) is in some places an idiom for living or conducting oneself in relationship to some community (“to live with, to live among” [cf. Acts 1:21; see also Num 27:17; 2 Chr 1:10]), it may well be that Jesus’ words here look forward to the new covenant community of believers. Another significant NT text is Luke 9:4, where both these verbs occur in the context of the safety and security provided by a given household for the disciples. See also BDAG 294 s.v. εἰσέρχομαι 1.b.β.
423 sn That is, pasture land in contrast to cultivated land.
424 tn That is, “to slaughter” (in reference to animals).
425 tn That is, more than one would normally expect or anticipate.
426 tn Or “model” (see R. E. Brown, John [AB], 1:386, who argues that “model” is a more exact translation of καλός [kalos] here).
427 tn Or “The good shepherd dies willingly.”
428 sn Jesus contrasts the behavior of the shepherd with that of the hired hand. This is a worker who is simply paid to do a job; he has no other interest in the sheep and is certainly not about to risk his life for them. When they are threatened, he simply runs away.
429 tn Grk “leaves.”
430 tn Or “flees.”
431 tn Or “seizes.” The more traditional rendering, “snatches,” has the idea of seizing something by force and carrying it off, which is certainly possible here. However, in the sequence in John 10:12, this action precedes the scattering of the flock of sheep, so “attacks” is preferable.
432 tn Grk “does not have a care for the sheep.”
433 tc The phrase “he runs away” is lacking in several important
434 tn Grk “And I.” Because of the difference between Greek style, which often begins sentences or clauses with “and,” and English style, which generally does not, καί (kai) has not been translated here.
435 tn The direct object is frequently omitted in Greek and must be supplied from the context. Here it could be “sheep,” but Jesus was ultimately talking about “people.”
436 tn Or “I die willingly.”
437 tn Or “on behalf of” or “for the sake of.”
438 tn Grk “And I have.” Because of the difference between Greek style, which often begins sentences or clauses with “and,” and English style, which generally does not, καί (kai) has not been translated here.
439 tn Or “that do not belong to”; Grk “that are not of.”
440 sn The statement I have other sheep that do not come from this sheepfold almost certainly refers to Gentiles. Jesus has sheep in the fold who are Jewish; there are other sheep which, while not of the same fold, belong to him also. This recalls the mission of the Son in 3:16-17, which was to save the world – not just the nation of Israel. Such an emphasis would be particularly appropriate to the author if he were writing to a non-Palestinian and primarily non-Jewish audience.
441 tn Grk “they will hear my voice.”
442 tn Grk “voice, and.”
443 tn The word “and” is not in the Greek text, but must be supplied to conform to English style. In Greek it is an instance of asyndeton (omission of a connective), usually somewhat emphatic.
444 tn Grk “Because of this the Father loves me.”
445 tn Or “die willingly.”
446 tn Or “give it up.”
447 tn Or “of my own accord.” “Of my own free will” is given by BDAG 321 s.v. ἐμαυτοῦ c.
448 tn Or “I have the right.”
449 tn Or “I have the right.”
450 tn Or “order.”
451 tn Or perhaps “the Jewish religious leaders”; Grk “the Jews.” In NT usage the term ᾿Ιουδαῖοι (Ioudaioi) may refer to the entire Jewish people, the residents of Jerusalem and surrounding territory, the authorities in Jerusalem, or merely those who were hostile to Jesus. (For further information see R. G. Bratcher, “‘The Jews’ in the Gospel of John,” BT 26 [1975]: 401-9.) Here the phrase could be taken to refer to the Jewish religious leaders, since the Pharisees were the last to be mentioned specifically by name, in John 9:40. However, in light of the charge about demon possession, which echoes 8:48, it is more likely that Jewish people in general (perhaps in Jerusalem, if that is understood to be the setting of the incident) are in view here.
452 tn Or “is insane.” To translate simply “he is mad” (so KJV, ASV, RSV; “raving mad” NIV) could give the impression that Jesus was angry, while the actual charge was madness or insanity.
453 tn Or “the sayings.”
454 tn Grk “open the eyes of the blind” (“opening the eyes” is an idiom referring to restoration of sight).
455 tn Questions prefaced with μή (mh) in Greek anticipate a negative answer. This can sometimes be indicated by using a “tag” at the end in English (here the tag is “can it?”).
456 tn That is, Hanukkah or the ‘Festival of Lights.’ The Greek name for the feast, τὰ ἐγκαίνια (ta enkainia), literally means “renewal” and was used to translate Hanukkah which means “dedication.” The Greek noun, with its related verbs, was the standard term used in the LXX for the consecration of the altar of the Tabernacle (Num 7:10-11), the altar of the temple of Solomon (1 Kgs 8:63; 2 Chr 7:5), and the altar of the second temple (Ezra 6:16). The word is thus connected with the consecration of all the houses of God in the history of the nation of Israel.
457 map For location see Map5-B1; Map6-F3; Map7-E2; Map8-F2; Map10-B3; JP1-F4; JP2-F4; JP3-F4; JP4-F4.
458 sn It was winter. The feast began on 25 Kislev, in November-December of the modern Gregorian calendar.
459 tn Grk “in the temple.”
460 tn Or “portico,” “colonnade”; Grk “stoa.”
461 tn Or “the Jewish authorities”; Grk “the Jews.” Here the phrase refers to the Jewish leaders. The question they ask Jesus (“Are you the Christ?”) is the same one they sent and asked of John the Baptist in the desert (see John 1:19-34). See also the note on the phrase “the Jewish people” in v. 19.
462 tn Grk “said to him.” This has been translated as “asked” for stylistic reasons.
463 tn Grk “How long will you take away our life?” (an idiom which meant to keep one from coming to a conclusion about something). The use of the phrase τὴν ψυχὴν ἡμῶν αἴρεις (thn yuchn Jhmwn airei") meaning “to keep in suspense” is not well attested, although it certainly fits the context here. In modern Greek the phrase means “to annoy, bother.”
464 tn Or “the Messiah” (Both Greek “Christ” and Hebrew and Aramaic “Messiah” mean “one who has been anointed”).
465 tn Or “publicly.”
466 tn Grk “answered them.”
467 tn Or “the works.”
468 tn Grk “And I give.”
469 tn Or “will never die” or “will never be lost.”
470 tn Or “no one will seize.”
471 tn Or “is superior to all.”
472 tn Or “no one can seize.”
473 tn Grk “I and the Father.” The order has been reversed to reflect English style.
474 tn The phrase ἕν ἐσμεν ({en esmen) is a significant assertion with trinitarian implications. ἕν is neuter, not masculine, so the assertion is not that Jesus and the Father are one person, but one “thing.” Identity of the two persons is not what is asserted, but essential unity (unity of essence).
475 tn Or “the Jewish authorities”; Grk “the Jews.” Here the phrase refers to the Jewish leaders. See the notes on the phrases “Jewish people” in v. 19 and “Jewish leaders” in v. 24.
476 tn Grk “Jesus answered them.”
477 tn Or “good works.”
478 tn Or “the Jewish authorities”; Grk “the Jews.” Here again the phrase refers to the Jewish leaders. See the notes on the phrase “Jewish people” in v. 19 and “Jewish leaders” in vv. 24, 31.
479 tn Grk “answered him.”
480 tn Or “good work.”
481 sn This is the first time the official charge of blasphemy is voiced openly in the Fourth Gospel (although it was implicit in John 8:59).
482 tn Grk “and because.”
483 tn Grk “you, a man, make yourself to be God.”
484 tn Grk “answered them.”
485 sn A quotation from Ps 82:6. Technically the Psalms are not part of the OT “law” (which usually referred to the five books of Moses), but occasionally the term “law” was applied to the entire OT, as here. The problem in this verse concerns the meaning of Jesus’ quotation from Ps 82:6. It is important to look at the OT context: The whole line reads “I say, you are gods, sons of the Most High, all of you.” Jesus will pick up on the term “sons of the Most High” in 10:36, where he refers to himself as the Son of God. The psalm was understood in rabbinic circles as an attack on unjust judges who, though they have been given the title “gods” because of their quasi-divine function of exercising judgment, are just as mortal as other men. What is the argument here? It is often thought to be as follows: If it was an OT practice to refer to men like the judges as gods, and not blasphemy, why did the Jewish authorities object when this term was applied to Jesus? This really doesn’t seem to fit the context, however, since if that were the case Jesus would not be making any claim for “divinity” for himself over and above any other human being – and therefore he would not be subject to the charge of blasphemy. Rather, this is evidently a case of arguing from the lesser to the greater, a common form of rabbinic argument. The reason the OT judges could be called gods is because they were vehicles of the word of God (cf. 10:35). But granting that premise, Jesus deserves much more than they to be called God. He is the Word incarnate, whom the Father sanctified and sent into the world to save the world (10:36). In light of the prologue to the Gospel of John, it seems this interpretation would have been most natural for the author. If it is permissible to call men “gods” because they were the vehicles of the word of God, how much more permissible is it to use the word “God” of him who is the Word of God?
486 sn The parenthetical note And the scripture cannot be broken belongs to Jesus’ words rather than the author’s. Not only does Jesus appeal to the OT to defend himself against the charge of blasphemy, but he also adds that the scripture cannot be “broken.” In this context he does not explain precisely what is meant by “broken,” but it is not too hard to determine. Jesus’ argument depended on the exact word used in the context of Ps 82:6. If any other word for “judge” had been used in the psalm, his argument would have been meaningless. Since the scriptures do use this word in Ps 82:6, the argument is binding, because they cannot be “broken” in the sense of being shown to be in error.
487 tn Or “dedicated.”
488 tn Or “do.”
489 tn Or “works.”
490 tn Or “works.”
491 tn Or “so that you may learn.”
492 tc It is difficult to decide between ἐζήτουν οὖν (ezhtoun oun, “then they were seeking”; Ì66 א A L W Ψ Ë1,13 33 pm lat), ἐζήτουν δέ (ezhtoun de, “now they were seeking”; Ì45 and a few versional witnesses), καὶ ἐζήτουν (kai ezhtoun, “and they were seeking”; D), and ἐζήτουν (Ì75vid B Γ Θ 700 pm). Externally, the most viable readings are ἐζήτουν οὖν and ἐζήτουν. Transcriptionally, the οὖν could have dropped out via haplography since the verb ends in the same three letters. On the other hand, it is difficult to explain the readings with δέ or καί if ἐζήτουν οὖν is original; such readings would more likely have arisen from the simple ἐζήτουν. Intrinsically, John is fond of οὖν, using it some 200 times. Further, this Gospel begins relatively few sentences without some conjunction. The minimal support for the δέ and καί readings suggests that they arose either from the lone verb reading (which would thus be prior to their respective Vorlagen but not necessarily the earliest reading) or through carelessness on the part of the scribes. Indeed, the ancestors of Ì45 and D may have committed haplography, leaving later scribes in the chain to guess at the conjunction needed. In sum, the best reading appears to be ἐζήτουν οὖν.
493 tn Grk “they were seeking.”
494 tn Grk “he departed out of their hand.”
495 tn Grk “He”; the referent (Jesus) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
496 tn The word “River” is not in the Greek text but is supplied for clarity.
497 sn John refers to John the Baptist.
498 tn Grk “formerly.”
499 tn Grk “And many.” Because of the difference between Greek style, which often begins sentences or clauses with “and,” and English style, which generally does not, καί (kai) has not been translated here.
500 sn John refers to John the Baptist.
501 tn Grk “did.”
502 tn Grk “this one.”
503 tn Grk “in him.”