John 16:12

16:12 “I have many more things to say to you, ¹  but you cannot bear ²  them now.

John 3:23

3:23 John ³  was also baptizing at Aenon near Salim, ⁴  because water was plentiful there, and people were coming ⁵  to him ⁶  and being baptized.

John 10:32

10:32 Jesus said to them, ⁷  “I have shown you many good deeds ⁸  from the Father. For which one of them are you going to stone me?”

John 11:47

11:47 So the chief priests and the Pharisees ⁹  called the council ¹⁰  together and said, “What are we doing? For this man is performing many miraculous signs.

John 14:30

14:30 I will not speak with you much longer, ¹¹  for the ruler of this world is coming. ¹²  He has no power over me, ¹³ 

John 20:30

20:30 Now Jesus performed ¹⁴  many other miraculous signs in the presence of the ¹⁵  disciples, which are not recorded ¹⁶  in this book. ¹⁷ 

John 8:26

8:26 I have many things to say and to judge ¹⁸  about you, but the Father ¹⁹  who sent me is truthful, ²⁰  and the things I have heard from him I speak to the world.” ²¹ 

John 21:25

21:25 There are many other things that Jesus did. If every one of them were written down, ²²  I suppose the whole world ²³  would not have room for the books that would be written. ²⁴ 

[16:12]  ¹ sn In what sense does Jesus have many more things to say to the disciples? Does this imply the continuation of revelation after his departure? This is probably the case, especially in light of v. 13 and following, which describe the work of the Holy Spirit in guiding the disciples into all truth. Thus Jesus was saying that he would continue to speak (to the twelve, at least) after his return to the Father. He would do this through the Holy Spirit whom he was going to send. It is possible that an audience broader than the twelve is addressed, and in the Johannine tradition there is evidence that later other Christians (or perhaps, professed Christians) claimed to be recipients of revelation through the Spirit-Paraclete (1 John 4:1-6).

[16:12]  ² tn Or (perhaps) “you cannot accept.”

[3:23]  ³ sn John refers to John the Baptist.

[3:23]  ⁴ 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]  ⁵ tn Or “people were continually coming.”

[3:23]  ⁶ tn The words “to him” are not in the Greek text, but are implied.

[10:32]  ⁵ tn Grk “Jesus answered them.”

[10:32]  ⁶ tn Or “good works.”

[11:47]  ⁷ tn The phrase “chief priests and Pharisees” is a comprehensive name for the groups represented in the ruling council (the Sanhedrin) as in John 7:45; 18:3; Acts 5:22, 26.

[11:47]  ⁸ tn Or “Sanhedrin” (the Sanhedrin was the highest legal, legislative, and judicial body among the Jews). The συνέδριον (sunedrion) which they gathered was probably an informal meeting rather than the official Sanhedrin. This is the only occurrence of the word συνέδριον in the Gospel of John, and the only anarthrous singular use in the NT. There are other plural anarthrous uses which have the general meaning “councils.” The fact that Caiaphas in 11:49 is referred to as “one of them” supports the unofficial nature of the meeting; in the official Sanhedrin he, being high priest that year, would have presided over the assembly. Thus it appears that an informal council was called to discuss what to do about Jesus and his activities.

[14:30]  ⁹ tn Grk “I will no longer speak many things with you.”

[14:30]  ¹⁰ sn The ruler of this world is a reference to Satan.

[14:30]  ¹¹ tn Grk “in me he has nothing.”

[20:30]  ¹¹ tn Or “did.”

[20:30]  ¹² tc ‡ Although most mss, including several important ones (Ì⁶⁶ א C D L W Θ Ψ Ë^1,13 33 Ï lat), read αὐτοῦ (autou, “his”) after τῶν μαθητῶν (twn maqhtwn, “the disciples”), the pronoun is lacking in A B K Δ 0250 al. The weight of the witnesses for the inclusion is somewhat stronger than that for the exclusion. However, the addition of “his” to “disciples” is a frequent scribal emendation and as such is a predictable variant. It is thus most likely that the shorter reading is authentic. NA²⁷ puts the pronoun in brackets, indicating doubts as to its authenticity.

[20:30]  ¹³ tn Grk “are not written.”

[20:30]  ¹⁴ sn The author mentions many other miraculous signs performed by Jesus in the presence of the disciples, which are not written in the Gospel. What are these signs the author of the Gospel has in mind? One can only speculate. The author says they were performed in the presence of the disciples, which emphasizes again their role as witnesses (cf. 15:27). The point here is that the author has been selective in his use of material. He has chosen to record those incidents from the life and ministry of Jesus which supported his purpose in writing the Gospel. Much which might be of tremendous interest, but does not directly contribute to that purpose in writing, he has omitted. The author explains his purpose in writing in the following verse.

[8:26]  ¹³ 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]  ¹⁴ tn Grk “the one”; the referent (the Father) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[8:26]  ¹⁵ tn Grk “true” (in the sense of one who always tells the truth).

[8:26]  ¹⁶ tn Grk “and what things I have heard from him, these things I speak to the world.”

[21:25]  ¹⁵ tn Grk “written”; the word “down” is supplied in keeping with contemporary English idiom.

[21:25]  ¹⁶ tn Grk “the world itself.”

[21:25]  ¹⁷ tc Although the majority of mss (C² Θ Ψ Ë¹³ Ï lat) conclude this Gospel with ἀμήν (amhn, “amen”), such a conclusion is routinely added by scribes to NT books because a few of these books originally had such an ending (cf. Rom 16:27; Gal 6:18; Jude 25). A majority of Greek witnesses have the concluding ἀμήν in every NT book except Acts, James, and 3 John (and even in these books, ἀμήν is found in some witnesses). It is thus a predictable variant. Further, excellent and early witnesses, as well as a few others (א A B C*^,3 D W 1 33 pc it), lack the particle, rendering no doubt as to how this Gospel originally ended.