John 1:49

1:49 Nathanael answered him, “Rabbi, you are the Son of God; you are the king ¹  of Israel!” ² 

John 18:23

18:23 Jesus replied, ³  “If I have said something wrong, ⁴  confirm ⁵  what is wrong. ⁶  But if I spoke correctly, why strike me?”

[1:49]  ¹ tn Although βασιλεύς (basileus) lacks the article it is definite due to contextual and syntactical considerations. See ExSyn 263.

[1:49]  ² 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.

[18:23]  ³ tn Grk “Jesus answered him.”

[18:23]  ⁴ tn Or “something incorrect.”

[18:23]  ⁵ tn Grk “testify.”

[18:23]  ⁶ tn Or “incorrect.”