Psalms 95:7

95:7 For he is our God;

we are the people of his pasture,

the sheep he owns. ¹ 

Today, if only you would obey him! ² 

Psalms 100:3

100:3 Acknowledge that the Lord is God!

He made us and we belong to him; ³ 

we are his people, the sheep of his pasture.

Isaiah 40:11

40:11 Like a shepherd he tends his flock;

he gathers up the lambs with his arm;

he carries them close to his heart; ⁴ 

he leads the ewes along.

Jeremiah 23:2-4

23:2 So the Lord God of Israel has this to say about the leaders who are ruling over his people: “You have caused my people ⁵  to be dispersed and driven into exile. You have not taken care of them. So I will punish you for the evil that you have done. ⁶  I, the Lord, affirm it! ⁷  23:3 Then I myself will regather those of my people ⁸  who are still alive from all the countries where I have driven them. I will bring them back to their homeland. ⁹  They will greatly increase in number. 23:4 I will install rulers ¹⁰  over them who will care for them. Then they will no longer need to fear or be terrified. None of them will turn up missing. ¹¹  I, the Lord, promise it! ¹² 

Ezekiel 34:11-31

34:11 “‘For this is what the sovereign Lord says: Look, I myself will search for my sheep and seek them out. 34:12 As a shepherd seeks out his flock when he is among his scattered sheep, so I will seek out my flock. I will rescue them from all the places where they have been scattered on a cloudy, dark day. ¹³  34:13 I will bring them out from among the peoples and gather them from foreign countries; I will bring them to their own land. I will feed them on the mountains of Israel, by the streams and all the inhabited places of the land. 34:14 In a good pasture I will feed them; the mountain heights of Israel will be their pasture. There they will lie down in a lush ¹⁴  pasture, and they will feed on rich grass on the mountains of Israel. 34:15 I myself will feed my sheep and I myself will make them lie down, declares the sovereign Lord. 34:16 I will seek the lost and bring back the strays; I will bandage the injured and strengthen the sick, but the fat and the strong I will destroy. I will feed them – with judgment!

34:17 “‘As for you, my sheep, this is what the sovereign Lord says: Look, I am about to judge between one sheep and another, between rams and goats. 34:18 Is it not enough for you to feed on the good pasture, that you must trample the rest of your pastures with your feet? When you drink clean water, must you muddy the rest of the water by trampling it with your feet? 34:19 As for my sheep, they must eat what you trampled with your feet, and drink what you have muddied with your feet!

34:20 “‘Therefore, this is what the sovereign Lord says to them: Look, I myself will judge between the fat sheep and the lean sheep. 34:21 Because you push with your side and your shoulder, and thrust your horns at all the weak sheep until you scatter them abroad, ¹⁵  34:22 I will save my sheep; they will no longer be prey. I will judge between one sheep and another.

34:23 I will set one shepherd over them, and he will feed them – namely, my servant David. ¹⁶  He will feed them and will be their shepherd. 34:24 I, the Lord, will be their God, and my servant David will be prince ¹⁷  among them; I, the Lord, have spoken!

34:25 “‘I will make a covenant of peace with them and will rid the land of wild beasts, so that they can live securely ¹⁸  in the wilderness and even sleep in the woods. ¹⁹  34:26 I will turn them and the regions around my hill into a blessing. I will make showers come down in their season; they will be showers that bring blessing. ²⁰  34:27 The trees of the field will yield their fruit and the earth will yield its crops. They will live securely on their land; they will know that I am the Lord, when I break the bars of their yoke and rescue them from the hand of those who enslaved them. 34:28 They will no longer be prey for the nations and the wild beasts will not devour them. They will live securely and no one will make them afraid. 34:29 I will prepare for them a healthy ²¹  planting. They will no longer be victims ²²  of famine in the land and will no longer bear the insults of the nations. 34:30 Then they will know that I, the Lord their God, am with them, ²³  and that they are my people, the house of Israel, declares the sovereign Lord. ²⁴  34:31 And you, my sheep, the sheep of my pasture, are my people, ²⁵  and I am your God, declares the sovereign Lord.’”

Luke 15:4-6

15:4 “Which one ²⁶  of you, if he has a hundred ²⁷  sheep and loses one of them, would not leave the ninety-nine in the open pasture ²⁸  and go look for ²⁹  the one that is lost until he finds it? ³⁰  15:5 Then ³¹  when he has found it, he places it on his shoulders, rejoicing. 15:6 Returning ³²  home, he calls together ³³  his ³⁴  friends and neighbors, telling them, ‘Rejoice with me, because I have found my sheep that was lost.’

John 10:11-42

10:11 “I am the good ³⁵  shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life ³⁶  for the sheep. 10:12 The hired hand, ³⁷  who is not a shepherd and does not own sheep, sees the wolf coming and abandons ³⁸  the sheep and runs away. ³⁹  So the wolf attacks ⁴⁰  the sheep and scatters them. 10:13 Because he is a hired hand and is not concerned about the sheep, ⁴¹  he runs away. ⁴² 

10:14 “I am the good shepherd. I ⁴³  know my own ⁴⁴  and my own know me – 10:15 just as the Father knows me and I know the Father – and I lay down my life ⁴⁵  for ⁴⁶  the sheep. 10:16 I have ⁴⁷  other sheep that do not come from ⁴⁸  this sheepfold. ⁴⁹  I must bring them too, and they will listen to my voice, ⁵⁰  so that ⁵¹  there will be one flock and ⁵²  one shepherd. 10:17 This is why the Father loves me ⁵³  – because I lay down my life, ⁵⁴  so that I may take it back again. 10:18 No one takes it away from me, but I lay it down ⁵⁵  of my own free will. ⁵⁶  I have the authority ⁵⁷  to lay it down, and I have the authority ⁵⁸  to take it back again. This commandment ⁵⁹  I received from my Father.”

10:19 Another sharp division took place among the Jewish people ⁶⁰  because of these words. 10:20 Many of them were saying, “He is possessed by a demon and has lost his mind! ⁶¹  Why do you listen to him?” 10:21 Others said, “These are not the words ⁶²  of someone possessed by a demon. A demon cannot cause the blind to see, ⁶³  can it?” ⁶⁴ 

Jesus at the Feast of Dedication

10:22 Then came the feast of the Dedication ⁶⁵  in Jerusalem. ⁶⁶  10:23 It was winter, ⁶⁷  and Jesus was walking in the temple area ⁶⁸  in Solomon’s Portico. ⁶⁹  10:24 The Jewish leaders ⁷⁰  surrounded him and asked, ⁷¹  “How long will you keep us in suspense? ⁷²  If you are the Christ, ⁷³  tell us plainly.” ⁷⁴  10:25 Jesus replied, ⁷⁵  “I told you and you do not believe. The deeds ⁷⁶  I do in my Father’s name testify about me. 10:26 But you refuse to believe because you are not my sheep. 10:27 My sheep listen to my voice, and I know them, and they follow me. 10:28 I give ⁷⁷  them eternal life, and they will never perish; ⁷⁸  no one will snatch ⁷⁹  them from my hand. 10:29 My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all, ⁸⁰  and no one can snatch ⁸¹  them from my Father’s hand. 10:30 The Father and I ⁸²  are one.” ⁸³ 

10:31 The Jewish leaders ⁸⁴  picked up rocks again to stone him to death. 10:32 Jesus said to them, ⁸⁵  “I have shown you many good deeds ⁸⁶  from the Father. For which one of them are you going to stone me?” 10:33 The Jewish leaders ⁸⁷  replied, ⁸⁸  “We are not going to stone you for a good deed ⁸⁹  but for blasphemy, ⁹⁰  because ⁹¹  you, a man, are claiming to be God.” ⁹² 

10:34 Jesus answered, ⁹³  “Is it not written in your law, ‘I said, you are gods’? ⁹⁴  10:35 If those people to whom the word of God came were called ‘gods’ (and the scripture cannot be broken), ⁹⁵  10:36 do you say about the one whom the Father set apart ⁹⁶  and sent into the world, ‘You are blaspheming,’ because I said, ‘I am the Son of God’? 10:37 If I do not perform ⁹⁷  the deeds ⁹⁸  of my Father, do not believe me. 10:38 But if I do them, even if you do not believe me, believe the deeds, ⁹⁹  so that you may come to know ¹⁰⁰  and understand that I am in the Father and the Father is in me.” 10:39 Then ¹⁰¹  they attempted ¹⁰²  again to seize him, but he escaped their clutches. ¹⁰³ 

10:40 Jesus ¹⁰⁴  went back across the Jordan River ¹⁰⁵  again to the place where John ¹⁰⁶  had been baptizing at an earlier time, ¹⁰⁷  and he stayed there. 10:41 Many ¹⁰⁸  came to him and began to say, “John ¹⁰⁹  performed ¹¹⁰  no miraculous sign, but everything John said about this man ¹¹¹  was true!” 10:42 And many believed in Jesus ¹¹²  there.

[95:7]  ¹ tn Heb “of his hand.”

[95:7]  ² tn Heb “if only you would listen to his voice.” The Hebrew particle אִם (’im, “if”) and following prefixed verbal form here express a wish (cf. Ps 81:8). Note that the apodosis (the “then” clause of the conditional sentence) is suppressed.

[100:3]  ³ tn The present translation (like most modern translations) follows the Qere (marginal reading), which reads literally, “and to him [are] we.” The Kethib (consonantal text) has “and not we.” The suffixed preposition לו (“to him”) was confused aurally with the negative particle לא because the two sound identical.

[40:11]  ⁴ tn Heb “in his bosom” (so KJV, NAB, NASB, NRSV), an expression which reflects closeness and protective care.

[23:2]  ⁵ tn Heb “about the shepherds who are shepherding my people. ‘You have caused my sheep….’” For the metaphor see the study note on the previous verse.

[23:2]  ⁶ tn Heb “Therefore, thus says the Lord, the God of Israel, concerning the shepherds who should be shepherding my people: You have scattered my sheep and driven them away and you have not taken care of them. Behold I will visit upon you the evil of your deeds.” “Therefore” announces the judgment which does not come until “Behold.” It is interrupted by the messenger formula and a further indictment. The original has been broken up to conform more to contemporary English style, the metaphors have been interpreted for clarity and the connections between the indictments and the judgments have been carried by “So.”

[23:2]  ⁷ tn Heb “Oracle of the Lord.”

[23:3]  ⁸ tn Heb “my sheep.”

[23:3]  ⁹ tn Heb “their fold.”

[23:4]  ¹⁰ tn Heb “shepherds.”

[23:4]  ¹¹ tn There are various nuances of the word פָּקַד (paqad) represented in vv. 2, 4. See Ps 8:4 (8:5 HT) and Zech 10:3 for “care for/take care of” (cf. BDB 823 s.v. פָּקַד Qal.A.1.a). See Exod 20:5; Amos 3:2; Jer 9:24; 11:22 for “punish” (cf. BDB 823 s.v. פָּקַד Qal.A.3). See 1 Kgs 20:39 and 2 Kgs 10:19 for “be missing” (cf. BDB 823 s.v. פָּקַד Niph.1).

[23:4]  ¹² tn Heb “Oracle of the Lord.”

[34:12]  ¹³ sn The imagery may reflect the overthrow of the Israelites by the Babylonians in 587/6 b.c.

[34:14]  ¹⁴ tn Heb “good.”

[34:21]  ¹⁵ tn Heb “outside.”

[34:23]  ¹⁶ sn The messianic king is here called “David” (see Jer 30:9 and Hos 3:5, as well as Isa 11:1 and Mic 5:2) because he will fulfill the Davidic royal ideal depicted in the prophets and royal psalms (see Ps 2, 89).

[34:24]  ¹⁷ sn The messianic king (“David”) is called both “king” and “prince” in 37:24-25. The use of the term “prince” for this king facilitates the contrast between this ideal ruler and the Davidic “princes” denounced in earlier prophecies (see 7:27; 12:10, 12; 19:1; 21:25; 22:6, 25).

[34:25]  ¹⁸ tn The phrase “live securely” occurs in Ezek 28:26; 38:8, 11, 14; 39:26 as an expression of freedom from fear. It is a promised blessing resulting from obedience (see Lev 26:5-6).

[34:25]  ¹⁹ sn The woods were typically considered to be places of danger (Ps 104:20-21; Jer 5:6).

[34:26]  ²⁰ tn Heb “showers of blessing.” Abundant rain, which in turn produces fruit and crops (v. 27), is a covenantal blessing for obedience (Lev 26:4).

[34:29]  ²¹ tc The MT reads לְשֵׁם (lÿshem, “for a name”), meaning perhaps a renowned planting (place). The translation takes this to be a metathesis of שָׁלֹם (shalom) as was read by the LXX.

[34:29]  ²² tn Heb “those gathered” for famine.

[34:30]  ²³ sn A promise given to Abraham (Gen 15:7) and his descendants (Gen 15:8; Exod 6:7).

[34:30]  ²⁴ sn The blessings described in vv. 25-30 are those promised for obedience in Lev 26:4-13.

[34:31]  ²⁵ tn Heb, “the sheep of my pasture, you are human.” See 36:37-38 for a similar expression. The possessive pronoun “my” is supplied in the translation to balance “I am your God” in the next clause.

[15:4]  ²⁶ tn Grk “What man.” The Greek word ἄνθρωπος (anqrwpo") is used here in a somewhat generic sense.

[15:4]  ²⁷ sn This individual with a hundred sheep is a shepherd of modest means, as flocks often had up to two hundred head of sheep.

[15:4]  ²⁸ tn Or “desert,” but here such a translation might suggest neglect of the 99 sheep left behind.

[15:4]  ²⁹ tn Grk “go after,” but in contemporary English the idiom “to look for” is used to express this.

[15:4]  ³⁰ sn Until he finds it. The parable pictures God’s pursuit of the sinner. On the image of Jesus as the Good Shepherd, see John 10:1-18.

[15:5]  ³¹ tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence of events within the narrative.

[15:6]  ³² tn Grk “And coming into his…” Here καί (kai) has not been translated because of differences between Greek and English style.

[15:6]  ³³ sn A touch of drama may be present, as the term calls together can mean a formal celebration (1 Kgs 1:9-10).

[15:6]  ³⁴ tn Grk “the”; in context the article is used as a possessive pronoun (ExSyn 215). It occurs before “neighbors” as well (“his friends and his neighbors”) but has not been translated the second time because of English style.

[10:11]  ³⁵ tn Or “model” (see R. E. Brown, John [AB], 1:386, who argues that “model” is a more exact translation of καλός [kalos] here).

[10:11]  ³⁶ tn Or “The good shepherd dies willingly.”

[10:12]  ³⁷ sn Jesus contrasts the behavior of the shepherd with that of the hired hand. This is a worker who is simply paid to do a job; he has no other interest in the sheep and is certainly not about to risk his life for them. When they are threatened, he simply runs away.

[10:12]  ³⁸ tn Grk “leaves.”

[10:12]  ³⁹ tn Or “flees.”

[10:12]  ⁴⁰ tn Or “seizes.” The more traditional rendering, “snatches,” has the idea of seizing something by force and carrying it off, which is certainly possible here. However, in the sequence in John 10:12, this action precedes the scattering of the flock of sheep, so “attacks” is preferable.

[10:13]  ⁴¹ tn Grk “does not have a care for the sheep.”

[10:13]  ⁴² tc The phrase “he runs away” is lacking in several important mss (Ì^{44vid,45,66,75} א A*^vid B D L [W] Θ 1 33 1241 al co). Most likely it was added by a later scribe to improve the readability of vv. 12-13, which is one long sentence in Greek. It has been included in the translation for the same stylistic reasons.

[10:14]  ⁴³ tn Grk “And I.” Because of the difference between Greek style, which often begins sentences or clauses with “and,” and English style, which generally does not, καί (kai) has not been translated here.

[10:14]  ⁴⁴ tn The direct object is frequently omitted in Greek and must be supplied from the context. Here it could be “sheep,” but Jesus was ultimately talking about “people.”

[10:15]  ⁴⁵ tn Or “I die willingly.”

[10:15]  ⁴⁶ tn Or “on behalf of” or “for the sake of.”

[10:16]  ⁴⁷ tn Grk “And I have.” Because of the difference between Greek style, which often begins sentences or clauses with “and,” and English style, which generally does not, καί (kai) has not been translated here.

[10:16]  ⁴⁸ tn Or “that do not belong to”; Grk “that are not of.”

[10:16]  ⁴⁹ sn The statement I have other sheep that do not come from this sheepfold almost certainly refers to Gentiles. Jesus has sheep in the fold who are Jewish; there are other sheep which, while not of the same fold, belong to him also. This recalls the mission of the Son in 3:16-17, which was to save the world – not just the nation of Israel. Such an emphasis would be particularly appropriate to the author if he were writing to a non-Palestinian and primarily non-Jewish audience.

[10:16]  ⁵⁰ tn Grk “they will hear my voice.”

[10:16]  ⁵¹ tn Grk “voice, and.”

[10:16]  ⁵² tn The word “and” is not in the Greek text, but must be supplied to conform to English style. In Greek it is an instance of asyndeton (omission of a connective), usually somewhat emphatic.

[10:17]  ⁵³ tn Grk “Because of this the Father loves me.”

[10:17]  ⁵⁴ tn Or “die willingly.”

[10:18]  ⁵⁵ tn Or “give it up.”

[10:18]  ⁵⁶ tn Or “of my own accord.” “Of my own free will” is given by BDAG 321 s.v. ἐμαυτοῦ c.

[10:18]  ⁵⁷ tn Or “I have the right.”

[10:18]  ⁵⁸ tn Or “I have the right.”

[10:18]  ⁵⁹ tn Or “order.”

[10:19]  ⁶⁰ tn Or perhaps “the Jewish religious leaders”; 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 could be taken to refer to the Jewish religious leaders, since the Pharisees were the last to be mentioned specifically by name, in John 9:40. However, in light of the charge about demon possession, which echoes 8:48, it is more likely that Jewish people in general (perhaps in Jerusalem, if that is understood to be the setting of the incident) are in view here.

[10:20]  ⁶¹ tn Or “is insane.” To translate simply “he is mad” (so KJV, ASV, RSV; “raving mad” NIV) could give the impression that Jesus was angry, while the actual charge was madness or insanity.

[10:21]  ⁶² tn Or “the sayings.”

[10:21]  ⁶³ tn Grk “open the eyes of the blind” (“opening the eyes” is an idiom referring to restoration of sight).

[10:21]  ⁶⁴ tn Questions prefaced with μή (mh) in Greek anticipate a negative answer. This can sometimes be indicated by using a “tag” at the end in English (here the tag is “can it?”).

[10:22]  ⁶⁵ tn That is, Hanukkah or the ‘Festival of Lights.’ The Greek name for the feast, τὰ ἐγκαίνια (ta enkainia), literally means “renewal” and was used to translate Hanukkah which means “dedication.” The Greek noun, with its related verbs, was the standard term used in the LXX for the consecration of the altar of the Tabernacle (Num 7:10-11), the altar of the temple of Solomon (1 Kgs 8:63; 2 Chr 7:5), and the altar of the second temple (Ezra 6:16). The word is thus connected with the consecration of all the houses of God in the history of the nation of Israel.

[10:22]  ⁶⁶ map For location see Map5 B1; Map6 F3; Map7 E2; Map8 F2; Map10 B3; JP1 F4; JP2 F4; JP3 F4; JP4 F4.

[10:23]  ⁶⁷ sn It was winter. The feast began on 25 Kislev, in November-December of the modern Gregorian calendar.

[10:23]  ⁶⁸ tn Grk “in the temple.”

[10:23]  ⁶⁹ tn Or “portico,” “colonnade”; Grk “stoa.”

[10:24]  ⁷⁰ tn Or “the Jewish authorities”; Grk “the Jews.” Here the phrase refers to the Jewish leaders. The question they ask Jesus (“Are you the Christ?”) is the same one they sent and asked of John the Baptist in the desert (see John 1:19-34). See also the note on the phrase “the Jewish people” in v. 19.

[10:24]  ⁷¹ tn Grk “said to him.” This has been translated as “asked” for stylistic reasons.

[10:24]  ⁷² tn Grk “How long will you take away our life?” (an idiom which meant to keep one from coming to a conclusion about something). The use of the phrase τὴν ψυχὴν ἡμῶν αἴρεις (thn yuchn Jhmwn airei") meaning “to keep in suspense” is not well attested, although it certainly fits the context here. In modern Greek the phrase means “to annoy, bother.”

[10:24]  ⁷³ tn Or “the Messiah” (Both Greek “Christ” and Hebrew and Aramaic “Messiah” mean “one who has been anointed”).

[10:24]  ⁷⁴ tn Or “publicly.”

[10:25]  ⁷⁵ tn Grk “answered them.”

[10:25]  ⁷⁶ tn Or “the works.”

[10:28]  ⁷⁷ tn Grk “And I give.”

[10:28]  ⁷⁸ tn Or “will never die” or “will never be lost.”

[10:28]  ⁷⁹ tn Or “no one will seize.”

[10:29]  ⁸⁰ tn Or “is superior to all.”

[10:29]  ⁸¹ tn Or “no one can seize.”

[10:30]  ⁸² tn Grk “I and the Father.” The order has been reversed to reflect English style.

[10:30]  ⁸³ tn The phrase ἕν ἐσμεν ({en esmen) is a significant assertion with trinitarian implications. ἕν is neuter, not masculine, so the assertion is not that Jesus and the Father are one person, but one “thing.” Identity of the two persons is not what is asserted, but essential unity (unity of essence).

[10:31]  ⁸⁴ tn Or “the Jewish authorities”; Grk “the Jews.” Here the phrase refers to the Jewish leaders. See the notes on the phrases “Jewish people” in v. 19 and “Jewish leaders” in v. 24.

[10:32]  ⁸⁵ tn Grk “Jesus answered them.”

[10:32]  ⁸⁶ tn Or “good works.”

[10:33]  ⁸⁷ tn Or “the Jewish authorities”; Grk “the Jews.” Here again the phrase refers to the Jewish leaders. See the notes on the phrase “Jewish people” in v. 19 and “Jewish leaders” in vv. 24, 31.

[10:33]  ⁸⁸ tn Grk “answered him.”

[10:33]  ⁸⁹ tn Or “good work.”

[10:33]  ⁹⁰ sn This is the first time the official charge of blasphemy is voiced openly in the Fourth Gospel (although it was implicit in John 8:59).

[10:33]  ⁹¹ tn Grk “and because.”

[10:33]  ⁹² tn Grk “you, a man, make yourself to be God.”

[10:34]  ⁹³ tn Grk “answered them.”

[10:34]  ⁹⁴ sn A quotation from Ps 82:6. Technically the Psalms are not part of the OT “law” (which usually referred to the five books of Moses), but occasionally the term “law” was applied to the entire OT, as here. The problem in this verse concerns the meaning of Jesus’ quotation from Ps 82:6. It is important to look at the OT context: The whole line reads “I say, you are gods, sons of the Most High, all of you.” Jesus will pick up on the term “sons of the Most High” in 10:36, where he refers to himself as the Son of God. The psalm was understood in rabbinic circles as an attack on unjust judges who, though they have been given the title “gods” because of their quasi-divine function of exercising judgment, are just as mortal as other men. What is the argument here? It is often thought to be as follows: If it was an OT practice to refer to men like the judges as gods, and not blasphemy, why did the Jewish authorities object when this term was applied to Jesus? This really doesn’t seem to fit the context, however, since if that were the case Jesus would not be making any claim for “divinity” for himself over and above any other human being – and therefore he would not be subject to the charge of blasphemy. Rather, this is evidently a case of arguing from the lesser to the greater, a common form of rabbinic argument. The reason the OT judges could be called gods is because they were vehicles of the word of God (cf. 10:35). But granting that premise, Jesus deserves much more than they to be called God. He is the Word incarnate, whom the Father sanctified and sent into the world to save the world (10:36). In light of the prologue to the Gospel of John, it seems this interpretation would have been most natural for the author. If it is permissible to call men “gods” because they were the vehicles of the word of God, how much more permissible is it to use the word “God” of him who is the Word of God?

[10:35]  ⁹⁵ sn The parenthetical note And the scripture cannot be broken belongs to Jesus’ words rather than the author’s. Not only does Jesus appeal to the OT to defend himself against the charge of blasphemy, but he also adds that the scripture cannot be “broken.” In this context he does not explain precisely what is meant by “broken,” but it is not too hard to determine. Jesus’ argument depended on the exact word used in the context of Ps 82:6. If any other word for “judge” had been used in the psalm, his argument would have been meaningless. Since the scriptures do use this word in Ps 82:6, the argument is binding, because they cannot be “broken” in the sense of being shown to be in error.

[10:36]  ⁹⁶ tn Or “dedicated.”

[10:37]  ⁹⁷ tn Or “do.”

[10:37]  ⁹⁸ tn Or “works.”

[10:38]  ⁹⁹ tn Or “works.”

[10:38]  ¹⁰⁰ tn Or “so that you may learn.”

[10:39]  ¹⁰¹ tc It is difficult to decide between ἐζήτουν οὖν (ezhtoun oun, “then they were seeking”; Ì⁶⁶ א A L W Ψ Ë^1,13 33 pm lat), ἐζήτουν δέ (ezhtoun de, “now they were seeking”; Ì⁴⁵ and a few versional witnesses), καὶ ἐζήτουν (kai ezhtoun, “and they were seeking”; D), and ἐζήτουν (Ì^75vid B Γ Θ 700 pm). Externally, the most viable readings are ἐζήτουν οὖν and ἐζήτουν. Transcriptionally, the οὖν could have dropped out via haplography since the verb ends in the same three letters. On the other hand, it is difficult to explain the readings with δέ or καί if ἐζήτουν οὖν is original; such readings would more likely have arisen from the simple ἐζήτουν. Intrinsically, John is fond of οὖν, using it some 200 times. Further, this Gospel begins relatively few sentences without some conjunction. The minimal support for the δέ and καί readings suggests that they arose either from the lone verb reading (which would thus be prior to their respective Vorlagen but not necessarily the earliest reading) or through carelessness on the part of the scribes. Indeed, the ancestors of Ì⁴⁵ and D may have committed haplography, leaving later scribes in the chain to guess at the conjunction needed. In sum, the best reading appears to be ἐζήτουν οὖν.

[10:39]  ¹⁰² tn Grk “they were seeking.”

[10:39]  ¹⁰³ tn Grk “he departed out of their hand.”

[10:40]  ¹⁰⁴ tn Grk “He”; the referent (Jesus) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[10:40]  ¹⁰⁵ tn The word “River” is not in the Greek text but is supplied for clarity.

[10:40]  ¹⁰⁶ sn John refers to John the Baptist.

[10:40]  ¹⁰⁷ tn Grk “formerly.”

[10:41]  ¹⁰⁸ tn Grk “And many.” Because of the difference between Greek style, which often begins sentences or clauses with “and,” and English style, which generally does not, καί (kai) has not been translated here.

[10:41]  ¹⁰⁹ sn John refers to John the Baptist.

[10:41]  ¹¹⁰ tn Grk “did.”

[10:41]  ¹¹¹ tn Grk “this one.”

[10:42]  ¹¹² tn Grk “in him.”