John 10:24

10:24 The Jewish leaders ¹  surrounded him and asked, ²  “How long will you keep us in suspense? ³  If you are the Christ, ⁴  tell us plainly.” ⁵ 

John 16:25

16:25 “I have told you these things in obscure figures of speech; ⁶  a time ⁷  is coming when I will no longer speak to you in obscure figures, but will tell you ⁸  plainly ⁹  about the Father.

John 16:29

16:29 His disciples said, “Look, now you are speaking plainly ¹⁰  and not in obscure figures of speech! ¹¹ 

[10:24]  ¹ 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.

[10:24]  ² tn Grk “said to him.” This has been translated as “asked” for stylistic reasons.

[10:24]  ³ 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.”

[10:24]  ⁴ tn Or “the Messiah” (Both Greek “Christ” and Hebrew and Aramaic “Messiah” mean “one who has been anointed”).

[10:24]  ⁵ tn Or “publicly.”

[16:25]  ⁶ tn Or “in parables”; or “in metaphors.” There is some difficulty in defining παροιμίαις (paroimiai") precisely: A translation like “parables” does not convey accurately the meaning. BDAG 779-80 s.v. παροιμία suggests in general “proverb, saw, maxim,” but for Johannine usage “veiled saying, figure of speech, in which esp. lofty ideas are concealed.” In the preceding context of the Farewell Discourse, Jesus has certainly used obscure language and imagery at times: John 13:8-11; 13:16; 15:1-17; and 16:21 could all be given as examples. In the LXX this word is used to translate the Hebrew mashal which covers a wide range of figurative speech, often containing obscure or enigmatic elements.

[16:25]  ⁷ tn Grk “an hour.”

[16:25]  ⁸ tn Or “inform you.”

[16:25]  ⁹ tn Or “openly.”

[16:29]  ¹⁰ tn Or “openly.”

[16:29]  ¹¹ tn Or “not in parables.” or “not in metaphors.”