Yohanes 17:21

17:21 that they will all be one, just as you, Father, are in me and I am in you. I pray ¹  that they will be in us, so that the world will believe that you sent me.

Kejadian 13:7-8

13:7 So there were quarrels ²  between Abram’s herdsmen and Lot’s herdsmen. ³  (Now the Canaanites and the Perizzites were living in the land at that time.) ⁴ 

13:8 Abram said to Lot, “Let there be no quarreling between me and you, and between my herdsmen and your herdsmen, for we are close relatives. ⁵ 

Kisah Para Rasul 4:32-35

Conditions Among the Early Believers

4:32 The group of those who believed were of one heart and mind, ⁶  and no one said that any of his possessions was his own, but everything was held in common. ⁷  4:33 With ⁸  great power the apostles were giving testimony ⁹  to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, and great grace was on them all. 4:34 For there was no one needy ¹⁰  among them, because those who were owners of land or houses were selling ¹¹  them ¹²  and bringing the proceeds from the sales 4:35 and placing them at the apostles’ feet. The proceeds ¹³  were distributed to each, as anyone had need.

Kisah Para Rasul 5:12-14

The Apostles Perform Miraculous Signs and Wonders

5:12 Now many miraculous signs ¹⁴  and wonders came about among the people through the hands of the apostles. By ¹⁵  common consent ¹⁶  they were all meeting together in Solomon’s Portico. ¹⁷  5:13 None of the rest dared to join them, ¹⁸  but the people held them in high honor. ¹⁹  5:14 More and more believers in the Lord were added to their number, ²⁰  crowds of both men and women.

Kisah Para Rasul 5:1

The Judgment on Ananias and Sapphira

5:1 Now a man named Ananias, together with Sapphira his wife, sold a piece of property.

Yohanes 2:5

2:5 His mother told the servants, “Whatever he tells you, do it.” ²¹ 

Yohanes 2:10

2:10 and said to him, “Everyone ²²  serves the good wine first, and then the cheaper ²³  wine when the guests ²⁴  are drunk. You have kept the good wine until now!”

Yohanes 3:10-14

3:10 Jesus answered, ²⁵  “Are you the teacher of Israel and yet you don’t understand these things? ²⁶  3:11 I tell you the solemn truth, ²⁷  we speak about what we know and testify about what we have seen, but ²⁸  you people ²⁹  do not accept our testimony. ³⁰  3:12 If I have told you people ³¹  about earthly things and you don’t believe, how will you believe if I tell you about heavenly things? ³²  3:13 No one ³³  has ascended ³⁴  into heaven except the one who descended from heaven – the Son of Man. ³⁵  3:14 Just as ³⁶  Moses lifted up the serpent ³⁷  in the wilderness, ³⁸  so must the Son of Man be lifted up, ³⁹ 

Yohanes 4:20-21

4:20 Our fathers worshiped on this mountain, ⁴⁰  and you people ⁴¹  say that the place where people must worship is in Jerusalem.” ⁴²  4:21 Jesus said to her, “Believe me, woman, ⁴³  a time ⁴⁴  is coming when you will worship ⁴⁵  the Father neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem.

[17:21]  ¹ tn The words “I pray” are repeated from the first part of v. 20 for clarity.

[13:7]  ² tn The Hebrew term רִיב (riv) means “strife, conflict, quarreling.” In later texts it has the meaning of “legal controversy, dispute.” See B. Gemser, “The rîb – or Controversy – Pattern in Hebrew Mentality,” Wisdom in Israel and in the Ancient Near East [VTSup], 120-37.

[13:7]  ³ sn Since the quarreling was between the herdsmen, the dispute was no doubt over water and vegetation for the animals.

[13:7]  ⁴ tn This parenthetical clause, introduced with the vav (ו) disjunctive (translated “now”), again provides critical information. It tells in part why the land cannot sustain these two bedouins, and it also hints of the danger of weakening the family by inner strife.

[13:8]  ⁵ tn Heb “men, brothers [are] we.” Here “brothers” describes the closeness of the relationship, but could be misunderstood if taken literally, since Abram was Lot’s uncle.

[4:32]  ⁶ tn Grk “soul.”

[4:32]  ⁷ tn Grk “but all things were to them in common.”

[4:32]  sn Everything was held in common. The remark is not a reflection of political philosophy, but of the extent of their spontaneous commitment to one another. Such a response does not have the function of a command, but is reflective of an attitude that Luke commends as evidence of their identification with one another.

[4:33]  ⁸ tn Grk “And with.” 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.

[4:33]  ⁹ tn Or “were witnessing.”

[4:34]  ¹⁰ tn Or “poor.”

[4:34]  ¹¹ tn Grk “houses, selling them were bringing.” The participle πωλοῦντες (pwlounte") has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.

[4:34]  ¹² tn The word “them” is not in the Greek text, but is implied. Direct objects were often omitted in Greek when clear from the context, but must be supplied for the modern English reader.

[4:35]  ¹³ tn Grk “It” (or “They,” plural). The referent of the understood pronoun subject, the proceeds from the sales, of the verb διεδίδετο (diedideto) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[5:12]  ¹⁴ tn The miraculous nature of these signs is implied in the context.

[5:12]  ¹⁵ tn Grk “And by.” 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.

[5:12]  ¹⁶ tn Or “With one mind.”

[5:12]  ¹⁷ tn Or “colonnade”; Grk “stoa.”

[5:12]  sn Solomon’s Portico was a covered walkway formed by rows of columns supporting a roof and open on the inner side facing the center of the temple complex. Located beside the Court of the Gentiles, it was a very public area.

[5:13]  ¹⁸ tn Or “to associate with them.” The group was beginning to have a controversial separate identity. People were cautious about joining them. The next verse suggests that the phrase “none of the rest” in this verse is rhetorical hyperbole.

[5:13]  ¹⁹ tn Or “the people thought very highly of them.”

[5:14]  ²⁰ tn Or “More and more believers were added to the Lord.”

[2:5]  ²¹ 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.

[2:10]  ²² tn Grk “every man” (in a generic sense).

[2:10]  ²³ tn Or “poorer.”

[2:10]  ²⁴ tn Grk “when they”; the referent (the guests) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[3:10]  ²⁵ tn Grk “Jesus answered and said to him.”

[3:10]  ²⁶ sn Jesus’ question “Are you the teacher of Israel and yet you don’t understand these things?” implies that Nicodemus had enough information at his disposal from the OT scriptures to have understood Jesus’ statements about the necessity of being born from above by the regenerating work of the Spirit. Isa 44:3-5 and Ezek 37:9-10 are passages Nicodemus might have known which would have given him insight into Jesus’ words. Another significant passage which contains many of these concepts is Prov 30:4-5.

[3:11]  ²⁷ tn Grk “Truly, truly, I say to you.”

[3:11]  ²⁸ tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “but” to show the contrast present in the context.

[3:11]  ²⁹ tn The word “people” is not in the Greek text, but is supplied in the translation to indicate that the verb is second person plural (referring to more than Nicodemus alone).

[3:11]  ³⁰ sn Note the remarkable similarity of Jesus’ testimony to the later testimony of the Apostle John himself in 1 John 1:2: “And we have seen and testify and report to you the eternal life which was with the Father and was revealed to us.” This is only one example of how thoroughly the author’s own thoughts were saturated with the words of Jesus (and also how difficult it is to distinguish the words of Jesus from the words of the author in the Fourth Gospel).

[3:12]  ³¹ tn The word “people” is not in the Greek text, but is supplied to indicate that the verb is second person plural (referring to more than Nicodemus alone).

[3:12]  ³² sn Obviously earthly things and heavenly things are in contrast, but what is the contrast? What are earthly things which Jesus has just spoken to Nicodemus? And through him to others – this is not the first instance of the plural pronoun, see v. 7, you must all. Since Nicodemus began with a plural (we know, v. 2) Jesus continues it, and through Nicodemus addresses a broader audience. It makes most sense to take this as a reference to the things Jesus has just said (and the things he is about to say, vv. 13-15). If this is the case (and it seems the most natural explanation) then earthly things are not necessarily strictly physical things, but are so called because they take place on earth, in contrast to things like v. 16, which take place in heaven. Some have added the suggestion that the things are called earthly because physical analogies (birth, wind, water) are used to describe them. This is possible, but it seems more probable that Jesus calls these things earthly because they happen on earth (even though they are spiritual things). In the context, taking earthly things as referring to the words Jesus has just spoken fits with the fact that Nicodemus did not believe. And he would not after hearing heavenly things either, unless he first believed in the earthly things – which included the necessity of a regenerating work from above, by the Holy Spirit.

[3:13]  ³³ tn Grk “And no one.”

[3:13]  ³⁴ sn The verb ascended is a perfect tense in Greek (ἀναβέβηκεν, anabebhken) which seems to look at a past, completed event. (This is not as much of a problem for those who take Jesus’ words to end at v. 12, and these words to be a comment by the author, looking back on Jesus’ ascension.) As a saying of Jesus, these words are a bit harder to explain. Note, however, the lexical similarities with 1:51: “ascending,” “descending,” and “son of man.” Here, though, the ascent and descent is accomplished by the Son himself, not the angels as in 1:51. There is no need to limit this saying to Jesus’ ascent following the resurrection, however; the point of the Jacob story (Gen 28), which seems to be the background for 1:51, is the freedom of communication and relationship between God and men (a major theme of John’s Gospel). This communication comes through the angels in Gen 28 (and John 1:51); but here (most appropriately) it comes directly through the Son of Man. Although Jesus could be referring to a prior ascent, after an appearance as the preincarnate Son of Man, more likely he is simply pointing out that no one from earth has ever gone up to heaven and come down again. The Son, who has come down from heaven, is the only one who has been ‘up’ there. In both Jewish intertestamental literature and later rabbinic accounts, Moses is portrayed as ascending to heaven to receive the Torah and descending to distribute it to men (e.g., Targum Ps 68:19.) In contrast to these Jewish legends, the Son is the only one who has ever made the ascent and descent.

[3:13]  ³⁵ tc Most witnesses, including a few important ones (A^[*^] Θ Ψ 050 Ë^1,13 Ï latt sy^c,p,h), have at the end of this verse “the one who is in heaven” (ὁ ὢν ἐν τῷ οὐρανῷ, Jo wn en tw ouranw). A few others have variations on this phrase, such as “who was in heaven” (e sy^c), or “the one who is from heaven” (0141 pc sy^s). The witnesses normally considered the best, along with several others, lack the phrase in its entirety (Ì^66,75 א B L T W^s 083 086 33 1241 pc co). On the one hand, if the reading ὁ ὢν ἐν τῷ οὐρανῷ is authentic it may suggest that while Jesus was speaking to Nicodemus he spoke of himself as in heaven even while he was on earth. If that is the case, one could see why variations from this hard saying arose: “who was in heaven,” “the one who is from heaven,” and omission of the clause. At the same time, such a saying could be interpreted (though with difficulty) as part of the narrator’s comments rather than Jesus’ statement to Nicodemus, alleviating the problem. And if v. 13 was viewed in early times as the evangelist’s statement, “the one who is in heaven” could have crept into the text through a marginal note. Other internal evidence suggests that this saying may be authentic. The adjectival participle, ὁ ὤν, is used in the Fourth Gospel more than any other NT book (though the Apocalypse comes in a close second), and frequently with reference to Jesus (1:18; 6:46; 8:47). It may be looking back to the LXX of Exod 3:14 (ἐγώ εἰμι ὁ ὤν). Especially since this exact construction is not necessary to communicate the location of the Son of Man, its presence in many witnesses here may suggest authenticity. Further, John uses the singular of οὐρανός (ourano", “heaven”) in all 18 instances of the word in this Gospel, and all but twice with the article (only 1:32 and 6:58 are anarthrous, and even in the latter there is significant testimony to the article). At the same time, the witnesses that lack this clause are very weighty and must not be discounted. Generally speaking, if other factors are equal, the reading of such mss should be preferred. And internally, it could be argued that ὁ ὤν is the most concise way to speak of the Son of Man in heaven at that time (without the participle the point would be more ambiguous). Further, the articular singular οὐρανός is already used twice in this verse, thus sufficiently prompting scribes to add the same in the longer reading. This combination of factors suggests that ὁ ὢν ἐν τῷ οὐρανῷ is not a genuine Johannism. Further intrinsic evidence against the longer reading relates to the evangelist’s purposes: If he intended v. 13 to be his own comments rather than Jesus’ statement, his switch back to Jesus’ words in v. 14 (for the lifting up of the Son of Man is still seen as in the future) seems inexplicable. The reading “who is in heaven” thus seems to be too hard. All things considered, as intriguing as the longer reading is, it seems almost surely to have been a marginal gloss added inadvertently to the text in the process of transmission. For an argument in favor of the longer reading, see David Alan Black, “The Text of John 3:13,” GTJ 6 (1985): 49-66.

[3:13]  sn See the note on the title Son of Man in 1:51.

[3:14]  ³⁶ tn Grk “And just as.”

[3:14]  ³⁷ sn Or the snake, referring to the bronze serpent mentioned in Num 21:9.

[3:14]  ³⁸ sn An allusion to Num 21:5-9.

[3:14]  ³⁹ sn So must the Son of Man be lifted up. This is ultimately a prediction of Jesus’ crucifixion. Nicodemus could not have understood this, but John’s readers, the audience to whom the Gospel is addressed, certainly could have (compare the wording of John 12:32). In John, being lifted up refers to one continuous action of ascent, beginning with the cross but ending at the right hand of the Father. Step 1 is Jesus’ death; step 2 is his resurrection; and step 3 is the ascension back to heaven. It is the upward swing of the “pendulum” which began with the incarnation, the descent of the Word become flesh from heaven to earth (cf. Paul in Phil 2:5-11). See also the note on the title Son of Man in 1:51.

[4:20]  ⁴⁰ sn This mountain refers to Mount Gerizim, where the Samaritan shrine was located.

[4:20]  ⁴¹ tn The word “people” is not in the Greek text, but is supplied to indicate that the Greek verb translated “say” is second person plural and thus refers to more than Jesus alone.

[4:20]  ⁴² map For location see Map5 B1; Map6 F3; Map7 E2; Map8 F2; Map10 B3; JP1 F4; JP2 F4; JP3 F4; JP4 F4.

[4:21]  ⁴³ sn Woman was a polite form of address (see BDAG 208-9 s.v. γυνή 1), similar to “Madam” or “Ma’am” used in English in different regions.

[4:21]  ⁴⁴ tn Grk “an hour.”

[4:21]  ⁴⁵ tn The verb is plural.