John 8:39

8:39 They answered him, ¹  “Abraham is our father!” ²  Jesus replied, ³  “If you are ⁴  Abraham’s children, you would be doing ⁵  the deeds of Abraham.

John 8:44

8:44 You people ⁶  are from ⁷  your father the devil, and you want to do what your father desires. ⁸  He ⁹  was a murderer from the beginning, and does not uphold the truth, ¹⁰  because there is no truth in him. Whenever he lies, ¹¹  he speaks according to his own nature, ¹²  because he is a liar and the father of lies. ¹³ 

¹ tn Grk “They answered and said to him.”

² tn Or “Our father is Abraham.”

³ tn Grk “Jesus said to them.”

⁴ tc Although most mss (C W Θ Ψ 0250 Ë^1,13 33 Ï) have the imperfect ἦτε (hte, “you were”) here, making this sentence a proper second class condition, the harder reading, ἐστε (este, “you are”), is found in the better witnesses (Ì^66,75 א B D L 070 pc lat).

⁵ tc Some important mss (Ì⁶⁶ B* [700]) have the present imperative ποιεῖτε (poieite) here: “If you are Abraham’s children, then do,” while many others (א² C K L N Δ Ψ Ë^1,13 33 565 579 892 pm) add the contingent particle ἄν (an) to ἐποιεῖτε (epoieite) making it a more proper second class condition by Attic standards. The simple ἐποιεῖτε without the ἄν is the hardest reading, and is found in some excellent witnesses (Ì⁷⁵ א* B² D W Γ Θ 070 0250 1424 pm).

⁶ tn The word “people” is supplied in the translation to clarify that the Greek pronoun and verb are plural.

⁷ 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).

⁸ tn Grk “the desires of your father you want to do.”

⁹ tn Grk “That one” (referring to the devil).

¹⁰ tn Grk “he does not stand in the truth” (in the sense of maintaining, upholding, or accepting the validity of it).

¹¹ tn Grk “Whenever he speaks the lie.”

¹² tn Grk “he speaks from his own.”

¹³ tn Grk “because he is a liar and the father of it.”