John 12:19-29

Context
12:19 Thus the Pharisees¹ said to one another, “You see that you can do nothing. Look, the world has run off after him!”

Seekers

12:20 Now some Greeks² were among those who had gone up to worship at the feast. 12:21 So these approached Philip,³ who was from Bethsaida in Galilee, and requested,⁴ “Sir, we would like to see Jesus.” 12:22 Philip went and told Andrew, and they both⁵ went and told Jesus. 12:23 Jesus replied,⁶ “The time⁷ has come for the Son of Man to be glorified.⁸ 12:24 I tell you the solemn truth,⁹ unless a kernel of wheat falls into the ground and dies, it remains by itself alone.¹⁰ But if it dies, it produces¹¹ much grain.¹² 12:25 The one who loves his life¹³ destroys¹⁴ it, and the one who hates his life in this world guards¹⁵ it for eternal life. 12:26 If anyone wants to serve me, he must follow¹⁶ me, and where I am, my servant will be too.¹⁷ If anyone serves me, the Father will honor him.

12:27 “Now my soul is greatly distressed. And what should I say? ‘Father, deliver me¹⁸ from this hour’?¹⁹ No, but for this very reason I have come to this hour.²⁰ 12:28 Father, glorify your name.” Then a voice came from heaven,²¹ “I have glorified it,²² and I will glorify it²³ again.” 12:29 The crowd that stood there and heard the voice²⁴ said that it had thundered. Others said that an angel had spoken to him.²⁵

[12:19] ¹sn See the note on Pharisees in 1:24.

[12:20] ²sn These Greeks (῞Ελληνές τινες, {ellhne" tine") who had come up to worship at the feast were probably “God-fearers” rather than proselytes in the strict sense. Had they been true proselytes, they would probably not have been referred to as Greeks any longer. Many came to worship at the major Jewish festivals without being proselytes to Judaism, for example, the Ethiopian eunuch in Acts 8:27, who could not have been a proselyte if he were physically a eunuch.

[12:21] ³sn These Greeks approached Philip, although it is not clear why they did so. Perhaps they identified with his Greek name (although a number of Jews from border areas had Hellenistic names at this period). By see it is clear they meant “speak with,” since anyone could “see” Jesus moving through the crowd. The author does not mention what they wanted to speak with Jesus about.

[12:21] ⁴tn Grk “and were asking him, saying.” The participle λέγοντες (legontes) is redundant in contemporary English and has not been translated here.

[12:22] ⁴tn Grk “Andrew and Philip”; because a repetition of the proper names would be redundant in contemporary English style, the phrase “they both” has been substituted in the translation.

[12:23] ⁵tn Grk “Jesus answered them, saying.” The participle λέγων (legwn) is redundant in contemporary English and has not been translated here.

[12:23] ⁶tn Grk “the hour.”

[12:23] ⁷sn Jesus’ reply, the time has come for the Son of Man to be glorified, is a bit puzzling. As far as the author’s account is concerned, Jesus totally ignores these Greeks and makes no further reference to them whatsoever. It appears that his words are addressed to Andrew and Philip, but in fact they must have had a wider audience, including possibly the Greeks who had wished to see him in the first place. The words the time has come recall all the previous references to “the hour” throughout the Fourth Gospel (see the note on time in 2:4). There is no doubt, in light of the following verse, that Jesus refers to his death here. On his pathway to glorification lies the cross, and it is just ahead.

[12:24] ⁶tn Grk “Truly, truly, I say to you.”

[12:24] ⁷tn Or “it remains only a single kernel.”

[12:24] ⁸tn Or “bears.”

[12:24] ⁹tn Grk “much fruit.”

[12:25] ⁷tn Or “soul.”

[12:25] ⁸tn Or “loses.” Although the traditional English translation of ἀπολλύει (apolluei) in John 12:25 is “loses,” the contrast with φυλάξει (fulaxei, “keeps” or “guards”) in the second half of the verse favors the meaning “destroy” here.

[12:25] ⁹tn Or “keeps.”

[12:26] ⁸tn As a third person imperative in Greek, ἀκολουθείτω (akolouqeitw) is usually translated “let him follow me.” This could be understood by the modern English reader as merely permissive, however (“he may follow me if he wishes”). In this context there is no permissive sense, but rather a command, so the translation “he must follow me” is preferred.

[12:26] ⁹tn Grk “where I am, there my servant will be too.”

[12:27] ⁹tn Or “save me.”

[12:27] ¹⁰tn Or “this occasion.”

[12:27] ¹¹tn Or “this occasion.”

[12:28] ¹⁰tn Or “from the sky” (see note on 1:32).

[12:28] ¹¹tn “It” is not in the Greek text. Direct objects were often omitted in Greek when clear from the context.

[12:28] ¹²tn “It” is not in the Greek text. Direct objects were often omitted in Greek when clear from the context.

[12:29] ¹¹tn “The voice” is not in the Greek text. Direct objects were often omitted in Greek when clear from the context.

[12:29] ¹²tn Grk “Others said, “An angel has spoken to him.” The direct discourse in the second half of v. 29 was converted to indirect discourse in the translation to maintain the parallelism with the first half of the verse, which is better in keeping with English style.