Yohanes 6:50--8:52
Konteks6:50 This 1 is the bread that has come down from heaven, so that a person 2 may eat from it and not die. 6:51 I am the living bread that came down from heaven. If anyone eats from this bread he will live forever. The bread 3 that I will give for the life of the world is my flesh.”
6:52 Then the Jews who were hostile to Jesus 4 began to argue with one another, 5 “How can this man 6 give us his flesh to eat?” 6:53 Jesus said to them, “I tell you the solemn truth, 7 unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, 8 you have no life 9 in yourselves. 6:54 The one who eats 10 my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day. 11 6:55 For my flesh is true 12 food, and my blood is true 13 drink. 6:56 The one who eats 14 my flesh and drinks my blood resides in me, and I in him. 15 6:57 Just as the living Father sent me, and I live because of the Father, so the one who consumes 16 me will live because of me. 6:58 This 17 is the bread that came down from heaven; it is not like the bread your ancestors 18 ate, but then later died. 19 The one who eats 20 this bread will live forever.”
6:59 Jesus 21 said these things while he was teaching in the synagogue 22 in Capernaum. 23 6:60 Then many of his disciples, when they heard these things, 24 said, “This is a difficult 25 saying! 26 Who can understand it?” 27 6:61 When Jesus was aware 28 that his disciples were complaining 29 about this, he said to them, “Does this cause you to be offended? 30 6:62 Then what if you see the Son of Man ascending where he was before? 31 6:63 The Spirit is the one who gives life; human nature is of no help! 32 The words that I have spoken to you are spirit and are life. 33 6:64 But there are some of you who do not believe.” (For Jesus had already known from the beginning who those were who did not believe, and who it was who would betray him.) 34 6:65 So Jesus added, 35 “Because of this I told you that no one can come to me unless the Father has allowed him to come.” 36
6:66 After this many of his disciples quit following him 37 and did not accompany him 38 any longer. 6:67 So Jesus said to the twelve, “You don’t want to go away too, do you?” 39 6:68 Simon Peter answered him, “Lord, to whom would we go? You have the words of eternal life. 6:69 We 40 have come to believe and to know 41 that you are the Holy One of God!” 42 6:70 Jesus replied, 43 “Didn’t I choose you, the twelve, and yet one of you is the devil?” 44 6:71 (Now he said this about Judas son of Simon Iscariot, 45 for Judas, 46 one of the twelve, was going to betray him.) 47
7:1 After this 48 Jesus traveled throughout Galilee. 49 He 50 stayed out of Judea 51 because the Jewish leaders 52 wanted 53 to kill him. 7:2 Now the Jewish feast of Tabernacles 54 was near. 55 7:3 So Jesus’ brothers 56 advised him, “Leave here and go to Judea so your disciples may see your miracles that you are performing. 57 7:4 For no one who seeks to make a reputation for himself 58 does anything in secret. 59 If you are doing these things, show yourself to the world.” 7:5 (For not even his own brothers believed in him.) 60
7:6 So Jesus replied, 61 “My time 62 has not yet arrived, 63 but you are ready at any opportunity! 64 7:7 The world cannot hate you, but it hates me, because I am testifying about it that its deeds are evil. 7:8 You go up 65 to the feast yourselves. I am not going up to this feast 66 because my time 67 has not yet fully arrived.” 68 7:9 When he had said this, he remained in Galilee.
7:10 But when his brothers had gone up to the feast, then Jesus 69 himself also went up, not openly but in secret. 7:11 So the Jewish leaders 70 were looking for him at the feast, asking, “Where is he?” 71 7:12 There was 72 a lot of grumbling 73 about him among the crowds. 74 Some were saying, “He is a good man,” but others, “He deceives the common people.” 75 7:13 However, no one spoke openly about him for fear of the Jewish leaders. 76
7:14 When the feast was half over, Jesus went up to the temple courts 77 and began to teach. 78 7:15 Then the Jewish leaders 79 were astonished 80 and said, “How does this man know so much when he has never had formal instruction?” 81 7:16 So Jesus replied, 82 “My teaching is not from me, but from the one who sent me. 83 7:17 If anyone wants to do God’s will, 84 he will know about my teaching, whether it is from God or whether I speak from my own authority. 85 7:18 The person who speaks on his own authority 86 desires 87 to receive honor 88 for himself; the one who desires 89 the honor 90 of the one who sent him is a man of integrity, 91 and there is no unrighteousness in him. 7:19 Hasn’t Moses given you the law? Yet not one of you keeps 92 the law! Why do you want 93 to kill me?”
7:20 The crowd 94 answered, “You’re possessed by a demon! 95 Who is trying to kill you?” 96 7:21 Jesus replied, 97 “I performed one miracle 98 and you are all amazed. 99 7:22 However, because Moses gave you the practice of circumcision 100 (not that it came from Moses, but from the forefathers), you circumcise a male child 101 on the Sabbath. 7:23 But if a male child 102 is circumcised 103 on the Sabbath so that the law of Moses is not broken, 104 why are you angry with me because I made a man completely well 105 on the Sabbath? 7:24 Do not judge according to external appearance, 106 but judge with proper 107 judgment.”
7:25 Then some of the residents of Jerusalem 108 began to say, “Isn’t this the man 109 they are trying 110 to kill? 7:26 Yet here he is, speaking publicly, 111 and they are saying nothing to him. 112 Do the rulers really know that this man 113 is the Christ? 114 7:27 But we know where this man 115 comes from. 116 Whenever the Christ 117 comes, no one will know where he comes from.” 118
7:28 Then Jesus, while teaching in the temple courts, 119 cried out, 120 “You both know me and know where I come from! 121 And I have not come on my own initiative, 122 but the one who sent me 123 is true. You do not know him, 124 7:29 but 125 I know him, because I have come from him 126 and he 127 sent me.”
7:30 So then they tried to seize Jesus, 128 but no one laid a hand on him, because his time 129 had not yet come. 7:31 Yet many of the crowd 130 believed in him and said, “Whenever the Christ 131 comes, he won’t perform more miraculous signs than this man did, will he?” 132
7:32 The Pharisees 133 heard the crowd 134 murmuring these things about Jesus, 135 so the chief priests and the Pharisees sent officers 136 to arrest him. 137 7:33 Then Jesus said, “I will be with you for only a little while longer, 138 and then 139 I am going to the one who sent me. 7:34 You will look for me 140 but will not find me, and where I am you cannot come.”
7:35 Then the Jewish leaders 141 said to one another, “Where is he 142 going to go that we cannot find him? 143 He is not going to go to the Jewish people dispersed 144 among the Greeks and teach the Greeks, is he? 145 7:36 What did he mean by saying, 146 ‘You will look for me 147 but will not find me, and where I am you cannot come’?”
7:37 On the last day of the feast, the greatest day, 148 Jesus stood up and shouted out, 149 “If anyone is thirsty, let him come to me, and 7:38 let the one who believes in me drink. 150 Just as the scripture says, ‘From within him 151 will flow rivers of living water.’” 152 7:39 (Now he said this about the Spirit, whom those who believed in him were going to receive, for the Spirit had not yet been given, 153 because Jesus was not yet glorified.) 154
7:40 When they heard these words, some of the crowd 155 began to say, “This really 156 is the Prophet!” 157 7:41 Others said, “This is the Christ!” 158 But still others said, “No, 159 for the Christ doesn’t come from Galilee, does he? 160 7:42 Don’t the scriptures say that the Christ is a descendant 161 of David 162 and comes from Bethlehem, 163 the village where David lived?” 164 7:43 So there was a division in the crowd 165 because of Jesus. 166 7:44 Some of them were wanting to seize him, but no one laid a hand on him. 167
7:45 Then the officers 168 returned 169 to the chief priests and Pharisees, 170 who said to them, “Why didn’t you bring him back with you?” 171 7:46 The officers replied, “No one ever spoke like this man!” 7:47 Then the Pharisees answered, 172 “You haven’t been deceived too, have you? 173 7:48 None of the rulers 174 or the Pharisees have believed in him, have they? 175 7:49 But this rabble 176 who do not know the law are accursed!”
7:50 Nicodemus, who had gone to Jesus 177 before and who was one of the rulers, 178 said, 179 7:51 “Our law doesn’t condemn 180 a man unless it first hears from him and learns 181 what he is doing, does it?” 182 7:52 They replied, 183 “You aren’t from Galilee too, are you? 184 Investigate carefully and you will see that no prophet 185 comes from Galilee!”
7:53 186 [[And each one departed to his own house. 8:1 But Jesus went to the Mount of Olives. 187 8:2 Early in the morning he came to the temple courts again. All the people came to him, and he sat down and began to teach 188 them. 8:3 The experts in the law 189 and the Pharisees 190 brought a woman who had been caught committing adultery. They made her stand in front of them 8:4 and said to Jesus, 191 “Teacher, this woman was caught in the very act of adultery. 8:5 In the law Moses commanded us to stone to death 192 such women. 193 What then do you say?” 8:6 (Now they were asking this in an attempt to trap him, so that they could bring charges against 194 him.) 195 Jesus bent down and wrote on the ground with his finger. 196 8:7 When they persisted in asking him, he stood up straight 197 and replied, 198 “Whoever among you is guiltless 199 may be the first to throw a stone at her.” 8:8 Then 200 he bent over again and wrote on the ground.
8:9 Now when they heard this, they began to drift away one at a time, starting with the older ones, 201 until Jesus was left alone with the woman standing before him. 8:10 Jesus stood up straight 202 and said to her, “Woman, 203 where are they? Did no one condemn you?” 8:11 She replied, “No one, Lord.” And Jesus said, “I do not condemn you either. Go, and from now on do not sin any more.”]] 204
8:12 Then Jesus spoke out again, 205 “I am the light of the world. 206 The one who follows me will never 207 walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.” 8:13 So the Pharisees 208 objected, 209 “You testify about yourself; your testimony is not true!” 210 8:14 Jesus answered, 211 “Even if I testify about myself, my testimony is true, because I know where I came from and where I am going. But you people 212 do not know where I came from or where I am going. 213 8:15 You people 214 judge by outward appearances; 215 I do not judge anyone. 216 8:16 But if I judge, my evaluation is accurate, 217 because I am not alone when I judge, 218 but I and the Father who sent me do so together. 219 8:17 It is written in your law that the testimony of two men is true. 220 8:18 I testify about myself 221 and the Father who sent me testifies about me.”
8:19 Then they began asking 222 him, “Who is your father?” Jesus answered, “You do not know either me or my Father. If you knew me you would know my Father too.” 223 8:20 (Jesus 224 spoke these words near the offering box 225 while he was teaching in the temple courts. 226 No one seized him because his time 227 had not yet come.) 228
8:21 Then Jesus 229 said to them again, 230 “I am going away, and you will look for me 231 but will die in your sin. 232 Where I am going you cannot come.” 8:22 So the Jewish leaders 233 began to say, 234 “Perhaps he is going to kill himself, because he says, ‘Where I am going you cannot come.’” 8:23 Jesus replied, 235 “You people 236 are from below; I am from above. You people are from this world; I am not from this world. 8:24 Thus I told you 237 that you will die in your sins. For unless you believe that I am he, 238 you will die in your sins.”
8:25 So they said to him, “Who are you?” Jesus replied, 239 “What I have told you from the beginning. 8:26 I have many things to say and to judge 240 about you, but the Father 241 who sent me is truthful, 242 and the things I have heard from him I speak to the world.” 243 8:27 (They did not understand that he was telling them about his Father.) 244
8:28 Then Jesus said, 245 “When you lift up the Son of Man, then you will know that I am he, 246 and I do nothing on my own initiative, 247 but I speak just what the Father taught me. 248 8:29 And the one who sent me is with me. He has not left me alone, 249 because I always do those things that please him.” 8:30 While he was saying these things, many people 250 believed in him.
8:31 Then Jesus said to those Judeans 251 who had believed him, “If you continue to follow my teaching, 252 you are really 253 my disciples 8:32 and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” 254 8:33 “We are descendants 255 of Abraham,” they replied, 256 “and have never been anyone’s slaves! How can you say, 257 ‘You will become free’?” 8:34 Jesus answered them, “I tell you the solemn truth, 258 everyone who practices 259 sin is a slave 260 of sin. 8:35 The slave does not remain in the family 261 forever, but the son remains forever. 262 8:36 So if the son 263 sets you free, you will be really free. 8:37 I know that you are Abraham’s descendants. 264 But you want 265 to kill me, because my teaching 266 makes no progress among you. 267 8:38 I am telling you the things I have seen while with the 268 Father; 269 as for you, 270 practice the things you have heard from the 271 Father!”
8:39 They answered him, 272 “Abraham is our father!” 273 Jesus replied, 274 “If you are 275 Abraham’s children, you would be doing 276 the deeds of Abraham. 8:40 But now you are trying 277 to kill me, a man who has told you 278 the truth I heard from God. Abraham did not do this! 279 8:41 You people 280 are doing the deeds of your father.”
Then 281 they said to Jesus, 282 “We were not born as a result of immorality! 283 We have only one Father, God himself.” 8:42 Jesus replied, 284 “If God were your Father, you would love me, for I have come from God and am now here. 285 I 286 have not come on my own initiative, 287 but he 288 sent me. 8:43 Why don’t you understand what I am saying? It is because you cannot accept 289 my teaching. 290 8:44 You people 291 are from 292 your father the devil, and you want to do what your father desires. 293 He 294 was a murderer from the beginning, and does not uphold the truth, 295 because there is no truth in him. Whenever he lies, 296 he speaks according to his own nature, 297 because he is a liar and the father of lies. 298 8:45 But because I am telling you 299 the truth, you do not believe me. 8:46 Who among you can prove me guilty 300 of any sin? 301 If I am telling you 302 the truth, why don’t you believe me? 8:47 The one who belongs to 303 God listens and responds 304 to God’s words. You don’t listen and respond, 305 because you don’t belong to God.” 306
8:48 The Judeans 307 replied, 308 “Aren’t we correct in saying 309 that you are a Samaritan and are possessed by a demon?” 310 8:49 Jesus answered, “I am not possessed by a demon, 311 but I honor my Father – and yet 312 you dishonor me. 8:50 I am not trying to get 313 praise for myself. 314 There is one who demands 315 it, and he also judges. 316 8:51 I tell you the solemn truth, 317 if anyone obeys 318 my teaching, 319 he will never see death.” 320
8:52 Then 321 the Judeans 322 responded, 323 “Now we know you’re possessed by a demon! 324 Both Abraham and the prophets died, and yet 325 you say, ‘If anyone obeys 326 my teaching, 327 he will never experience 328 death.’ 329
[6:50] 2 tn Grk “someone” (τις, tis).
[6:51] 3 tn Grk “And the bread.”
[6:52] 4 tn Grk “Then the Jews began to argue.” Here the translation restricts the phrase to those Jews who were hostile to Jesus (cf. BDAG 479 s.v. ᾿Ιουδαῖος 2.e.β), since the “crowd” mentioned in 6:22-24 was almost all Jewish (as suggested by their addressing Jesus as “Rabbi” (6:25). See also the note on the phrase “the Jews who were hostile to Jesus” in v. 41.
[6:52] 5 tn Grk “with one another, saying.”
[6:52] 6 tn Grk “this one,” “this person.”
[6:53] 7 tn Grk “Truly, truly, I say to you.”
[6:53] 8 sn Unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood. These words are at the heart of the discourse on the Bread of Life, and have created great misunderstanding among interpreters. Anyone who is inclined toward a sacramental viewpoint will almost certainly want to take these words as a reference to the sacrament of the Lord’s Supper, or the Eucharist, because of the reference to eating and drinking. But this does not automatically follow: By anyone’s definition there must be a symbolic element to the eating which Jesus speaks of in the discourse, and once this is admitted, it is better to understand it here, as in the previous references in the passage, to a personal receiving of (or appropriation of) Christ and his work.
[6:53] 9 tn That is, “no eternal life” (as opposed to physical life).
[6:54] 10 tn Or “who chews”; Grk ὁ τρώγων (Jo trwgwn). The alternation between ἐσθίω (esqiw, “eat,” v. 53) and τρώγω (trwgw, “eats,” vv. 54, 56, 58; “consumes,” v. 57) may simply reflect a preference for one form over the other on the author’s part, rather than an attempt to express a slightly more graphic meaning. If there is a difference, however, the word used here (τρώγω) is the more graphic and vivid of the two (“gnaw” or “chew”).
[6:54] 11 sn Notice that here the result (has eternal life and I will raise him up at the last day) is produced by eating (Jesus’) flesh and drinking his blood. Compare John 6:40 where the same result is produced by “looking on the Son and believing in him.” This suggests that the phrase here (eats my flesh and drinks my blood) is to be understood by the phrase in 6:40 (looks on the Son and believes in him).
[6:56] 14 tn Or “who chews.” On the alternation between ἐσθίω (esqiw, “eat,” v. 53) and τρώγω (trwgw, “eats,” vv. 54, 56, 58; “consumes,” v. 57) see the note on “eats” in v. 54.
[6:56] 15 sn Resides in me, and I in him. Note how in John 6:54 eating Jesus’ flesh and drinking his blood produces eternal life and the promise of resurrection at the last day. Here the same process of eating Jesus’ flesh and drinking his blood leads to a relationship of mutual indwelling (resides in me, and I in him). This suggests strongly that for the author (and for Jesus) the concepts of ‘possessing eternal life’ and of ‘residing in Jesus’ are virtually interchangeable.
[6:57] 16 tn Or “who chews”; Grk “who eats.” Here the translation “consumes” is more appropriate than simply “eats,” because it is the internalization of Jesus by the individual that is in view. On the alternation between ἐσθίω (esqiw, “eat,” v. 53) and τρώγω (trwgw, “eats,” vv. 54, 56, 58; “consumes,” v. 57) see the note on “eats” in v. 54.
[6:58] 18 tn Or “forefathers”; Grk “fathers.”
[6:58] 19 tn Grk “This is the bread that came down from heaven, not just like your ancestors ate and died.” The cryptic Greek expression has been filled out in the translation for clarity.
[6:58] 20 tn Or “who chews.” On the alternation between ἐσθίω (esqiw, “eat,” v. 53) and τρώγω (trwgw, “eats,” vv. 54, 56, 58; “consumes,” v. 57) see the note on “eats” in v. 54.
[6:59] 21 tn Grk “He”; the referent (Jesus) is specified in the translation for clarity.
[6:59] 22 sn A synagogue was a place for Jewish prayer and worship, with recognized leadership (cf. Luke 8:41). Though the origin of the synagogue is not entirely clear, it seems to have arisen in the postexilic community during the intertestamental period. A town could establish a synagogue if there were at least ten men. In normative Judaism of the NT period, the OT scripture was read and discussed in the synagogue by the men who were present (see the Mishnah, m. Megillah 3-4; m. Berakhot 2).
[6:59] 23 map For location see Map1 D2; Map2 C3; Map3 B2.
[6:60] 24 tn The words “these things” are not present in the Greek text but are implied. Direct objects in Greek were often omitted when clear from the context, and must be supplied for the English reader.
[6:60] 25 tn Or “hard,” “demanding.”
[6:60] 26 tn Or “teaching”; Grk “word.”
[6:60] 27 tn Or “obey it”; Grk “hear it.” The Greek word ἀκούω (akouw) could imply hearing with obedience here, in the sense of “obey.” It could also point to the acceptance of what Jesus had just said, (i.e., “who can accept what he said?” However, since the context contains several replies by those in the crowd of hearers that suggest uncertainty or confusion over the meaning of what Jesus had said (6:42; 6:52), the meaning “understand” is preferred here.
[6:61] 28 tn Grk “When Jesus knew within himself.”
[6:61] 29 tn Or “were grumbling.”
[6:61] 30 tn Or “Does this cause you to no longer believe?” (Grk “cause you to stumble?”)
[6:61] sn Does this cause you to be offended? It became apparent to some of Jesus’ followers at this point that there would be a cost involved in following him. They had taken offense at some of Jesus’ teaching (perhaps the graphic imagery of “eating his flesh” and “drinking his blood,” and Jesus now warned them that if they thought this was a problem, there was an even worse cause for stumbling in store: his upcoming crucifixion (John 6:61b-62). Jesus asked, in effect, “Has what I just taught caused you to stumble? What will you do, then, if you see the Son of Man ascending where he was before?” This ascent is to be accomplished through the cross; for John, Jesus’ departure from this world and his return to the Father form one continual movement from cross to resurrection to ascension.
[6:62] 31 tn Or “he was formerly?”
[6:63] 32 tn Grk “the flesh counts for nothing.”
[6:63] 33 tn Or “are spirit-giving and life-producing.”
[6:64] 34 sn This is a parenthetical comment by the author.
[6:65] 35 tn Grk “And he said”; the referent (Jesus) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[6:65] 36 tn Grk “unless it has been permitted to him by the Father.”
[6:66] 37 tn Grk “many of his disciples went back to what lay behind.”
[6:66] 38 tn Grk “were not walking with him.”
[6:67] 39 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 it is “do you?”).
[6:69] 41 sn See 1 John 4:16.
[6:69] 42 tc The witnesses display a bewildering array of variants here. Instead of “the Holy One of God” (ὁ ἅγιος τοῦ θεοῦ, Jo {agio" tou qeou), Tertullian has ὁ Χριστός (Jo Cristo", “the Christ”); C3 Θ* Ë1 33 565 lat read ὁ Χριστὸς ὁ υἱὸς τοῦ θεοῦ (Jo Cristo" Jo Juio" tou qeou, “the Christ, the Son of God”); two versional witnesses (b syc) have ὁ υἱὸς τοῦ θεοῦ (“the Son of God”); the Byzantine text as well as many others (Ψ 0250 Ë13 33 Ï) read ὁ Χριστὸς ὁ υἱὸς τοῦ θεοῦ τοῦ ζῶντος (Jo Cristo" Jo Juio" tou qeou tou zwnto", “the Christ, the Son of the living God”); and Ì66 as well as a few versions have ὁ Χριστὸς ὁ ἅγιος τοῦ θεοῦ (“the Christ, the Holy One of God”). The reading ὁ ἅγιος τοῦ θεοῦ is, however, well supported by Ì75 א B C* D L W as well as versional witnesses. It appears that Peter’s confession in the Synoptic Gospels (especially Matt 16:16) supplied the motivation for the variations. Although the witnesses in Matt 16:16; Mark 8:29; and Luke 9:20 vary considerably, the readings are all intra-synoptic, that is, they do not pull in “the Holy One of God” but reflect various permutations of “Christ”/“Christ of God”/“Christ, the Son of God”/“Christ, the Son of the living God.” The wording “the Holy One of God” (without “Christ”) in important witnesses here is thus unique among Peter’s confessions, and best explains the rise of the other readings.
[6:69] sn You have the words of eternal life…you are the Holy One of God! In contrast to the response of some of his disciples, here is the response of the twelve, whom Jesus then questioned concerning their loyalty to him. This was the big test, and the twelve, with Peter as spokesman, passed with flying colors. The confession here differs considerably from the synoptic accounts (Matt 16:16, Mark 8:29, and Luke 9:20) and concerns directly the disciples’ personal loyalty to Jesus, in contrast to those other disciples who had deserted him (John 6:66).
[6:70] 43 tn Grk “Jesus answered them.”
[6:70] 44 tn Although most translations render this last phrase as “one of you is a devil,” such a translation presupposes that there is more than one devil. This finds roots in the KJV in which the Greek word for demon was often translated “devil.” In fact, the KJV never uses the word “demon.” (Sixty-two of the 63 NT instances of δαιμόνιον [daimonion] are translated “devil” [in Acts 17:18 the plural has been translated “gods”]. This can get confusing in places where the singular “devil” is used: Is Satan or one of the demons in view [cf. Matt 9:33 (demon); 13:39 (devil); 17:18 (demon); Mark 7:26 (demon); Luke 4:2 (devil); etc.]?) Now regarding John 6:70, both the construction in Greek and the technical use of διάβολος (diabolos) indicate that the one devil is in view. To object to the translation “the devil” because it thus equates Judas with Satan does not take into consideration that Jesus often spoke figuratively (e.g., “destroy this temple” [John 2:19]; “he [John the Baptist] is Elijah” [Matt 11:14]), even equating Peter with the devil on one occasion (Mark 8:33). According to ExSyn 249, “A curious phenomenon has occurred in the English Bible with reference to one particular monadic noun, διάβολος. The KJV translates both διάβολος and δαιμόνιον as ‘devil.’ Thus in the AV translators’ minds, ‘devil’ was not a monadic noun. Modern translations have correctly rendered δαιμόνιον as ‘demon’ and have, for the most part, recognized that διάβολος is monadic (cf., e.g., 1 Pet 5:8; Rev 20:2). But in John 6:70 modern translations have fallen into the error of the King James translators. The KJV has ‘one of you is a devil.’ So does the RSV, NRSV, ASV, NIV, NKJV, and the JB [Jerusalem Bible]. Yet there is only one devil…The legacy of the KJV still lives on, then, even in places where it ought not.”
[6:71] 45 sn At least six explanations for the name Iscariot have been proposed, but it is probably transliterated Hebrew with the meaning “man of Kerioth” (there are at least two villages that had that name). See D. A. Carson, John, 304.
[6:71] 46 tn Grk “this one”; the referent (Judas) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[6:71] 47 sn This parenthetical statement by the author helps the reader understand Jesus’ statement one of you is the devil in the previous verse. This is the first mention of Judas in the Fourth Gospel, and he is immediately identified (as he is in the synoptic gospels, Matt 10:4, Mark 3:19, Luke 6:16) as the one who would betray Jesus.
[7:1] 48 sn Again, the transition is indicated by the imprecise temporal indicator After this. Clearly, though, the author has left out much of the events of Jesus’ ministry, because chap. 6 took place near the Passover (6:4). This would have been the Passover between winter/spring of
[7:1] 49 tn Grk “Jesus was traveling around in Galilee.”
[7:1] 50 tn Grk “For he.” Here γάρ (gar, “for”) has not been translated.
[7:1] 51 tn Grk “he did not want to travel around in Judea.”
[7:1] 52 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 should be restricted to the Jewish authorities or leaders who were Jesus’ primary opponents.
[7:1] 53 tn Grk “were seeking.”
[7:2] 54 tn Or “feast of the Tents” (the feast where people lived in tents or shelters, which was celebrated in the autumn after harvest). John’s use of σκηνοπηγία (skhnophgia) for the feast of Tabernacles constitutes the only use of this term in the New Testament.
[7:2] 55 sn Since the present verse places these incidents at the feast of Tabernacles (
[7:3] 56 tn Grk “his brothers.”
[7:3] sn Jesus’ brothers. Jesus’ brothers (really his half-brothers) were mentioned previously by John in 2:12 (see the note on brothers there). They are also mentioned elsewhere in Matt 13:55 and Mark 6:3.
[7:3] 57 tn Grk “your deeds that you are doing.”
[7:3] sn Should the advice by Jesus’ brothers, Leave here and go to Judea so your disciples may see your miracles that you are performing, be understood as a suggestion that he should attempt to win back the disciples who had deserted him earlier (6:66)? Perhaps. But it is also possible to take the words as indicating that if Jesus is going to put forward messianic claims (i.e., through miraculous signs) then he should do so in Jerusalem, not in the remote parts of Galilee. Such an understanding seems to fit better with the following verse. It would also indicate misunderstanding on the part of Jesus’ brothers of the true nature of his mission – he did not come as the royal Messiah of Jewish apocalyptic expectation, to be enthroned as king at this time.
[7:4] 58 tn Or “seeks to be well known.”
[7:4] 59 sn No one who seeks to make a reputation for himself does anything in secret means, in effect: “if you’re going to perform signs to authenticate yourself as Messiah, you should do them at Jerusalem.” (Jerusalem is where mainstream Jewish apocalyptic tradition held that Messiah would appear.)
[7:5] 60 sn This is a parenthetical note by the author.
[7:6] 61 tn Grk “Then Jesus said to them.”
[7:6] 62 tn Or “my opportunity.”
[7:6] 63 tn Or “is not yet here.”
[7:6] 64 tn Grk “your time is always ready.”
[7:8] 65 sn One always speaks of “going up” to Jerusalem in Jewish idiom, even though in western thought it is more common to speak of south as “down” (Jerusalem lies south of Galilee). The reason for the idiom is that Jerusalem was identified with Mount Zion in the OT, so that altitude was the issue.
[7:8] 66 tc Most
[7:8] 67 tn Although the word is καιρός (kairos) here, it parallels John’s use of ὥρα (Jwra) elsewhere as a reference to the time appointed for Jesus by the Father – the time of his return to the Father, characterized by his death, resurrection, and ascension (glorification). In the Johannine literature, synonyms are often interchanged for no apparent reason other than stylistic variation.
[7:8] 68 tn Or “my time has not yet come to an end” (a possible hint of Jesus’ death at Jerusalem); Grk “my time is not yet fulfilled.”
[7:10] 69 tn Grk “he”; the referent (Jesus) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[7:11] 70 tn Or “the Jewish authorities”; Grk “the Jews.” Here the phrase refers to the Jewish authorities or leaders who were Jesus’ primary opponents. See the note on the phrase “the Jewish leaders” in v. 1.
[7:11] 71 tn Grk “Where is that one?”
[7:12] 72 tn Grk “And there was.”
[7:12] 73 tn Or “complaining.”
[7:12] 74 tn Or “among the common people” (as opposed to the religious authorities mentioned in the previous verse).
[7:13] 76 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.
[7:14] 77 tn Grk “to the temple.”
[7:14] 78 tn Or “started teaching.” An ingressive sense for the imperfect verb (“began to teach” or “started teaching”) fits well here, since the context implies that Jesus did not start his teaching at the beginning of the festival, but began when it was about half over.
[7:15] 79 tn Or “the Jewish authorities”; Grk “the Jews.” Here the phrase refers to the Jewish authorities or leaders who were Jesus’ primary opponents. See the note on the phrase “the Jewish leaders” in v. 1.
[7:15] 80 tn Or “began to be astonished.” This imperfect verb could also be translated ingressively (“began to be astonished”), but for English stylistic reasons it is rendered as a simple past.
[7:15] 81 tn Grk “How does this man know learning since he has not been taught?” The implication here is not that Jesus never went to school (in all probability he did attend a local synagogue school while a youth), but that he was not the disciple of a particular rabbi and had not had formal or advanced instruction under a recognized rabbi (compare Acts 4:13 where a similar charge is made against Peter and John; see also Paul’s comment in Acts 22:3).
[7:15] sn He has never had formal instruction. Ironically when the Jewish leaders came face to face with the Word become flesh – the preexistent Logos, creator of the universe and divine Wisdom personified – they treated him as an untaught, unlearned person, without the formal qualifications to be a teacher.
[7:16] 82 tn Grk “So Jesus answered and said to them.”
[7:16] 83 tn The phrase “the one who sent me” refers to God.
[7:17] 85 tn Grk “or whether I speak from myself.”
[7:18] 86 tn Grk “who speaks from himself.”
[7:18] 88 tn Or “praise”; Grk “glory.”
[7:18] 90 tn Or “praise”; Grk “glory.”
[7:18] 91 tn Or “is truthful”; Grk “is true.”
[7:19] 92 tn Or “accomplishes”; Grk “does.”
[7:20] 94 tn Or “The common people” (as opposed to the religious authorities mentioned in 7:15).
[7:20] 95 tn Grk “You have a demon!”
[7:20] 96 tn Grk “Who is seeking to kill you?”
[7:20] sn Who is trying to kill you? Many of the crowd (if they had come in from surrounding regions for the feast) probably were ignorant of any plot. The plot was on the part of the Jewish leaders. Note how carefully John distinguishes between the leadership and the general populace in their respective responses to Jesus.
[7:21] 97 tn Grk “Jesus answered and said to them.”
[7:21] 98 tn Grk “I did one deed.”
[7:21] 99 sn The “one miracle” that caused them all to be amazed was the last previous public miracle in Jerusalem recorded by the author, the healing of the paralyzed man in John 5:1-9 on the Sabbath. (The synoptic gospels record other Sabbath healings, but John does not mention them.)
[7:22] 100 tn Grk “gave you circumcision.”
[7:22] 101 tn Grk “a man.” While the text literally reads “circumcise a man” in actual fact the practice of circumcising male infants on the eighth day after birth (see Phil 3:5) is primarily what is in view here.
[7:23] 102 tn Grk “a man.” See the note on “male child” in the previous verse.
[7:23] 103 tn Grk “receives circumcision.”
[7:23] 104 sn If a male child is circumcised on the Sabbath so that the law of Moses is not broken. The Rabbis counted 248 parts to a man’s body. In the Talmud (b. Yoma 85b) R. Eleazar ben Azariah (ca.
[7:23] 105 tn Or “made an entire man well.”
[7:24] 106 tn Or “based on sight.”
[7:24] 107 tn Or “honest”; Grk “righteous.”
[7:25] 108 map For location see Map5 B1; Map6 F3; Map7 E2; Map8 F2; Map10 B3; JP1 F4; JP2 F4; JP3 F4; JP4 F4.
[7:25] 109 tn Grk “Is it not this one.”
[7:26] 111 tn Or “speaking openly.”
[7:26] 112 sn They are saying nothing to him. Some people who had heard Jesus were so impressed with his teaching that they began to infer from the inactivity of the opposing Jewish leaders a tacit acknowledgment of Jesus’ claims.
[7:26] 114 tn Or “the Messiah” (Both Greek “Christ” and Hebrew and Aramaic “Messiah” mean “one who has been anointed”).
[7:26] sn See the note on Christ in 1:20.
[7:27] 116 sn We know where this man comes from. The author apparently did not consider this objection worth answering. The true facts about Jesus’ origins were readily available for any reader who didn’t know already. Here is an instance where the author assumes knowledge about Jesus that is independent from the material he records.
[7:27] 117 tn Or “the Messiah” (Both Greek “Christ” and Hebrew and Aramaic “Messiah” mean “one who has been anointed”).
[7:27] sn See the note on Christ in 1:20.
[7:27] 118 sn The view of these people regarding the Messiah that no one will know where he comes from reflects the idea that the origin of the Messiah is a mystery. In the Talmud (b. Sanhedrin 97a) Rabbi Zera taught: “Three come unawares: Messiah, a found article, and a scorpion.” Apparently OT prophetic passages like Mal 3:1 and Dan 9:25 were interpreted by some as indicating a sudden appearance of Messiah. It appears that this was not a universal view: The scribes summoned by Herod at the coming of the Magi in Matt 2 knew that the Messiah was to be born in Bethlehem. It is important to remember that Jewish messianic expectations in the early 1st century were not monolithic.
[7:28] 119 tn Grk “the temple.”
[7:28] 120 tn Grk “Then Jesus cried out in the temple, teaching and saying.”
[7:28] 121 sn You both know me and know where I come from! Jesus’ response while teaching in the temple is difficult – it appears to concede too much understanding to his opponents. It is best to take the words as irony: “So you know me and know where I am from, do you?” On the physical, literal level, they did know where he was from: Nazareth of Galilee (at least they thought they knew). But on another deeper (spiritual) level, they did not: He came from heaven, from the Father. Jesus insisted that he has not come on his own initiative (cf. 5:37), but at the bidding of the Father who sent him.
[7:28] 122 tn Grk “And I have not come from myself.”
[7:28] 123 tn The phrase “the one who sent me” refers to God.
[7:28] 124 tn Grk “the one who sent me is true, whom you do not know.”
[7:29] 125 tn Although the conjunction “but” is not in the Greek text, the contrast is implied (an omitted conjunction is called asyndeton).
[7:29] 126 tn The preposition παρά (para) followed by the genitive has the local sense preserved and can be used of one person sending another. This does not necessarily imply origin in essence or eternal generation.
[7:29] 127 tn Grk “and that one.”
[7:30] 128 tn Grk “him”; the referent (Jesus) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[7:30] sn Here the response is on the part of the crowd, who tried to seize Jesus. This is apparently distinct from the attempted arrest by the authorities mentioned in 7:32.
[7:31] 130 tn Or “The common people” (as opposed to the religious authorities).
[7:31] 131 tn Or “the Messiah” (Both Greek “Christ” and Hebrew and Aramaic “Messiah” mean “one who has been anointed”).
[7:31] sn See the note on Christ in 1:20.
[7:31] 132 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 it is “will he?”).
[7:32] 133 sn See the note on Pharisees in 1:24.
[7:32] 134 tn Or “The common people” (as opposed to the religious authorities like the Pharisees).
[7:32] 135 tn Grk “him”; the referent (Jesus) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[7:32] 136 tn Or “servants.” The “chief priests and Pharisees” is a comprehensive term for the groups represented in the ruling council (the Sanhedrin) as in John 7:45; 18:3; Acts 5:22, 26. As “servants” or “officers” of the Sanhedrin their representatives should be distinguished from the Levites serving as temple police (perhaps John 7:30 and 44; also John 8:20; 10:39; 19:6; Acts 4:3). Even when performing “police” duties such as here, their “officers” are doing so only as part of their general tasks (see K. H. Rengstorf, TDNT 8:540).
[7:32] 137 tn Grk “to seize him.” In the context of a deliberate attempt by the servants of the chief priests and Pharisees to detain Jesus, the English verb “arrest” conveys the point more effectively.
[7:33] 138 tn Grk “Yet a little I am with you.”
[7:33] 139 tn The word “then” is not in the Greek text, but is implied.
[7:35] 141 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 is understood to refer to the Jewish authorities or leaders, since the Jewish leaders are mentioned in this context both before and after the present verse (7:32, 45).
[7:35] 143 tn Grk “will not find him.”
[7:35] 144 sn The Jewish people dispersed (Grk “He is not going to the Diaspora”). The Greek term diaspora (“dispersion”) originally meant those Jews not living in Palestine, but dispersed or scattered among the Gentiles.
[7:35] 145 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 “is he?”).
[7:35] sn Note the Jewish opponents’ misunderstanding of Jesus’ words, as made clear in vv. 35-36. They didn’t realize he spoke of his departure out of the world. This is another example of the author’s use of misunderstanding as a literary device to emphasize a point.
[7:36] 146 tn Grk “What is this word that he said.”
[7:37] 148 sn There is a problem with the identification of this reference to the last day of the feast, the greatest day: It appears from Deut 16:13 that the feast went for seven days. Lev 23:36, however, makes it plain that there was an eighth day, though it was mentioned separately from the seven. It is not completely clear whether the seventh or eighth day was the climax of the feast, called here by the author the “last great day of the feast.” Since according to the Mishnah (m. Sukkah 4.1) the ceremonies with water and lights did not continue after the seventh day, it seems more probable that this is the day the author mentions.
[7:37] 149 tn Grk “Jesus stood up and cried out, saying.”
[7:38] 150 tn An alternate way of punctuating the Greek text of vv. 37-38 results in this translation: “If anyone is thirsty, let him come to me and drink. The one who believes in me, just as the scripture says, ‘From within him will flow rivers of living water.’” John 7:37-38 has been the subject of considerable scholarly debate. Certainly Jesus picks up on the literal water used in the ceremony and uses it figuratively. But what does the figure mean? According to popular understanding, it refers to the coming of the Holy Spirit to dwell in the believer. There is some difficulty in locating an OT text which speaks of rivers of water flowing from within such a person, but Isa 58:11 is often suggested: “The
[7:38] 151 tn Or “out of the innermost part of his person”; Grk “out of his belly.”
[7:38] 152 sn An OT quotation whose source is difficult to determine; Isa 44:3, 55:1, 58:11, and Zech 14:8 have all been suggested.
[7:39] 153 tn Grk “for the Spirit was not yet.” Although only B and a handful of other NT
[7:39] 154 sn This is a parenthetical note by the author.
[7:40] 155 tn Or “The common people” (as opposed to the religious authorities like the chief priests and Pharisees).
[7:40] 157 sn The Prophet is a reference to the “prophet like Moses” of Deut 18:15, by this time an eschatological figure in popular belief.
[7:41] 158 tn Or “the Messiah” (Both Greek “Christ” and Hebrew and Aramaic “Messiah” mean “one who has been anointed”).
[7:41] sn See the note on Christ in 1:20.
[7:41] 159 tn An initial negative reply (“No”) is suggested by the causal or explanatory γάρ (gar) which begins the clause.
[7:41] 160 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 “does he?”).
[7:42] 161 tn Grk “is from the seed” (an idiom for human descent).
[7:42] 162 sn An allusion to Ps 89:4.
[7:42] 163 sn An allusion to Mic 5:2.
[7:42] map For location see Map5 B1; Map7 E2; Map8 E2; Map10 B4.
[7:42] 164 tn Grk “the village where David was.”
[7:43] 165 tn Or “among the common people” (as opposed to the religious authorities like the chief priests and Pharisees).
[7:43] 166 tn Grk “him”; the referent (Jesus) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[7:44] 167 sn Compare John 7:30 regarding the attempt to seize Jesus.
[7:45] 168 tn Or “servants.” The “chief priests and Pharisees” is a comprehensive term for the groups represented in the ruling council (the Sanhedrin) as in John 7:45; 18:3; Acts 5:22, 26. As “servants” or “officers” of the Sanhedrin, their representatives should be distinguished from the Levites serving as temple police (perhaps John 7:30 and 44; also John 8:20; 10:39; 19:6; Acts 4:3). Even when performing ‘police’ duties such as here, their “officers” are doing so only as part of their general tasks (See K. H. Rengstorf, TDNT 8:540).
[7:45] 170 sn See the note on Pharisees in 1:24.
[7:45] 171 tn Grk “Why did you not bring him?” The words “back with you” are implied.
[7:47] 172 tn Grk “answered them.”
[7:47] 173 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 “have you?”).
[7:48] 174 sn The chief priests and Pharisees (John 7:45) is a comprehensive term for the groups represented in the ruling council (the Sanhedrin) as in John 7:45; 18:3; Acts 5:22, 26. Likewise the term ruler here denotes a member of the Sanhedrin, the highest legal, legislative, and judicial body among the Jews. Note the same word (“ruler”) is used to describe Nicodemus in John 3:1, and Nicodemus also speaks up in this episode (John 7:50).
[7:48] 175 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 “have they?”).
[7:49] 176 tn Grk “crowd.” “Rabble” is a good translation here because the remark by the Pharisees is so derogatory.
[7:50] 177 tn Grk “him”; the referent (Jesus) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[7:50] 178 tn Grk “who was one of them”; the referent (the rulers) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[7:50] 179 tn Grk “said to them.”
[7:51] 182 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 “does it?”).
[7:52] 183 tn Grk “They answered and said to him.”
[7:52] 184 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 “are you?”).
[7:52] 185 tc At least one early and important ms (Ì66*) places the article before “prophet” (ὁ προφήτης, Jo profhths), making this a reference to the “prophet like Moses” mentioned in Deut 18:15.
[7:52] tn This claim by the leaders presents some difficulty, because Jonah had been from Gath Hepher, in Galilee (2 Kgs 14:25). Also the Babylonian Talmud later stated, “There was not a tribe in Israel from which there did not come prophets” (b. Sukkah 27b). Two explanations are possible: (1) In the heat of anger the members of the Sanhedrin overlooked the facts (this is perhaps the easiest explanation). (2) This anarthrous noun is to be understood as a reference to the prophet of Deut 18:15 (note the reading of Ì66 which is articular), by this time an eschatological figure in popular belief. This would produce in the text of John’s Gospel a high sense of irony indeed, since the religious authorities by their insistence that “the Prophet” could not come from Galilee displayed their true ignorance of where Jesus came from on two levels at once (Bethlehem, his birthplace, the fulfillment of Mic 5:2, but also heaven, from which he was sent by the Father). The author does not even bother to refute the false attestation of Jesus’ place of birth as Galilee (presumably Christians knew all too well where Jesus came from).
[7:53] 186 tc This entire section, 7:53-8:11, traditionally known as the pericope adulterae, is not contained in the earliest and best
[7:53] sn Double brackets have been placed around this passage to indicate that most likely it was not part of the original text of the Gospel of John. In spite of this, the passage has an important role in the history of the transmission of the text, so it has been included in the translation.
[8:1] 187 sn The Mount of Olives is a hill running north to south about 1.8 mi (3 km) long, lying east of Jerusalem across the Kidron Valley. It was named for the large number of olive trees that grew on it.
[8:2] 188 tn An ingressive sense for the imperfect fits well here following the aorist participle.
[8:3] 189 tn Or “The scribes.” The traditional rendering of γραμματεύς (grammateu") as “scribe” does not communicate much to the modern English reader, for whom the term might mean “professional copyist,” if it means anything at all. The people referred to here were recognized experts in the law of Moses and in traditional laws and regulations. Thus “expert in the law” comes closer to the meaning for the modern reader.
[8:3] 190 sn See the note on Pharisees in 1:24.
[8:4] 191 tn Grk “to him”; the referent (Jesus) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[8:5] 192 sn An allusion to Lev 20:10 and Deut 22:22-24.
[8:5] 193 sn The accusers themselves subtly misrepresented the law. The Mosaic law stated that in the case of adultery, both the man and woman must be put to death (Lev 20:10, Deut 22:22), but they mentioned only such women.
[8:6] 194 tn Grk “so that they could accuse.”
[8:6] 195 sn This is a parenthetical note by the author of 7:53–8:11.
[8:6] 196 tn Or possibly “Jesus bent down and wrote an accusation on the ground with his finger.” The Greek verb καταγράφω (katagrafw) may indicate only the action of writing on the ground by Jesus, but in the overall context (Jesus’ response to the accusation against the woman) it can also be interpreted as implying that what Jesus wrote was a counteraccusation against the accusers (although there is no clue as to the actual content of what he wrote, some scribes added “the sins of each one of them” either here or at the end of v. 8 [U 264 700 al]).
[8:7] 197 tn Or “he straightened up.”
[8:7] 198 tn Grk “and said to them.”
[8:8] 200 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “Then” to indicate the implied sequence of events within the narrative. Greek style often begins sentences or clauses with “and,” but English style generally does not.
[8:9] 201 tn Or “beginning from the eldest.”
[8:10] 202 tn Or “straightened up.”
[8:10] 203 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.
[8:11] 204 tc The earliest and best
[8:12] 205 tn Grk “Then again Jesus spoke to them saying.”
[8:12] 206 sn The theory proposed by F. J. A. Hort (The New Testament in the Original Greek, vol. 2, Introduction; Appendix, 87-88), that the backdrop of 8:12 is the lighting of the candelabra in the court of women, may offer a plausible setting to the proclamation by Jesus that he is the light of the world. The last time that Jesus spoke in the narrative (assuming 7:53-8:11 is not part of the original text, as the textual evidence suggests) is in 7:38, where he was speaking to a crowd of pilgrims in the temple area. This is where he is found in the present verse, and he may be addressing the crowd again. Jesus’ remark has to be seen in view of both the prologue (John 1:4, 5) and the end of the discourse with Nicodemus (John 3:19-21). The coming of Jesus into the world provokes judgment: A choosing up of sides becomes necessary. The one who comes to the light, that is, who follows Jesus, will not walk in the darkness. The one who refuses to come, will walk in the darkness. In this contrast, there are only two alternatives. So it is with a person’s decision about Jesus. Furthermore, this serves as in implicit indictment of Jesus’ opponents, who still walk in the darkness, because they refuse to come to him. This sets up the contrast in chap. 9 between the man born blind, who receives both physical and spiritual sight, and the Pharisees (John 9:13, 15, 16) who have physical sight but remain in spiritual darkness.
[8:12] 207 tn The double negative οὐ μή (ou mh) is emphatic in 1st century Hellenistic Greek.
[8:13] 208 sn See the note on Pharisees in 1:24.
[8:13] 209 tn Grk “Then the Pharisees said to him.”
[8:13] 210 sn Compare the charge You testify about yourself; your testimony is not true! to Jesus’ own statement about his testimony in 5:31.
[8:14] 211 tn Grk “Jesus answered and said to them.”
[8:14] 212 tn The word “people” is supplied in the translation to indicate that the pronoun (“you”) and verb (“do not know”) in Greek are plural.
[8:14] 213 sn You people do not know where I came from or where I am going. The ignorance of the religious authorities regarding Jesus’ origin works on two levels at once: First, they thought Jesus came from Galilee (although he really came from Bethlehem in Judea) and second, they did not know that he came from heaven (from the Father), and this is where he would return. See further John 7:52.
[8:15] 214 tn The word “people” is supplied in the translation to indicate that the pronoun and verb (“judge”) in Greek are plural.
[8:15] 215 tn Or “judge according to external things”; Grk “according to the flesh.” These translations are given by BDAG 916 s.v. σάρξ 5.
[8:15] 216 sn What is the meaning of Jesus’ statement “I do not judge anyone”? It is clear that Jesus did judge (even in the next verse). The point is that he didn’t practice the same kind of judgment that the Pharisees did. Their kind of judgment was condemnatory. They tried to condemn people. Jesus did not come to judge the world, but to save it (3:17). Nevertheless, and not contradictory to this, the coming of Jesus did bring judgment, because it forced people to make a choice. Would they accept Jesus or reject him? Would they come to the light or shrink back into the darkness? As they responded, so were they judged – just as 3:19-21 previously stated. One’s response to Jesus determines one’s eternal destiny.
[8:16] 217 tn Grk “my judgment is true.”
[8:16] 218 tn The phrase “when I judge” is not in the Greek text, but is implied by the context.
[8:16] 219 tn The phrase “do so together” is not in the Greek text, but is implied by the context.
[8:17] 220 sn An allusion to Deut 17:6.
[8:18] 221 tn Grk “I am the one who testifies about myself.”
[8:19] 222 tn Grk “Then they were saying to him.” The imperfect verb has been translated with ingressive force here because of the introduction of a new line of questioning by the Pharisees. Jesus had just claimed his Father as a second witness; now his opponents want to know who his father is.
[8:19] 223 sn If you knew me you would know my Father too. Jesus’ reply is based on his identity with the Father (see also John 1:18; 14:9).
[8:20] 224 tn Grk “He”; the referent (Jesus) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[8:20] 225 tn The term γαζοφυλάκιον (gazofulakion) can be translated “treasury” or “treasure room” in this context. BDAG 186 s.v. 1 notes, “It can be taken in this sense J 8:20 (sing.) in (or at) the treasury.” BDAG 186 s.v. 2 argues that the occurrences of this word in the synoptic gospels also refer to the treasury: “For Mk 12:41, 43; Lk 21:1 the mng. contribution box or receptacle is attractive. Acc. to Mishnah, Shekalim 6, 5 there were in the temple 13 such receptacles in the form of trumpets. But even in these passages the general sense of ‘treasury’ is prob., for the contributions would go [into] the treasury via the receptacles.” Based upon the extra-biblical evidence (see sn following), however, the translation opts to refer to the actual receptacles and not the treasury itself.
[8:20] sn The offering box probably refers to the receptacles in the temple forecourt by the Court of Women used to collect freewill offerings. These are mentioned by Josephus, J. W. 5.5.2 (5.200), 6.5.2 (6.282); Ant. 19.6.1 (19.294); and in 1 Macc 14:49 and 2 Macc 3:6, 24, 28, 40 (see also Mark 12:41; Luke 21:1).
[8:20] 226 tn Grk “the temple.”
[8:20] 228 sn This is a parenthetical note by the author.
[8:21] 229 tn Grk “He”; the referent (Jesus) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[8:21] 230 tn The expression οὖν πάλιν (oun palin) indicates some sort of break in the sequence of events, but it is not clear how long. The author does not mention the interval between 8:12-20 and this next recorded dialogue. The feast of Tabernacles is past, and the next reference to time is 10:22, where the feast of the Dedication is mentioned. The interval is two months, and these discussions could have taken place at any time within that interval, as long as one assumes something of a loose chronological framework. However, if the material in the Fourth Gospel is arranged theologically or thematically, such an assumption would not apply.
[8:21] 231 tn Grk “you will seek me.”
[8:21] 232 tn The expression ἐν τῇ ἁμαρτίᾳ ὑμῶν ἀποθανεῖσθε (en th Jamartia Jumwn apoqaneisqe) is similar to an expression found in the LXX at Ezek 3:18, 20 and Prov 24:9. Note the singular of ἁμαρτία (the plural occurs later in v. 24). To die with one’s sin unrepented and unatoned would be the ultimate disaster to befall a person. Jesus’ warning is stern but to the point.
[8:22] 233 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 authorities or leaders in Jerusalem. It was the Pharisees who had begun this line of questioning in John 8:13, and there has been no clear change since then in the identity of Jesus’ opponents.
[8:22] 234 tn The imperfect verb has been translated with ingressive force (“began to say”) because the comments that follow were occasioned by Jesus’ remarks in the preceding verse about his upcoming departure.
[8:23] 235 tn Grk “And he said to them.”
[8:23] 236 tn The word “people” is supplied in English to clarify the plural Greek pronoun and verb.
[8:24] 237 tn Grk “thus I said to you.”
[8:24] 238 tn Grk “unless you believe that I am.” In this context there is an implied predicate nominative (“he”) following the “I am” phrase. What Jesus’ hearers had to acknowledge is that he was who he claimed to be, i.e., the Messiah (cf. 20:31). This view is also reflected in English translations like NIV (“if you do not believe that I am the one I claim to be”), NLT (“unless you believe that I am who I say I am”), and CEV (“if you don’t have faith in me for who I am”). For a different view that takes this “I am” and the one in 8:28 as nonpredicated (i.e., absolute), see R. E. Brown, John (AB), 1:533-38. Such a view refers sees the nonpredicated “I am” as a reference to the divine Name revealed in Exod 3:14, and is reflected in English translations like NAB (“if you do not believe that I AM, you will die in your sins”) and TEV (“you will die in your sins if you do not believe that ‘I Am Who I Am’”).
[8:24] sn See the note on Christ in 1:20.
[8:25] 239 tn Grk “Jesus said to them.”
[8:26] 240 tn Or “I have many things to pronounce in judgment about you.” The two Greek infinitives could be understood as a hendiadys, resulting in one phrase.
[8:26] 241 tn Grk “the one”; the referent (the Father) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[8:26] 242 tn Grk “true” (in the sense of one who always tells the truth).
[8:26] 243 tn Grk “and what things I have heard from him, these things I speak to the world.”
[8:27] 244 sn They did not understand…about his Father is a parenthetical note by the author. This type of comment, intended for the benefit of the reader, is typical of the “omniscient author” convention adopted by the author, who is writing from a postresurrection point of view. He writes with the benefit of later knowledge that those who originally heard Jesus’ words would not have had.
[8:28] 245 tn Grk “Then Jesus said to them” (the words “to them” are not found in all
[8:28] 246 tn Grk “that I am.” See the note on this phrase in v. 24.
[8:28] 247 tn Grk “I do nothing from myself.”
[8:28] 248 tn Grk “but just as the Father taught me, these things I speak.”
[8:29] 249 tn That is, “he has not abandoned me.”
[8:30] 250 tn The word “people” is not in the Greek text, but is supplied for clarity and smoothness in the translation.
[8:31] 251 tn Grk “to the Jews.” In NT usage the term ᾿Ιουδαῖοι (Ioudaioi) may refer to the entire Jewish people, the residents of Jerusalem and surrounding territory (i.e., “Judeans”), 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; also BDAG 479 s.v. ᾿Ιουδαῖος 2.e.) Here the phrase refers to the Jewish people in Jerusalem who had been listening to Jesus’ teaching in the temple and had believed his claim to be the Messiah, hence, “those Judeans who had believed him.” The term “Judeans” is preferred here to the more general “people” because the debate concerns descent from Abraham (v. 33).
[8:31] 252 tn Grk “If you continue in my word.”
[8:32] 254 tn Or “the truth will release you.” The translation “set you free” or “release you” (unlike the more traditional “make you free”) conveys more the idea that the hearers were currently in a state of slavery from which they needed to be freed. The following context supports precisely this idea.
[8:32] sn The statement the truth will set you free is often taken as referring to truth in the philosophical (or absolute) sense, or in the intellectual sense, or even (as the Jews apparently took it) in the political sense. In the context of John’s Gospel (particularly in light of the prologue) this must refer to truth about the person and work of Jesus. It is saving truth. As L. Morris says, “it is the truth which saves men from the darkness of sin, not that which saves them from the darkness of error (though there is a sense in which men in Christ are delivered from gross error)” (John [NICNT], 457).
[8:33] 255 tn Grk “We are the seed” (an idiom).
[8:33] 256 tn Grk “They answered to him.”
[8:33] 257 tn Or “How is it that you say.”
[8:34] 258 tn Grk “Truly, truly, I say to you.”
[8:34] 259 tn Or “who commits.” This could simply be translated, “everyone who sins,” but the Greek is more emphatic, using the participle ποιῶν (poiwn) in a construction with πᾶς (pas), a typical Johannine construction. Here repeated, continuous action is in view. The one whose lifestyle is characterized by repeated, continuous sin is a slave to sin. That one is not free; sin has enslaved him. To break free from this bondage requires outside (divine) intervention. Although the statement is true at the general level (the person who continually practices a lifestyle of sin is enslaved to sin) the particular sin of the Jewish authorities, repeatedly emphasized in the Fourth Gospel, is the sin of unbelief. The present tense in this instance looks at the continuing refusal on the part of the Jewish leaders to acknowledge who Jesus is, in spite of mounting evidence.
[8:34] 260 tn See the note on the word “slaves” in 4:51.
[8:35] 261 tn Or “household.” The Greek work οἰκία (oikia) can denote the family as consisting of relatives by both descent and marriage, as well as slaves and servants, living in the same house (more the concept of an “extended family”).
[8:35] 262 sn Jesus’ point is that while a slave may be part of a family or household, the slave is not guaranteed a permanent place there, while a son, as a descendant or blood relative, will always be guaranteed a place in the family (remains forever).
[8:36] 263 tn Or “Son.” The question is whether “son” is to be understood as a direct reference to Jesus himself, or as an indirect reference (a continuation of the generic illustration begun in the previous verse).
[8:37] 264 tn Grk “seed” (an idiom).
[8:37] 265 tn Grk “you are seeking.”
[8:37] 267 tn Or “finds no place in you.” The basic idea seems to be something (in this case Jesus’ teaching) making headway or progress where resistance is involved. See BDAG 1094 s.v. χωρέω 2.
[8:38] 268 tc The first person pronoun μου (mou, “my”) may be implied, especially if ὑμῶν (Jumwn, “your”) follows the second mention of “father” in this verse (as it does in the majority of
[8:38] 269 tn Grk “The things which I have seen with the Father I speak about.”
[8:38] 271 tc A few significant witnesses lack ὑμῶν (Jumwn, “your”) here (Ì66,75 B L W 070 pc), while the majority have the pronoun (א C D Θ Ψ 0250 Ë1,13 33 565 892 Ï al lat sy). However, these
[8:39] 272 tn Grk “They answered and said to him.”
[8:39] 273 tn Or “Our father is Abraham.”
[8:39] 274 tn Grk “Jesus said to them.”
[8:39] 275 tc Although most
[8:39] 276 tc Some important
[8:39] tn Or “you would do.”
[8:40] 278 tn Grk “has spoken to you.”
[8:40] 279 tn The Greek word order is emphatic: “This Abraham did not do.” The emphasis is indicated in the translation by an exclamation point.
[8:41] 280 tn The word “people” is not in the Greek text, but is supplied in English to clarify the plural Greek pronoun and verb.
[8:41] 281 tc ‡ Important and early witnesses (א B L W 070 it sys,p co) lack the conjunction here, while the earliest witnesses along with many others read οὖν (oun, “therefore”; Ì66,75 C D Θ Ψ 0250 Ë13 33 Ï). This conjunction occurs in John some 200 times, far more than in any other NT book. Even though the combined testimony of two early papyri for the conjunction is impressive, the reading seems to be a predictable scribal emendation. In particular, οὖν is frequently used with the plural of εἶπον (eipon, “they said”) in John (in this chapter alone, note vv. 13, 39, 48, 57, and possibly 52). On balance, it is probably best to consider the shorter reading as authentic, even though “Then” is virtually required in translation for English stylistic reasons. NA27 has the conjunction in brackets, indicating some doubt as to its authenticity.
[8:41] 282 tn Grk “him”; the referent (Jesus) is specified in the translation for clarity.
[8:41] 283 sn We were not born as a result of immorality! is ironic, because Jesus’ opponents implied that it was not themselves but Jesus who had been born as a result of immoral behavior. This shows they did not know Jesus’ true origin and were not aware of the supernatural events surrounding his birth. The author does not even bother to refute the opponents’ suggestion but lets it stand, assuming his readers will know the true story.
[8:42] 284 tn Grk “Jesus said to them.”
[8:42] 285 tn Or “I came from God and have arrived.”
[8:42] 286 tn Grk “For I.” Here γάρ (gar) has not been translated.
[8:42] 287 tn Grk “from myself.”
[8:42] 288 tn Grk “that one” (referring to God).
[8:43] 289 tn Grk “you cannot hear,” but this is not a reference to deafness, but rather hearing in the sense of listening to something and responding to it.
[8:44] 291 tn The word “people” is supplied in the translation to clarify that the Greek pronoun and verb are plural.
[8:44] 292 tn Many translations read “You are of your father the devil” (KJV, ASV, RSV, NASB) or “You belong to your father, the devil” (NIV), but the Greek preposition ἐκ (ek) emphasizes the idea of source or origin. Jesus said his opponents were the devil’s very offspring (a statement which would certainly infuriate them).
[8:44] 293 tn Grk “the desires of your father you want to do.”
[8:44] 294 tn Grk “That one” (referring to the devil).
[8:44] 295 tn Grk “he does not stand in the truth” (in the sense of maintaining, upholding, or accepting the validity of it).
[8:44] 296 tn Grk “Whenever he speaks the lie.”
[8:44] 297 tn Grk “he speaks from his own.”
[8:44] 298 tn Grk “because he is a liar and the father of it.”
[8:45] 299 tn Or “because I tell you.”
[8:46] 300 tn Or “can convict me.”
[8:46] 301 tn Or “of having sinned”; Grk “of sin.”
[8:46] 302 tn Or “if I tell you.”
[8:47] 303 tn Grk “who is of.”
[8:47] 304 tn Grk “to God hears” (in the sense of listening to something and responding to it).
[8:47] 305 tn Grk “you do not hear” (in the sense of listening to something and responding to it).
[8:47] 306 tn Grk “you are not of God.”
[8:48] 307 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] 308 tn Grk “answered and said to him.”
[8:48] 309 tn Grk “Do we not say rightly.”
[8:48] 310 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] 311 tn Grk “I do not have a demon.”
[8:49] 312 tn “Yet” is supplied to show the contrastive element present in the context.
[8:50] 313 tn Grk “I am not seeking.”
[8:50] 315 tn Grk “who seeks.”
[8:50] 316 tn Or “will be the judge.”
[8:51] 317 tn Grk “Truly, truly, I say to you.”
[8:51] 318 tn Grk “If anyone keeps.”
[8:51] 320 tn Grk “he will never see death forever.” The Greek negative here is emphatic.
[8:51] sn Those who keep Jesus’ words will not see death because they have already passed from death to life (cf. 5:24). In Johannine theology eternal life begins in the present rather than in the world to come.
[8:52] 321 tc ‡ Important and early witnesses (Ì66 א B C W Θ 579 it) lack the conjunction here, while other witnesses read οὖν (oun, “therefore”; Ì75 D L Ψ 070 Ë1,13 33 Ï lat). This conjunction occurs in John some 200 times, far more than in any other NT book. Even though the most important Johannine papyrus (Ì75) has the conjunction, the combination of Ì66 א B for the omission is even stronger. Further, the reading seems to be a predictable scribal emendation. In particular, οὖν is frequently used with the plural of εἶπον (eipon, “they said”) in John (in this chapter alone, note vv. 13, 39, 48, 57, and possibly 41). On balance, it is probably best to consider the shorter reading as authentic, even though “Then” is virtually required in translation for English stylistic reasons. NA27 has the conjunction in brackets, indicating some doubt as to its authenticity.
[8:52] 322 tn Grk “the Jews.” See the note on this term in v. 31. Here, as in vv. 31 and 48, 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).
[8:52] 323 tn Grk “said to him.”
[8:52] 324 tn Grk “you have a demon.”
[8:52] 325 tn “Yet” has been supplied to show the contrastive element present in the context.
[8:52] 326 tn Grk “If anyone keeps.”
[8:52] 328 tn Grk “will never taste.” Here the Greek verb does not mean “sample a small amount” (as a typical English reader might infer from the word “taste”), but “experience something cognitively or emotionally; come to know something” (cf. BDAG 195 s.v. γεύομαι 2).
[8:52] 329 tn Grk “he will never taste of death forever.” The Greek negative here is emphatic.
