John 7:13

7:13 However, no one spoke openly about him for fear of the Jewish leaders. ¹ 

John 12:15

12:15 “Do not be afraid, people of Zion; ²  look, your king is coming, seated on a donkey’s colt!” ³ 

John 12:42

12:42 Nevertheless, even among the rulers ⁴  many believed in him, but because of the Pharisees ⁵  they would not confess Jesus to be the Christ, ⁶  so that they would not be put out of ⁷  the synagogue. ⁸ 

John 19:38

Jesus’ Burial

19:38 After this, Joseph of Arimathea, a disciple of Jesus (but secretly, because he feared the Jewish leaders ⁹ ), ¹⁰  asked Pilate if he could remove the body of Jesus. Pilate ¹¹  gave him permission, so he went and took the body away. ¹² 

John 20:19

Jesus’ Appearance to the Disciples

20:19 On the evening of that day, the first day of the week, the disciples had gathered together ¹³  and locked the doors ¹⁴  of the place ¹⁵  because they were afraid of the Jewish leaders. ¹⁶  Jesus came and stood among them and said to them, “Peace be with you.”

John 3:20

3:20 For everyone who does evil deeds hates the light and does not come to the light, so that their deeds will not be exposed.

John 9:22

9:22 (His parents said these things because they were afraid of the Jewish religious leaders. ¹⁷  For the Jewish leaders had already agreed that anyone who confessed Jesus ¹⁸  to be the Christ ¹⁹  would be put out ²⁰  of the synagogue. ²¹ 

John 14:27

14:27 “Peace I leave with you; ²²  my peace I give to you; I do not give it ²³  to you as the world does. ²⁴  Do not let your hearts be distressed or lacking in courage. ²⁵ 

John 6:20

6:20 But he said to them, “It is I. Do not be afraid.”

John 19:8

19:8 When Pilate heard what they said, ²⁶  he was more afraid than ever, ²⁷ 

John 9:31

9:31 We know that God doesn’t listen to ²⁸  sinners, but if anyone is devout ²⁹  and does his will, God ³⁰  listens to ³¹  him. ³² 

John 5:14

5:14 After this Jesus found him at the temple and said to him, “Look, you have become well. Don’t sin any more, ³³  lest anything worse happen to you.”

John 6:19

6:19 Then, when they had rowed about three or four miles, ³⁴  they caught sight of Jesus walking on the lake, ³⁵  approaching the boat, and they were frightened.

John 21:12

21:12 “Come, have breakfast,” Jesus said. ³⁶  But none of the disciples dared to ask him, “Who are you?” because they knew it was the Lord.

John 12:40

12:40 “He has blinded their eyes

and hardened their heart, ³⁷ 

so that they would not see with their eyes

and understand with their heart, ³⁸ 

and turn to me, ³⁹  and I would heal them.” ⁴⁰ 

[7:13]  ¹ tn Or “the Jewish authorities”; Grk “the Jews.” Here the phrase refers to the Jewish authorities or leaders who were Jesus’ primary opponents. See also the note on the phrase “the Jewish leaders” in v. 1.

[12:15]  ² tn Grk “Do not be afraid, daughter of Zion” (the phrase “daughter of Zion” is an idiom for the inhabitants of Jerusalem: “people of Zion”). The idiom “daughter of Zion” has been translated as “people of Zion” because the original idiom, while firmly embedded in the Christian tradition, is not understandable to most modern English readers.

[12:15]  ³ sn A quotation from Zech 9:9.

[12:42]  ³ sn The term rulers here denotes members of the Sanhedrin, the highest legal, legislative, and judicial body among the Jews. Note the same word (“ruler”) is used to describe Nicodemus in 3:1.

[12:42]  ⁴ sn See the note on Pharisees in 1:24.

[12:42]  ⁵ tn The words “Jesus to be the Christ” are not in the Greek text, but are implied (see 9:22). As is often the case in Greek, the direct object is omitted for the verb ὡμολόγουν (Jwmologoun). Some translators supply an ambiguous “it,” or derive the implied direct object from the previous clause “believed in him” so that the rulers would not confess “their faith” or “their belief.” However, when one compares John 9:22, which has many verbal parallels to this verse, it seems clear that the content of the confession would have been “Jesus is the Christ (i.e., Messiah).”

[12:42]  ⁶ tn Or “be expelled from.”

[12:42]  ⁷ sn Compare John 9:22. See the note on synagogue in 6:59.

[19:38]  ⁴ tn Or “the Jewish authorities”; Grk “the Jews.” Here the phrase refers to the Jewish leaders, especially the Pharisees (see John 12:42). See also the note on the phrase “Jewish leaders” in v. 7.

[19:38]  ⁵ sn This is a parenthetical note by the author.

[19:38]  ⁶ tn Grk “And Pilate.” The conjunction καί (kai, “and”) has not been translated here in keeping with the tendency of contemporary English style to use shorter sentences.

[19:38]  ⁷ tn Grk “took away his body.”

[20:19]  ⁵ tn Although the words “had gathered together” are omitted in some of the earliest and best mss, they are nevertheless implied, and have thus been included in the translation.

[20:19]  ⁶ tn Grk “the doors were shut”; “locked” conveys a more appropriate idea for the modern English reader.

[20:19]  ⁷ tn Grk “where they were.”

[20:19]  ⁸ tn Or “the Jewish authorities”; Grk “the Jews.” In NT usage the term ᾿Ιουδαῖοι (Ioudaioi) may refer to the entire Jewish people, the residents of Jerusalem and surrounding territory, the authorities in Jerusalem, or merely those who were hostile to Jesus. (For further information see R. G. Bratcher, “‘The Jews’ in the Gospel of John,” BT 26 [1975]: 401-9.) Here the phrase refers to the Jewish leaders.

[9:22]  ⁶ tn Or “the Jewish religious authorities”; Grk “the Jews.” Twice in this verse the phrase refers to the Pharisees, mentioned by name in John 9:13, 15, 16. The second occurrence is shortened to “the Jewish leaders” for stylistic reasons. See the note on the phrase “the Jewish religious leaders” in v. 18.

[9:22]  ⁷ tn Grk “confessed him.”

[9:22]  ⁸ tn Or “the Messiah” (Both Greek “Christ” and Hebrew and Aramaic “Messiah” mean “one who has been anointed”).

[9:22]  ⁹ tn Or “would be expelled from.”

[9:22]  ¹⁰ sn This reference to excommunication from the Jewish synagogue for those who had made some sort of confession about Jesus being the Messiah is dismissed as anachronistic by some (e.g., Barrett) and nonhistorical by others. In later Jewish practice there were at least two forms of excommunication: a temporary ban for thirty days, and a permanent ban. But whether these applied in NT times is far from certain. There is no substantial evidence for a formal ban on Christians until later than this Gospel could possibly have been written. This may be a reference to some form of excommunication adopted as a contingency to deal with those who were proclaiming Jesus to be the Messiah. If so, there is no other record of the procedure than here. It was probably local, limited to the area around Jerusalem. See also the note on synagogue in 6:59.

[14:27]  ⁷ sn Peace I leave with you. In spite of appearances, this verse does not introduce a new subject (peace). Jesus will use the phrase as a greeting to his disciples after his resurrection (20:19, 21, 26). It is here a reflection of the Hebrew shalom as a farewell. But Jesus says he leaves peace with his disciples. This should probably be understood ultimately in terms of the indwelling of the Paraclete, the Holy Spirit, who has been the topic of the preceding verses. It is his presence, after Jesus has left the disciples and finally returned to the Father, which will remain with them and comfort them.

[14:27]  ⁸ tn The pronoun “it” is not in the Greek text, but has been supplied. Direct objects in Greek were often omitted when clear from the context.

[14:27]  ⁹ tn Grk “not as the world gives do I give to you.”

[14:27]  ¹⁰ tn Or “distressed or fearful and cowardly.”

[19:8]  ⁸ tn Grk “heard this word.”

[19:8]  ⁹ tn Grk “became more afraid.”

[9:31]  ⁹ tn Grk “God does not hear.”

[9:31]  ¹⁰ tn Or “godly.”

[9:31]  ¹¹ tn Grk “he”; the referent (God) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[9:31]  ¹² tn Or “hears.”

[9:31]  ¹³ tn Grk “this one.”

[5:14]  ¹⁰ tn Since this is a prohibition with a present imperative, the translation “stop sinning” is sometimes suggested. This is not likely, however, since the present tense is normally used in prohibitions involving a general condition (as here) while the aorist tense is normally used in specific instances. Only when used opposite the normal usage (the present tense in a specific instance, for example) would the meaning “stop doing what you are doing” be appropriate.

[6:19]  ¹¹ tn Grk “about twenty-five or thirty stades” (a stade as a unit of linear measure is about 607 feet or 187 meters).

[6:19]  ¹² tn Or “sea.” See the note on “lake” in v. 16. John uses the phrase ἐπί (epi, “on”) followed by the genitive (as in Mark, instead of Matthew’s ἐπί followed by the accusative) to describe Jesus walking “on the lake.”

[21:12]  ¹² tn Grk “said to them.” The words “to them” are omitted because it is clear in context to whom Jesus was speaking, and the words are slightly redundant in English.

[12:40]  ¹³ tn Or “closed their mind.”

[12:40]  ¹⁴ tn Or “their mind.”

[12:40]  ¹⁵ tn One could also translate στραφῶσιν (strafwsin) as “repent” or “change their ways,” but both of these terms would be subject to misinterpretation by the modern English reader. The idea is one of turning back to God, however. The words “to me” are not in the Greek text, but are implied.

[12:40]  ¹⁶ sn A quotation from Isa 6:10.