Psalms 89:19-20

89:19 Then you ¹  spoke through a vision to your faithful followers ²  and said:

“I have energized a warrior; ³ 

I have raised up a young man ⁴  from the people.

89:20 I have discovered David, my servant.

With my holy oil I have anointed him as king. ⁵ 

John 6:27

6:27 Do not work for the food that disappears, ⁶  but for the food that remains to eternal life – the food ⁷  which the Son of Man will give to you. For God the Father has put his seal of approval on him.” ⁸ 

John 6:1

The Feeding of the Five Thousand

6:1 After this ⁹  Jesus went away to the other side of the Sea of Galilee (also called the Sea of Tiberias). ¹⁰ 

John 2:4

2:4 Jesus replied, ¹¹  “Woman, ¹²  why are you saying this to me? ¹³  My time ¹⁴  has not yet come.”

John 2:6

2:6 Now there were six stone water jars there for Jewish ceremonial washing, ¹⁵  each holding twenty or thirty gallons. ¹⁶ 

[89:19]  ¹ tn The pronoun “you” refers to the Lord, who is addressed here. The quotation that follows further develops the announcement of vv. 3-4.

[89:19]  ² tc Many medieval mss read the singular here, “your faithful follower.” In this case the statement refers directly to Nathan’s oracle to David (see 2 Sam 7:17).

[89:19]  ³ tn Heb “I have placed help upon a warrior.”

[89:19]  ⁴ tn Or perhaps “a chosen one.”

[89:20]  ⁵ tn The words “as king” are supplied in the translation for clarification, indicating that a royal anointing is in view.

[6:27]  ⁶ tn Or “perishes” (this might refer to spoiling, but is more focused on the temporary nature of this kind of food).

[6:27]  ⁷ tn The referent (the food) has been specified for clarity by repeating the word “food” from the previous clause.

[6:27]  ⁸ tn Grk “on this one.”

[6:1]  ⁹ tn Again, μετὰ ταῦτα (meta tauta) is a vague temporal reference. How Jesus got from Jerusalem to Galilee is not explained, which has led many scholars (e.g., Bernard, Bultmann, and Schnackenburg) to posit either editorial redaction or some sort of rearrangement or dislocation of material (such as reversing the order of chaps. 5 and 6, for example). Such a rearrangement of the material would give a simple and consistent connection of events, but in the absence of all external evidence it does not seem to be supportable. R. E. Brown (John [AB], 1:236) says that such an arrangement is attractive in some ways but not compelling, and that no rearrangement can solve all the geographical and chronological problems in John.

[6:1]  ¹⁰ sn This is a parenthetical note by the author. Only John in the New Testament refers to the Sea of Galilee by the name Sea of Tiberias (see also John 21:1), but this is correct local usage. In the mid-20’s Herod completed the building of the town of Tiberias on the southwestern shore of the lake; after this time the name came into use for the lake itself.

[2:4]  ¹¹ tn Grk “and Jesus said to her.”

[2:4]  ¹² sn The term Woman is Jesus’ normal, polite way of addressing women (Matt 15:28, Luke 13:12; John 4:21; 8:10; 19:26; 20:15). But it is unusual for a son to address his mother with this term. The custom in both Hebrew (or Aramaic) and Greek would be for a son to use a qualifying adjective or title. Is there significance in Jesus’ use here? It probably indicates that a new relationship existed between Jesus and his mother once he had embarked on his public ministry. He was no longer or primarily only her son, but the “Son of Man.” This is also suggested by the use of the same term in 19:26 in the scene at the cross, where the beloved disciple is “given” to Mary as her “new” son.

[2:4]  ¹³ tn Grk “Woman, what to me and to you?” (an idiom). The phrase τί ἐμοὶ καὶ σοί, γύναι (ti emoi kai soi, gunai) is Semitic in origin. The equivalent Hebrew expression in the Old Testament had two basic meanings: (1) When one person was unjustly bothering another, the injured party could say “What to me and to you?” meaning, “What have I done to you that you should do this to me?” (Judg 11:12, 2 Chr 35:21, 1 Kgs 17:18). (2) When someone was asked to get involved in a matter he felt was no business of his, he could say to the one asking him, “What to me and to you?” meaning, “That is your business, how am I involved?” (2 Kgs 3:13, Hos 14:8). Option (1) implies hostility, while option (2) implies merely disengagement. Mere disengagement is almost certainly to be understood here as better fitting the context (although some of the Greek Fathers took the remark as a rebuke to Mary, such a rebuke is unlikely).

[2:4]  ¹⁴ tn Grk “my hour” (referring to the time of Jesus’ crucifixion and return to the Father).

[2:6]  ¹⁵ tn Grk “for the purification of the Jews.”

[2:6]  ¹⁶ tn Grk “holding two or three metretes” (about 75 to 115 liters). Each of the pots held 2 or 3 μετρηταί (metrhtai). A μετρητῆς (metrhths) was about 9 gallons (40 liters); thus each jar held 18-27 gallons (80-120 liters) and the total volume of liquid involved was 108-162 gallons (480-720 liters).