Discovery BoxJohn 1:19--10:42
Context1:19 Now 1 this was 2 John’s 3 testimony 4 when the Jewish leaders 5 sent 6 priests and Levites from Jerusalem 7 to ask him, “Who are you?” 8 1:20 He confessed – he did not deny but confessed – “I am not the Christ!” 9 1:21 So they asked him, “Then who are you? 10 Are you Elijah?” He said, “I am not!” 11 “Are you the Prophet?” 12 He answered, “No!” 1:22 Then they said to him, “Who are you? Tell us 13 so that we can give an answer to those who sent us. What do you say about yourself?”
1:23 John 14 said, “I am the voice of one shouting in the wilderness, ‘Make straight 15 the way for the Lord,’ 16 as Isaiah the prophet said.” 1:24 (Now they had been sent from the Pharisees. 17 ) 18 1:25 So they asked John, 19 “Why then are you baptizing if you are not the Christ, 20 nor Elijah, nor the Prophet?”
1:26 John answered them, 21 “I baptize with water. Among you stands one whom you do not recognize, 22 1:27 who is coming after me. I am not worthy 23 to untie the strap 24 of his sandal!” 1:28 These things happened in Bethany 25 across the Jordan River 26 where John was baptizing.
1:29 On the next day John 27 saw Jesus coming toward him and said, “Look, the Lamb of God 28 who takes away the sin of the world! 1:30 This is the one about whom I said, ‘After me comes a man who is greater than I am, 29 because he existed before me.’ 1:31 I did not recognize 30 him, but I came baptizing with water so that he could be revealed to Israel.” 31
1:32 Then 32 John testified, 33 “I saw the Spirit descending like a dove 34 from heaven, 35 and it remained on him. 36 1:33 And I did not recognize him, but the one who sent me to baptize with water said to me, ‘The one on whom you see the Spirit descending and remaining – this is the one who baptizes with the Holy Spirit.’ 1:34 I have both seen and testified that this man is the Chosen One of God.” 37
1:35 Again the next day John 38 was standing there 39 with two of his disciples. 1:36 Gazing at Jesus as he walked by, he said, “Look, the Lamb of God!” 40 1:37 When John’s 41 two disciples heard him say this, 42 they followed Jesus. 43 1:38 Jesus turned around and saw them following and said to them, “What do you want?” 44 So they said to him, “Rabbi” (which is translated Teacher), 45 “where are you staying?” 1:39 Jesus 46 answered, 47 “Come and you will see.” So they came and saw where he was staying, and they stayed with him that day. Now it was about four o’clock in the afternoon. 48
1:40 Andrew, the brother of Simon Peter, was one of the two disciples who heard what John said 49 and followed Jesus. 50 1:41 He first 51 found his own brother Simon and told him, “We have found the Messiah!” 52 (which is translated Christ). 53 1:42 Andrew brought Simon 54 to Jesus. Jesus looked at him and said, “You are Simon, the son of John. 55 You will be called Cephas” (which is translated Peter). 56
1:43 On the next day Jesus 57 wanted to set out for Galilee. 58 He 59 found Philip and said 60 to him, “Follow me.” 1:44 (Now Philip was from Bethsaida, 61 the town of 62 Andrew and Peter.) 1:45 Philip found Nathanael 63 and told him, “We have found the one Moses wrote about in the law, and the prophets also 64 wrote about – Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph.” 1:46 Nathanael 65 replied, 66 “Can anything good come out of Nazareth?” 67 Philip replied, 68 “Come and see.”
1:47 Jesus saw Nathanael coming toward him and exclaimed, 69 “Look, a true Israelite in whom there is no deceit!” 70 1:48 Nathanael asked him, “How do you know me?” Jesus replied, 71 “Before Philip called you, when you were under the fig tree, 72 I saw you.” 1:49 Nathanael answered him, “Rabbi, you are the Son of God; you are the king 73 of Israel!” 74 1:50 Jesus said to him, 75 “Because I told you that I saw you under the fig tree, do you believe? You will see greater things than these.” 76 1:51 He continued, 77 “I tell all of you the solemn truth 78 – you will see heaven opened and the angels of God ascending and descending on the Son of Man.” 79
2:1 Now on the third day there was a wedding at Cana 80 in Galilee. 81 Jesus’ mother 82 was there, 2:2 and Jesus and his disciples were also invited to the wedding. 83 2:3 When the wine ran out, Jesus’ mother said to him, “They have no wine left.” 84 2:4 Jesus replied, 85 “Woman, 86 why are you saying this to me? 87 My time 88 has not yet come.” 2:5 His mother told the servants, “Whatever he tells you, do it.” 89
2:6 Now there were six stone water jars there for Jewish ceremonial washing, 90 each holding twenty or thirty gallons. 91 2:7 Jesus told the servants, 92 “Fill the water jars with water.” So they filled them up to the very top. 2:8 Then he told them, “Now draw some out and take it to the head steward,” 93 and they did. 2:9 When 94 the head steward tasted the water that had been turned to wine, not knowing where it came from 95 (though the servants who had drawn the water knew), he 96 called the bridegroom 2:10 and said to him, “Everyone 97 serves the good wine first, and then the cheaper 98 wine when the guests 99 are drunk. You have kept the good wine until now!” 2:11 Jesus did this as the first of his miraculous signs, 100 in Cana 101 of Galilee. In this way he revealed 102 his glory, and his disciples believed in him. 103
2:12 After this he went down to Capernaum 104 with his mother and brothers 105 and his disciples, and they stayed there a few days. 2:13 Now the Jewish feast of Passover 106 was near, so Jesus went up to Jerusalem. 107
2:14 108 He found in the temple courts 109 those who were selling oxen and sheep and doves, and the money changers sitting at tables. 110 2:15 So he made a whip of cords 111 and drove them all out of the temple courts, 112 with the sheep and the oxen. He scattered the coins of the money changers 113 and overturned their tables. 2:16 To those who sold the doves he said, “Take these things away from here! Do not make 114 my Father’s house a marketplace!” 115 2:17 His disciples remembered that it was written, “Zeal 116 for your house will devour me.” 117
2:18 So then the Jewish leaders 118 responded, 119 “What sign can you show us, since you are doing these things?” 120 2:19 Jesus replied, 121 “Destroy 122 this temple and in three days I will raise it up again.” 2:20 Then the Jewish leaders 123 said to him, “This temple has been under construction 124 for forty-six years, 125 and are you going to raise it up in three days?” 2:21 But Jesus 126 was speaking about the temple of his body. 127 2:22 So after he was raised from the dead, his disciples remembered that he had said this, and they believed the scripture 128 and the saying 129 that Jesus had spoken.
2:23 Now while Jesus 130 was in Jerusalem 131 at the feast of the Passover, many people believed in his name because they saw the miraculous signs he was doing. 132 2:24 But Jesus would not entrust himself to them, because he knew all people. 133 2:25 He did not need anyone to testify about man, 134 for he knew what was in man. 135
3:1 Now a certain man, a Pharisee 136 named Nicodemus, who was a member of the Jewish ruling council, 137 3:2 came to Jesus 138 at night 139 and said to him, “Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher who has come from God. For no one could perform the miraculous signs 140 that you do unless God is with him.” 3:3 Jesus replied, 141 “I tell you the solemn truth, 142 unless a person is born from above, 143 he cannot see the kingdom of God.” 144 3:4 Nicodemus said to him, “How can a man be born when he is old? He cannot enter his mother’s womb and be born a second time, can he?” 145
3:5 Jesus answered, “I tell you the solemn truth, 146 unless a person is born of water and spirit, 147 he cannot enter the kingdom of God. 3:6 What is born of the flesh is flesh, 148 and what is born of the Spirit is spirit. 3:7 Do not be amazed that I said to you, ‘You must all 149 be born from above.’ 150 3:8 The wind 151 blows wherever it will, and you hear the sound it makes, but do not know where it comes from and where it is going. So it is with everyone who is born of the Spirit.” 152
3:9 Nicodemus replied, 153 “How can these things be?” 154 3:10 Jesus answered, 155 “Are you the teacher of Israel and yet you don’t understand these things? 156 3:11 I tell you the solemn truth, 157 we speak about what we know and testify about what we have seen, but 158 you people 159 do not accept our testimony. 160 3:12 If I have told you people 161 about earthly things and you don’t believe, how will you believe if I tell you about heavenly things? 162 3:13 No one 163 has ascended 164 into heaven except the one who descended from heaven – the Son of Man. 165 3:14 Just as 166 Moses lifted up the serpent 167 in the wilderness, 168 so must the Son of Man be lifted up, 169 3:15 so that everyone who believes in him may have eternal life.” 170
3:16 For this is the way 171 God loved the world: He gave his one and only 172 Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish 173 but have eternal life. 174 3:17 For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, 175 but that the world should be saved through him. 3:18 The one who believes in him is not condemned. 176 The one who does not believe has been condemned 177 already, because he has not believed in the name of the one and only 178 Son of God. 3:19 Now this is the basis for judging: 179 that the light has come into the world and people 180 loved the darkness rather than the light, because their deeds were evil. 3:20 For everyone who does evil deeds hates the light and does not come to the light, so that their deeds will not be exposed. 3:21 But the one who practices the truth comes to the light, so that it may be plainly evident that his deeds have been done in God. 181
3:22 After this, 182 Jesus and his disciples came into Judean territory, and there he spent time with them and was baptizing. 3:23 John 183 was also baptizing at Aenon near Salim, 184 because water was plentiful there, and people were coming 185 to him 186 and being baptized. 3:24 (For John had not yet been thrown into prison.) 187
3:25 Now a dispute came about between some of John’s disciples and a certain Jew 188 concerning ceremonial washing. 189 3:26 So they came to John and said to him, “Rabbi, the one who was with you on the other side of the Jordan River, 190 about whom you testified – see, he is baptizing, and everyone is flocking to him!”
3:27 John replied, 191 “No one can receive anything unless it has been given to him from heaven. 3:28 You yourselves can testify that I said, ‘I am not the Christ,’ 192 but rather, ‘I have been sent before him.’ 3:29 The one who has the bride is the bridegroom. The friend of the bridegroom, who stands by and listens for him, rejoices greatly 193 when he hears the bridegroom’s voice. This then is my joy, and it is complete. 194 3:30 He must become more important while I become less important.” 195
3:31 The one who comes from above is superior to all. 196 The one who is from the earth belongs to the earth and speaks about earthly things. 197 The one who comes from heaven 198 is superior to all. 199 3:32 He testifies about what he has seen and heard, but no one accepts his testimony. 3:33 The one who has accepted his testimony has confirmed clearly that God is truthful. 200 3:34 For the one whom God has sent 201 speaks the words of God, for he does not give the Spirit sparingly. 202 3:35 The Father loves the Son and has placed all things under his authority. 203 3:36 The one who believes in the Son has eternal life. The one who rejects 204 the Son will not see life, but God’s wrath 205 remains 206 on him.
4:1 Now when Jesus 207 knew that the Pharisees 208 had heard that he 209 was winning 210 and baptizing more disciples than John 4:2 (although Jesus himself was not baptizing, but his disciples were), 211 4:3 he left Judea and set out once more for Galilee. 212
4:4 But he had 213 to pass through Samaria. 214 4:5 Now he came to a Samaritan town 215 called Sychar, 216 near the plot of land that Jacob had given to his son Joseph. 217 4:6 Jacob’s well was there, so Jesus, since he was tired from the journey, sat right down beside 218 the well. It was about noon. 219
4:7 A Samaritan woman 220 came to draw water. Jesus said to her, “Give me some water 221 to drink.” 4:8 (For his disciples had gone off into the town to buy supplies. 222 ) 223 4:9 So the Samaritan woman said to him, “How can you – a Jew 224 – ask me, a Samaritan woman, for water 225 to drink?” (For Jews use nothing in common 226 with Samaritans.) 227
4:10 Jesus answered 228 her, “If you had known 229 the gift of God and who it is who said to you, ‘Give me some water 230 to drink,’ you would have asked him, and he would have given you living water.” 231 4:11 “Sir,” 232 the woman 233 said to him, “you have no bucket and the well 234 is deep; where then do you get this 235 living water? 236 4:12 Surely you’re not greater than our ancestor 237 Jacob, are you? For he gave us this well and drank from it himself, along with his sons and his livestock.” 238
4:13 Jesus replied, 239 “Everyone who drinks some of this water will be thirsty 240 again. 4:14 But whoever drinks some of the water that I will give him will never be thirsty again, 241 but the water that I will give him will become in him a fountain 242 of water springing up 243 to eternal life.” 4:15 The woman said to him, “Sir, give me this water, so that I will not be thirsty or have to come here to draw 244 water.” 245 4:16 He 246 said to her, “Go call your husband and come back here.” 247 4:17 The woman replied, 248 “I have no husband.” Jesus said to her, “Right you are when you said, 249 ‘I have no husband,’ 250 4:18 for you have had five husbands, and the man you are living with 251 now is not your husband. This you said truthfully!”
4:19 The woman said to him, “Sir, I see 252 that you are a prophet. 4:20 Our fathers worshiped on this mountain, 253 and you people 254 say that the place where people must worship is in Jerusalem.” 255 4:21 Jesus said to her, “Believe me, woman, 256 a time 257 is coming when you will worship 258 the Father neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem. 4:22 You people 259 worship what you do not know. We worship what we know, because salvation is from the Jews. 260 4:23 But a time 261 is coming – and now is here 262 – when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for the Father seeks 263 such people to be 264 his worshipers. 265 4:24 God is spirit, 266 and the people who worship him must worship in spirit and truth.” 4:25 The woman said to him, “I know that Messiah is coming” (the one called Christ); 267 “whenever he 268 comes, he will tell 269 us everything.” 270 4:26 Jesus said to her, “I, the one speaking to you, am he.”
4:27 Now at that very moment his disciples came back. 271 They were shocked 272 because he was speaking 273 with a woman. However, no one said, “What do you want?” 274 or “Why are you speaking with her?” 4:28 Then the woman left her water jar, went off into the town and said to the people, 275 4:29 “Come, see a man who told me everything I ever did. Surely he can’t be the Messiah, 276 can he?” 277 4:30 So 278 they left the town and began coming 279 to him.
4:31 Meanwhile the disciples were urging him, 280 “Rabbi, eat something.” 281 4:32 But he said to them, “I have food to eat that you know nothing about.” 4:33 So the disciples began to say 282 to one another, “No one brought him anything 283 to eat, did they?” 284 4:34 Jesus said to them, “My food is to do the will of the one who sent me 285 and to complete 286 his work. 287 4:35 Don’t you say, 288 ‘There are four more months and then comes the harvest?’ I tell you, look up 289 and see that the fields are already white 290 for harvest! 4:36 The one who reaps receives pay 291 and gathers fruit for eternal life, so that the one who sows and the one who reaps can rejoice together. 4:37 For in this instance the saying is true, 292 ‘One sows and another reaps.’ 4:38 I sent you to reap what you did not work for; others have labored and you have entered into their labor.”
4:39 Now many Samaritans from that town believed in him because of the report of the woman who testified, 293 “He told me everything I ever did.” 4:40 So when the Samaritans came to him, they began asking 294 him to stay with them. 295 He stayed there two days, 4:41 and because of his word many more 296 believed. 4:42 They said to the woman, “No longer do we believe because of your words, for we have heard for ourselves, and we know that this one 297 really is the Savior of the world.” 298
4:43 After the two days he departed from there to Galilee. 4:44 (For Jesus himself had testified that a prophet has no honor in his own country.) 299 4:45 So when he came to Galilee, the Galileans welcomed him because they had seen all the things he had done in Jerusalem 300 at the feast 301 (for they themselves had gone to the feast). 302
4:46 Now he came again to Cana 303 in Galilee where he had made the water wine. 304 In 305 Capernaum 306 there was a certain royal official 307 whose son was sick. 4:47 When he heard that Jesus had come back from Judea to Galilee, he went to him and begged him 308 to come down and heal his son, who was about to die. 4:48 So Jesus said to him, “Unless you people 309 see signs and wonders you will never believe!” 310 4:49 “Sir,” the official said to him, “come down before my child dies.” 4:50 Jesus told him, “Go home; 311 your son will live.” The man believed the word that Jesus spoke to him, and set off for home. 312
4:51 While he was on his way down, 313 his slaves 314 met him and told him that his son was going to live. 4:52 So he asked them the time 315 when his condition began to improve, 316 and 317 they told him, “Yesterday at one o’clock in the afternoon 318 the fever left him.” 4:53 Then the father realized that it was the very time 319 Jesus had said to him, “Your son will live,” and he himself believed along with his entire household. 4:54 Jesus did this as his second miraculous sign 320 when he returned from Judea to Galilee.
5:1 After this 321 there was a Jewish feast, 322 and Jesus went up to Jerusalem. 323 5:2 Now there is 324 in Jerusalem by the Sheep Gate 325 a pool called Bethzatha 326 in Aramaic, 327 which has five covered walkways. 328 5:3 A great number of sick, blind, lame, and paralyzed people were lying in these walkways. 5:4 [[EMPTY]] 329 5:5 Now a man was there who had been disabled for thirty-eight years. 330 5:6 When Jesus saw him lying there and when he realized 331 that the man 332 had been disabled a long time already, he said to him, “Do you want to become well?” 5:7 The sick man answered him, “Sir, 333 I have no one to put me into the pool when the water is stirred up. While I am trying to get into the water, 334 someone else 335 goes down there 336 before me.” 5:8 Jesus said to him, “Stand up! Pick up your mat 337 and walk.” 5:9 Immediately the man was healed, 338 and he picked up his mat 339 and started walking. (Now that day was a Sabbath.) 340
5:10 So the Jewish leaders 341 said to the man who had been healed, “It is the Sabbath, and you are not permitted to carry your mat.” 342 5:11 But he answered them, “The man who made me well said to me, ‘Pick up your mat 343 and walk.’” 5:12 They asked him, “Who is the man who said to you, ‘Pick up your mat 344 and walk’?” 345 5:13 But the man who had been healed did not know who it was, for Jesus had slipped out, since there was a crowd in that place.
5:14 After this Jesus found him at the temple and said to him, “Look, you have become well. Don’t sin any more, 346 lest anything worse happen to you.” 5:15 The man went away and informed the Jewish leaders 347 that Jesus was the one who had made him well.
5:16 Now because Jesus was doing these things 348 on the Sabbath, the Jewish leaders 349 began persecuting 350 him. 5:17 So he 351 told 352 them, “My Father is working until now, and I too am working.” 353 5:18 For this reason the Jewish leaders 354 were trying even harder to kill him, because not only was he breaking the Sabbath, but he was also calling God his own Father, thus making himself equal with God.
5:19 So Jesus answered them, 355 “I tell you the solemn truth, 356 the Son can do nothing on his own initiative, 357 but only what he sees the Father doing. For whatever the Father 358 does, the Son does likewise. 359 5:20 For the Father loves the Son and shows him everything he does, and will show him greater deeds than these, so that you will be amazed. 5:21 For just as the Father raises the dead and gives them life, 360 so also the Son gives life to whomever he wishes. 361 5:22 Furthermore, the Father does not judge 362 anyone, but has assigned 363 all judgment to the Son, 5:23 so that all people 364 will honor the Son just as they honor the Father. The one who does not honor the Son does not honor the Father who sent him.
5:24 “I tell you the solemn truth, 365 the one who hears 366 my message 367 and believes the one who sent me has eternal life and will not be condemned, 368 but has crossed over from death to life. 5:25 I tell you the solemn truth, 369 a time 370 is coming – and is now here – when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God, and those who hear will live. 5:26 For just as the Father has life in himself, thus he has granted the Son to have life in himself, 5:27 and he has granted the Son 371 authority to execute judgment, 372 because he is the Son of Man.
5:28 “Do not be amazed at this, because a time 373 is coming when all who are in the tombs will hear his voice 5:29 and will come out – the ones who have done what is good to the resurrection resulting in life, and the ones who have done what is evil to the resurrection resulting in condemnation. 374 5:30 I can do nothing on my own initiative. 375 Just as I hear, I judge, and my judgment is just, 376 because I do not seek my own will, but the will of the one who sent me. 377
5:31 “If I testify about myself, my testimony is not true. 5:32 There is another 378 who testifies about me, and I know the testimony he testifies about me is true. 5:33 You have sent to John, 379 and he has testified to the truth. 5:34 (I do not accept 380 human testimony, but I say this so that you may be saved.) 5:35 He was a lamp that was burning and shining, 381 and you wanted to rejoice greatly for a short time 382 in his light.
5:36 “But I have a testimony greater than that from John. For the deeds 383 that the Father has assigned me to complete – the deeds 384 I am now doing – testify about me that the Father has sent me. 5:37 And the Father who sent me has himself testified about me. You people 385 have never heard his voice nor seen his form at any time, 386 5:38 nor do you have his word residing in you, because you do not believe the one whom he sent. 5:39 You study the scriptures thoroughly 387 because you think in them you possess eternal life, 388 and it is these same scriptures 389 that testify about me, 5:40 but you are not willing to come to me so that you may have life.
5:41 “I do not accept 390 praise 391 from people, 392 5:42 but I know you, that you do not have the love of God 393 within you. 5:43 I have come in my Father’s name, and you do not accept 394 me. If someone else comes in his own name, you will accept 395 him. 5:44 How can you believe, if you accept praise 396 from one another and don’t seek the praise 397 that comes from the only God? 398
5:45 “Do not suppose that I will accuse you before the Father. The one who accuses you is Moses, in whom you have placed your hope. 399 5:46 If 400 you believed Moses, you would believe me, because he wrote about me. 5:47 But if you do not believe what Moses 401 wrote, how will you believe my words?”
6:1 After this 402 Jesus went away to the other side of the Sea of Galilee (also called the Sea of Tiberias). 403 6:2 A large crowd was following him because they were observing the miraculous signs he was performing on the sick. 6:3 So Jesus went on up the mountainside 404 and sat down there with his disciples. 6:4 (Now the Jewish feast of the Passover 405 was near.) 406 6:5 Then Jesus, when he looked up 407 and saw that a large crowd was coming to him, said to Philip, “Where can we buy bread so that these people may eat?” 6:6 (Now Jesus 408 said this to test him, for he knew what he was going to do.) 409 6:7 Philip replied, 410 “Two hundred silver coins worth 411 of bread would not be enough for them, for each one to get a little.” 6:8 One of Jesus’ disciples, 412 Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother, said to him, 6:9 “Here is a boy who has five barley loaves and two fish, but what good 413 are these for so many people?”
6:10 Jesus said, “Have 414 the people sit down.” (Now there was a lot of grass in that place.) 415 So the men 416 sat down, about five thousand in number. 6:11 Then Jesus took the loaves, and when he had given thanks, he distributed the bread to those who were seated. He then did the same with the fish, 417 as much as they wanted. 6:12 When they were all satisfied, Jesus 418 said to his disciples, “Gather up the broken pieces that are left over, so that nothing is wasted.” 6:13 So they gathered them up and filled twelve baskets with broken pieces from the five barley loaves 419 left over by the people who had eaten.
6:14 Now when the people saw the miraculous sign that Jesus 420 performed, they began to say to one another, “This is certainly the Prophet 421 who is to come into the world.” 422 6:15 Then Jesus, because he knew they were going to come and seize him by force to make him king, withdrew again up the mountainside alone. 423
6:16 Now when evening came, his disciples went down to the lake, 424 6:17 got into a boat, and started to cross the lake 425 to Capernaum. 426 (It had already become dark, and Jesus had not yet come to them.) 427 6:18 By now a strong wind was blowing and the sea was getting rough. 6:19 Then, when they had rowed about three or four miles, 428 they caught sight of Jesus walking on the lake, 429 approaching the boat, and they were frightened. 6:20 But he said to them, “It is I. Do not be afraid.” 6:21 Then they wanted to take him into the boat, and immediately the boat came to the land where they had been heading.
6:22 The next day the crowd that remained on the other side of the lake 430 realized that only one small boat 431 had been there, and that Jesus had not boarded 432 it with his disciples, but that his disciples had gone away alone. 6:23 But some boats from Tiberias 433 came to shore 434 near the place where they had eaten the bread after the Lord had given thanks. 435 6:24 So when the crowd realized that neither Jesus nor his disciples were there, they got into the boats 436 and came to Capernaum 437 looking for Jesus.
6:25 When they found him on the other side of the lake, 438 they said to him, “Rabbi, when did you get here?” 439 6:26 Jesus replied, 440 “I tell you the solemn truth, 441 you are looking for me not because you saw miraculous signs, but because you ate all the loaves of bread you wanted. 442 6:27 Do not work for the food that disappears, 443 but for the food that remains to eternal life – the food 444 which the Son of Man will give to you. For God the Father has put his seal of approval on him.” 445
6:28 So then they said to him, “What must we do to accomplish the deeds 446 God requires?” 447 6:29 Jesus replied, 448 “This is the deed 449 God requires 450 – to believe in the one whom he 451 sent.” 6:30 So they said to him, “Then what miraculous sign will you perform, so that we may see it and believe you? What will you do? 6:31 Our ancestors 452 ate the manna in the wilderness, just as it is written, ‘He gave them bread from heaven to eat.’” 453
6:32 Then Jesus told them, “I tell you the solemn truth, 454 it is not Moses who has given you the bread from heaven, but my Father is giving you the true bread from heaven. 6:33 For the bread of God is the one who 455 comes down from heaven and gives life to the world.” 6:34 So they said to him, “Sir, 456 give us this bread all the time!”
6:35 Jesus said to them, “I am the bread of life. The one who comes to me will never go hungry, and the one who believes in me will never be thirsty. 457 6:36 But I told you 458 that you have seen me 459 and still do not believe. 6:37 Everyone whom the Father gives me will come to me, and the one who comes to me I will never send away. 460 6:38 For I have come down from heaven not to do my own will but the will of the one who sent me. 6:39 Now this is the will of the one who sent me – that I should not lose one person of every one he has given me, but raise them all up 461 at the last day. 6:40 For this is the will of my Father – for everyone who looks on the Son and believes in him to have eternal life, and I will raise him up 462 at the last day.” 463
6:41 Then the Jews who were hostile to Jesus 464 began complaining about him because he said, “I am the bread that came down from heaven,” 6:42 and they said, “Isn’t this Jesus the son of Joseph, whose father and mother we know? How can he now say, ‘I have come down from heaven’?” 6:43 Jesus replied, 465 “Do not complain about me to one another. 466 6:44 No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him, 467 and I will raise him up at the last day. 6:45 It is written in the prophets, ‘And they will all be taught by God.’ 468 Everyone who hears and learns from the Father 469 comes to me. 6:46 (Not that anyone has seen the Father except the one who is from God – he 470 has seen the Father.) 471 6:47 I tell you the solemn truth, 472 the one who believes 473 has eternal life. 474 6:48 I am the bread of life. 475 6:49 Your ancestors 476 ate the manna in the wilderness, and they died. 6:50 This 477 is the bread that has come down from heaven, so that a person 478 may eat from it and not die. 6:51 I am the living bread that came down from heaven. If anyone eats from this bread he will live forever. The bread 479 that I will give for the life of the world is my flesh.”
6:52 Then the Jews who were hostile to Jesus 480 began to argue with one another, 481 “How can this man 482 give us his flesh to eat?” 6:53 Jesus said to them, “I tell you the solemn truth, 483 unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, 484 you have no life 485 in yourselves. 6:54 The one who eats 486 my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day. 487 6:55 For my flesh is true 488 food, and my blood is true 489 drink. 6:56 The one who eats 490 my flesh and drinks my blood resides in me, and I in him. 491 6:57 Just as the living Father sent me, and I live because of the Father, so the one who consumes 492 me will live because of me. 6:58 This 493 is the bread that came down from heaven; it is not like the bread your ancestors 494 ate, but then later died. 495 The one who eats 496 this bread will live forever.”
6:59 Jesus 497 said these things while he was teaching in the synagogue 498 in Capernaum. 499 6:60 Then many of his disciples, when they heard these things, 500 said, “This is a difficult 501 saying! 502 Who can understand it?” 503 6:61 When Jesus was aware 504 that his disciples were complaining 505 about this, he said to them, “Does this cause you to be offended? 506 6:62 Then what if you see the Son of Man ascending where he was before? 507 6:63 The Spirit is the one who gives life; human nature is of no help! 508 The words that I have spoken to you are spirit and are life. 509 6:64 But there are some of you who do not believe.” (For Jesus had already known from the beginning who those were who did not believe, and who it was who would betray him.) 510 6:65 So Jesus added, 511 “Because of this I told you that no one can come to me unless the Father has allowed him to come.” 512
6:66 After this many of his disciples quit following him 513 and did not accompany him 514 any longer. 6:67 So Jesus said to the twelve, “You don’t want to go away too, do you?” 515 6:68 Simon Peter answered him, “Lord, to whom would we go? You have the words of eternal life. 6:69 We 516 have come to believe and to know 517 that you are the Holy One of God!” 518 6:70 Jesus replied, 519 “Didn’t I choose you, the twelve, and yet one of you is the devil?” 520 6:71 (Now he said this about Judas son of Simon Iscariot, 521 for Judas, 522 one of the twelve, was going to betray him.) 523
7:1 After this 524 Jesus traveled throughout Galilee. 525 He 526 stayed out of Judea 527 because the Jewish leaders 528 wanted 529 to kill him. 7:2 Now the Jewish feast of Tabernacles 530 was near. 531 7:3 So Jesus’ brothers 532 advised him, “Leave here and go to Judea so your disciples may see your miracles that you are performing. 533 7:4 For no one who seeks to make a reputation for himself 534 does anything in secret. 535 If you are doing these things, show yourself to the world.” 7:5 (For not even his own brothers believed in him.) 536
7:6 So Jesus replied, 537 “My time 538 has not yet arrived, 539 but you are ready at any opportunity! 540 7:7 The world cannot hate you, but it hates me, because I am testifying about it that its deeds are evil. 7:8 You go up 541 to the feast yourselves. I am not going up to this feast 542 because my time 543 has not yet fully arrived.” 544 7:9 When he had said this, he remained in Galilee.
7:10 But when his brothers had gone up to the feast, then Jesus 545 himself also went up, not openly but in secret. 7:11 So the Jewish leaders 546 were looking for him at the feast, asking, “Where is he?” 547 7:12 There was 548 a lot of grumbling 549 about him among the crowds. 550 Some were saying, “He is a good man,” but others, “He deceives the common people.” 551 7:13 However, no one spoke openly about him for fear of the Jewish leaders. 552
7:14 When the feast was half over, Jesus went up to the temple courts 553 and began to teach. 554 7:15 Then the Jewish leaders 555 were astonished 556 and said, “How does this man know so much when he has never had formal instruction?” 557 7:16 So Jesus replied, 558 “My teaching is not from me, but from the one who sent me. 559 7:17 If anyone wants to do God’s will, 560 he will know about my teaching, whether it is from God or whether I speak from my own authority. 561 7:18 The person who speaks on his own authority 562 desires 563 to receive honor 564 for himself; the one who desires 565 the honor 566 of the one who sent him is a man of integrity, 567 and there is no unrighteousness in him. 7:19 Hasn’t Moses given you the law? Yet not one of you keeps 568 the law! Why do you want 569 to kill me?”
7:20 The crowd 570 answered, “You’re possessed by a demon! 571 Who is trying to kill you?” 572 7:21 Jesus replied, 573 “I performed one miracle 574 and you are all amazed. 575 7:22 However, because Moses gave you the practice of circumcision 576 (not that it came from Moses, but from the forefathers), you circumcise a male child 577 on the Sabbath. 7:23 But if a male child 578 is circumcised 579 on the Sabbath so that the law of Moses is not broken, 580 why are you angry with me because I made a man completely well 581 on the Sabbath? 7:24 Do not judge according to external appearance, 582 but judge with proper 583 judgment.”
7:25 Then some of the residents of Jerusalem 584 began to say, “Isn’t this the man 585 they are trying 586 to kill? 7:26 Yet here he is, speaking publicly, 587 and they are saying nothing to him. 588 Do the rulers really know that this man 589 is the Christ? 590 7:27 But we know where this man 591 comes from. 592 Whenever the Christ 593 comes, no one will know where he comes from.” 594
7:28 Then Jesus, while teaching in the temple courts, 595 cried out, 596 “You both know me and know where I come from! 597 And I have not come on my own initiative, 598 but the one who sent me 599 is true. You do not know him, 600 7:29 but 601 I know him, because I have come from him 602 and he 603 sent me.”
7:30 So then they tried to seize Jesus, 604 but no one laid a hand on him, because his time 605 had not yet come. 7:31 Yet many of the crowd 606 believed in him and said, “Whenever the Christ 607 comes, he won’t perform more miraculous signs than this man did, will he?” 608
7:32 The Pharisees 609 heard the crowd 610 murmuring these things about Jesus, 611 so the chief priests and the Pharisees sent officers 612 to arrest him. 613 7:33 Then Jesus said, “I will be with you for only a little while longer, 614 and then 615 I am going to the one who sent me. 7:34 You will look for me 616 but will not find me, and where I am you cannot come.”
7:35 Then the Jewish leaders 617 said to one another, “Where is he 618 going to go that we cannot find him? 619 He is not going to go to the Jewish people dispersed 620 among the Greeks and teach the Greeks, is he? 621 7:36 What did he mean by saying, 622 ‘You will look for me 623 but will not find me, and where I am you cannot come’?”
7:37 On the last day of the feast, the greatest day, 624 Jesus stood up and shouted out, 625 “If anyone is thirsty, let him come to me, and 7:38 let the one who believes in me drink. 626 Just as the scripture says, ‘From within him 627 will flow rivers of living water.’” 628 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, 629 because Jesus was not yet glorified.) 630
7:40 When they heard these words, some of the crowd 631 began to say, “This really 632 is the Prophet!” 633 7:41 Others said, “This is the Christ!” 634 But still others said, “No, 635 for the Christ doesn’t come from Galilee, does he? 636 7:42 Don’t the scriptures say that the Christ is a descendant 637 of David 638 and comes from Bethlehem, 639 the village where David lived?” 640 7:43 So there was a division in the crowd 641 because of Jesus. 642 7:44 Some of them were wanting to seize him, but no one laid a hand on him. 643
7:45 Then the officers 644 returned 645 to the chief priests and Pharisees, 646 who said to them, “Why didn’t you bring him back with you?” 647 7:46 The officers replied, “No one ever spoke like this man!” 7:47 Then the Pharisees answered, 648 “You haven’t been deceived too, have you? 649 7:48 None of the rulers 650 or the Pharisees have believed in him, have they? 651 7:49 But this rabble 652 who do not know the law are accursed!”
7:50 Nicodemus, who had gone to Jesus 653 before and who was one of the rulers, 654 said, 655 7:51 “Our law doesn’t condemn 656 a man unless it first hears from him and learns 657 what he is doing, does it?” 658 7:52 They replied, 659 “You aren’t from Galilee too, are you? 660 Investigate carefully and you will see that no prophet 661 comes from Galilee!”
7:53 662 [[And each one departed to his own house. 8:1 But Jesus went to the Mount of Olives. 663 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 664 them. 8:3 The experts in the law 665 and the Pharisees 666 brought a woman who had been caught committing adultery. They made her stand in front of them 8:4 and said to Jesus, 667 “Teacher, this woman was caught in the very act of adultery. 8:5 In the law Moses commanded us to stone to death 668 such women. 669 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 670 him.) 671 Jesus bent down and wrote on the ground with his finger. 672 8:7 When they persisted in asking him, he stood up straight 673 and replied, 674 “Whoever among you is guiltless 675 may be the first to throw a stone at her.” 8:8 Then 676 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, 677 until Jesus was left alone with the woman standing before him. 8:10 Jesus stood up straight 678 and said to her, “Woman, 679 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.”]] 680
8:12 Then Jesus spoke out again, 681 “I am the light of the world. 682 The one who follows me will never 683 walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.” 8:13 So the Pharisees 684 objected, 685 “You testify about yourself; your testimony is not true!” 686 8:14 Jesus answered, 687 “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 688 do not know where I came from or where I am going. 689 8:15 You people 690 judge by outward appearances; 691 I do not judge anyone. 692 8:16 But if I judge, my evaluation is accurate, 693 because I am not alone when I judge, 694 but I and the Father who sent me do so together. 695 8:17 It is written in your law that the testimony of two men is true. 696 8:18 I testify about myself 697 and the Father who sent me testifies about me.”
8:19 Then they began asking 698 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.” 699 8:20 (Jesus 700 spoke these words near the offering box 701 while he was teaching in the temple courts. 702 No one seized him because his time 703 had not yet come.) 704
8:21 Then Jesus 705 said to them again, 706 “I am going away, and you will look for me 707 but will die in your sin. 708 Where I am going you cannot come.” 8:22 So the Jewish leaders 709 began to say, 710 “Perhaps he is going to kill himself, because he says, ‘Where I am going you cannot come.’” 8:23 Jesus replied, 711 “You people 712 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 713 that you will die in your sins. For unless you believe that I am he, 714 you will die in your sins.”
8:25 So they said to him, “Who are you?” Jesus replied, 715 “What I have told you from the beginning. 8:26 I have many things to say and to judge 716 about you, but the Father 717 who sent me is truthful, 718 and the things I have heard from him I speak to the world.” 719 8:27 (They did not understand that he was telling them about his Father.) 720
8:28 Then Jesus said, 721 “When you lift up the Son of Man, then you will know that I am he, 722 and I do nothing on my own initiative, 723 but I speak just what the Father taught me. 724 8:29 And the one who sent me is with me. He has not left me alone, 725 because I always do those things that please him.” 8:30 While he was saying these things, many people 726 believed in him.
8:31 Then Jesus said to those Judeans 727 who had believed him, “If you continue to follow my teaching, 728 you are really 729 my disciples 8:32 and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” 730 8:33 “We are descendants 731 of Abraham,” they replied, 732 “and have never been anyone’s slaves! How can you say, 733 ‘You will become free’?” 8:34 Jesus answered them, “I tell you the solemn truth, 734 everyone who practices 735 sin is a slave 736 of sin. 8:35 The slave does not remain in the family 737 forever, but the son remains forever. 738 8:36 So if the son 739 sets you free, you will be really free. 8:37 I know that you are Abraham’s descendants. 740 But you want 741 to kill me, because my teaching 742 makes no progress among you. 743 8:38 I am telling you the things I have seen while with the 744 Father; 745 as for you, 746 practice the things you have heard from the 747 Father!”
8:39 They answered him, 748 “Abraham is our father!” 749 Jesus replied, 750 “If you are 751 Abraham’s children, you would be doing 752 the deeds of Abraham. 8:40 But now you are trying 753 to kill me, a man who has told you 754 the truth I heard from God. Abraham did not do this! 755 8:41 You people 756 are doing the deeds of your father.”
Then 757 they said to Jesus, 758 “We were not born as a result of immorality! 759 We have only one Father, God himself.” 8:42 Jesus replied, 760 “If God were your Father, you would love me, for I have come from God and am now here. 761 I 762 have not come on my own initiative, 763 but he 764 sent me. 8:43 Why don’t you understand what I am saying? It is because you cannot accept 765 my teaching. 766 8:44 You people 767 are from 768 your father the devil, and you want to do what your father desires. 769 He 770 was a murderer from the beginning, and does not uphold the truth, 771 because there is no truth in him. Whenever he lies, 772 he speaks according to his own nature, 773 because he is a liar and the father of lies. 774 8:45 But because I am telling you 775 the truth, you do not believe me. 8:46 Who among you can prove me guilty 776 of any sin? 777 If I am telling you 778 the truth, why don’t you believe me? 8:47 The one who belongs to 779 God listens and responds 780 to God’s words. You don’t listen and respond, 781 because you don’t belong to God.” 782
8:48 The Judeans 783 replied, 784 “Aren’t we correct in saying 785 that you are a Samaritan and are possessed by a demon?” 786 8:49 Jesus answered, “I am not possessed by a demon, 787 but I honor my Father – and yet 788 you dishonor me. 8:50 I am not trying to get 789 praise for myself. 790 There is one who demands 791 it, and he also judges. 792 8:51 I tell you the solemn truth, 793 if anyone obeys 794 my teaching, 795 he will never see death.” 796
8:52 Then 797 the Judeans 798 responded, 799 “Now we know you’re possessed by a demon! 800 Both Abraham and the prophets died, and yet 801 you say, ‘If anyone obeys 802 my teaching, 803 he will never experience 804 death.’ 805 8:53 You aren’t greater than our father Abraham who died, are you? 806 And the prophets died too! Who do you claim to be?” 8:54 Jesus replied, 807 “If I glorify myself, my glory is worthless. 808 The one who glorifies me is my Father, about whom you people 809 say, ‘He is our God.’ 8:55 Yet 810 you do not know him, but I know him. If I were to say that I do not know him, 811 I would be a liar like you. But I do know him, and I obey 812 his teaching. 813 8:56 Your father Abraham was overjoyed 814 to see my day, and he saw it and was glad.” 815
8:57 Then the Judeans 816 replied, 817 “You are not yet fifty years old! 818 Have 819 you seen Abraham?” 8:58 Jesus said to them, “I tell you the solemn truth, 820 before Abraham came into existence, 821 I am!” 822 8:59 Then they picked up 823 stones to throw at him, 824 but Jesus hid himself and went out from the temple area. 825
9:1 Now as Jesus was passing by, 826 he saw a man who had been blind from birth. 9:2 His disciples asked him, 827 “Rabbi, who committed the sin that caused him to be born blind, this man 828 or his parents?” 829 9:3 Jesus answered, “Neither this man 830 nor his parents sinned, but he was born blind so that 831 the acts 832 of God may be revealed 833 through what happens to him. 834 9:4 We must perform the deeds 835 of the one who sent me 836 as long as 837 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.” 838 9:6 Having said this, 839 he spat on the ground and made some mud 840 with the saliva. He 841 smeared the mud on the blind man’s 842 eyes 9:7 and said to him, “Go wash in the pool of Siloam” 843 (which is translated “sent”). 844 So the blind man 845 went away and washed, and came back seeing.
9:8 Then the neighbors and the people who had seen him previously 846 as a beggar began saying, 847 “Is this not the man 848 who used to sit and beg?” 9:9 Some people said, 849 “This is the man!” 850 while others said, “No, but he looks like him.” 851 The man himself 852 kept insisting, “I am the one!” 853 9:10 So they asked him, 854 “How then were you made to see?” 855 9:11 He replied, 856 “The man called Jesus made mud, 857 smeared it 858 on my eyes and told me, 859 ‘Go to Siloam and wash.’ So I went and washed, and was able to see.” 860 9:12 They said 861 to him, “Where is that man?” 862 He replied, 863 “I don’t know.”
9:13 They brought the man who used to be blind 864 to the Pharisees. 865 9:14 (Now the day on which Jesus made the mud 866 and caused him to see 867 was a Sabbath.) 868 9:15 So the Pharisees asked him again how he had gained his sight. 869 He replied, 870 “He put mud 871 on my eyes and I washed, and now 872 I am able to see.”
9:16 Then some of the Pharisees began to say, 873 “This man is not from God, because he does not observe 874 the Sabbath.” 875 But others said, “How can a man who is a sinner perform 876 such miraculous signs?” Thus there was a division 877 among them. 9:17 So again they asked the man who used to be blind, 878 “What do you say about him, since he caused you to see?” 879 “He is a prophet,” the man replied. 880
9:18 Now the Jewish religious leaders 881 refused to believe 882 that he had really been blind and had gained his sight until at last they summoned 883 the parents of the man who had become able to see. 884 9:19 They asked the parents, 885 “Is this your son, whom you say 886 was born blind? Then how does he now see?” 9:20 So his parents replied, 887 “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. 888 Ask him, he is a mature adult. 889 He will speak for himself.” 9:22 (His parents said these things because they were afraid of the Jewish religious leaders. 890 For the Jewish leaders had already agreed that anyone who confessed Jesus 891 to be the Christ 892 would be put out 893 of the synagogue. 894 9:23 For this reason his parents said, “He is a mature adult, 895 ask him.”) 896
9:24 Then they summoned 897 the man who used to be blind 898 a second time and said to him, “Promise before God to tell the truth. 899 We know that this man 900 is a sinner.” 9:25 He replied, 901 “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?” 902 9:27 He answered, 903 “I told you already and you didn’t listen. 904 Why do you want to hear it 905 again? You people 906 don’t want to become his disciples too, do you?”
9:28 They 907 heaped insults 908 on him, saying, 909 “You are his disciple! 910 We are disciples of Moses! 9:29 We know that God has spoken to Moses! We do not know where this man 911 comes from!” 9:30 The man replied, 912 “This is a remarkable thing, 913 that you don’t know where he comes from, and yet he caused me to see! 914 9:31 We know that God doesn’t listen to 915 sinners, but if anyone is devout 916 and does his will, God 917 listens to 918 him. 919 9:32 Never before 920 has anyone heard of someone causing a man born blind to see. 921 9:33 If this man 922 were not from God, he could do nothing.” 9:34 They replied, 923 “You were born completely in sinfulness, 924 and yet you presume to teach us?” 925 So they threw him out.
9:35 Jesus heard that they had thrown him out, so he found the man 926 and said to him, “Do you believe in the Son of Man?” 927 9:36 The man 928 replied, 929 “And who is he, sir, that 930 I may believe in him?” 9:37 Jesus told him, “You have seen him; he 931 is the one speaking with you.” 932 9:38 [He said, “Lord, I believe,” and he worshiped him. 933 9:39 Jesus 934 said,] 935 “For judgment I have come into this world, so that those who do not see may gain their sight, 936 and the ones who see may become blind.”
9:40 Some of the Pharisees 937 who were with him heard this 938 and asked him, 939 “We are not blind too, are we?” 940 9:41 Jesus replied, 941 “If you were blind, you would not be guilty of sin, 942 but now because you claim that you can see, 943 your guilt 944 remains.” 945
10:1 “I tell you the solemn truth, 946 the one who does not enter the sheepfold 947 by the door, 948 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 949 opens the door 950 for him, 951 and the sheep hear his voice. He 952 calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. 953 10:4 When he has brought all his own sheep 954 out, he goes ahead of them, and the sheep follow him because they recognize 955 his voice. 10:5 They will never follow a stranger, 956 but will run away from him, because they do not recognize 957 the stranger’s voice.” 958 10:6 Jesus told them this parable, 959 but they 960 did not understand 961 what he was saying to them.
10:7 So Jesus said to them again, “I tell you the solemn truth, 962 I am the door for the sheep. 963 10:8 All who came before me were 964 thieves and robbers, but the sheep did not listen to them. 965 10:9 I am the door. If anyone enters through me, he will be saved, and will come in and go out, 966 and find pasture. 967 10:10 The thief comes only to steal and kill 968 and destroy; I have come so that they may have life, and may have it abundantly. 969
10:11 “I am the good 970 shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life 971 for the sheep. 10:12 The hired hand, 972 who is not a shepherd and does not own sheep, sees the wolf coming and abandons 973 the sheep and runs away. 974 So the wolf attacks 975 the sheep and scatters them. 10:13 Because he is a hired hand and is not concerned about the sheep, 976 he runs away. 977
10:14 “I am the good shepherd. I 978 know my own 979 and my own know me – 10:15 just as the Father knows me and I know the Father – and I lay down my life 980 for 981 the sheep. 10:16 I have 982 other sheep that do not come from 983 this sheepfold. 984 I must bring them too, and they will listen to my voice, 985 so that 986 there will be one flock and 987 one shepherd. 10:17 This is why the Father loves me 988 – because I lay down my life, 989 so that I may take it back again. 10:18 No one takes it away from me, but I lay it down 990 of my own free will. 991 I have the authority 992 to lay it down, and I have the authority 993 to take it back again. This commandment 994 I received from my Father.”
10:19 Another sharp division took place among the Jewish people 995 because of these words. 10:20 Many of them were saying, “He is possessed by a demon and has lost his mind! 996 Why do you listen to him?” 10:21 Others said, “These are not the words 997 of someone possessed by a demon. A demon cannot cause the blind to see, 998 can it?” 999
10:22 Then came the feast of the Dedication 1000 in Jerusalem. 1001 10:23 It was winter, 1002 and Jesus was walking in the temple area 1003 in Solomon’s Portico. 1004 10:24 The Jewish leaders 1005 surrounded him and asked, 1006 “How long will you keep us in suspense? 1007 If you are the Christ, 1008 tell us plainly.” 1009 10:25 Jesus replied, 1010 “I told you and you do not believe. The deeds 1011 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 1012 them eternal life, and they will never perish; 1013 no one will snatch 1014 them from my hand. 10:29 My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all, 1015 and no one can snatch 1016 them from my Father’s hand. 10:30 The Father and I 1017 are one.” 1018
10:31 The Jewish leaders 1019 picked up rocks again to stone him to death. 10:32 Jesus said to them, 1020 “I have shown you many good deeds 1021 from the Father. For which one of them are you going to stone me?” 10:33 The Jewish leaders 1022 replied, 1023 “We are not going to stone you for a good deed 1024 but for blasphemy, 1025 because 1026 you, a man, are claiming to be God.” 1027
10:34 Jesus answered, 1028 “Is it not written in your law, ‘I said, you are gods’? 1029 10:35 If those people to whom the word of God came were called ‘gods’ (and the scripture cannot be broken), 1030 10:36 do you say about the one whom the Father set apart 1031 and sent into the world, ‘You are blaspheming,’ because I said, ‘I am the Son of God’? 10:37 If I do not perform 1032 the deeds 1033 of my Father, do not believe me. 10:38 But if I do them, even if you do not believe me, believe the deeds, 1034 so that you may come to know 1035 and understand that I am in the Father and the Father is in me.” 10:39 Then 1036 they attempted 1037 again to seize him, but he escaped their clutches. 1038
10:40 Jesus 1039 went back across the Jordan River 1040 again to the place where John 1041 had been baptizing at an earlier time, 1042 and he stayed there. 10:41 Many 1043 came to him and began to say, “John 1044 performed 1045 no miraculous sign, but everything John said about this man 1046 was true!” 10:42 And many believed in Jesus 1047 there.
[1:19] 1 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “now” to indicate the transition to a new topic. Greek style often begins sentences or clauses with “and,” but English style generally does not.
[1:19] 3 sn John’s refers to John the Baptist.
[1:19] 5 tn Or “the Jewish authorities”; Grk “the Jews.” In NT usage the term ᾿Iουδαῖοι (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. Here the author refers to the authorities or leaders in Jerusalem. (For further information see R. G. Bratcher, “‘The Jews’ in the Gospel of John,” BT 26 [1975]: 401-9.)
[1:19] 6 tc ‡ Several important witnesses have πρὸς αὐτόν (pro" auton, “to him”) either here (B C* 33 892c al it) or after “Levites” (Ì66c vid A Θ Ψ Ë13 579 al lat), while the earliest
[1:19] 7 map For location see Map5 B1; Map6 F3; Map7 E2; Map8 F2; Map10 B3; JP1 F4; JP2 F4; JP3 F4; JP4 F4.
[1:19] 8 sn “Who are you?” No uniform Jewish expectation of a single eschatological figure existed in the 1st century. A majority expected the Messiah. But some pseudepigraphic books describe God’s intervention without mentioning the anointed Davidic king; in parts of 1 Enoch, for example, the figure of the Son of Man, not the Messiah, embodies the expectations of the author. Essenes at Qumran seem to have expected three figures: a prophet, a priestly messiah, and a royal messiah. In baptizing, John the Baptist was performing an eschatological action. It also seems to have been part of his proclamation (John 1:23, 26-27). Crowds were beginning to follow him. He was operating in an area not too far from the Essene center on the Dead Sea. No wonder the authorities were curious about who he was.
[1:20] 9 tn Or “the Messiah” (Both Greek “Christ” and Hebrew and Aramaic “Messiah” mean “one who has been anointed”).
[1:21] 10 tn Grk “What then?” (an idiom).
[1:21] 11 sn According to the 1st century rabbinic interpretation of 2 Kgs 2:11, Elijah was still alive. In Mal 4:5 it is said that Elijah would be the precursor of Messiah. How does one reconcile John the Baptist’s denial here (“I am not”) with Jesus’ statements in Matt 11:14 (see also Mark 9:13 and Matt 17:12) that John the Baptist was Elijah? Some have attempted to remove the difficulty by a reconstruction of the text in the Gospel of John which makes the Baptist say that he was Elijah. However, external support for such emendations is lacking. According to Gregory the Great, John was not Elijah, but exercised toward Jesus the function of Elijah by preparing his way. But this avoids the real difficulty, since in John’s Gospel the question of the Jewish authorities to the Baptist concerns precisely his function. It has also been suggested that the author of the Gospel here preserves a historically correct reminiscence – that John the Baptist did not think of himself as Elijah, although Jesus said otherwise. Mark 6:14-16 and Mark 8:28 indicate the people and Herod both distinguished between John and Elijah – probably because he did not see himself as Elijah. But Jesus’ remarks in Matt 11:14, Mark 9:13, and Matt 17:12 indicate that John did perform the function of Elijah – John did for Jesus what Elijah was to have done for the coming of the Lord. C. F. D. Moule pointed out that it is too simple to see a straight contradiction between John’s account and that of the synoptic gospels: “We have to ask by whom the identification is made, and by whom refused. The synoptic gospels represent Jesus as identifying, or comparing, the Baptist with Elijah, while John represents the Baptist as rejecting the identification when it is offered him by his interviewers. Now these two, so far from being incompatible, are psychologically complementary. The Baptist humbly rejects the exalted title, but Jesus, on the contrary, bestows it on him. Why should not the two both be correct?” (The Phenomenon of the New Testament [SBT], 70).
[1:21] 12 sn The Prophet is a reference to the “prophet like Moses” of Deut 18:15, by this time an eschatological figure in popular belief. Acts 3:22 identifies Jesus as this prophet.
[1:22] 13 tn The words “Tell us” are not in the Greek but are implied.
[1:23] 14 tn Grk “He”; the referent (John the Baptist) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[1:23] 15 sn This call to “make straight” is probably an allusion to preparation through repentance.
[1:23] 16 sn A quotation from Isa 40:3.
[1:24] 17 sn Pharisees were members of one of the most important and influential religious and political parties of Judaism in the time of Jesus. There were more Pharisees than Sadducees (according to Josephus, Ant. 17.2.4 [17.42] there were more than 6,000 Pharisees at about this time). Pharisees differed with Sadducees on certain doctrines and patterns of behavior. The Pharisees were strict and zealous adherents to the laws of the OT and to numerous additional traditions such as angels and bodily resurrection.
[1:24] 18 sn This is a parenthetical note by the author.
[1:25] 19 tn Grk “And they asked him, and said to him”; the referent (John) has been specified in the translation for clarity, and the phrase has been simplified in the translation to “So they asked John.”
[1:25] 20 tn Or “the Messiah” (Both Greek “Christ” and Hebrew and Aramaic “Messiah” mean “one who has been anointed”).
[1:26] 21 tn Grk “answered them, saying.” The participle λέγων (legwn) is redundant in contemporary English and has not been translated.
[1:27] 23 tn Grk “of whom I am not worthy.”
[1:27] 24 tn The term refers to the leather strap or thong used to bind a sandal. This is often viewed as a collective singular and translated as a plural, “the straps of his sandals,” but it may be more emphatic to retain the singular here.
[1:28] 25 tc Many witnesses ([א2] C2 K T Ψc 083 Ë1,13 33 pm sa Or) read Βηθαβαρᾷ (Bhqabara, “Bethabara”) instead of Βηθανίᾳ (Bhqania, “Bethany”). But the reading Βηθανίᾳ is strongly supported by {Ì66,75 A B C* L Ws Δ Θ Ψ* 565 579 700 1241 1424 pm latt bo as well as several fathers}. Since there is no known Bethany “beyond the Jordan,” it is likely that the name would have been changed to a more etymologically edifying one (Origen mistakenly thought the name Bethabara meant “house of preparation” and for this reason was appropriate in this context; see TCGNT 171 for discussion). On the other hand, both since Origen’s understanding of the Semitic etymology of Bethabara was incorrect, and because Bethany was at least a well-known location in Palestine, mentioned in the Gospels about a dozen times, one has to wonder whether scribes replaced Βηθαβαρᾷ with Βηθανίᾳ. However, if Origen’s understanding of the etymology of the name was representative, scribes may have altered the text in the direction of Bethabara. And even if most scribes were unfamiliar with what the name might signify, that a reading which did not contradict the Gospels’ statements of a Bethany near Jerusalem was already at hand may have been sufficient reason for them to adopt Bethabara. Further, in light of the very strong testimony for Βηθανίᾳ, this reading should be regarded as authentic.
[1:28] 26 tn “River” is not in the Greek text but is supplied for clarity.
[1:29] 27 tn Grk “he”; the referent (John) has been supplied in the translation for clarity.
[1:29] 28 sn Gen 22:8 is an important passage in the background of the title Lamb of God as applied to Jesus. In Jewish thought this was held to be a supremely important sacrifice. G. Vermès stated: “For the Palestinian Jew, all lamb sacrifice, and especially the Passover lamb and the Tamid offering, was a memorial of the Akedah with its effects of deliverance, forgiveness of sin and messianic salvation” (Scripture and Tradition in Judaism [StPB], 225).
[1:30] 29 tn Or “has a higher rank than I.”
[1:31] 31 sn John the Baptist, who has been so reluctant to elaborate his own role, now more than willingly gives his testimony about Jesus. For the author, the emphasis is totally on John the Baptist as a witness to Jesus. No attention is given to the Baptist’s call to national repentance and very little to his baptizing. Everything is focused on what he has to say about Jesus: so that he could be revealed to Israel.
[1:32] 32 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence of events in the narrative. Greek style often begins sentences or clauses with “and,” but English style generally does not.
[1:32] 33 tn Grk “testified, saying.” The participle λέγων (legwn) is redundant in contemporary English and has not been translated.
[1:32] 34 sn The phrase like a dove is a descriptive comparison. The Spirit is not a dove, but descended like one in some sort of bodily representation.
[1:32] 35 tn Or “from the sky.” The Greek word οὐρανός (ouranos) may be translated “sky” or “heaven,” depending on the context.
[1:32] 36 sn John says the Spirit remained on Jesus. The Greek verb μένω (menw) is a favorite Johannine word, used 40 times in the Gospel and 27 times in the Epistles (67 together) against 118 times total in the NT. The general significance of the verb μένω for John is to express the permanency of relationship between Father and Son and Son and believer. Here the use of the word implies that Jesus permanently possesses the Holy Spirit, and because he does, he will dispense the Holy Spirit to others in baptism. Other notes on the dispensation of the Spirit occur at John 3:5 and following (at least implied by the wordplay), John 3:34, 7:38-39, numerous passages in John 14-16 (the Paraclete passages) and John 20:22. Note also the allusion to Isa 42:1 – “Behold my servant…my chosen one in whom my soul delights. I have put my Spirit on him.”
[1:34] 37 tc ‡ What did John the Baptist declare about Jesus on this occasion? Did he say, “This is the Son of God” (οὗτός ἐστιν ὁ υἱὸς τοῦ θεοῦ, |outo" estin Jo Juio" tou qeou), or “This is the Chosen One of God” (οὗτός ἐστιν ὁ ἐκλεκτὸς τοῦ θεοῦ, outo" estin Jo eklekto" tou qeou)? The majority of the witnesses, impressive because of their diversity in age and locales, read “This is the Son of God” (so {Ì66,75 A B C L Θ Ψ 0233vid Ë1,13 33 1241 aur c f l g bo as well as the majority of Byzantine minuscules and many others}). Most scholars take this to be sufficient evidence to regard the issue as settled without much of a need to reflect on internal evidence. On the other hand, one of the earliest
[1:35] 38 sn John refers to John the Baptist.
[1:35] 39 tn “There” is not in the Greek text but is implied by current English idiom.
[1:36] 40 sn This section (1:35-51) is joined to the preceding by the literary expedient of repeating the Baptist’s testimony about Jesus being the Lamb of God (1:36, cf. 1:29). This repeated testimony (1:36) no longer has revelatory value in itself, since it has been given before; its purpose, instead, is to institute a chain reaction which will bring John the Baptist’s disciples to Jesus and make them Jesus’ own disciples.
[1:37] 41 tn Grk “his”; the referent (John) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[1:37] 42 tn Grk “And the two disciples heard him speaking.”
[1:37] 43 sn The expression followed Jesus pictures discipleship, which means that to learn from Jesus is to follow him as the guiding priority of one’s life.
[1:38] 44 tn Grk “What are you seeking?”
[1:38] 45 sn This is a parenthetical note by the author.
[1:39] 46 tn Grk “He”; the referent (Jesus) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[1:39] 47 tn Grk “said to them.”
[1:39] 48 tn Grk “about the tenth hour.”
[1:40] 49 tn Grk “who heard from John.”
[1:40] 50 tn Grk “him”; the referent (Jesus) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[1:41] 51 tc Most witnesses (א* L Ws Ï) read πρῶτος (prwtos) here instead of πρῶτον (prwton). The former reading would be a predicate adjective and suggest that Andrew “was the first” person to proselytize another regarding Jesus. The reading preferred, however, is the neuter πρῶτον, used as an adverb (BDAG 893 s.v. πρῶτος 1.a.β.), and it suggests that the first thing that Andrew did was to proselytize Peter. The evidence for this reading is early and weighty: Ì66,75 א2 A B Θ Ψ 083 Ë1,13 892 al lat.
[1:41] 52 sn Naturally part of Andrew’s concept of the Messiah would have been learned from John the Baptist (v. 40). However, there were a number of different messianic expectations in 1st century Palestine (see the note on “Who are you?” in v. 19), and it would be wrong to assume that what Andrew meant here is the same thing the author means in the purpose statement at the end of the Fourth Gospel, 20:31. The issue here is not whether the disciples’ initial faith in Jesus as Messiah was genuine or not, but whether their concept of who Jesus was grew and developed progressively as they spent time following him, until finally after his resurrection it is affirmed in the climactic statement of John’s Gospel, the affirmation of Thomas in 20:28.
[1:41] 53 tn Both Greek “Christ” and Hebrew and Aramaic “Messiah” mean “the one who has been anointed.”
[1:42] 54 tn Grk “He brought him”; both referents (Andrew, Simon) have been specified in the translation for clarity.
[1:42] 55 tc The reading “Simon, son of John” is well attested in Ì66,75,106 א B* L 33 pc it co. The majority of
[1:42] 56 sn This is a parenthetical note by the author. The change of name from Simon to Cephas is indicative of the future role he will play. Only John among the gospel writers gives the Greek transliteration (Κηφᾶς, Khfas) of Simon’s new name, Qéphâ (which is Galilean Aramaic). Neither Πέτρος (Petros) in Greek nor Qéphâ in Aramaic is a normal proper name; it is more like a nickname.
[1:43] 57 tn Grk “he”; the referent (Jesus) has been specified in the translation for clarity. Jesus is best taken as the subject of εὑρίσκει (Jeuriskei), since Peter would scarcely have wanted to go to Galilee.
[1:43] 58 sn No explanation is given for why Jesus wanted to set out for Galilee, but probably he wanted to go to the wedding at Cana (about a two day trip).
[1:43] 59 tn Grk “and he.” Because of the length and complexity of the Greek sentence, a new sentence was started here in the translation.
[1:43] 60 tn Grk “and Jesus said.”
[1:44] 61 sn Although the author thought of the town as in Galilee (12:21), Bethsaida technically was in Gaulanitis (Philip the Tetrarch’s territory) across from Herod’s Galilee. There may have been two places called Bethsaida, or this may merely reflect popular imprecision – locally it was considered part of Galilee, even though it was just east of the Jordan river. This territory was heavily Gentile (which may explain why Andrew and Philip both have Gentile names).
[1:44] 62 tn Probably ἀπό (apo) indicates “originally from” in the sense of birthplace rather than current residence; Mark 1:21, 29 seems to locate the home of Andrew and Peter at Capernaum. The entire remark (v. 44) amounts to a parenthetical comment by the author.
[1:45] 63 sn Nathanael is traditionally identified with Bartholomew (although John never describes him as such). He appears here after Philip, while in all lists of the twelve except in Acts 1:13, Bartholomew follows Philip. Also, the Aramaic Bar-tolmai means “son of Tolmai,” the surname; the man almost certainly had another name.
[1:45] 64 tn “Also” is not in the Greek text, but is implied.
[1:46] 65 tn Grk “And Nathanael.”
[1:46] 66 tn Grk “said to him.”
[1:46] 67 sn Can anything good come out of Nazareth? may be a local proverb expressing jealousy among the towns.
[1:46] 68 tn Grk “And Philip said to him.”
[1:47] 69 tn Grk “said about him.”
[1:48] 71 tn Grk “answered and said to him.” This is somewhat redundant in English and has been simplified in the translation to “replied.”
[1:48] 72 sn Many have speculated about what Nathanael was doing under the fig tree. Meditating on the Messiah who was to come? A good possibility, since the fig tree was used as shade for teaching or studying by the later rabbis (Ecclesiastes Rabbah 5:11). Also, the fig tree was symbolic for messianic peace and plenty (Mic 4:4, Zech 3:10.)
[1:49] 73 tn Although βασιλεύς (basileus) lacks the article it is definite due to contextual and syntactical considerations. See ExSyn 263.
[1:49] 74 sn Nathanael’s confession – You are the Son of God; you are the King of Israel – is best understood as a confession of Jesus’ messiahship. It has strong allusions to Ps 2:6-7, a well-known messianic psalm. What Nathanael’s exact understanding was at this point is hard to determine, but “son of God” was a designation for the Davidic king in the OT, and Nathanael parallels it with King of Israel here.
[1:50] 75 tn Grk “answered and said to him.” This has been simplified in the translation to “said to him.”
[1:50] 76 sn What are the greater things Jesus had in mind? In the narrative this forms an excellent foreshadowing of the miraculous signs which began at Cana of Galilee.
[1:51] 77 tn Grk “and he said to him.”
[1:51] 78 tn Grk “Truly, truly, I say to you.”
[1:51] 79 sn The title Son of Man appears 13 times in John’s Gospel. It is associated especially with the themes of crucifixion (3:14; 8:28), revelation (6:27; 6:53), and eschatological authority (5:27; 9:35). The title as used in John’s Gospel has for its background the son of man figure who appears in Dan 7:13-14 and is granted universal regal authority. Thus for the author, the emphasis in this title is not on Jesus’ humanity, but on his heavenly origin and divine authority.
[2:1] 80 map For location see Map1 C3; Map2 D2; Map3 C5.
[2:1] 81 sn Cana in Galilee was not a very well-known place. It is mentioned only here, in 4:46, and 21:2, and nowhere else in the NT. Josephus (Life 16 [86]) says he once had his quarters there. The probable location is present day Khirbet Cana, 8 mi (14 km) north of Nazareth, or Khirbet Kenna, 4 mi (7 km) northeast of Nazareth.
[2:1] 82 tn Grk “in Galilee, and Jesus’ mother.”
[2:2] 83 sn There is no clue to the identity of the bride and groom, but in all probability either relatives or friends of Jesus’ family were involved, since Jesus’ mother and both Jesus and his disciples were invited to the celebration. The attitude of Mary in approaching Jesus and asking him to do something when the wine ran out also suggests that familial obligations were involved.
[2:3] 84 tn The word “left” is not in the Greek text but is implied.
[2:4] 85 tn Grk “and Jesus said to her.”
[2:4] 86 sn The term Woman is Jesus’ normal, polite way of addressing women (Matt 15:28, Luke 13:12; John 4:21; 8:10; 19:26; 20:15). But it is unusual for a son to address his mother with this term. The custom in both Hebrew (or Aramaic) and Greek would be for a son to use a qualifying adjective or title. Is there significance in Jesus’ use here? It probably indicates that a new relationship existed between Jesus and his mother once he had embarked on his public ministry. He was no longer or primarily only her son, but the “Son of Man.” This is also suggested by the use of the same term in 19:26 in the scene at the cross, where the beloved disciple is “given” to Mary as her “new” son.
[2:4] 87 tn Grk “Woman, what to me and to you?” (an idiom). The phrase τί ἐμοὶ καὶ σοί, γύναι (ti emoi kai soi, gunai) is Semitic in origin. The equivalent Hebrew expression in the Old Testament had two basic meanings: (1) When one person was unjustly bothering another, the injured party could say “What to me and to you?” meaning, “What have I done to you that you should do this to me?” (Judg 11:12, 2 Chr 35:21, 1 Kgs 17:18). (2) When someone was asked to get involved in a matter he felt was no business of his, he could say to the one asking him, “What to me and to you?” meaning, “That is your business, how am I involved?” (2 Kgs 3:13, Hos 14:8). Option (1) implies hostility, while option (2) implies merely disengagement. Mere disengagement is almost certainly to be understood here as better fitting the context (although some of the Greek Fathers took the remark as a rebuke to Mary, such a rebuke is unlikely).
[2:4] 88 tn Grk “my hour” (referring to the time of Jesus’ crucifixion and return to the Father).
[2:5] 89 tn The pronoun “it” is not in the Greek text, but has been supplied. Direct objects in Greek were often omitted when clear from the context.
[2:6] 90 tn Grk “for the purification of the Jews.”
[2:6] 91 tn Grk “holding two or three metretes” (about 75 to 115 liters). Each of the pots held 2 or 3 μετρηταί (metrhtai). A μετρητῆς (metrhths) was about 9 gallons (40 liters); thus each jar held 18-27 gallons (80-120 liters) and the total volume of liquid involved was 108-162 gallons (480-720 liters).
[2:7] 92 tn Grk “them” (it is clear from the context that the servants are addressed).
[2:8] 93 tn Or “the master of ceremonies.”
[2:9] 94 tn Grk “And when.” Because of the difference between Greek style, which often begins sentences or clauses with “and,” and English style, which generally does not, δέ (de) has not been translated here.
[2:9] 95 tn Grk “and he did not know where it came from.”
[2:9] 96 tn Grk “the head steward”; here the repetition of the phrase is somewhat redundant in English and the pronoun (“he”) is substituted in the translation.
[2:10] 97 tn Grk “every man” (in a generic sense).
[2:10] 99 tn Grk “when they”; the referent (the guests) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[2:11] 100 tn This sentence in Greek involves an object-complement construction. The force can be either “Jesus did this as,” or possibly “Jesus made this to be.” The latter translation accents not only Jesus’ power but his sovereignty too. Cf. also 4:54 where the same construction occurs.
[2:11] 101 map For location see Map1 C3; Map2 D2; Map3 C5.
[2:11] 102 tn Grk “in Cana of Galilee, and he revealed.”
[2:11] 103 tn Or “his disciples trusted in him,” or “his disciples put their faith in him.”
[2:12] 104 sn Verse 12 is merely a transitional note in the narrative (although Capernaum does not lie on the direct route to Jerusalem from Cana). Nothing is mentioned in John’s Gospel at this point about anything Jesus said or did there (although later his teaching is mentioned, see 6:59). From the synoptics it is clear that Capernaum was a center of Jesus’ Galilean ministry and might even be called “his own town” (Matt 9:1). The royal official whose son Jesus healed (John 4:46-54) was from Capernaum. He may have heard Jesus speak there, or picked up the story about the miracle at Cana from one of Jesus’ disciples.
[2:12] 105 sn With respect to Jesus’ brothers, the so-called Helvidian view is to be preferred (named after Helvidius, a 4th-century theologian). This view holds that the most natural way to understand the phrase is as a reference to children of Joseph and Mary after the birth of Jesus. Other views are that of Epiphanius (they were children of Joseph by a former marriage) or Jerome (they were cousins). The tradition of Mary’s perpetual virginity appeared in the 2nd century and is difficult to explain (as J. H. Bernard, St. John [ICC], 1:85, points out) if some of her other children were prominent members of the early church (e.g., James of Jerusalem). But this is outweighed by the natural sense of the words.
[2:13] 106 tn Grk “the Passover of the Jews.” This is first of at least three (and possibly four) Passovers mentioned in John’s Gospel. If it is assumed that the Passovers appear in the Gospel in their chronological order (and following a date of
[2:13] 107 map For location see Map5 B1; Map6 F3; Map7 E2; Map8 F2; Map10 B3; JP1 F4; JP2 F4; JP3 F4; JP4 F4.
[2:14] 108 sn John 2:14-22. Does John’s account of the temple cleansing describe the same event as the synoptic gospels describe, or a separate event? The other accounts of the cleansing of the temple are Matt 21:12-13; Mark 11:15-17; and Luke 19:45-46. None are as long as the Johannine account. The fullest of the synoptic accounts is Mark’s. John’s account differs from Mark’s in the mention of sheep and oxen, the mention of the whip of cords, the Greek word κερματιστῆς (kermatisths) for money changer (the synoptics use κολλυβιστῆς [kollubisths], which John mentions in 2:15), the scattering of the coins (2:15), and the command by Jesus, “Take these things away from here!” The word for overturned in John is ἀναστρεφω (anastrefw), while Matthew and Mark use καταστρεφω (katastrefw; Luke does not mention the moneychangers at all). The synoptics all mention that Jesus quoted Isa 56:7 followed by Jer 7:11. John mentions no citation of scripture at all, but says that later the disciples remembered Ps 69:9. John does not mention, as does Mark, Jesus’ prohibition on carrying things through the temple (i.e., using it for a shortcut). But the most important difference is one of time: In John the cleansing appears as the first great public act of Jesus’ ministry, while in the synoptics it is virtually the last. The most common solution of the problem, which has been endlessly discussed among NT scholars, is to say there was only one cleansing, and that it took place, as the synoptics record it, at the end of Jesus’ ministry. In the synoptics it appears to be the event that finalized the opposition of the high priest, and precipitated the arrest of Jesus. According to this view, John’s placing of the event at the opening of Jesus’ ministry is due to his general approach; it was fitting ‘theologically’ for Jesus to open his ministry this way, so this is the way John records it. Some have overstated the case for one cleansing and John’s placing of it at the opening of Jesus’ public ministry, however. For example W. Barclay stated: “John, as someone has said, is more interested in the truth than in the facts. He was not interested to tell men when Jesus cleansed the Temple; he was supremely interested in telling men that Jesus did cleanse the Temple” (John [DSBS], 94). But this is not the impression one gets by a reading of John’s Gospel: The evangelist seems to go out of his way to give details and facts, including notes of time and place. To argue as Barclay does that John is interested in truth apart from the facts is to set up a false dichotomy. Why should one have to assume, in any case, that there could have been only one cleansing of the temple? This account in John is found in a large section of nonsynoptic material. Apart from the work of John the Baptist – and even this is markedly different from the references in the synoptics – nothing else in the first five chapters of John’s Gospel is found in any of the synoptics. It is certainly not impossible that John took one isolated episode from the conclusion of Jesus’ earthly ministry and inserted it into his own narrative in a place which seemed appropriate according to his purposes. But in view of the differences between John and the synoptics, in both wording and content, as well as setting and time, it is at least possible that the event in question actually occurred twice (unless one begins with the presupposition that the Fourth Gospel is nonhistorical anyway). In support of two separate cleansings of the temple, it has been suggested that Jesus’ actions on this occasion were not permanent in their result, and after (probably) 3 years the status quo in the temple courts had returned to normal. And at this time early in Jesus’ ministry, he was virtually unknown. Such an action as he took on this occasion would have created a stir, and evoked the response John records in 2:18-22, but that is probably about all, especially if Jesus’ actions met with approval among part of the populace. But later in Jesus’ ministry, when he was well-known, and vigorously opposed by the high-priestly party in Jerusalem, his actions might have brought forth another, harsher response. It thus appears possible to argue for two separate cleansings of the temple as well as a single one relocated by John to suit his own purposes. Which then is more probable? On the whole, more has been made of the differences between John’s account and the synoptic accounts than perhaps should have been. After all, the synoptic accounts also differ considerably from one another, yet few scholars would be willing to posit four cleansings of the temple as an explanation for this. While it is certainly possible that the author did not intend by his positioning of the temple cleansing to correct the synoptics’ timing of the event, but to highlight its significance for the course of Jesus’ ministry, it still appears somewhat more probable that John has placed the event he records in the approximate period of Jesus’ public ministry in which it did occur, that is, within the first year or so of Jesus’ public ministry. The statement of the Jewish authorities recorded by the author (this temple has been under construction for forty-six years) would tend to support an earlier rather than a later date for the temple cleansing described by John, since 46 years from the beginning of construction on Herod’s temple in ca. 19
[2:14] 109 tn Grk “in the temple.”
[2:14] 110 tn Grk “the money changers sitting”; the words “at tables” are not in the Greek text, but are implied.
[2:15] 111 tc Several witnesses, two of which are quite ancient (Ì66,75 L N Ë1 33 565 892 1241 al lat), have ὡς (Jws, “like”) before φραγέλλιον (fragellion, “whip”). A decision based on external evidence would be difficult to make because the shorter reading also has excellent witnesses, as well as the majority, on its side (א A B Θ Ψ Ë13 Ï co). Internal evidence, though, leans toward the shorter reading. Scribes tended to add to the text, and the addition of ὡς here clearly softens the assertion of the evangelist: Instead of making a whip of cords, Jesus made “[something] like a whip of cords.”
[2:15] 112 tn Grk “the temple.”
[2:15] 113 sn Because of the imperial Roman portraits they carried, Roman denarii and Attic drachmas were not permitted to be used in paying the half-shekel temple-tax (the Jews considered the portraits idolatrous). The money changers exchanged these coins for legal Tyrian coinage at a small profit.
[2:16] 114 tn Or (perhaps) “Stop making.”
[2:16] 115 tn Or “a house of merchants” (an allusion to Zech 14:21).
[2:17] 116 tn Or “Fervent devotion to your house.”
[2:17] 117 sn A quotation from Ps 69:9.
[2:18] 118 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. Here the author refers to the authorities or leaders in Jerusalem. (For further information see R. G. Bratcher, “‘The Jews’ in the Gospel of John,” BT 26 [1975]: 401-9.)
[2:18] 119 tn Grk “answered and said to him.”
[2:18] 120 sn The request “What sign can you show us” by Jesus’ adversaries was a request for a defense of his actions – a mark of divine authentication. Whether this was a request for a miracle is not entirely clear. Jesus never obliged such a request. Yet, ironically, the only sign the Jewish leadership will get is that predicted by Jesus in 2:19 – his crucifixion and resurrection. Cf. the “sign of Jonah” in the synoptics (Matt 12:39, 40; Luke 11:29-32).
[2:19] 121 tn Grk “answered and said to them.”
[2:19] 122 tn The imperative here is really more than a simple conditional imperative (= “if you destroy”); its semantic force here is more like the ironical imperative found in the prophets (Amos 4:4, Isa 8:9) = “Go ahead and do this and see what happens.”
[2:20] 123 tn See the note on this phrase in v. 18.
[2:20] 124 tn A close parallel to the aorist οἰκοδομήθη (oikodomhqh) can be found in Ezra 5:16 (LXX), where it is clear from the following verb that the construction had not yet been completed. Thus the phrase has been translated “This temple has been under construction for forty-six years.” Some, however, see the term ναός (naos) here as referring only to the sanctuary and the aorist verb as consummative, so that the meaning would be “this temple was built forty-six years ago” (so ExSyn 560-61). Ultimately in context the logic of the authorities’ reply appears to fit more naturally if it compares length of time for original construction with length of time to reconstruct it.
[2:20] 125 sn According to Josephus (Ant. 15.11.1 [15.380]), work on this temple was begun in the 18th year of Herod the Great’s reign, which would have been ca. 19
[2:21] 126 tn Grk “that one”; the referent (Jesus) has been specified in the translation for clarity. This Greek term is frequently used as a way of referring to Jesus in the Johannine letters (cf. 1 John 2:6; 3:3, 5, 7, 16; 4:17).
[2:21] 127 tn The genitive “of his body” (τοῦ σώματος αὐτοῦ, tou swmato" autou) is a genitive of apposition, clarifying which temple Jesus was referring to. Thus, Jesus not only was referring to his physical resurrection, but also to his participation in the resurrection process. The New Testament thus records the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit as all performing the miracle of Christ's resurrection.
[2:22] 128 sn They believed the scripture is probably an anaphoric reference to Ps 69:9 (69:10 LXX), quoted in John 2:17 above. Presumably the disciples did not remember Ps 69:9 on the spot, but it was a later insight.
[2:22] 129 tn Or “statement”; Grk “word.”
[2:23] 130 tn Grk “he”; the referent (Jesus) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[2:23] 131 map For location see Map5 B1; Map6 F3; Map7 E2; Map8 F2; Map10 B3; JP1 F4; JP2 F4; JP3 F4; JP4 F4.
[2:23] 132 sn Because they saw the miraculous signs he was doing. The issue here is not whether their faith was genuine or not, but what its object was. These individuals, after seeing the miracles, believed Jesus to be the Messiah. They most likely saw in him a political-eschatological figure of some sort. That does not, however, mean that their concept of “Messiah” was the same as Jesus’ own, or the author’s.
[2:24] 133 tn Grk “all.” The word “people” has been supplied for clarity, since the Greek word πάντας (pantas) is masculine plural (thus indicating people rather than things).
[2:25] 134 tn The masculine form has been retained here in the translation to maintain the connection with “a man of the Pharisees” in 3:1, with the understanding that the reference is to people of both genders.
[2:25] 135 tn See previous note on “man” in this verse.
[3:1] 136 sn See the note on Pharisees in 1:24.
[3:1] 137 tn Grk “a ruler of the Jews” (denoting a member of the Sanhedrin, the highest legal, legislative, and judicial body among the Jews).
[3:2] 138 tn Grk “him”; the referent (Jesus) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[3:2] 139 tn Or “during the night.”
[3:2] 140 sn The reference to signs (σημεῖα, shmeia) forms a link with John 2:23-25. Those people in Jerusalem believed in Jesus because of the signs he had performed. Nicodemus had apparently seen them too. But for Nicodemus all the signs meant is that Jesus was a great teacher sent from God. His approach to Jesus was well-intentioned but theologically inadequate; he had failed to grasp the messianic implications of the miraculous signs.
[3:3] 141 tn Grk “answered and said to him.”
[3:3] 142 tn Grk “Truly, truly, I say to you.”
[3:3] 143 tn The word ἄνωθεν (anwqen) has a double meaning, either “again” (in which case it is synonymous with παλίν [palin]) or “from above” (BDAG 92 s.v. ἄνωθεν). This is a favorite technique of the author of the Fourth Gospel, and it is lost in almost all translations at this point. John uses the word 5 times, in 3:3, 7; 3:31; 19:11 and 23. In the latter 3 cases the context makes clear that it means “from above.” Here (3:3, 7) it could mean either, but the primary meaning intended by Jesus is “from above.” Nicodemus apparently understood it the other way, which explains his reply, “How can a man be born when he is old? He can’t enter his mother’s womb a second time and be born, can he?” The author uses the technique of the “misunderstood question” often to bring out a particularly important point: Jesus says something which is misunderstood by the disciples or (as here) someone else, which then gives Jesus the opportunity to explain more fully and in more detail what he really meant.
[3:3] 144 sn What does Jesus’ statement about not being able to see the kingdom of God mean within the framework of John’s Gospel? John uses the word kingdom (βασιλεία, basileia) only 5 times (3:3, 5; 18:36 [3x]). Only here is it qualified with the phrase of God. The fact that John does not stress the concept of the kingdom of God does not mean it is absent from his theology, however. Remember the messianic implications found in John 2, both the wedding and miracle at Cana and the cleansing of the temple. For Nicodemus, the term must surely have brought to mind the messianic kingdom which Messiah was supposed to bring. But Nicodemus had missed precisely this point about who Jesus was. It was the Messiah himself with whom Nicodemus was speaking. Whatever Nicodemus understood, it is clear that the point is this: He misunderstood Jesus’ words. He over-literalized them, and thought Jesus was talking about repeated physical birth, when he was in fact referring to new spiritual birth.
[3:4] 145 tn The grammatical structure of the question in Greek presupposes a negative reply.
[3:5] 146 tn Grk “Truly, truly, I say to you.”
[3:5] 147 tn Or “born of water and wind” (the same Greek word, πνεύματος [pneumatos], may be translated either “spirit/Spirit” or “wind”).
[3:6] 148 sn What is born of the flesh is flesh, i.e., what is born of physical heritage is physical. (It is interesting to compare this terminology with that of the dialogue in John 4, especially 4:23, 24.) For John the “flesh” (σάρξ, sarx) emphasizes merely the weakness and mortality of the creature – a neutral term, not necessarily sinful as in Paul. This is confirmed by the reference in John 1:14 to the Logos becoming “flesh.” The author avoids associating sinfulness with the incarnate Christ.
[3:7] 149 tn “All” has been supplied to indicate the plural pronoun in the Greek text.
[3:7] 150 tn Or “born again.” The same Greek word with the same double meaning occurs in v. 3.
[3:8] 151 tn The same Greek word, πνεύματος (pneumatos), may be translated “wind” or “spirit.”
[3:8] 152 sn Again, the physical illustrates the spiritual, although the force is heightened by the word-play here on wind-spirit (see the note on wind at the beginning of this verse). By the end of the verse, however, the final usage of πνεύματος (pneumatos) refers to the Holy Spirit.
[3:9] 153 tn Grk “Nicodemus answered and said to him.”
[3:9] 154 sn “How can these things be?” is Nicodemus’ answer. It is clear that at this time he has still not grasped what Jesus is saying. Note also that this is the last appearance of Nicodemus in the dialogue. Having served the purpose of the author, at this point he disappears from the scene. As a character in the narrative, he has served to illustrate the prevailing Jewish misunderstanding of Jesus’ teaching about the necessity of a new, spiritual birth from above. Whatever parting words Nicodemus might have had with Jesus, the author does not record them.
[3:10] 155 tn Grk “Jesus answered and said to him.”
[3:10] 156 sn Jesus’ question “Are you the teacher of Israel and yet you don’t understand these things?” implies that Nicodemus had enough information at his disposal from the OT scriptures to have understood Jesus’ statements about the necessity of being born from above by the regenerating work of the Spirit. Isa 44:3-5 and Ezek 37:9-10 are passages Nicodemus might have known which would have given him insight into Jesus’ words. Another significant passage which contains many of these concepts is Prov 30:4-5.
[3:11] 157 tn Grk “Truly, truly, I say to you.”
[3:11] 158 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “but” to show the contrast present in the context.
[3:11] 159 tn The word “people” is not in the Greek text, but is supplied in the translation to indicate that the verb is second person plural (referring to more than Nicodemus alone).
[3:11] 160 sn Note the remarkable similarity of Jesus’ testimony to the later testimony of the Apostle John himself in 1 John 1:2: “And we have seen and testify and report to you the eternal life which was with the Father and was revealed to us.” This is only one example of how thoroughly the author’s own thoughts were saturated with the words of Jesus (and also how difficult it is to distinguish the words of Jesus from the words of the author in the Fourth Gospel).
[3:12] 161 tn The word “people” is not in the Greek text, but is supplied to indicate that the verb is second person plural (referring to more than Nicodemus alone).
[3:12] 162 sn Obviously earthly things and heavenly things are in contrast, but what is the contrast? What are earthly things which Jesus has just spoken to Nicodemus? And through him to others – this is not the first instance of the plural pronoun, see v. 7, you must all. Since Nicodemus began with a plural (we know, v. 2) Jesus continues it, and through Nicodemus addresses a broader audience. It makes most sense to take this as a reference to the things Jesus has just said (and the things he is about to say, vv. 13-15). If this is the case (and it seems the most natural explanation) then earthly things are not necessarily strictly physical things, but are so called because they take place on earth, in contrast to things like v. 16, which take place in heaven. Some have added the suggestion that the things are called earthly because physical analogies (birth, wind, water) are used to describe them. This is possible, but it seems more probable that Jesus calls these things earthly because they happen on earth (even though they are spiritual things). In the context, taking earthly things as referring to the words Jesus has just spoken fits with the fact that Nicodemus did not believe. And he would not after hearing heavenly things either, unless he first believed in the earthly things – which included the necessity of a regenerating work from above, by the Holy Spirit.
[3:13] 163 tn Grk “And no one.”
[3:13] 164 sn The verb ascended is a perfect tense in Greek (ἀναβέβηκεν, anabebhken) which seems to look at a past, completed event. (This is not as much of a problem for those who take Jesus’ words to end at v. 12, and these words to be a comment by the author, looking back on Jesus’ ascension.) As a saying of Jesus, these words are a bit harder to explain. Note, however, the lexical similarities with 1:51: “ascending,” “descending,” and “son of man.” Here, though, the ascent and descent is accomplished by the Son himself, not the angels as in 1:51. There is no need to limit this saying to Jesus’ ascent following the resurrection, however; the point of the Jacob story (Gen 28), which seems to be the background for 1:51, is the freedom of communication and relationship between God and men (a major theme of John’s Gospel). This communication comes through the angels in Gen 28 (and John 1:51); but here (most appropriately) it comes directly through the Son of Man. Although Jesus could be referring to a prior ascent, after an appearance as the preincarnate Son of Man, more likely he is simply pointing out that no one from earth has ever gone up to heaven and come down again. The Son, who has come down from heaven, is the only one who has been ‘up’ there. In both Jewish intertestamental literature and later rabbinic accounts, Moses is portrayed as ascending to heaven to receive the Torah and descending to distribute it to men (e.g., Targum Ps 68:19.) In contrast to these Jewish legends, the Son is the only one who has ever made the ascent and descent.
[3:13] 165 tc Most witnesses, including a few important ones (A[*] Θ Ψ 050 Ë1,13 Ï latt syc,p,h), have at the end of this verse “the one who is in heaven” (ὁ ὢν ἐν τῷ οὐρανῷ, Jo wn en tw ouranw). A few others have variations on this phrase, such as “who was in heaven” (e syc), or “the one who is from heaven” (0141 pc sys). The witnesses normally considered the best, along with several others, lack the phrase in its entirety (Ì66,75 א B L T Ws 083 086 33 1241 pc co). On the one hand, if the reading ὁ ὢν ἐν τῷ οὐρανῷ is authentic it may suggest that while Jesus was speaking to Nicodemus he spoke of himself as in heaven even while he was on earth. If that is the case, one could see why variations from this hard saying arose: “who was in heaven,” “the one who is from heaven,” and omission of the clause. At the same time, such a saying could be interpreted (though with difficulty) as part of the narrator’s comments rather than Jesus’ statement to Nicodemus, alleviating the problem. And if v. 13 was viewed in early times as the evangelist’s statement, “the one who is in heaven” could have crept into the text through a marginal note. Other internal evidence suggests that this saying may be authentic. The adjectival participle, ὁ ὤν, is used in the Fourth Gospel more than any other NT book (though the Apocalypse comes in a close second), and frequently with reference to Jesus (1:18; 6:46; 8:47). It may be looking back to the LXX of Exod 3:14 (ἐγώ εἰμι ὁ ὤν). Especially since this exact construction is not necessary to communicate the location of the Son of Man, its presence in many witnesses here may suggest authenticity. Further, John uses the singular of οὐρανός (ourano", “heaven”) in all 18 instances of the word in this Gospel, and all but twice with the article (only 1:32 and 6:58 are anarthrous, and even in the latter there is significant testimony to the article). At the same time, the witnesses that lack this clause are very weighty and must not be discounted. Generally speaking, if other factors are equal, the reading of such
[3:14] 166 tn Grk “And just as.”
[3:14] 167 sn Or the snake, referring to the bronze serpent mentioned in Num 21:9.
[3:14] 168 sn An allusion to Num 21:5-9.
[3:14] 169 sn So must the Son of Man be lifted up. This is ultimately a prediction of Jesus’ crucifixion. Nicodemus could not have understood this, but John’s readers, the audience to whom the Gospel is addressed, certainly could have (compare the wording of John 12:32). In John, being lifted up refers to one continuous action of ascent, beginning with the cross but ending at the right hand of the Father. Step 1 is Jesus’ death; step 2 is his resurrection; and step 3 is the ascension back to heaven. It is the upward swing of the “pendulum” which began with the incarnation, the descent of the Word become flesh from heaven to earth (cf. Paul in Phil 2:5-11). See also the note on the title Son of Man in 1:51.
[3:15] 170 tn This is the first use of the term ζωὴν αἰώνιον (zwhn aiwnion) in the Gospel, although ζωή (zwh) in chap. 1 is to be understood in the same way without the qualifying αἰώνιος (aiwnios).
[3:16] 171 tn Or “this is how much”; or “in this way.” The Greek adverb οὕτως (Joutws) can refer (1) to the degree to which God loved the world, that is, to such an extent or so much that he gave his own Son (see R. E. Brown, John [AB], 1:133-34; D. A. Carson, John, 204) or (2) simply to the manner in which God loved the world, i.e., by sending his own son (see R. H. Gundry and R. W. Howell, “The Sense and Syntax of John 3:14-17 with Special Reference to the Use of Οὕτως…ὥστε in John 3:16,” NovT 41 [1999]: 24-39). Though the term more frequently refers to the manner in which something is done (see BDAG 741-42 s.v. οὕτω/οὕτως), the following clause involving ὥστε (Jwste) plus the indicative (which stresses actual, but [usually] unexpected result) emphasizes the greatness of the gift God has given. With this in mind, then, it is likely (3) that John is emphasizing both the degree to which God loved the world as well as the manner in which He chose to express that love. This is in keeping with John’s style of using double entendre or double meaning. Thus, the focus of the Greek construction here is on the nature of God's love, addressing its mode, intensity, and extent.
[3:16] 172 tn Although this word is often translated “only begotten,” such a translation is misleading, since in English it appears to express a metaphysical relationship. The word in Greek was used of an only child (a son [Luke 7:12, 9:38] or a daughter [Luke 8:42]). It was also used of something unique (only one of its kind) such as the mythological Phoenix (1 Clement 25:2). From here it passes easily to a description of Isaac (Heb 11:17 and Josephus, Ant. 1.13.1 [1.222]) who was not Abraham’s only son, but was one-of-a-kind because he was the child of the promise. Thus the word means “one-of-a-kind” and is reserved for Jesus in the Johannine literature of the NT. While all Christians are children of God (τέκνα θεοῦ, tekna qeou), Jesus is God’s Son in a unique, one-of-a-kind sense. The word is used in this way in all its uses in the Gospel of John (1:14, 1:18, 3:16, and 3:18).
[3:16] 173 tn In John the word ἀπόλλυμι (apollumi) can mean either (1) to be lost (2) to perish or be destroyed, depending on the context.
[3:16] 174 sn The alternatives presented are only two (again, it is typical of Johannine thought for this to be presented in terms of polar opposites): perish or have eternal life.
[3:17] 175 sn That is, “to judge the world to be guilty and liable to punishment.”
[3:18] 178 tn See the note on the term “one and only” in 3:16.
[3:19] 179 tn Or “this is the reason for God judging,” or “this is how judgment works.”
[3:19] 180 tn Grk “and men,” but in a generic sense, referring to people of both genders (as “everyone” in v. 20 makes clear).
[3:21] 181 sn John 3:16-21 provides an introduction to the (so-called) “realized” eschatology of the Fourth Gospel: Judgment has come; eternal life may be possessed now, in the present life, as well as in the future. The terminology “realized eschatology” was originally coined by E. Haenchen and used by J. Jeremias in discussion with C. H. Dodd, but is now characteristically used to describe Dodd’s own formulation. See L. Goppelt, Theology of the New Testament, 1:54, note 10, and R. E. Brown (John [AB], 1:cxvii-cxviii) for further discussion. Especially important to note is the element of choice portrayed in John’s Gospel. If there is a twofold reaction to Jesus in John’s Gospel, it should be emphasized that that reaction is very much dependent on a person’s choice, a choice that is influenced by his way of life, whether his deeds are wicked or are done in God (John 3:20-21). For John there is virtually no trace of determinism at the surface. Only when one looks beneath the surface does one find statements like “no one can come to me, unless the Father who sent me draws him” (John 6:44).
[3:22] 182 tn This section is related loosely to the preceding by μετὰ ταῦτα (meta tauta). This constitutes an indefinite temporal reference; the intervening time is not specified.
[3:23] 183 sn John refers to John the Baptist.
[3:23] 184 tn The precise locations of Αἰνών (Ainwn) and Σαλείμ (Saleim) are unknown. Three possibilities are suggested: (1) In Perea, which is in Transjordan (cf. 1:28). Perea is just across the river from Judea. (2) In the northern Jordan Valley, on the west bank some 8 miles [13 km] south of Scythopolis. But with the Jordan River so close, the reference to abundant water (3:23) seems superfluous. (3) Thus Samaria has been suggested. 4 miles (6.6 km) east of Shechem is a town called Salim, and 8 miles (13 km) northeast of Salim lies modern Ainun. In the general vicinity are many springs. Because of the meanings of the names (Αἰνών = “springs” in Aramaic and Σαλείμ = Salem, “peace”) some have attempted to allegorize here that John the Baptist is near salvation. Obviously there is no need for this. It is far more probable that the author has in mind real places, even if their locations cannot be determined with certainty.
[3:23] 185 tn Or “people were continually coming.”
[3:23] 186 tn The words “to him” are not in the Greek text, but are implied.
[3:24] 187 sn This is a parenthetical note by the author.
[3:25] 188 tc Was this dispute between the Baptist’s disciples and an individual Judean (᾿Ιουδαίου, Ioudaiou) or representatives of the Jewish authorities (᾿Ιουδαίων, Ioudaiwn)? There is good external support for the plural ᾿Ιουδαίων (Ì66 א* Θ Ë1,13 565 al latt), but the external evidence for the singular ᾿Ιουδαίου is slightly stronger ({Ì75 א2 A B L Ψ 33 1241 the majority of Byzantine minuscules and others}).
[3:25] 189 tn Or “ceremonial cleansing,” or “purification.”
[3:26] 190 tn “River” is not in the Greek text but is supplied for clarity.
[3:27] 191 tn Grk “answered and said.”
[3:28] 192 tn Or “the Messiah” (Both Greek “Christ” and Hebrew and Aramaic “Messiah” mean “one who has been anointed”).
[3:29] 193 tn Grk “rejoices with joy” (an idiom).
[3:29] 194 tn Grk “Therefore this my joy is fulfilled.”
[3:30] 195 sn Some interpreters extend the quotation of John the Baptist’s words through v. 36.
[3:31] 196 tn Or “is above all.”
[3:31] 197 tn Grk “speaks from the earth.”
[3:31] 198 sn The one who comes from heaven refers to Christ. As in John 1:1, the Word’s preexistence is indicated here.
[3:31] 199 tc Ì75 א* D Ë1 565 as well as several versions and fathers lack the phrase “is superior to all” (ἐπάνω πάντων ἐστίν, epanw pantwn estin). This effectively joins the last sentence of v. 31 with v. 32: “The one who comes from heaven testifies about what he has seen and heard, but no one accepts his testimony.” On the other side, the phrase may have been deleted because of perceived redundancy, since it duplicates what is said earlier in the verse. The witnesses that include ἐπάνω πάντων ἐστίν in both places are weighty and widespread (Ì36vid,66 א2 A B L Ws Θ Ψ 083 086 Ë13 33 Ï lat sys,p,h bo). On balance, the longer reading should probably be considered authentic.
[3:34] 201 tn That is, Christ.
[3:34] 202 tn Grk “for not by measure does he give the Spirit” (an idiom). Leviticus Rabbah 15:2 states: “The Holy Spirit rested on the prophets by measure.” Jesus is contrasted to this. The Spirit rests upon him without measure.
[3:35] 203 tn Grk “has given all things into his hand” (an idiom).
[3:36] 204 tn Or “refuses to believe,” or “disobeys.”
[3:36] 205 tn Or “anger because of evil,” or “punishment.”
[4:1] 207 tc Several early and important witnesses, along with the majority of later ones (Ì66c,75 A B C L Ws Ψ 083 Ë13 33 Ï sa), have κύριος (kurio", “Lord”) here instead of ᾿Ιησοῦς (Ihsou", “Jesus”). As significant as this external support is, the internal evidence seems to be on the side of ᾿Ιησοῦς. “Jesus” is mentioned two more times in the first two verses of chapter four in a way that is stylistically awkward (so much so that the translation has substituted the pronoun for the first one; see tn note below). This seems to be sufficient reason to motivate scribes to change the wording to κύριος. Further, the reading ᾿Ιησοῦς is not without decent support, though admittedly not as strong as that for κύριος (Ì66* א D Θ 086 Ë1 565 1241 al lat bo). On the other hand, this Gospel speaks of Jesus as Lord in the evangelist’s narrative descriptions elsewhere only in 11:2; 20:18, 20; 21:12; and probably 6:23, preferring ᾿Ιησοῦς most of the time. This fact could be used to argue that scribes, acquainted with John’s style, changed κύριος to ᾿Ιησοῦς. But the immediate context generally is weighed more heavily than an author’s style. It is possible that neither word was in the original text and scribes supplied what they thought most appropriate (see TCGNT 176). But without ms evidence to this effect coupled with the harder reading ᾿Ιησοῦς, this conjecture must remain doubtful. All in all, it is best to regard ᾿Ιησοῦς as the original reading here.
[4:1] 208 sn See the note on Pharisees in 1:24.
[4:1] 209 tn Grk “Jesus”; the repetition of the proper name is somewhat redundant in English (see the beginning of the verse) and so the pronoun (“he”) has been substituted here.
[4:1] 210 tn Grk “was making.”
[4:2] 211 sn This is a parenthetical note by the author.
[4:3] 212 sn The author doesn’t tell why Jesus chose to set out once more for Galilee. Some have suggested that the Pharisees turned their attention to Jesus because John the Baptist had now been thrown into prison. But the text gives no hint of this. In any case, perhaps Jesus simply did not want to provoke a confrontation at this time (knowing that his “hour” had not yet come).
[4:4] 213 sn Travel through Samaria was not geographically necessary; the normal route for Jews ran up the east side of the Jordan River (Transjordan). Although some take the impersonal verb had to (δεῖ, dei) here to indicate logical necessity only, normally in John’s Gospel its use involves God’s will or plan (3:7, 3:14, 3:30, 4:4, 4:20, 4:24, 9:4, 10:16, 12:34, 20:9).
[4:4] 214 sn Samaria. The Samaritans were descendants of 2 groups: (1) The remnant of native Israelites who were not deported after the fall of the Northern Kingdom in 722
[4:5] 215 tn Grk “town of Samaria.” The noun Σαμαρείας (Samareias) has been translated as an attributive genitive.
[4:5] 216 sn Sychar was somewhere in the vicinity of Shechem, possibly the village of Askar, 1.5 km northeast of Jacob’s well.
[4:5] 217 sn Perhaps referred to in Gen 48:22.
[4:6] 218 tn Grk “on (ἐπί, epi) the well.” There may have been a low stone rim encircling the well, or the reading of Ì66 (“on the ground”) may be correct.
[4:6] 219 tn Grk “the sixth hour.”
[4:7] 220 tn Grk “a woman from Samaria.” According to BDAG 912 s.v. Σαμάρεια, the prepositional phrase is to be translated as a simple attributive: “γυνὴ ἐκ τῆς Σαμαρείας a Samaritan woman J 4:7.”
[4:7] 221 tn The phrase “some water” is supplied as the understood direct object of the infinitive πεῖν (pein).
[4:8] 223 sn This is a parenthetical note by the author, indicating why Jesus asked the woman for a drink (for presumably his disciples also took the water bucket with them).
[4:9] 224 tn Or “a Judean.” Here BDAG 478 s.v. ᾿Ιουδαίος 2.a states, “Judean (with respect to birth, nationality, or cult).” The same term occurs in the plural later in this verse. In one sense “Judean” would work very well in the translation here, since the contrast is between residents of the two geographical regions. However, since in the context of this chapter the discussion soon becomes a religious rather than a territorial one (cf. vv. 19-26), the translation “Jew” has been retained here and in v. 22.
[4:9] 225 tn “Water” is supplied as the understood direct object of the infinitive πεῖν (pein).
[4:9] 226 tn D. Daube (“Jesus and the Samaritan Woman: the Meaning of συγχράομαι [Jn 4:7ff],” JBL 69 [1950]: 137-47) suggests this meaning.
[4:9] 227 sn This is a parenthetical note by the author.
[4:10] 228 tn Grk “answered and said to her.”
[4:10] 229 tn Or “if you knew.”
[4:10] 230 tn The phrase “some water” is supplied as the understood direct object of the infinitive πεῖν (pein).
[4:10] 231 tn This is a second class conditional sentence in Greek.
[4:11] 232 tn Or “Lord.” The Greek term κύριος (kurios) means both “Sir” and “Lord.” In this passage there is probably a gradual transition from one to the other as the woman’s respect for Jesus grows throughout the conversation (4:11, 15, 19).
[4:11] 233 tc ‡ Two early and important Greek
[4:11] 234 tn The word for “well” has now shifted to φρέαρ (frear, “cistern”); earlier in the passage it was πηγή (phgh).
[4:11] 235 tn The anaphoric article has been translated “this.”
[4:11] 236 sn Where then do you get this living water? The woman’s reply is an example of the “misunderstood statement,” a technique appearing frequently in John’s Gospel. Jesus was speaking of living water which was spiritual (ultimately a Johannine figure for the Holy Spirit, see John 7:38-39), but the woman thought he was speaking of flowing (fresh drinkable) water. Her misunderstanding gave Jesus the opportunity to explain what he really meant.
[4:12] 237 tn Or “our forefather”; Grk “our father.”
[4:12] 238 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 this instance all of v. 12 is one question. It has been broken into two sentences for the sake of English style (instead of “for he” the Greek reads “who”).
[4:13] 239 tn Grk “answered and said to her.”
[4:13] 240 tn Grk “will thirst.”
[4:14] 241 tn Grk “will never be thirsty forever.” The possibility of a later thirst is emphatically denied.
[4:14] 242 tn Or “well.” “Fountain” is used as the translation for πηγή (phgh) here since the idea is that of an artesian well that flows freely, but the term “artesian well” is not common in contemporary English.
[4:14] 243 tn The verb ἁλλομένου (Jallomenou) is used of quick movement (like jumping) on the part of living beings. This is the only instance of its being applied to the action of water. However, in the LXX it is used to describe the “Spirit of God” as it falls on Samson and Saul. See Judg 14:6, 19; 15:14; 1 Kgdms 10:2, 10 LXX (= 1 Sam 10:6, 10 ET); and Isa 35:6 (note context).
[4:15] 244 tn Grk “or come here to draw.”
[4:15] 245 tn The direct object of the infinitive ἀντλεῖν (antlein) is understood in Greek but supplied for clarity in the English translation.
[4:16] 246 tc Most witnesses have “Jesus” here, either with the article (אc C2 D L Ws Ψ 086 Ï lat) or without (א* A Θ Ë1,13 al), while several important and early witnesses lack the name (Ì66,75 B C* 33vid pc). It is unlikely that scribes would have deliberately expunged the name of Jesus from the text here, especially since it aids the reader with the flow of the dialogue. Further, that the name occurs both anarthrously and with the article suggests that it was a later addition. (For similar arguments, see the tc note on “woman” in 4:11).
[4:16] 247 tn Grk “come here” (“back” is implied).
[4:17] 248 tn Grk “answered and said to him.”
[4:17] 249 tn Grk “Well have you said.”
[4:17] 250 tn The word order in Jesus’ reply is reversed from the woman’s original statement. The word “husband” in Jesus’ reply is placed in an emphatic position.
[4:18] 251 tn Grk “the one you have.”
[4:19] 252 tn Grk “behold” or “perceive,” but these are not as common in contemporary English usage.
[4:20] 253 sn This mountain refers to Mount Gerizim, where the Samaritan shrine was located.
[4:20] 254 tn The word “people” is not in the Greek text, but is supplied to indicate that the Greek verb translated “say” is second person plural and thus refers to more than Jesus alone.
[4:20] 255 map For location see Map5 B1; Map6 F3; Map7 E2; Map8 F2; Map10 B3; JP1 F4; JP2 F4; JP3 F4; JP4 F4.
[4:21] 256 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.
[4:21] 258 tn The verb is plural.
[4:22] 259 tn The word “people” is not in the Greek text, but is supplied to indicate that the Greek verb translated “worship” is second person plural and thus refers to more than the woman alone.
[4:22] 260 tn Or “from the Judeans.” See the note on “Jew” in v. 9.
[4:23] 262 tn “Here” is not in the Greek text but is supplied to conform to contemporary English idiom.
[4:23] 263 sn See also John 4:27.
[4:23] 264 tn Or “as.” The object-complement construction implies either “as” or “to be.”
[4:23] 265 tn This is a double accusative construction of object and complement with τοιούτους (toioutous) as the object and the participle προσκυνοῦντας (proskunounta") as the complement.
[4:24] 266 tn Here πνεῦμα (pneuma) is understood as a qualitative predicate nominative while the articular θεός (qeos) is the subject.
[4:25] 267 tn Both Greek “Christ” and Hebrew and Aramaic “Messiah” mean “the one who has been anointed.”
[4:25] 269 tn Or “he will announce to us.”
[4:25] 270 tn Grk “all things.”
[4:27] 271 tn Or “his disciples returned”; Grk “came” (“back” is supplied in keeping with English usage). Because of the length of the Greek sentence it is better to divide here and begin a new English sentence, leaving the καί (kai) before ἐθαύμαζον (eqaumazon) untranslated.
[4:27] 272 tn BDAG 444 s.v. θαυμάζω 1.a.γ has “be surprised that” followed by indirect discourse. The context calls for a slightly stronger wording.
[4:27] 273 tn The ὅτι (Joti) could also be translated as declarative (“that he had been speaking with a woman”) but since this would probably require translating the imperfect verb as a past perfect (which is normal after a declarative ὅτι), it is preferable to take this ὅτι as causal.
[4:27] 274 tn Grk “seek.” See John 4:23.
[4:28] 275 tn The term ἄνθρωποι (anqrwpoi) used here can mean either “people” (when used generically) or “men” (though there is a more specific term in Greek for adult males, ανήρ [anhr]). Thus the woman could have been speaking either (1) to all the people or (2) to the male leaders of the city as their representatives. However, most recent English translations regard the former as more likely and render the word “people” here.
[4:29] 276 tn Grk “the Christ” (both Greek “Christ” and Hebrew and Aramaic “Messiah” mean “one who has been anointed”). Although the Greek text reads χριστός (cristos) here, it is more consistent based on 4:25 (where Μεσσίας [Messias] is the lead term and is qualified by χριστός) to translate χριστός as “Messiah” here.
[4:29] 277 tn The use of μήτι (mhti) normally presupposes a negative answer. This should not be taken as an indication that the woman did not believe, however. It may well be an example of “reverse psychology,” designed to gain a hearing for her testimony among those whose doubts about her background would obviate her claims.
[4:30] 278 tn “So” is supplied for transitional smoothness in English.
[4:30] 279 sn The imperfect tense is here rendered began coming for the author is not finished with this part of the story yet; these same Samaritans will appear again in v. 35.
[4:31] 280 tn Grk “were asking him, saying.”
[4:31] 281 tn The direct object of φάγε (fage) in Greek is understood; “something” is supplied in English.
[4:33] 282 tn An ingressive imperfect conveys the idea that Jesus’ reply provoked the disciples’ response.
[4:33] 283 tn The direct object of ἤνεγκεν (hnenken) in Greek is understood; “anything” is supplied in English.
[4:33] 284 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 “did they?”).
[4:34] 285 sn The one who sent me refers to the Father.
[4:34] 286 tn Or “to accomplish.”
[4:34] 287 tn The substantival ἵνα (Jina) clause has been translated as an English infinitive clause.
[4:35] 288 tn The recitative ὅτι (Joti) after λέγετε (legete) has not been translated.
[4:35] 289 tn Grk “lift up your eyes” (an idiom). BDAG 357 s.v. ἐπαίρω 1 has “look up” here.
[4:35] 290 tn That is, “ripe.”
[4:36] 291 tn Or “a reward”; see L&N 38.14 and 57.173. This is something of a wordplay.
[4:37] 292 tn The recitative ὅτι (Joti) after ἀληθινός (alhqino") has not been translated.
[4:39] 293 tn Grk “when she testified.”
[4:40] 294 tn Following the arrival of the Samaritans, the imperfect verb has been translated as ingressive.
[4:40] 295 tn Because of the length of the Greek sentence and the sequencing with the following verse, the conjunction καί (kai) has not been translated here. Instead a new English sentence is begun.
[4:41] 296 tn Or “and they believed much more.”
[4:42] 297 tn Or “this.” The Greek pronoun can mean either “this one” or “this” (BDAG 740 s.v. οὗτος 1).
[4:42] 298 sn There is irony in the Samaritans’ declaration that Jesus was really the Savior of the world, an irony foreshadowed in the prologue to the Fourth Gospel (1:11): “He came to his own, and his own did not receive him.” Yet the Samaritans welcomed Jesus and proclaimed him to be not the Jewish Messiah only, but the Savior of the world.
[4:44] 299 sn This is a parenthetical note by the author.
[4:45] 300 sn All the things he had done in Jerusalem probably refers to the signs mentioned in John 2:23.
[4:45] 301 sn See John 2:23-25.
[4:45] 302 sn John 4:44-45. The last part of v. 45 is a parenthetical note by the author. The major problem in these verses concerns the contradiction between the proverb stated by Jesus in v. 44 and the reception of the Galileans in v. 45. Origen solved the problem by referring his own country to Judea (which Jesus had just left) and not Galilee. But this runs counter to the thrust of John’s Gospel, which takes pains to identify Jesus with Galilee (cf. 1:46) and does not even mention his Judean birth. R. E. Brown typifies the contemporary approach: He regards v. 44 as an addition by a later redactor who wanted to emphasize Jesus’ unsatisfactory reception in Galilee. Neither expedient is necessary, though, if honor is understood in its sense of attributing true worth to someone. The Galileans did welcome him, but their welcome was to prove a superficial response based on what they had seen him do at the feast. There is no indication that the signs they saw brought them to place their faith in Jesus any more than Nicodemus did on the basis of the signs. But a superficial welcome based on enthusiasm for miracles is no real honor at all.
[4:46] 303 map For location see Map1 C3; Map2 D2; Map3 C5.
[4:46] 304 sn See John 2:1-11.
[4:46] 306 sn Capernaum was a town on the northwest shore of the Sea of Galilee, 680 ft (204 m) below sea level. It was a major trade and economic center in the North Galilean region.
[4:46] 307 tn Although βασιλικός (basiliko") has often been translated “nobleman” it is almost certainly refers here to a servant of Herod, tetrarch of Galilee (who in the NT is called a king, Matt 14:9, Mark 6:14-29). Capernaum was a border town, so doubtless there were many administrative officials in residence there.
[4:47] 308 tn The direct object of ἠρώτα (hrwta) is supplied from context. Direct objects were frequently omitted in Greek when clear from the context.
[4:48] 309 tn The word “people” is not in the Greek text, but is supplied to indicate that the verb is second person plural (referring to more than the royal official alone).
[4:48] 310 tn Or “you never believe.” The verb πιστεύσητε (pisteushte) is aorist subjunctive and may have either nuance.
[4:50] 311 tn Grk “Go”; the word “home” is not in the Greek text, but is implied.
[4:50] 312 tn Grk “and left.” The words “for home” are implied by the following verse.
[4:51] 313 sn While he was on his way down. Going to Capernaum from Cana, one must go east across the Galilean hills and then descend to the Sea of Galilee. The 20 mi (33 km) journey could not be made in a single day. The use of the description on his way down shows the author was familiar with Palestinian geography.
[4:51] 314 tn Traditionally, “servants.” Though δοῦλος (doulos) is normally translated “servant,” the word does not bear the connotation of a free individual serving another. BDAG notes that “‘servant’ for ‘slave’ is largely confined to Biblical transl. and early American times…in normal usage at the present time the two words are carefully distinguished” (BDAG 260 s.v.). The most accurate translation is “bondservant” (sometimes found in the ASV for δοῦλος), in that it often indicates one who sells himself into slavery to another. But as this is archaic, few today understand its force.
[4:52] 316 tn BDAG 558 s.v. κομψότερον translates the idiom κομψότερον ἔχειν (komyoteron ecein) as “begin to improve.”
[4:52] 317 tn The second οὖν (oun) in 4:52 has been translated as “and” to improve English style by avoiding redundancy.
[4:52] 318 tn Grk “at the seventh hour.”
[4:53] 319 tn Grk “at that hour.”
[4:54] 320 tn This sentence in Greek involves an object-complement construction. The force can be either “Jesus did this as,” or possibly “Jesus made this to be.” The latter translation accents not only Jesus’ power but his sovereignty too. Cf. 2:11 where the same construction occurs.
[5:1] 321 sn The temporal indicator After this is not specific, so it is uncertain how long after the incidents at Cana this occurred.
[5:1] 322 tc The textual variants ἑορτή or ἡ ἑορτή (Jeorth or Jh Jeorth, “a feast” or “the feast”) may not appear significant at first, but to read ἑορτή with the article would almost certainly demand a reference to the Jewish Passover. The article is found in א C L Δ Ψ Ë1 33 892 1424 pm, but is lacking in {Ì66,75 A B D T Ws Θ Ë13 565 579 700 1241 pm}. Overall, the shorter reading has somewhat better support. Internally, the known proclivity of scribes to make the text more explicit argues compellingly for the shorter reading. Thus, the verse refers to a feast other than the Passover. The incidental note in 5:3, that the sick were lying outside in the porticoes of the pool, makes Passover an unlikely time because it fell toward the end of winter and the weather would not have been warm. L. Morris (John [NICNT], 299, n. 6) thinks it impossible to identify the feast with certainty.
[5:1] 323 map For location see Map5 B1; Map6 F3; Map7 E2; Map8 F2; Map10 B3; JP1 F4; JP2 F4; JP3 F4; JP4 F4.
[5:2] 324 tn Regarding the use of the present tense ἐστιν (estin) and its implications for the dating of the Gospel of John, see the article by D. B. Wallace, “John 5,2 and the Date of the Fourth Gospel,” Bib 71 (1990): 177-205.
[5:2] 325 tn The site of the miracle is also something of a problem: προβατικῇ (probatikh) is usually taken as a reference to the Sheep Gate near the temple. Some (R. E. Brown and others) would place the word κολυμβήθρα (kolumbhqra) with προβατικῇ to read “in Jerusalem, by the Sheep Pool, there is (another pool) with the Hebrew name.” This would imply that there is reference to two pools in the context rather than only one. This does not seem necessary (although it is a grammatical possibility). The gender of the words does not help since both are feminine (as is the participle ἐπιλεγομένη [epilegomenh]). Note however that Brown’s suggestion would require a feminine word to be supplied (for the participle ἐπιλεγομένη to modify). The traditional understanding of the phrase as a reference to the Sheep Gate near the temple appears more probably correct.
[5:2] 326 tc Some
[5:2] 328 tn Or “porticoes,” or “colonnades”; Grk “stoas.”
[5:4] 329 tc The majority of later
[5:5] 330 tn Grk “who had had thirty-eight years in his disability.”
[5:6] 332 tn Grk “he.” The referent (the man) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[5:7] 333 tn Or “Lord.” The Greek κύριος (kurios) means both “Sir” and “Lord.” In this passage the paralytic who was healed by Jesus never acknowledges Jesus as Lord – he rather reports Jesus to the authorities.
[5:7] 334 tn Grk “while I am going.”
[5:7] 336 tn The word “there” is not in the Greek text but is implied.
[5:8] 337 tn Or “pallet,” “mattress,” “cot,” or “stretcher.” Some of these items, however, are rather substantial (e.g., “mattress”) and would probably give the modern English reader a false impression.
[5:9] 338 tn Grk “became well.”
[5:9] 339 tn Or “pallet,” “mattress,” “cot,” or “stretcher.” See the note on “mat” in the previous verse.
[5:9] 340 tn Grk “Now it was Sabbath on that day.”
[5:10] 341 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. Here the author refers to the Jewish authorities or leaders in Jerusalem. (For further information see R. G. Bratcher, “‘The Jews’ in the Gospel of John,” BT 26 [1975]: 401-9).
[5:10] 342 tn Or “pallet,” “mattress,” “cot,” or “stretcher.” See the note on “mat” in v. 8.
[5:11] 343 tn Or “pallet,” “mattress,” “cot,” or “stretcher.” See the note on “mat” in v. 8.
[5:12] 344 tc While a number of
[5:12] 345 tn Grk “Pick up and walk”; the object (the mat) is implied but not repeated.
[5:14] 346 tn Since this is a prohibition with a present imperative, the translation “stop sinning” is sometimes suggested. This is not likely, however, since the present tense is normally used in prohibitions involving a general condition (as here) while the aorist tense is normally used in specific instances. Only when used opposite the normal usage (the present tense in a specific instance, for example) would the meaning “stop doing what you are doing” be appropriate.
[5:15] 347 tn Or “the Jewish authorities”; Grk “the Jews.” See the note on the phrase “Jewish leaders” in v. 10.
[5:16] 348 sn Note the plural phrase these things which seems to indicate that Jesus healed on the Sabbath more than once (cf. John 20:30). The synoptic gospels show this to be true; the incident in 5:1-15 has thus been chosen by the author as representative.
[5:16] 349 tn Or “the Jewish authorities”; Grk “the Jews.” See the note on the phrase “Jewish leaders” in v. 10.
[5:17] 351 tc ‡ Most witnesses (Ì66 A D L Θ Ψ Ë1,13 33 Ï latt co) have ᾿Ιησοῦς (Ihsou", “Jesus”) here, while generally better witnesses (Ì75 א B W {0141} 892 1241 pbo) lack the name. Although it is possible that Alexandrian scribes deleted the name due to proclivities to prune, this is not as likely as other witnesses adding it for clarification, especially since multiple strands of the Alexandrian text are represented in the shorter reading. NA27 places the word in brackets, indicating some doubts as to authenticity.
[5:17] 353 sn “My Father is working until now, and I too am working.” What is the significance of Jesus’ claim? A preliminary understanding can be obtained from John 5:18, noting the Jewish authorities’ response and the author’s comment. They sought to kill Jesus, because not only was he breaking the Sabbath, but he was also calling God his own Father, thus making himself equal with God. This must be seen in the context of the relation of God to the Sabbath rest. In the commandment (Exod 20:11) it is explained that “In six days the Lord made the heavens and the earth…and rested on the seventh day; therefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy.” Philo, based on the LXX translation of Exod 20:11, denied outright that God had ever ceased his creative activity. And when Rabban Gamaliel II, R. Joshua, R. Eleazar ben Azariah, and R. Akiba were in Rome, ca.
[5:18] 354 tn Or “the Jewish authorities”; Grk “the Jews.” See the note on the phrase “Jewish leaders” in v. 10.
[5:19] 355 tn Grk “answered and said to them.”
[5:19] 356 tn Grk “Truly, truly, I say to you.”
[5:19] 357 tn Grk “nothing from himself.”
[5:19] 358 tn Grk “that one”; the referent (the Father) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[5:19] 359 sn What works does the Son do likewise? The same that the Father does – and the same that the rabbis recognized as legitimate works of God on the Sabbath (see note on working in v. 17). (1) Jesus grants life (just as the Father grants life) on the Sabbath. But as the Father gives physical life on the Sabbath, so the Son grants spiritual life (John 5:21; note the “greater things” mentioned in v. 20). (2) Jesus judges (determines the destiny of people) on the Sabbath, just as the Father judges those who die on the Sabbath, because the Father has granted authority to the Son to judge (John 5:22-23). But this is not all. Not only has this power been granted to Jesus in the present; it will be his in the future as well. In v. 28 there is a reference not to spiritually dead (only) but also physically dead. At their resurrection they respond to the Son as well.
[5:21] 360 tn Grk “and makes them live.”
[5:21] 361 tn Grk “the Son makes whomever he wants to live.”
[5:22] 363 tn Or “given,” or “handed over.”
[5:23] 364 tn Grk “all.” The word “people” is not in the Greek text but is supplied for stylistic reasons and for clarity (cf. KJV “all men”).
[5:24] 365 tn Grk “Truly, truly, I say to you.”
[5:24] 368 tn Grk “and does not come into judgment.”
[5:25] 369 tn Grk “Truly, truly, I say to you.”
[5:27] 372 tn Grk “authority to judge.”
[5:29] 374 tn Or “a resurrection resulting in judgment.”
[5:30] 375 tn Grk “nothing from myself.”
[5:30] 376 tn Or “righteous,” or “proper.”
[5:30] 377 tn That is, “the will of the Father who sent me.”
[5:32] 378 sn To whom does another refer? To John the Baptist or to the Father? In the nearer context, v. 33, it would seem to be John the Baptist. But v. 34 seems to indicate that Jesus does not receive testimony from men. Probably it is better to view v. 32 as identical to v. 37, with the comments about the Baptist as a parenthetical digression.
[5:33] 379 sn John refers to John the Baptist.
[5:34] 380 tn Or “I do not receive.”
[5:35] 381 sn He was a lamp that was burning and shining. Sir 48:1 states that the word of Elijah was “a flame like a torch.” Because of the connection of John the Baptist with Elijah (see John 1:21 and the note on John’s reply, “I am not”), it was natural for Jesus to apply this description to John.
[5:35] 382 tn Grk “for an hour.”
[5:36] 384 tn Grk “complete, which I am now doing”; the referent of the relative pronoun has been specified by repeating “deeds” from the previous clause.
[5:37] 385 tn The word “people” is not in the Greek text, but is supplied to clarify that the following verbs (“heard,” “seen,” “have residing,” “do not believe”) are second person plural.
[5:37] 386 sn You people have never heard his voice nor seen his form at any time. Compare Deut 4:12. Also see Deut 5:24 ff., where the Israelites begged to hear the voice no longer – their request (ironically) has by this time been granted. How ironic this would be if the feast is Pentecost, where by the 1st century
[5:39] 387 tn Or “Study the scriptures thoroughly” (an imperative). For the meaning of the verb see G. Delling, TDNT 2:655-57.
[5:39] 388 sn In them you possess eternal life. Note the following examples from the rabbinic tractate Pirqe Avot (“The Sayings of the Fathers”): Pirqe Avot 2:8, “He who has acquired the words of the law has acquired for himself the life of the world to come”; Pirqe Avot 6:7, “Great is the law for it gives to those who practice it life in this world and in the world to come.”
[5:39] 389 tn The words “same scriptures” are not in the Greek text, but are supplied to clarify the referent (“these”).
[5:41] 390 tn Or “I do not receive.”
[5:41] 391 tn Or “honor” (Grk “glory,” in the sense of respect or honor accorded to a person because of their status).
[5:41] 392 tn Grk “from men,” but in a generic sense; both men and women are implied here.
[5:42] 393 tn The genitive in the phrase τὴν ἀγάπην τοῦ θεοῦ (thn agaphn tou qeou, “the love of God”) could be translated as either a subjective genitive (“God’s love”) or an objective genitive (“love for God”). Either is grammatically possible. This is possibly an instance of a plenary genitive (see ExSyn 119-21; M. Zerwick, Biblical Greek, §§36-39). If so, the emphasis would be on the love God gives which in turn produces love for him, but Jesus’ opponents are lacking any such love inside them.
[5:43] 394 tn Or “you do not receive.”
[5:43] 395 tn Or “you will receive.”
[5:44] 396 tn Or “honor” (Grk “glory,” in the sense of respect or honor accorded to a person because of their status).
[5:44] 397 tn Or “honor” (Grk “glory,” in the sense of respect or honor accorded to a person because of their status).
[5:44] 398 tc Several early and important witnesses (Ì66,75 B W a b sa) lack θεοῦ (qeou, “God”) here, thus reading “the only one,” while most of the rest of the tradition, including some important
[5:45] 399 sn The final condemnation will come from Moses himself – again ironic, since Moses is the very one the Jewish authorities have trusted in (placed your hope). This is again ironic if it is occurring at Pentecost, which at this time was being celebrated as the occasion of the giving of the Torah to Moses on Mt. Sinai. There is evidence that some Jews of the 1st century looked on Moses as their intercessor at the final judgment (see W. A. Meeks, The Prophet King [NovTSup], 161). This would mean the statement Moses, in whom you have placed your hope should be taken literally and relates directly to Jesus’ statements about the final judgment in John 5:28-29.
[5:47] 401 tn Grk “that one” (“he”); the referent (Moses) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[6:1] 402 tn Again, μετὰ ταῦτα (meta tauta) is a vague temporal reference. How Jesus got from Jerusalem to Galilee is not explained, which has led many scholars (e.g., Bernard, Bultmann, and Schnackenburg) to posit either editorial redaction or some sort of rearrangement or dislocation of material (such as reversing the order of chaps. 5 and 6, for example). Such a rearrangement of the material would give a simple and consistent connection of events, but in the absence of all external evidence it does not seem to be supportable. R. E. Brown (John [AB], 1:236) says that such an arrangement is attractive in some ways but not compelling, and that no rearrangement can solve all the geographical and chronological problems in John.
[6:1] 403 sn This is a parenthetical note by the author. Only John in the New Testament refers to the Sea of Galilee by the name Sea of Tiberias (see also John 21:1), but this is correct local usage. In the mid-20’s Herod completed the building of the town of Tiberias on the southwestern shore of the lake; after this time the name came into use for the lake itself.
[6:3] 404 sn Up on the mountainside does not necessarily refer to a particular mountain or hillside, but may simply mean “the hill country” or “the high ground,” referring to the high country east of the Sea of Galilee (known today as the Golan Heights).
[6:4] 405 sn Passover. According to John’s sequence of material, considerable time has elapsed since the feast of 5:1. If the feast in 5:1 was Pentecost of
[6:4] 406 sn This is a parenthetical note by the author.
[6:5] 407 tn Grk “when he lifted up his eyes” (an idiom).
[6:6] 408 tn Grk “he”; the referent (Jesus) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[6:6] 409 sn This is a parenthetical note by the author.
[6:7] 410 tn Grk “Philip answered him.”
[6:7] 411 tn Grk “two hundred denarii.” The denarius was a silver coin worth about a day’s wage for a laborer; this would be an amount worth about eight months’ pay.
[6:8] 412 tn Grk “one of his disciples.”
[6:9] 413 tn Grk “but what are these”; the word “good” is not in the Greek text, but is implied.
[6:10] 415 sn This is a parenthetical note by the author (suggesting an eyewitness recollection).
[6:10] 416 tn Here “men” has been used in the translation because the following number, 5,000, probably included only adult males (see the parallel in Matt 14:21).
[6:11] 417 tn Grk “likewise also (he distributed) from the fish.”
[6:12] 418 tn Grk “he”; the referent (Jesus) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[6:13] 419 sn Note that the fish mentioned previously (in John 6:9) are not emphasized here, only the five barley loaves. This is easy to understand, however, because the bread is of primary importance for the author in view of Jesus’ upcoming discourse on the Bread of Life.
[6:14] 420 tn Grk “he”; the referent (Jesus) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[6:14] 421 sn The Prophet is a reference to the “prophet like Moses” of Deut 18:15, by this time an eschatological figure in popular belief.
[6:14] 422 sn An allusion to Deut 18:15.
[6:15] 423 sn Jesus, knowing that his “hour” had not yet come (and would not, in this fashion) withdrew again up the mountainside alone. The ministry of miracles in Galilee, ending with this, the multiplication of the bread (the last public miracle in Galilee recorded by John) aroused such a popular response that there was danger of an uprising. This would have given the authorities a legal excuse to arrest Jesus. The nature of Jesus’ kingship will become an issue again in the passion narrative of the Fourth Gospel (John 18:33ff.). Furthermore, the volatile reaction of the Galileans to the signs prepares for and foreshadows the misunderstanding of the miracle itself, and even the misunderstanding of Jesus’ explanation of it (John 6:22-71).
[6:16] 424 tn Or “sea.” The Greek word indicates a rather large body of water, but the English word “sea” normally indicates very large bodies of water, so the word “lake” in English is a closer approximation.
[6:17] 425 tn Or “sea.” See the note on “lake” in the previous verse.
[6:17] 426 map For location see Map1 D2; Map2 C3; Map3 B2.
[6:17] 427 sn This is a parenthetical note by the author.
[6:19] 428 tn Grk “about twenty-five or thirty stades” (a stade as a unit of linear measure is about 607 feet or 187 meters).
[6:19] 429 tn Or “sea.” See the note on “lake” in v. 16. John uses the phrase ἐπί (epi, “on”) followed by the genitive (as in Mark, instead of Matthew’s ἐπί followed by the accusative) to describe Jesus walking “on the lake.”
[6:22] 430 tn Or “sea.” See the note on “lake” in v. 16.
[6:22] 431 tc Most witnesses have after “one” the phrase “which his disciples had entered” (ἐκεῖνο εἰς ὃ ἐνέβησαν οἱ μαθηταὶ αὐτοῦ, ekeino ei" }o enebhsan Joi maqhtai autou) although there are several permutations of this clause ([א* D] Θ [Ë13 33] Ï [sa]). The witnesses that lack this expression are, however, significant and diffused (Ì75 א2 A B L N W Ψ 1 565 579 1241 al lat). The clarifying nature of the longer reading, the multiple variants from it, and the weighty testimony for the shorter reading all argue against the authenticity of the longer text in any of its variations.
[6:23] 433 map For location see Map1 E2; Map2 C2; Map3 C3; Map4 D1; Map5 G4.
[6:23] 434 tn Or “boats from Tiberias landed”; Grk “came.”
[6:23] 435 tc D 091 a e sys,c lack the phrase “after the Lord had given thanks” (εὐχαριστήσαντος τοῦ κυρίου, eucaristhsanto" tou kuriou), while almost all the rest of the witnesses ({Ì75 א A B L W Θ Ψ 0141 [Ë1] Ë13 33 Ï as well as several versions and fathers}) have the words (though {l672 l950 syp pbo} read ᾿Ιησοῦ [Ihsou, “Jesus”] instead of κυρίου). Although the shorter reading has minimal support, it is significant that this Gospel speaks of Jesus as Lord in the evangelist’s narrative descriptions only in 11:2; 20:18, 20; 21:12; and possibly 4:1 (but see tc note on “Jesus” there). There is thus but one undisputed preresurrection text in which the narrator calls Jesus “Lord.” This fact can be utilized on behalf of either reading: The participial phrase could be seen as a scribal addition harking back to 6:11 but which does not fit Johannine style, or it could be viewed as truly authentic and in line with what John indisputably does elsewhere even if rarely. On balance, in light of the overwhelming support for these words it is probably best to retain them in the text.
[6:24] 436 tn Or “embarked in the boats.”
[6:24] 437 map For location see Map1 D2; Map2 C3; Map3 B2.
[6:25] 438 tn Or “sea.” See the note on “lake” in v. 16.
[6:25] 439 sn John 6:25-31. The previous miracle of the multiplication of the bread had taken place near the town of Tiberias (cf. John 6:23). Jesus’ disciples set sail for Capernaum (6:17) and were joined by the Lord in the middle of the sea. The next day boats from Tiberias picked up a few of those who had seen the multiplication (certainly not the whole 5,000) and brought them to Capernaum. It was to this group that Jesus spoke in 6:26-27. But there were also people from Capernaum who had gathered to see Jesus, who had not witnessed the multiplication, and it was this group that asked Jesus for a miraculous sign like the manna (6:30-31). This would have seemed superfluous if it were the same crowd that had already seen the multiplication of the bread. But some from Capernaum had heard about it and wanted to see a similar miracle repeated.
[6:26] 440 tn Grk “answered and said to them.”
[6:26] 441 tn Grk “Truly, truly, I say to you.”
[6:26] 442 tn Grk “because you ate of the loaves of bread and were filled.”
[6:27] 443 tn Or “perishes” (this might refer to spoiling, but is more focused on the temporary nature of this kind of food).
[6:27] 444 tn The referent (the food) has been specified for clarity by repeating the word “food” from the previous clause.
[6:27] 445 tn Grk “on this one.”
[6:28] 446 tn Grk “the works.”
[6:28] 447 tn Grk “What must we do to work the works of God?”
[6:29] 448 tn Grk “answered and said to them.”
[6:29] 450 tn Grk “This is the work of God.”
[6:29] 451 tn Grk “that one” (i.e., God).
[6:31] 452 tn Or “forefathers”; Grk “fathers.”
[6:31] 453 sn A quotation from Ps 78:24 (referring to the events of Exod 16:4-36).
[6:32] 454 tn Grk “Truly, truly, I say to you.”
[6:34] 456 tn Or “Lord.” The Greek κύριος (kurios) means both “Sir” and “Lord.” In this passage it is not at all clear at this point that the crowd is acknowledging Jesus as Lord. More likely this is simply a form of polite address (“sir”).
[6:35] 457 tn Grk “the one who believes in me will not possibly thirst, ever.”
[6:36] 458 tn Grk “But I said to you.”
[6:36] 459 tc A few witnesses lack με (me, “me”; א A a b e q sys,c), while the rest of the tradition has the word (Ì66,75vid rell). It is possible that the
[6:37] 460 tn Or “drive away”; Grk “cast out.”
[6:39] 461 tn Or “resurrect them all,” or “make them all live again”; Grk “raise it up.” The word “all” is supplied to bring out the collective nature of the neuter singular pronoun αὐτό (auto) in Greek. The plural pronoun “them” is used rather than neuter singular “it” because this is clearer in English, which does not use neuter collective singulars in the same way Greek does.
[6:40] 462 tn Or “resurrect him,” or “make him live again.”
[6:40] 463 sn Notice that here the result (having eternal life and being raised up at the last day) is produced by looking on the Son and believing in him. Compare John 6:54 where the same result is produced by eating Jesus’ flesh and drinking his blood. This suggests that the phrase in 6:54 (eats my flesh and drinks my blood) is to be understood in terms of the phrase here (looks on the Son and believes in him).
[6:41] 464 tn Grk “Then 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 translation restricts the phrase to those Jews who were hostile to Jesus (cf. BDAG 479 s.v. ᾿Ιουδαῖος 2.e.β), since the “crowd” mentioned in 6:22-24 was almost all Jewish (as suggested by their addressing Jesus as “Rabbi” (6:25). Likewise, the designation “Judeans” does not fit here because the location is Galilee rather than Judea.
[6:43] 465 tn Grk “answered and said to them.”
[6:43] 466 tn Or “Do not grumble among yourselves.” The words “about me” are supplied to clarify the translation “complain to one another” (otherwise the Jewish opponents could be understood to be complaining about one another, rather than complaining to one another about Jesus).
[6:44] 467 tn Or “attracts him,” or “pulls him.” The word is used of pulling or dragging, often by force. It is even used once of magnetic attraction (A. Oepke, TDNT 2:503).
[6:45] 468 sn A quotation from Isa 54:13.
[6:45] 469 tn Or “listens to the Father and learns.”
[6:46] 471 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.
[6:47] 472 tn Grk “Truly, truly, I say to you.”
[6:47] 473 tc Most witnesses (A C2 D Ψ Ë1,13 33 Ï lat and other versions) have “in me” (εἰς ἐμέ, eis eme) here, while the Sinaitic and Curetonian Syriac versions read “in God.” These clarifying readings are predictable variants, being motivated by the scribal tendency toward greater explicitness. That the earliest and best witnesses (Ì66,75vid א B C* L T W Θ 892 pc) lack any object is solid testimony to the shorter text’s authenticity.
[6:47] 474 tn Compare John 6:40.
[6:48] 475 tn That is, “the bread that produces (eternal) life.”
[6:49] 476 tn Or “forefathers”; Grk “fathers.”
[6:50] 478 tn Grk “someone” (τις, tis).
[6:51] 479 tn Grk “And the bread.”
[6:52] 480 tn Grk “Then the Jews began to argue.” Here the translation restricts the phrase to those Jews who were hostile to Jesus (cf. BDAG 479 s.v. ᾿Ιουδαῖος 2.e.β), since the “crowd” mentioned in 6:22-24 was almost all Jewish (as suggested by their addressing Jesus as “Rabbi” (6:25). See also the note on the phrase “the Jews who were hostile to Jesus” in v. 41.
[6:52] 481 tn Grk “with one another, saying.”
[6:52] 482 tn Grk “this one,” “this person.”
[6:53] 483 tn Grk “Truly, truly, I say to you.”
[6:53] 484 sn Unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood. These words are at the heart of the discourse on the Bread of Life, and have created great misunderstanding among interpreters. Anyone who is inclined toward a sacramental viewpoint will almost certainly want to take these words as a reference to the sacrament of the Lord’s Supper, or the Eucharist, because of the reference to eating and drinking. But this does not automatically follow: By anyone’s definition there must be a symbolic element to the eating which Jesus speaks of in the discourse, and once this is admitted, it is better to understand it here, as in the previous references in the passage, to a personal receiving of (or appropriation of) Christ and his work.
[6:53] 485 tn That is, “no eternal life” (as opposed to physical life).
[6:54] 486 tn Or “who chews”; Grk ὁ τρώγων (Jo trwgwn). The alternation between ἐσθίω (esqiw, “eat,” v. 53) and τρώγω (trwgw, “eats,” vv. 54, 56, 58; “consumes,” v. 57) may simply reflect a preference for one form over the other on the author’s part, rather than an attempt to express a slightly more graphic meaning. If there is a difference, however, the word used here (τρώγω) is the more graphic and vivid of the two (“gnaw” or “chew”).
[6:54] 487 sn Notice that here the result (has eternal life and I will raise him up at the last day) is produced by eating (Jesus’) flesh and drinking his blood. Compare John 6:40 where the same result is produced by “looking on the Son and believing in him.” This suggests that the phrase here (eats my flesh and drinks my blood) is to be understood by the phrase in 6:40 (looks on the Son and believes in him).
[6:56] 490 tn Or “who chews.” On the alternation between ἐσθίω (esqiw, “eat,” v. 53) and τρώγω (trwgw, “eats,” vv. 54, 56, 58; “consumes,” v. 57) see the note on “eats” in v. 54.
[6:56] 491 sn Resides in me, and I in him. Note how in John 6:54 eating Jesus’ flesh and drinking his blood produces eternal life and the promise of resurrection at the last day. Here the same process of eating Jesus’ flesh and drinking his blood leads to a relationship of mutual indwelling (resides in me, and I in him). This suggests strongly that for the author (and for Jesus) the concepts of ‘possessing eternal life’ and of ‘residing in Jesus’ are virtually interchangeable.
[6:57] 492 tn Or “who chews”; Grk “who eats.” Here the translation “consumes” is more appropriate than simply “eats,” because it is the internalization of Jesus by the individual that is in view. On the alternation between ἐσθίω (esqiw, “eat,” v. 53) and τρώγω (trwgw, “eats,” vv. 54, 56, 58; “consumes,” v. 57) see the note on “eats” in v. 54.
[6:58] 494 tn Or “forefathers”; Grk “fathers.”
[6:58] 495 tn Grk “This is the bread that came down from heaven, not just like your ancestors ate and died.” The cryptic Greek expression has been filled out in the translation for clarity.
[6:58] 496 tn Or “who chews.” On the alternation between ἐσθίω (esqiw, “eat,” v. 53) and τρώγω (trwgw, “eats,” vv. 54, 56, 58; “consumes,” v. 57) see the note on “eats” in v. 54.
[6:59] 497 tn Grk “He”; the referent (Jesus) is specified in the translation for clarity.
[6:59] 498 sn A synagogue was a place for Jewish prayer and worship, with recognized leadership (cf. Luke 8:41). Though the origin of the synagogue is not entirely clear, it seems to have arisen in the postexilic community during the intertestamental period. A town could establish a synagogue if there were at least ten men. In normative Judaism of the NT period, the OT scripture was read and discussed in the synagogue by the men who were present (see the Mishnah, m. Megillah 3-4; m. Berakhot 2).
[6:59] 499 map For location see Map1 D2; Map2 C3; Map3 B2.
[6:60] 500 tn The words “these things” are not present in the Greek text but are implied. Direct objects in Greek were often omitted when clear from the context, and must be supplied for the English reader.
[6:60] 501 tn Or “hard,” “demanding.”
[6:60] 502 tn Or “teaching”; Grk “word.”
[6:60] 503 tn Or “obey it”; Grk “hear it.” The Greek word ἀκούω (akouw) could imply hearing with obedience here, in the sense of “obey.” It could also point to the acceptance of what Jesus had just said, (i.e., “who can accept what he said?” However, since the context contains several replies by those in the crowd of hearers that suggest uncertainty or confusion over the meaning of what Jesus had said (6:42; 6:52), the meaning “understand” is preferred here.
[6:61] 504 tn Grk “When Jesus knew within himself.”
[6:61] 505 tn Or “were grumbling.”
[6:61] 506 tn Or “Does this cause you to no longer believe?” (Grk “cause you to stumble?”)
[6:62] 507 tn Or “he was formerly?”
[6:63] 508 tn Grk “the flesh counts for nothing.”
[6:63] 509 tn Or “are spirit-giving and life-producing.”
[6:64] 510 sn This is a parenthetical comment by the author.
[6:65] 511 tn Grk “And he said”; the referent (Jesus) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[6:65] 512 tn Grk “unless it has been permitted to him by the Father.”
[6:66] 513 tn Grk “many of his disciples went back to what lay behind.”
[6:66] 514 tn Grk “were not walking with him.”
[6:67] 515 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 “do you?”).
[6:69] 517 sn See 1 John 4:16.
[6:69] 518 tc The witnesses display a bewildering array of variants here. Instead of “the Holy One of God” (ὁ ἅγιος τοῦ θεοῦ, Jo {agio" tou qeou), Tertullian has ὁ Χριστός (Jo Cristo", “the Christ”); C3 Θ* Ë1 33 565 lat read ὁ Χριστὸς ὁ υἱὸς τοῦ θεοῦ (Jo Cristo" Jo Juio" tou qeou, “the Christ, the Son of God”); two versional witnesses (b syc) have ὁ υἱὸς τοῦ θεοῦ (“the Son of God”); the Byzantine text as well as many others (Ψ 0250 Ë13 33 Ï) read ὁ Χριστὸς ὁ υἱὸς τοῦ θεοῦ τοῦ ζῶντος (Jo Cristo" Jo Juio" tou qeou tou zwnto", “the Christ, the Son of the living God”); and Ì66 as well as a few versions have ὁ Χριστὸς ὁ ἅγιος τοῦ θεοῦ (“the Christ, the Holy One of God”). The reading ὁ ἅγιος τοῦ θεοῦ is, however, well supported by Ì75 א B C* D L W as well as versional witnesses. It appears that Peter’s confession in the Synoptic Gospels (especially Matt 16:16) supplied the motivation for the variations. Although the witnesses in Matt 16:16; Mark 8:29; and Luke 9:20 vary considerably, the readings are all intra-synoptic, that is, they do not pull in “the Holy One of God” but reflect various permutations of “Christ”/“Christ of God”/“Christ, the Son of God”/“Christ, the Son of the living God.” The wording “the Holy One of God” (without “Christ”) in important witnesses here is thus unique among Peter’s confessions, and best explains the rise of the other readings.
[6:70] 519 tn Grk “Jesus answered them.”
[6:70] 520 tn Although most translations render this last phrase as “one of you is a devil,” such a translation presupposes that there is more than one devil. This finds roots in the KJV in which the Greek word for demon was often translated “devil.” In fact, the KJV never uses the word “demon.” (Sixty-two of the 63 NT instances of δαιμόνιον [daimonion] are translated “devil” [in Acts 17:18 the plural has been translated “gods”]. This can get confusing in places where the singular “devil” is used: Is Satan or one of the demons in view [cf. Matt 9:33 (demon); 13:39 (devil); 17:18 (demon); Mark 7:26 (demon); Luke 4:2 (devil); etc.]?) Now regarding John 6:70, both the construction in Greek and the technical use of διάβολος (diabolos) indicate that the one devil is in view. To object to the translation “the devil” because it thus equates Judas with Satan does not take into consideration that Jesus often spoke figuratively (e.g., “destroy this temple” [John 2:19]; “he [John the Baptist] is Elijah” [Matt 11:14]), even equating Peter with the devil on one occasion (Mark 8:33). According to ExSyn 249, “A curious phenomenon has occurred in the English Bible with reference to one particular monadic noun, διάβολος. The KJV translates both διάβολος and δαιμόνιον as ‘devil.’ Thus in the AV translators’ minds, ‘devil’ was not a monadic noun. Modern translations have correctly rendered δαιμόνιον as ‘demon’ and have, for the most part, recognized that διάβολος is monadic (cf., e.g., 1 Pet 5:8; Rev 20:2). But in John 6:70 modern translations have fallen into the error of the King James translators. The KJV has ‘one of you is a devil.’ So does the RSV, NRSV, ASV, NIV, NKJV, and the JB [Jerusalem Bible]. Yet there is only one devil…The legacy of the KJV still lives on, then, even in places where it ought not.”
[6:71] 521 sn At least six explanations for the name Iscariot have been proposed, but it is probably transliterated Hebrew with the meaning “man of Kerioth” (there are at least two villages that had that name). See D. A. Carson, John, 304.
[6:71] 522 tn Grk “this one”; the referent (Judas) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[6:71] 523 sn This parenthetical statement by the author helps the reader understand Jesus’ statement one of you is the devil in the previous verse. This is the first mention of Judas in the Fourth Gospel, and he is immediately identified (as he is in the synoptic gospels, Matt 10:4, Mark 3:19, Luke 6:16) as the one who would betray Jesus.
[7:1] 524 sn Again, the transition is indicated by the imprecise temporal indicator After this. Clearly, though, the author has left out much of the events of Jesus’ ministry, because chap. 6 took place near the Passover (6:4). This would have been the Passover between winter/spring of
[7:1] 525 tn Grk “Jesus was traveling around in Galilee.”
[7:1] 526 tn Grk “For he.” Here γάρ (gar, “for”) has not been translated.
[7:1] 527 tn Grk “he did not want to travel around in Judea.”
[7:1] 528 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 should be restricted to the Jewish authorities or leaders who were Jesus’ primary opponents.
[7:1] 529 tn Grk “were seeking.”
[7:2] 530 tn Or “feast of the Tents” (the feast where people lived in tents or shelters, which was celebrated in the autumn after harvest). John’s use of σκηνοπηγία (skhnophgia) for the feast of Tabernacles constitutes the only use of this term in the New Testament.
[7:2] 531 sn Since the present verse places these incidents at the feast of Tabernacles (
[7:3] 532 tn Grk “his brothers.”
[7:3] 533 tn Grk “your deeds that you are doing.”
[7:4] 534 tn Or “seeks to be well known.”
[7:4] 535 sn No one who seeks to make a reputation for himself does anything in secret means, in effect: “if you’re going to perform signs to authenticate yourself as Messiah, you should do them at Jerusalem.” (Jerusalem is where mainstream Jewish apocalyptic tradition held that Messiah would appear.)
[7:5] 536 sn This is a parenthetical note by the author.
[7:6] 537 tn Grk “Then Jesus said to them.”
[7:6] 538 tn Or “my opportunity.”
[7:6] 539 tn Or “is not yet here.”
[7:6] 540 tn Grk “your time is always ready.”
[7:8] 541 sn One always speaks of “going up” to Jerusalem in Jewish idiom, even though in western thought it is more common to speak of south as “down” (Jerusalem lies south of Galilee). The reason for the idiom is that Jerusalem was identified with Mount Zion in the OT, so that altitude was the issue.
[7:8] 542 tc Most
[7:8] 543 tn Although the word is καιρός (kairos) here, it parallels John’s use of ὥρα (Jwra) elsewhere as a reference to the time appointed for Jesus by the Father – the time of his return to the Father, characterized by his death, resurrection, and ascension (glorification). In the Johannine literature, synonyms are often interchanged for no apparent reason other than stylistic variation.
[7:8] 544 tn Or “my time has not yet come to an end” (a possible hint of Jesus’ death at Jerusalem); Grk “my time is not yet fulfilled.”
[7:10] 545 tn Grk “he”; the referent (Jesus) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[7:11] 546 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.
[7:11] 547 tn Grk “Where is that one?”
[7:12] 548 tn Grk “And there was.”
[7:12] 549 tn Or “complaining.”
[7:12] 550 tn Or “among the common people” (as opposed to the religious authorities mentioned in the previous verse).
[7:13] 552 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.
[7:14] 553 tn Grk “to the temple.”
[7:14] 554 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.
[7:15] 555 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.
[7:15] 556 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.
[7:15] 557 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).
[7:16] 558 tn Grk “So Jesus answered and said to them.”
[7:16] 559 tn The phrase “the one who sent me” refers to God.
[7:17] 561 tn Grk “or whether I speak from myself.”
[7:18] 562 tn Grk “who speaks from himself.”
[7:18] 564 tn Or “praise”; Grk “glory.”
[7:18] 566 tn Or “praise”; Grk “glory.”
[7:18] 567 tn Or “is truthful”; Grk “is true.”
[7:19] 568 tn Or “accomplishes”; Grk “does.”
[7:20] 570 tn Or “The common people” (as opposed to the religious authorities mentioned in 7:15).
[7:20] 571 tn Grk “You have a demon!”
[7:20] 572 tn Grk “Who is seeking to kill you?”
[7:21] 573 tn Grk “Jesus answered and said to them.”
[7:21] 574 tn Grk “I did one deed.”
[7:21] 575 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.)
[7:22] 576 tn Grk “gave you circumcision.”
[7:22] 577 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.
[7:23] 578 tn Grk “a man.” See the note on “male child” in the previous verse.
[7:23] 579 tn Grk “receives circumcision.”
[7:23] 580 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.
[7:23] 581 tn Or “made an entire man well.”
[7:24] 582 tn Or “based on sight.”
[7:24] 583 tn Or “honest”; Grk “righteous.”
[7:25] 584 map For location see Map5 B1; Map6 F3; Map7 E2; Map8 F2; Map10 B3; JP1 F4; JP2 F4; JP3 F4; JP4 F4.
[7:25] 585 tn Grk “Is it not this one.”
[7:26] 587 tn Or “speaking openly.”
[7:26] 588 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.
[7:26] 590 tn Or “the Messiah” (Both Greek “Christ” and Hebrew and Aramaic “Messiah” mean “one who has been anointed”).
[7:27] 592 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.
[7:27] 593 tn Or “the Messiah” (Both Greek “Christ” and Hebrew and Aramaic “Messiah” mean “one who has been anointed”).
[7:27] 594 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.
[7:28] 595 tn Grk “the temple.”
[7:28] 596 tn Grk “Then Jesus cried out in the temple, teaching and saying.”
[7:28] 597 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.
[7:28] 598 tn Grk “And I have not come from myself.”
[7:28] 599 tn The phrase “the one who sent me” refers to God.
[7:28] 600 tn Grk “the one who sent me is true, whom you do not know.”
[7:29] 601 tn Although the conjunction “but” is not in the Greek text, the contrast is implied (an omitted conjunction is called asyndeton).
[7:29] 602 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.
[7:29] 603 tn Grk “and that one.”
[7:30] 604 tn Grk “him”; the referent (Jesus) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[7:31] 606 tn Or “The common people” (as opposed to the religious authorities).
[7:31] 607 tn Or “the Messiah” (Both Greek “Christ” and Hebrew and Aramaic “Messiah” mean “one who has been anointed”).
[7:31] 608 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?”).
[7:32] 609 sn See the note on Pharisees in 1:24.
[7:32] 610 tn Or “The common people” (as opposed to the religious authorities like the Pharisees).
[7:32] 611 tn Grk “him”; the referent (Jesus) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[7:32] 612 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).
[7:32] 613 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.
[7:33] 614 tn Grk “Yet a little I am with you.”
[7:33] 615 tn The word “then” is not in the Greek text, but is implied.
[7:35] 617 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).
[7:35] 619 tn Grk “will not find him.”
[7:35] 620 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.
[7:35] 621 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?”).
[7:36] 622 tn Grk “What is this word that he said.”
[7:37] 624 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.
[7:37] 625 tn Grk “Jesus stood up and cried out, saying.”
[7:38] 626 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
[7:38] 627 tn Or “out of the innermost part of his person”; Grk “out of his belly.”
[7:38] 628 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.
[7:39] 629 tn Grk “for the Spirit was not yet.” Although only B and a handful of other NT
[7:39] 630 sn This is a parenthetical note by the author.
[7:40] 631 tn Or “The common people” (as opposed to the religious authorities like the chief priests and Pharisees).
[7:40] 633 sn The Prophet is a reference to the “prophet like Moses” of Deut 18:15, by this time an eschatological figure in popular belief.
[7:41] 634 tn Or “the Messiah” (Both Greek “Christ” and Hebrew and Aramaic “Messiah” mean “one who has been anointed”).
[7:41] 635 tn An initial negative reply (“No”) is suggested by the causal or explanatory γάρ (gar) which begins the clause.
[7:41] 636 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?”).
[7:42] 637 tn Grk “is from the seed” (an idiom for human descent).
[7:42] 638 sn An allusion to Ps 89:4.
[7:42] 639 sn An allusion to Mic 5:2.
[7:42] 640 tn Grk “the village where David was.”
[7:43] 641 tn Or “among the common people” (as opposed to the religious authorities like the chief priests and Pharisees).
[7:43] 642 tn Grk “him”; the referent (Jesus) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[7:44] 643 sn Compare John 7:30 regarding the attempt to seize Jesus.
[7:45] 644 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).
[7:45] 646 sn See the note on Pharisees in 1:24.
[7:45] 647 tn Grk “Why did you not bring him?” The words “back with you” are implied.
[7:47] 648 tn Grk “answered them.”
[7:47] 649 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?”).
[7:48] 650 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).
[7:48] 651 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?”).
[7:49] 652 tn Grk “crowd.” “Rabble” is a good translation here because the remark by the Pharisees is so derogatory.
[7:50] 653 tn Grk “him”; the referent (Jesus) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[7:50] 654 tn Grk “who was one of them”; the referent (the rulers) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[7:50] 655 tn Grk “said to them.”
[7:51] 658 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?”).
[7:52] 659 tn Grk “They answered and said to him.”
[7:52] 660 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?”).
[7:52] 661 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.
[7:53] 662 tc This entire section, 7:53-8:11, traditionally known as the pericope adulterae, is not contained in the earliest and best
[8:1] 663 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.
[8:2] 664 tn An ingressive sense for the imperfect fits well here following the aorist participle.
[8:3] 665 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.
[8:3] 666 sn See the note on Pharisees in 1:24.
[8:4] 667 tn Grk “to him”; the referent (Jesus) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[8:5] 668 sn An allusion to Lev 20:10 and Deut 22:22-24.
[8:5] 669 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.
[8:6] 670 tn Grk “so that they could accuse.”
[8:6] 671 sn This is a parenthetical note by the author of 7:53–8:11.
[8:6] 672 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]).
[8:7] 673 tn Or “he straightened up.”
[8:7] 674 tn Grk “and said to them.”
[8:8] 676 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.
[8:9] 677 tn Or “beginning from the eldest.”
[8:10] 678 tn Or “straightened up.”
[8:10] 679 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.
[8:11] 680 tc The earliest and best
[8:12] 681 tn Grk “Then again Jesus spoke to them saying.”
[8:12] 682 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.
[8:12] 683 tn The double negative οὐ μή (ou mh) is emphatic in 1st century Hellenistic Greek.
[8:13] 684 sn See the note on Pharisees in 1:24.
[8:13] 685 tn Grk “Then the Pharisees said to him.”
[8:13] 686 sn Compare the charge You testify about yourself; your testimony is not true! to Jesus’ own statement about his testimony in 5:31.
[8:14] 687 tn Grk “Jesus answered and said to them.”
[8:14] 688 tn The word “people” is supplied in the translation to indicate that the pronoun (“you”) and verb (“do not know”) in Greek are plural.
[8:14] 689 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.
[8:15] 690 tn The word “people” is supplied in the translation to indicate that the pronoun and verb (“judge”) in Greek are plural.
[8:15] 691 tn Or “judge according to external things”; Grk “according to the flesh.” These translations are given by BDAG 916 s.v. σάρξ 5.
[8:15] 692 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.
[8:16] 693 tn Grk “my judgment is true.”
[8:16] 694 tn The phrase “when I judge” is not in the Greek text, but is implied by the context.
[8:16] 695 tn The phrase “do so together” is not in the Greek text, but is implied by the context.
[8:17] 696 sn An allusion to Deut 17:6.
[8:18] 697 tn Grk “I am the one who testifies about myself.”
[8:19] 698 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.
[8:19] 699 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).
[8:20] 700 tn Grk “He”; the referent (Jesus) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[8:20] 701 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.
[8:20] 702 tn Grk “the temple.”
[8:20] 704 sn This is a parenthetical note by the author.
[8:21] 705 tn Grk “He”; the referent (Jesus) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[8:21] 706 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.
[8:21] 707 tn Grk “you will seek me.”
[8:21] 708 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.
[8:22] 709 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.
[8:22] 710 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.
[8:23] 711 tn Grk “And he said to them.”
[8:23] 712 tn The word “people” is supplied in English to clarify the plural Greek pronoun and verb.
[8:24] 713 tn Grk “thus I said to you.”
[8:24] 714 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’”).
[8:25] 715 tn Grk “Jesus said to them.”
[8:26] 716 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.
[8:26] 717 tn Grk “the one”; the referent (the Father) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[8:26] 718 tn Grk “true” (in the sense of one who always tells the truth).
[8:26] 719 tn Grk “and what things I have heard from him, these things I speak to the world.”
[8:27] 720 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.
[8:28] 721 tn Grk “Then Jesus said to them” (the words “to them” are not found in all
[8:28] 722 tn Grk “that I am.” See the note on this phrase in v. 24.
[8:28] 723 tn Grk “I do nothing from myself.”
[8:28] 724 tn Grk “but just as the Father taught me, these things I speak.”
[8:29] 725 tn That is, “he has not abandoned me.”
[8:30] 726 tn The word “people” is not in the Greek text, but is supplied for clarity and smoothness in the translation.
[8:31] 727 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).
[8:31] 728 tn Grk “If you continue in my word.”
[8:32] 730 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.
[8:33] 731 tn Grk “We are the seed” (an idiom).
[8:33] 732 tn Grk “They answered to him.”
[8:33] 733 tn Or “How is it that you say.”
[8:34] 734 tn Grk “Truly, truly, I say to you.”
[8:34] 735 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.
[8:34] 736 tn See the note on the word “slaves” in 4:51.
[8:35] 737 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”).
[8:35] 738 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).
[8:36] 739 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).
[8:37] 740 tn Grk “seed” (an idiom).
[8:37] 741 tn Grk “you are seeking.”
[8:37] 743 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.
[8:38] 744 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
[8:38] 745 tn Grk “The things which I have seen with the Father I speak about.”
[8:38] 747 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
[8:39] 748 tn Grk “They answered and said to him.”
[8:39] 749 tn Or “Our father is Abraham.”
[8:39] 750 tn Grk “Jesus said to them.”
[8:39] 751 tc Although most
[8:39] 752 tc Some important
[8:40] 754 tn Grk “has spoken to you.”
[8:40] 755 tn The Greek word order is emphatic: “This Abraham did not do.” The emphasis is indicated in the translation by an exclamation point.
[8:41] 756 tn The word “people” is not in the Greek text, but is supplied in English to clarify the plural Greek pronoun and verb.
[8:41] 757 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.
[8:41] 758 tn Grk “him”; the referent (Jesus) is specified in the translation for clarity.
[8:41] 759 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.
[8:42] 760 tn Grk “Jesus said to them.”
[8:42] 761 tn Or “I came from God and have arrived.”
[8:42] 762 tn Grk “For I.” Here γάρ (gar) has not been translated.
[8:42] 763 tn Grk “from myself.”
[8:42] 764 tn Grk “that one” (referring to God).
[8:43] 765 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.
[8:44] 767 tn The word “people” is supplied in the translation to clarify that the Greek pronoun and verb are plural.
[8:44] 768 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).
[8:44] 769 tn Grk “the desires of your father you want to do.”
[8:44] 770 tn Grk “That one” (referring to the devil).
[8:44] 771 tn Grk “he does not stand in the truth” (in the sense of maintaining, upholding, or accepting the validity of it).
[8:44] 772 tn Grk “Whenever he speaks the lie.”
[8:44] 773 tn Grk “he speaks from his own.”
[8:44] 774 tn Grk “because he is a liar and the father of it.”
[8:45] 775 tn Or “because I tell you.”
[8:46] 776 tn Or “can convict me.”
[8:46] 777 tn Or “of having sinned”; Grk “of sin.”
[8:46] 778 tn Or “if I tell you.”
[8:47] 779 tn Grk “who is of.”
[8:47] 780 tn Grk “to God hears” (in the sense of listening to something and responding to it).
[8:47] 781 tn Grk “you do not hear” (in the sense of listening to something and responding to it).
[8:47] 782 tn Grk “you are not of God.”
[8:48] 783 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.
[8:48] 784 tn Grk “answered and said to him.”
[8:48] 785 tn Grk “Do we not say rightly.”
[8:48] 786 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.
[8:49] 787 tn Grk “I do not have a demon.”
[8:49] 788 tn “Yet” is supplied to show the contrastive element present in the context.
[8:50] 789 tn Grk “I am not seeking.”
[8:50] 791 tn Grk “who seeks.”
[8:50] 792 tn Or “will be the judge.”
[8:51] 793 tn Grk “Truly, truly, I say to you.”
[8:51] 794 tn Grk “If anyone keeps.”
[8:51] 796 tn Grk “he will never see death forever.” The Greek negative here is emphatic.
[8:52] 797 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.
[8:52] 798 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).
[8:52] 799 tn Grk “said to him.”
[8:52] 800 tn Grk “you have a demon.”
[8:52] 801 tn “Yet” has been supplied to show the contrastive element present in the context.
[8:52] 802 tn Grk “If anyone keeps.”
[8:52] 804 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).
[8:52] 805 tn Grk “he will never taste of death forever.” The Greek negative here is emphatic.
[8:53] 806 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?”).
[8:54] 807 tn Grk “Jesus answered.”
[8:54] 808 tn Grk “is nothing.”
[8:54] 809 tn The word “people” is not in the Greek text, but is supplied in English to clarify the plural Greek pronoun and verb.
[8:55] 810 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “Yet” to indicate the contrast present in the context.
[8:55] 811 tn Grk “If I say, ‘I do not know him.’”
[8:56] 814 tn Or “rejoiced greatly.”
[8:56] 815 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.
[8:57] 816 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.
[8:57] 817 tn Grk “said to him.”
[8:57] 818 tn Grk ‘You do not yet have fifty years” (an idiom).
[8:58] 820 tn Grk “Truly, truly, I say to you.”
[8:58] 821 tn Grk “before Abraham was.”
[8:58] 822 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).
[8:59] 823 tn Grk “they took up.”
[8:59] 824 sn Jesus’ Jewish listeners understood his claim to deity, rejected it, and picked up stones to throw at him for what they considered blasphemy.
[8:59] 825 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
[9:1] 826 tn Or “going along.” The opening words of chap. 9, καὶ παράγων (kai paragwn), convey only the vaguest indication of the circumstances.
[9:2] 827 tn Grk “asked him, saying.”
[9:2] 829 tn Grk “in order that he should be born blind.”
[9:3] 831 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.”
[9:3] 832 tn Or “deeds”; Grk “works.”
[9:3] 833 tn Or “manifested,” “brought to light.”
[9:4] 835 tn Grk “We must work the works.”
[9:4] 836 tn Or “of him who sent me” (God).
[9:5] 838 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).
[9:6] 839 tn Grk “said these things.”
[9:6] 840 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.
[9:6] 841 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.
[9:7] 843 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.
[9:7] 844 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.
[9:7] 845 tn Grk “So he”; the referent (the blind man) is specified in the translation for clarity.
[9:8] 847 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.
[9:9] 849 tn Grk “Others were saying.”
[9:9] 850 tn Grk “This is the one.”
[9:9] 851 tn Grk “No, but he is like him.”
[9:9] 852 tn Grk “That one”; the referent (the man himself) is specified in the translation for clarity.
[9:10] 854 tn Grk “So they were saying to him.”
[9:10] 855 tn Grk “How then were your eyes opened” (an idiom referring to restoration of sight).
[9:11] 856 tn Grk “That one answered.”
[9:11] 857 tn Or “clay” (moistened earth of a clay-like consistency).
[9:11] 858 tn Grk “and smeared.” Direct objects in Greek were often omitted when obvious from the context.
[9:11] 859 tn Grk “said to me.”
[9:11] 860 tn Or “and I gained my sight.”
[9:12] 861 tn Grk “And they said.”
[9:12] 862 tn Grk “that one.” “Man” is more normal English style for the referent.
[9:13] 864 tn Grk “who was formerly blind.”
[9:13] 865 sn See the note on Pharisees in 1:24.
[9:14] 866 tn Or “clay” (moistened earth of a clay-like consistency).
[9:14] 867 tn Grk “and opened his eyes” (an idiom referring to restoration of sight).
[9:14] 868 sn This is a parenthetical note by the author.
[9:15] 869 tn Or “how he had become able to see.”
[9:15] 870 tn Grk “And he said to them.”
[9:15] 871 tn Or “clay” (moistened earth of a clay-like consistency).
[9:15] 872 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).
[9:16] 873 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”).
[9:16] 874 tn Grk “he does not keep.”
[9:16] 875 sn The Jewish religious leaders considered the work involved in making the mud to be a violation of the Sabbath.
[9:16] 877 tn Or “So there was discord.”
[9:17] 878 tn Grk “the blind man.”
[9:17] 879 tn Grk “since he opened your eyes” (an idiom referring to restoration of sight).
[9:17] 880 tn Grk “And he said, ‘He is a prophet.’”
[9:18] 881 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.”
[9:18] 882 tn The Greek text contains the words “about him” at this point: “the Jewish authorities did not believe about him…”
[9:18] 883 tn Grk “they called.”
[9:18] 884 tn Or “the man who had gained his sight.”
[9:19] 885 tn Grk “and they asked them, saying”; the referent (the parents) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[9:19] 886 tn The Greek pronoun and verb are both plural (both parents are addressed).
[9:20] 887 tn Grk “So his parents answered and said.”
[9:21] 888 tn Grk “who opened his eyes” (an idiom referring to restoration of sight).
[9:21] 889 tn Or “he is of age.”
[9:22] 890 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.
[9:22] 891 tn Grk “confessed him.”
[9:22] 892 tn Or “the Messiah” (Both Greek “Christ” and Hebrew and Aramaic “Messiah” mean “one who has been anointed”).
[9:22] 893 tn Or “would be expelled from.”
[9:22] 894 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.
[9:23] 895 tn Or “he is of age.”
[9:23] 896 sn This is a parenthetical note by the author explaining the parents’ response.
[9:24] 897 tn Grk “they called.”
[9:24] 898 tn Grk “who was blind.”
[9:24] 899 tn Grk “Give glory to God” (an idiomatic formula used in placing someone under oath to tell the truth).
[9:24] 900 tn The phrase “this man” is a reference to Jesus.
[9:25] 901 tn Grk “Then that one answered.”
[9:26] 902 tn Grk “open your eyes” (an idiom referring to restoration of sight).
[9:27] 903 tn Grk “He answered them.” The indirect object αὐτοῖς (autois) has not been translated for stylistic reasons.
[9:27] 904 tn Grk “you did not hear.”
[9:27] 905 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.
[9:27] 906 tn The word “people” is supplied in the translation to clarify the plural Greek pronoun and verb.
[9:28] 907 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.
[9:28] 908 tn The Greek word means “to insult strongly” or “slander.”
[9:28] 910 tn Grk “You are that one’s disciple.”
[9:29] 911 tn Grk “where this one.”
[9:30] 912 tn Grk “The man answered and said to them.” This has been simplified in the translation to “The man replied.”
[9:30] 913 tn Grk “For in this is a remarkable thing.”
[9:30] 914 tn Grk “and he opened my eyes” (an idiom referring to restoration of sight).
[9:31] 915 tn Grk “God does not hear.”
[9:31] 917 tn Grk “he”; the referent (God) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[9:32] 920 tn Or “Never from the beginning of time,” Grk “From eternity.”
[9:32] 921 tn Grk “someone opening the eyes of a man born blind” (“opening the eyes” is an idiom referring to restoration of sight).
[9:34] 923 tn Grk “They answered and said to him.” This has been simplified in the translation to “They replied.”
[9:34] 924 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.
[9:34] 925 tn Grk “and are you teaching us?”
[9:35] 926 tn Grk “found him”; the referent (the man) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[9:35] 927 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.
[9:36] 929 tn Grk answered and said.” This has been simplified in the translation to “replied.”
[9:36] 930 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.
[9:37] 932 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.
[9:38] 933 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.
[9:39] 934 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.
[9:39] 935 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
[9:39] 936 tn Or “that those who do not see may see.”
[9:40] 937 sn See the note on Pharisees in 1:24.
[9:40] 938 tn Grk “heard these things.”
[9:40] 939 tn Grk “and said to him.”
[9:40] 940 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?”).
[9:41] 941 tn Grk “Jesus said to them.”
[9:41] 942 tn Grk “you would not have sin.”
[9:41] 943 tn Grk “now because you say, ‘We see…’”
[9:41] 945 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).
[10:1] 946 tn Grk “Truly, truly, I say to you.”
[10:1] 947 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).
[10:3] 949 tn Or “porter” (British English).
[10:3] 950 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.
[10:3] 951 tn Grk “For this one.”
[10:3] 952 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.
[10:3] 953 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.
[10:4] 954 tn The word “sheep” is not in the Greek text, but is implied.
[10:4] 955 tn Grk “because they know.”
[10:5] 956 tn Or “someone whom they do not know.”
[10:5] 958 tn Or “the voice of someone they do not know.”
[10:6] 959 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.
[10:6] 961 tn Or “comprehend.”
[10:7] 962 tn Grk “Truly, truly, I say to you.”
[10:7] 963 tn Or “I am the sheep’s door.”
[10:8] 964 tn Grk “are” (present tense).
[10:8] 965 tn Or “the sheep did not hear them.”
[10:9] 966 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.
[10:9] 967 sn That is, pasture land in contrast to cultivated land.
[10:10] 968 tn That is, “to slaughter” (in reference to animals).
[10:10] 969 tn That is, more than one would normally expect or anticipate.
[10:11] 970 tn Or “model” (see R. E. Brown, John [AB], 1:386, who argues that “model” is a more exact translation of καλός [kalos] here).
[10:11] 971 tn Or “The good shepherd dies willingly.”
[10:12] 972 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.
[10:12] 975 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.
[10:13] 976 tn Grk “does not have a care for the sheep.”
[10:13] 977 tc The phrase “he runs away” is lacking in several important
[10:14] 978 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.
[10:14] 979 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.”
[10:15] 980 tn Or “I die willingly.”
[10:15] 981 tn Or “on behalf of” or “for the sake of.”
[10:16] 982 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.
[10:16] 983 tn Or “that do not belong to”; Grk “that are not of.”
[10:16] 984 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.
[10:16] 985 tn Grk “they will hear my voice.”
[10:16] 986 tn Grk “voice, and.”
[10:16] 987 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.
[10:17] 988 tn Grk “Because of this the Father loves me.”
[10:17] 989 tn Or “die willingly.”
[10:18] 990 tn Or “give it up.”
[10:18] 991 tn Or “of my own accord.” “Of my own free will” is given by BDAG 321 s.v. ἐμαυτοῦ c.
[10:18] 992 tn Or “I have the right.”
[10:18] 993 tn Or “I have the right.”
[10:19] 995 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.
[10:20] 996 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.
[10:21] 997 tn Or “the sayings.”
[10:21] 998 tn Grk “open the eyes of the blind” (“opening the eyes” is an idiom referring to restoration of sight).
[10:21] 999 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?”).
[10:22] 1000 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.
[10:22] 1001 map For location see Map5 B1; Map6 F3; Map7 E2; Map8 F2; Map10 B3; JP1 F4; JP2 F4; JP3 F4; JP4 F4.
[10:23] 1002 sn It was winter. The feast began on 25 Kislev, in November-December of the modern Gregorian calendar.
[10:23] 1003 tn Grk “in the temple.”
[10:23] 1004 tn Or “portico,” “colonnade”; Grk “stoa.”
[10:24] 1005 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] 1006 tn Grk “said to him.” This has been translated as “asked” for stylistic reasons.
[10:24] 1007 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] 1008 tn Or “the Messiah” (Both Greek “Christ” and Hebrew and Aramaic “Messiah” mean “one who has been anointed”).
[10:24] 1009 tn Or “publicly.”
[10:25] 1010 tn Grk “answered them.”
[10:25] 1011 tn Or “the works.”
[10:28] 1012 tn Grk “And I give.”
[10:28] 1013 tn Or “will never die” or “will never be lost.”
[10:28] 1014 tn Or “no one will seize.”
[10:29] 1015 tn Or “is superior to all.”
[10:29] 1016 tn Or “no one can seize.”
[10:30] 1017 tn Grk “I and the Father.” The order has been reversed to reflect English style.
[10:30] 1018 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).
[10:31] 1019 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.
[10:32] 1020 tn Grk “Jesus answered them.”
[10:32] 1021 tn Or “good works.”
[10:33] 1022 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.
[10:33] 1023 tn Grk “answered him.”
[10:33] 1024 tn Or “good work.”
[10:33] 1025 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).
[10:33] 1026 tn Grk “and because.”
[10:33] 1027 tn Grk “you, a man, make yourself to be God.”
[10:34] 1028 tn Grk “answered them.”
[10:34] 1029 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?
[10:35] 1030 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.
[10:36] 1031 tn Or “dedicated.”
[10:38] 1035 tn Or “so that you may learn.”
[10:39] 1036 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.
[10:39] 1037 tn Grk “they were seeking.”
[10:39] 1038 tn Grk “he departed out of their hand.”
[10:40] 1039 tn Grk “He”; the referent (Jesus) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[10:40] 1040 tn The word “River” is not in the Greek text but is supplied for clarity.
[10:40] 1041 sn John refers to John the Baptist.
[10:40] 1042 tn Grk “formerly.”
[10:41] 1043 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.
[10:41] 1044 sn John refers to John the Baptist.
