8:39 They answered him, 18 “Abraham is our father!” 19 Jesus replied, 20 “If you are 21 Abraham’s children, you would be doing 22 the deeds of Abraham.
1 tn Grk “We are the seed” (an idiom).
2 tn Grk “They answered to him.”
3 tn Or “How is it that you say.”
4 tn Grk “Truly, truly, I say to you.”
5 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.
6 tn See the note on the word “slaves” in 4:51.
7 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”).
8 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).
9 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).
10 tn Grk “seed” (an idiom).
11 tn Grk “you are seeking.”
12 tn Grk “my word.”
13 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.
14 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
15 tn Grk “The things which I have seen with the Father I speak about.”
16 tn Grk “and you.”
17 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
18 tn Grk “They answered and said to him.”
19 tn Or “Our father is Abraham.”
20 tn Grk “Jesus said to them.”
21 tc Although most
22 tc Some important
23 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?”).
24 tn Grk “Jesus answered.”
25 tn Grk “is nothing.”
26 tn The word “people” is not in the Greek text, but is supplied in English to clarify the plural Greek pronoun and verb.
27 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “Yet” to indicate the contrast present in the context.
28 tn Grk “If I say, ‘I do not know him.’”
29 tn Grk “I keep.”
30 tn Grk “his word.”
31 tn Or “rejoiced greatly.”
32 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.