John 1:18

1:18 No one has ever seen God. The only one, ¹  himself God, who is in closest fellowship with ²  the Father, has made God ³  known. ⁴ 

John 6:46

6:46 (Not that anyone has seen the Father except the one who is from God – he ⁵  has seen the Father.) ⁶ 

John 8:55

8:55 Yet ⁷  you do not know him, but I know him. If I were to say that I do not know him, ⁸  I would be a liar like you. But I do know him, and I obey ⁹  his teaching. ¹⁰ 

John 17:25

17:25 Righteous Father, even if the world does not know you, I know you, and these men ¹¹  know that you sent me.

Matthew 11:27

11:27 All things have been handed over to me by my Father. ¹²  No one knows the Son except the Father, and no one knows the Father except the Son and anyone to whom the Son decides ¹³  to reveal him.

Luke 10:21

10:21 On that same occasion ¹⁴  Jesus ¹⁵  rejoiced ¹⁶  in the Holy Spirit and said, “I praise ¹⁷  you, Father, Lord ¹⁸  of heaven and earth, because ¹⁹  you have hidden these things from the wise ²⁰  and intelligent, and revealed them to little children. Yes, Father, for this was your gracious will. ²¹ 

Revelation 5:2-9

5:2 And I saw a powerful angel proclaiming in a loud voice: “Who is worthy to open the scroll and to break its seals?” 5:3 But ²²  no one in heaven or on earth or under the earth was able to open the scroll or look into it. 5:4 So ²³  I began weeping bitterly ²⁴  because no one was found who was worthy to open the scroll or to look into it. 5:5 Then ²⁵  one of the elders said ²⁶  to me, “Stop weeping! ²⁷  Look, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the root of David, has conquered; ²⁸  thus he can open ²⁹  the scroll and its seven seals.”

5:6 Then ³⁰  I saw standing in the middle of the throne ³¹  and of the four living creatures, and in the middle of the elders, a Lamb that appeared to have been killed. ³²  He had ³³  seven horns and seven eyes, which ³⁴  are the seven ³⁵  spirits of God ³⁶  sent out into all the earth. 5:7 Then ³⁷  he came and took the scroll ³⁸  from the right hand of the one who was seated on the throne, 5:8 and when he had taken the scroll, the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders threw themselves to the ground ³⁹  before the Lamb. Each ⁴⁰  of them had a harp and golden bowls full of incense (which are the prayers of the saints). ⁴¹  5:9 They were singing a new song: ⁴² 

“You are worthy to take the scroll

and to open its seals

because you were killed, ⁴³ 

and at the cost of your own blood ⁴⁴  you have purchased ⁴⁵  for God

persons ⁴⁶  from every tribe, language, ⁴⁷  people, and nation.

[1:18]  ¹ tc The textual problem μονογενὴς θεός (monogenh" qeo", “the only God”) versus ὁ μονογενὴς υἱός (Jo monogenh" Juio", “the only son”) is a notoriously difficult one. Only one letter would have differentiated the readings in the mss, since both words would have been contracted as nomina sacra: thus qMs or uMs. Externally, there are several variants, but they can be grouped essentially by whether they read θεός or υἱός. The majority of mss, especially the later ones (A C³ Θ Ψ Ë^1,13 Ï lat), read ὁ μονογενὴς υἱός. Ì⁷⁵ א¹ 33 pc have ὁ μονογενὴς θεός, while the anarthrous μονογενὴς θεός is found in Ì⁶⁶ א* B C* L pc. The articular θεός is almost certainly a scribal emendation to the anarthrous θεός, for θεός without the article is a much harder reading. The external evidence thus strongly supports μονογενὴς θεός. Internally, although υἱός fits the immediate context more readily, θεός is much more difficult. As well, θεός also explains the origin of the other reading (υἱός), because it is difficult to see why a scribe who found υἱός in the text he was copying would alter it to θεός. Scribes would naturally change the wording to υἱός however, since μονογενὴς υἱός is a uniquely Johannine christological title (cf. John 3:16, 18; 1 John 4:9). But θεός as the older and more difficult reading is preferred. As for translation, it makes the most sense to see the word θεός as in apposition to μονογενής, and the participle ὁ ὤν (Jo wn) as in apposition to θεός, giving in effect three descriptions of Jesus rather than only two. (B. D. Ehrman, The Orthodox Corruption of Scripture, 81, suggests that it is nearly impossible and completely unattested in the NT for an adjective followed immediately by a noun that agrees in gender, number, and case, to be a substantival adjective: “when is an adjective ever used substantivally when it immediately precedes a noun of the same inflection?” This, however, is an overstatement. First, as Ehrman admits, μονογενής in John 1:14 is substantival. And since it is an established usage for the adjective in this context, one might well expect that the author would continue to use the adjective substantivally four verses later. Indeed, μονογενής is already moving toward a crystallized substantival adjective in the NT [cf. Luke 9:38; Heb 11:17]; in patristic Greek, the process continued [cf. PGL 881 s.v. 7]. Second, there are several instances in the NT in which a substantival adjective is followed by a noun with which it has complete concord: cf., e.g., Rom 1:30; Gal 3:9; 1 Tim 1:9; 2 Pet 2:5.) The modern translations which best express this are the NEB (margin) and TEV. Several things should be noted: μονογενής alone, without υἱός, can mean “only son,” “unique son,” “unique one,” etc. (see 1:14). Furthermore, θεός is anarthrous. As such it carries qualitative force much like it does in 1:1c, where θεὸς ἦν ὁ λόγος (qeo" hn Jo logo") means “the Word was fully God” or “the Word was fully of the essence of deity.” Finally, ὁ ὤν occurs in Rev 1:4, 8; 4:8, 11:17; and 16:5, but even more significantly in the LXX of Exod 3:14. Putting all of this together leads to the translation given in the text.

[1:18]  ² tn Grk “in the bosom of” (an idiom for closeness or nearness; cf. L&N 34.18; BDAG 556 s.v. κόλπος 1).

[1:18]  ³ tn Grk “him”; the referent (God) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[1:18]  ⁴ sn Has made God known. In this final verse of the prologue, the climactic and ultimate statement of the earthly career of the Logos, Jesus of Nazareth, is reached. The unique One (John 1:14), the One who has taken on human form and nature by becoming incarnate (became flesh, 1:14), who is himself fully God (the Word was God, 1:1c) and is to be identified with the ever-living One of the Old Testament revelation (Exod 3:14), who is in intimate relationship with the Father, this One and no other has fully revealed what God is like. As Jesus said to Philip in John 14:9, “The one who has seen me has seen the Father.”

[6:46]  ⁵ tn Grk “this one.”

[6:46]  ⁶ sn This is best taken as a parenthetical note by the author. Although some would attribute these words to Jesus himself, the switch from first person in Jesus’ preceding and following remarks to third person in v. 46 suggests that the author has added a clarifying comment here.

[8:55]  ⁷ tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “Yet” to indicate the contrast present in the context.

[8:55]  ⁸ tn Grk “If I say, ‘I do not know him.’”

[8:55]  ⁹ tn Grk “I keep.”

[8:55]  ¹⁰ tn Grk “his word.”

[17:25]  ¹¹ tn The word “men” is not in the Greek text but is implied. The translation uses the word “men” here rather than a more general term like “people” because the use of the aorist verb ἔγνωσαν (egnwsan) implies that Jesus is referring to the disciples present with him as he spoke these words (presumably all of them men in the historical context), rather than to those who are yet to believe because of their testimony (see John 17:20).

[11:27]  ¹² sn This verse has been noted for its conceptual similarity to teaching in John’s Gospel (10:15; 17:2). The authority of the Son and the Father are totally intertwined.

[11:27]  ¹³ tn Or “wishes”; or “intends”; or “plans” (cf. BDAG 182 s.v. βούλομαι 2.b). Here it is the Son who has sovereignty.

[10:21]  ¹⁴ tn Grk “In that same hour” (L&N 67.1).

[10:21]  ¹⁵ tn Grk “he”; the referent (Jesus) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[10:21]  ¹⁶ sn Jesus rejoiced. The account of the mission in 10:1-24 ends with several remarks about joy.

[10:21]  ¹⁷ tn Or “thank.”

[10:21]  ¹⁸ sn The title Lord is an important name for God, showing his sovereignty, but it is interesting that it comes next to a reference to the Father, a term indicative of God’s care. The two concepts are often related in the NT; see Eph 1:3-6.

[10:21]  ¹⁹ tn Or “that.”

[10:21]  ²⁰ sn See 1 Cor 1:26-31.

[10:21]  ²¹ tn Grk “for (to do) thus was well pleasing before you,” BDAG 325 s.v. ἔμπροσθεν 1.δ; speaking of something taking place “before” God is a reverential way of avoiding direct connection of the action to him.

[5:3]  ²² tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “but” to indicate the contrast present in this context.

[5:4]  ²³ tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “so” to indicate the implied result of no one being found worthy to open the scroll.

[5:4]  ²⁴ tn Grk “much.”

[5:5]  ²⁵ tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence within the narrative.

[5:5]  ²⁶ tn Grk “says” (a historical present).

[5:5]  ²⁷ tn The present imperative with μή (mh) is used here to command cessation of an action in progress (ExSyn 724 lists this verse as an example).

[5:5]  ²⁸ tn Or “has been victorious”; traditionally, “has overcome.”

[5:5]  ²⁹ tn The infinitive has been translated as an infinitive of result here.

[5:6]  ³⁰ tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence within the narrative.

[5:6]  ³¹ tn Perhaps, “in the middle of the throne area” (see L&N 83.10).

[5:6]  ³² tn Or “slaughtered”; traditionally, “slain.” The phrase behind this translation is ὡς ἐσφαγμένον (Jw" ejsfagmenon). The particle ὡς is used in Greek generally for comparison, and in Revelation it is used often to describe the appearance of what the author saw. This phrase does not imply that the Lamb “appeared to have been killed” but in reality was not, because the wider context of the NT shows that in fact the Lamb, i.e., Jesus, was killed. See 13:3 for the only other occurrence of this phrase in the NT.

[5:6]  ³³ tn Grk “killed, having.” Because of the length and complexity of the Greek sentence, a new sentence was started here in the translation by supplying the pronoun “he.”

[5:6]  ³⁴ sn The relative pronoun which is masculine, referring back to the eyes rather than to the horns.

[5:6]  ³⁵ tc There is good ms evidence for the inclusion of “seven” (ἑπτά, Jepta; ̲⁴ א 2053 2351 Ï^K). There is equally good ms support for the omission of the term (A 1006 1611 Ï^A pc). It may have been accidentally added due to its repeated presence in the immediately preceding phrases, or it may have been intentionally added to maintain the symmetry of the phrases or more likely to harmonize the phrase with 1:4; 3:1; 4:5. Or it may have been accidentally deleted by way of homoioteleuton (τὰ ἑπτά, ta Jepta). A decision is difficult in this instance. NA²⁷ also does not find the problem easy to solve, placing the word in brackets to indicate doubts as to its authenticity.

[5:6]  ³⁶ sn See the note on the phrase the seven spirits of God in Rev 4:5.

[5:7]  ³⁷ tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence of events within the vision.

[5:7]  ³⁸ tn The words “the scroll” are not in the Greek text, but are implied. Direct objects were frequently omitted in Greek when clear from the context.

[5:8]  ³⁹ tn Grk “fell down.” BDAG 815 s.v. πίπτω 1.b.α.ב. has “fall down, throw oneself to the ground as a sign of devotion or humility, before high-ranking persons or divine beings.”

[5:8]  ⁴⁰ tn Because of the length and complexity of the Greek sentence, a new sentence was started here in the translation.

[5:8]  ⁴¹ sn This interpretive comment by the author forms a parenthesis in the narrative.

[5:9]  ⁴² tn The redundant participle λέγοντες (legontes) has not been translated here.

[5:9]  ⁴³ tn Or “slaughtered”; traditionally, “slain.”

[5:9]  ⁴⁴ tn The preposition ἐν (en) is taken to indicate price here, like the Hebrew preposition ב (bet) does at times. BDAG 329 s.v. ἐν 5.b states, “The ἐν which takes the place of the gen. of price is also instrumental ἠγόρασας ἐν τῷ αἵματί σου Rv 5:9 (cp. 1 Ch 21:24 ἀγοράζω ἐν ἀργυρίῳ).”

[5:9]  ⁴⁵ tc The Greek text as it stands above (i.e., the reading τῷ θεῷ [tw qew] alone) is found in codex A. א 2050 2344 Ï sy add the term “us” (ἡμᾶς, Jhmas), either before or after τῷ θεῷ, as an attempt to clarify the object of “purchased” (ἠγόρασας, hgorasa"). A few mss (1 vg^ms) delete the reference to God altogether and simply replace it with “us” (ἡμᾶς). This too is an attempt to remove ambiguity in the phrase and provide an object for “purchased.” The shorter reading, supported by the best witness for Revelation, best accounts for the other readings.

[5:9]  ⁴⁶ tn The word “persons” is not in the Greek text, but is implied. Direct objects were often omitted in Greek when clear from the context.

[5:9]  ⁴⁷ tn Grk “and language,” but καί (kai) has not been translated since English normally uses a coordinating conjunction only between the last two elements in a series of three or more.