John 18:5

18:5 They replied, ¹  “Jesus the Nazarene.” He told them, “I am he.” (Now Judas, the one who betrayed him, was standing there with them.) ² 

John 18:7

18:7 Then Jesus ³  asked them again, “Who are you looking for?” And they said, “Jesus the Nazarene.”

[18:5]  ¹ tn Grk “They answered.”

[18:5]  ² sn This is a parenthetical note by the author. Before he states the response to Jesus’ identification of himself, the author inserts a parenthetical note that Judas, again identified as the one who betrayed him (cf. 18:2), was standing with the group of soldiers and officers of the chief priests. Many commentators have considered this to be an awkward insertion, but in fact it heightens considerably the dramatic effect of the response to Jesus’ self-identification in the following verse, and has the added effect of informing the reader that along with the others the betrayer himself ironically falls down at Jesus’ feet (18:6).

[18:7]  ³ tn Grk “he”; the referent (Jesus) has been specified in the translation for clarity.