John 1:48

1:48 Nathanael asked him, “How do you know me?” Jesus replied, ¹  “Before Philip called you, when you were under the fig tree, ²  I saw you.”

John 2:9

2:9 When ³  the head steward tasted the water that had been turned to wine, not knowing where it came from ⁴  (though the servants who had drawn the water knew), he ⁵  called the bridegroom

John 3:8

3:8 The wind ⁶  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.” ⁷ 

John 6:5

6:5 Then Jesus, when he looked up ⁸  and saw that a large crowd was coming to him, said to Philip, “Where can we buy bread so that these people may eat?”

John 9:30

9:30 The man replied, ⁹  “This is a remarkable thing, ¹⁰  that you don’t know where he comes from, and yet he caused me to see! ¹¹ 

[1:48]  ¹ tn Grk “answered and said to him.” This is somewhat redundant in English and has been simplified in the translation to “replied.”

[1:48]  ² 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.)

[2:9]  ³ 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]  ⁴ tn Grk “and he did not know where it came from.”

[2:9]  ⁵ 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.

[3:8]  ⁵ tn The same Greek word, πνεύματος (pneumatos), may be translated “wind” or “spirit.”

[3:8]  ⁶ 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.

[6:5]  ⁷ tn Grk “when he lifted up his eyes” (an idiom).

[9:30]  ⁹ tn Grk “The man answered and said to them.” This has been simplified in the translation to “The man replied.”

[9:30]  ¹⁰ tn Grk “For in this is a remarkable thing.”

[9:30]  ¹¹ tn Grk “and he opened my eyes” (an idiom referring to restoration of sight).