John 8:45-50

8:45 But because I am telling you ¹  the truth, you do not believe me. 8:46 Who among you can prove me guilty ²  of any sin? ³  If I am telling you ⁴  the truth, why don’t you believe me? 8:47 The one who belongs to ⁵  God listens and responds ⁶  to God’s words. You don’t listen and respond, ⁷  because you don’t belong to God.” ⁸ 

8:48 The Judeans ⁹  replied, ¹⁰  “Aren’t we correct in saying ¹¹  that you are a Samaritan and are possessed by a demon?” ¹²  8:49 Jesus answered, “I am not possessed by a demon, ¹³  but I honor my Father – and yet ¹⁴  you dishonor me. 8:50 I am not trying to get ¹⁵  praise for myself. ¹⁶  There is one who demands ¹⁷  it, and he also judges. ¹⁸ 

[8:45]  ¹ tn Or “because I tell you.”

[8:46]  ² tn Or “can convict me.”

[8:46]  ³ tn Or “of having sinned”; Grk “of sin.”

[8:46]  ⁴ tn Or “if I tell you.”

[8:47]  ³ tn Grk “who is of.”

[8:47]  ⁴ tn Grk “to God hears” (in the sense of listening to something and responding to it).

[8:47]  ⁵ tn Grk “you do not hear” (in the sense of listening to something and responding to it).

[8:47]  ⁶ tn Grk “you are not of God.”

[8:48]  ⁴ tn Grk “the Jews.” See the note on this term in v. 31. Here the phrase refers to the Jewish people in Jerusalem (“Judeans”; cf. BDAG 479 s.v. ᾿Ιουδαῖος 2.e) who had been listening to Jesus’ teaching in the temple courts (8:20) and had initially believed his claim to be the Messiah (cf. 8:31). They had become increasingly hostile as Jesus continued to teach. Now they were ready to say that Jesus was demon-possessed.

[8:48]  ⁵ tn Grk “answered and said to him.”

[8:48]  ⁶ tn Grk “Do we not say rightly.”

[8:48]  ⁷ tn Grk “and have a demon.” It is not clear what is meant by the charge Σαμαρίτης εἶ σὺ καὶ δαιμόνιον ἔχεις (Samarith" ei su kai daimonion ecei"). The meaning could be “you are a heretic and are possessed by a demon.” Note that the dual charge gets one reply (John 8:49). Perhaps the phrases were interchangeable: Simon Magus (Acts 8:14-24) and in later traditions Dositheus, the two Samaritans who claimed to be sons of God, were regarded as mad, that is, possessed by demons.

[8:49]  ⁵ tn Grk “I do not have a demon.”

[8:49]  ⁶ tn “Yet” is supplied to show the contrastive element present in the context.

[8:50]  ⁶ tn Grk “I am not seeking.”

[8:50]  ⁷ tn Grk “my glory.”

[8:50]  ⁸ tn Grk “who seeks.”

[8:50]  ⁹ tn Or “will be the judge.”