Yohanes 6:1--9:41
Konteks6:1 After this 1 Jesus went away to the other side of the Sea of Galilee (also called the Sea of Tiberias). 2 6:2 A large crowd was following him because they were observing the miraculous signs he was performing on the sick. 6:3 So Jesus went on up the mountainside 3 and sat down there with his disciples. 6:4 (Now the Jewish feast of the Passover 4 was near.) 5 6:5 Then Jesus, when he looked up 6 and saw that a large crowd was coming to him, said to Philip, “Where can we buy bread so that these people may eat?” 6:6 (Now Jesus 7 said this to test him, for he knew what he was going to do.) 8 6:7 Philip replied, 9 “Two hundred silver coins worth 10 of bread would not be enough for them, for each one to get a little.” 6:8 One of Jesus’ disciples, 11 Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother, said to him, 6:9 “Here is a boy who has five barley loaves and two fish, but what good 12 are these for so many people?”
6:10 Jesus said, “Have 13 the people sit down.” (Now there was a lot of grass in that place.) 14 So the men 15 sat down, about five thousand in number. 6:11 Then Jesus took the loaves, and when he had given thanks, he distributed the bread to those who were seated. He then did the same with the fish, 16 as much as they wanted. 6:12 When they were all satisfied, Jesus 17 said to his disciples, “Gather up the broken pieces that are left over, so that nothing is wasted.” 6:13 So they gathered them up and filled twelve baskets with broken pieces from the five barley loaves 18 left over by the people who had eaten.
6:14 Now when the people saw the miraculous sign that Jesus 19 performed, they began to say to one another, “This is certainly the Prophet 20 who is to come into the world.” 21 6:15 Then Jesus, because he knew they were going to come and seize him by force to make him king, withdrew again up the mountainside alone. 22
6:16 Now when evening came, his disciples went down to the lake, 23 6:17 got into a boat, and started to cross the lake 24 to Capernaum. 25 (It had already become dark, and Jesus had not yet come to them.) 26 6:18 By now a strong wind was blowing and the sea was getting rough. 6:19 Then, when they had rowed about three or four miles, 27 they caught sight of Jesus walking on the lake, 28 approaching the boat, and they were frightened. 6:20 But he said to them, “It is I. Do not be afraid.” 6:21 Then they wanted to take him into the boat, and immediately the boat came to the land where they had been heading.
6:22 The next day the crowd that remained on the other side of the lake 29 realized that only one small boat 30 had been there, and that Jesus had not boarded 31 it with his disciples, but that his disciples had gone away alone. 6:23 But some boats from Tiberias 32 came to shore 33 near the place where they had eaten the bread after the Lord had given thanks. 34 6:24 So when the crowd realized that neither Jesus nor his disciples were there, they got into the boats 35 and came to Capernaum 36 looking for Jesus.
6:25 When they found him on the other side of the lake, 37 they said to him, “Rabbi, when did you get here?” 38 6:26 Jesus replied, 39 “I tell you the solemn truth, 40 you are looking for me not because you saw miraculous signs, but because you ate all the loaves of bread you wanted. 41 6:27 Do not work for the food that disappears, 42 but for the food that remains to eternal life – the food 43 which the Son of Man will give to you. For God the Father has put his seal of approval on him.” 44
6:28 So then they said to him, “What must we do to accomplish the deeds 45 God requires?” 46 6:29 Jesus replied, 47 “This is the deed 48 God requires 49 – to believe in the one whom he 50 sent.” 6:30 So they said to him, “Then what miraculous sign will you perform, so that we may see it and believe you? What will you do? 6:31 Our ancestors 51 ate the manna in the wilderness, just as it is written, ‘He gave them bread from heaven to eat.’” 52
6:32 Then Jesus told them, “I tell you the solemn truth, 53 it is not Moses who has given you the bread from heaven, but my Father is giving you the true bread from heaven. 6:33 For the bread of God is the one who 54 comes down from heaven and gives life to the world.” 6:34 So they said to him, “Sir, 55 give us this bread all the time!”
6:35 Jesus said to them, “I am the bread of life. The one who comes to me will never go hungry, and the one who believes in me will never be thirsty. 56 6:36 But I told you 57 that you have seen me 58 and still do not believe. 6:37 Everyone whom the Father gives me will come to me, and the one who comes to me I will never send away. 59 6:38 For I have come down from heaven not to do my own will but the will of the one who sent me. 6:39 Now this is the will of the one who sent me – that I should not lose one person of every one he has given me, but raise them all up 60 at the last day. 6:40 For this is the will of my Father – for everyone who looks on the Son and believes in him to have eternal life, and I will raise him up 61 at the last day.” 62
6:41 Then the Jews who were hostile to Jesus 63 began complaining about him because he said, “I am the bread that came down from heaven,” 6:42 and they said, “Isn’t this Jesus the son of Joseph, whose father and mother we know? How can he now say, ‘I have come down from heaven’?” 6:43 Jesus replied, 64 “Do not complain about me to one another. 65 6:44 No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him, 66 and I will raise him up at the last day. 6:45 It is written in the prophets, ‘And they will all be taught by God.’ 67 Everyone who hears and learns from the Father 68 comes to me. 6:46 (Not that anyone has seen the Father except the one who is from God – he 69 has seen the Father.) 70 6:47 I tell you the solemn truth, 71 the one who believes 72 has eternal life. 73 6:48 I am the bread of life. 74 6:49 Your ancestors 75 ate the manna in the wilderness, and they died. 6:50 This 76 is the bread that has come down from heaven, so that a person 77 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 78 that I will give for the life of the world is my flesh.”
6:52 Then the Jews who were hostile to Jesus 79 began to argue with one another, 80 “How can this man 81 give us his flesh to eat?” 6:53 Jesus said to them, “I tell you the solemn truth, 82 unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, 83 you have no life 84 in yourselves. 6:54 The one who eats 85 my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day. 86 6:55 For my flesh is true 87 food, and my blood is true 88 drink. 6:56 The one who eats 89 my flesh and drinks my blood resides in me, and I in him. 90 6:57 Just as the living Father sent me, and I live because of the Father, so the one who consumes 91 me will live because of me. 6:58 This 92 is the bread that came down from heaven; it is not like the bread your ancestors 93 ate, but then later died. 94 The one who eats 95 this bread will live forever.”
6:59 Jesus 96 said these things while he was teaching in the synagogue 97 in Capernaum. 98 6:60 Then many of his disciples, when they heard these things, 99 said, “This is a difficult 100 saying! 101 Who can understand it?” 102 6:61 When Jesus was aware 103 that his disciples were complaining 104 about this, he said to them, “Does this cause you to be offended? 105 6:62 Then what if you see the Son of Man ascending where he was before? 106 6:63 The Spirit is the one who gives life; human nature is of no help! 107 The words that I have spoken to you are spirit and are life. 108 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.) 109 6:65 So Jesus added, 110 “Because of this I told you that no one can come to me unless the Father has allowed him to come.” 111
6:66 After this many of his disciples quit following him 112 and did not accompany him 113 any longer. 6:67 So Jesus said to the twelve, “You don’t want to go away too, do you?” 114 6:68 Simon Peter answered him, “Lord, to whom would we go? You have the words of eternal life. 6:69 We 115 have come to believe and to know 116 that you are the Holy One of God!” 117 6:70 Jesus replied, 118 “Didn’t I choose you, the twelve, and yet one of you is the devil?” 119 6:71 (Now he said this about Judas son of Simon Iscariot, 120 for Judas, 121 one of the twelve, was going to betray him.) 122
7:1 After this 123 Jesus traveled throughout Galilee. 124 He 125 stayed out of Judea 126 because the Jewish leaders 127 wanted 128 to kill him. 7:2 Now the Jewish feast of Tabernacles 129 was near. 130 7:3 So Jesus’ brothers 131 advised him, “Leave here and go to Judea so your disciples may see your miracles that you are performing. 132 7:4 For no one who seeks to make a reputation for himself 133 does anything in secret. 134 If you are doing these things, show yourself to the world.” 7:5 (For not even his own brothers believed in him.) 135
7:6 So Jesus replied, 136 “My time 137 has not yet arrived, 138 but you are ready at any opportunity! 139 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 140 to the feast yourselves. I am not going up to this feast 141 because my time 142 has not yet fully arrived.” 143 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 144 himself also went up, not openly but in secret. 7:11 So the Jewish leaders 145 were looking for him at the feast, asking, “Where is he?” 146 7:12 There was 147 a lot of grumbling 148 about him among the crowds. 149 Some were saying, “He is a good man,” but others, “He deceives the common people.” 150 7:13 However, no one spoke openly about him for fear of the Jewish leaders. 151
7:14 When the feast was half over, Jesus went up to the temple courts 152 and began to teach. 153 7:15 Then the Jewish leaders 154 were astonished 155 and said, “How does this man know so much when he has never had formal instruction?” 156 7:16 So Jesus replied, 157 “My teaching is not from me, but from the one who sent me. 158 7:17 If anyone wants to do God’s will, 159 he will know about my teaching, whether it is from God or whether I speak from my own authority. 160 7:18 The person who speaks on his own authority 161 desires 162 to receive honor 163 for himself; the one who desires 164 the honor 165 of the one who sent him is a man of integrity, 166 and there is no unrighteousness in him. 7:19 Hasn’t Moses given you the law? Yet not one of you keeps 167 the law! Why do you want 168 to kill me?”
7:20 The crowd 169 answered, “You’re possessed by a demon! 170 Who is trying to kill you?” 171 7:21 Jesus replied, 172 “I performed one miracle 173 and you are all amazed. 174 7:22 However, because Moses gave you the practice of circumcision 175 (not that it came from Moses, but from the forefathers), you circumcise a male child 176 on the Sabbath. 7:23 But if a male child 177 is circumcised 178 on the Sabbath so that the law of Moses is not broken, 179 why are you angry with me because I made a man completely well 180 on the Sabbath? 7:24 Do not judge according to external appearance, 181 but judge with proper 182 judgment.”
7:25 Then some of the residents of Jerusalem 183 began to say, “Isn’t this the man 184 they are trying 185 to kill? 7:26 Yet here he is, speaking publicly, 186 and they are saying nothing to him. 187 Do the rulers really know that this man 188 is the Christ? 189 7:27 But we know where this man 190 comes from. 191 Whenever the Christ 192 comes, no one will know where he comes from.” 193
7:28 Then Jesus, while teaching in the temple courts, 194 cried out, 195 “You both know me and know where I come from! 196 And I have not come on my own initiative, 197 but the one who sent me 198 is true. You do not know him, 199 7:29 but 200 I know him, because I have come from him 201 and he 202 sent me.”
7:30 So then they tried to seize Jesus, 203 but no one laid a hand on him, because his time 204 had not yet come. 7:31 Yet many of the crowd 205 believed in him and said, “Whenever the Christ 206 comes, he won’t perform more miraculous signs than this man did, will he?” 207
7:32 The Pharisees 208 heard the crowd 209 murmuring these things about Jesus, 210 so the chief priests and the Pharisees sent officers 211 to arrest him. 212 7:33 Then Jesus said, “I will be with you for only a little while longer, 213 and then 214 I am going to the one who sent me. 7:34 You will look for me 215 but will not find me, and where I am you cannot come.”
7:35 Then the Jewish leaders 216 said to one another, “Where is he 217 going to go that we cannot find him? 218 He is not going to go to the Jewish people dispersed 219 among the Greeks and teach the Greeks, is he? 220 7:36 What did he mean by saying, 221 ‘You will look for me 222 but will not find me, and where I am you cannot come’?”
7:37 On the last day of the feast, the greatest day, 223 Jesus stood up and shouted out, 224 “If anyone is thirsty, let him come to me, and 7:38 let the one who believes in me drink. 225 Just as the scripture says, ‘From within him 226 will flow rivers of living water.’” 227 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, 228 because Jesus was not yet glorified.) 229
7:40 When they heard these words, some of the crowd 230 began to say, “This really 231 is the Prophet!” 232 7:41 Others said, “This is the Christ!” 233 But still others said, “No, 234 for the Christ doesn’t come from Galilee, does he? 235 7:42 Don’t the scriptures say that the Christ is a descendant 236 of David 237 and comes from Bethlehem, 238 the village where David lived?” 239 7:43 So there was a division in the crowd 240 because of Jesus. 241 7:44 Some of them were wanting to seize him, but no one laid a hand on him. 242
7:45 Then the officers 243 returned 244 to the chief priests and Pharisees, 245 who said to them, “Why didn’t you bring him back with you?” 246 7:46 The officers replied, “No one ever spoke like this man!” 7:47 Then the Pharisees answered, 247 “You haven’t been deceived too, have you? 248 7:48 None of the rulers 249 or the Pharisees have believed in him, have they? 250 7:49 But this rabble 251 who do not know the law are accursed!”
7:50 Nicodemus, who had gone to Jesus 252 before and who was one of the rulers, 253 said, 254 7:51 “Our law doesn’t condemn 255 a man unless it first hears from him and learns 256 what he is doing, does it?” 257 7:52 They replied, 258 “You aren’t from Galilee too, are you? 259 Investigate carefully and you will see that no prophet 260 comes from Galilee!”
7:53 261 [[And each one departed to his own house. 8:1 But Jesus went to the Mount of Olives. 262 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 263 them. 8:3 The experts in the law 264 and the Pharisees 265 brought a woman who had been caught committing adultery. They made her stand in front of them 8:4 and said to Jesus, 266 “Teacher, this woman was caught in the very act of adultery. 8:5 In the law Moses commanded us to stone to death 267 such women. 268 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 269 him.) 270 Jesus bent down and wrote on the ground with his finger. 271 8:7 When they persisted in asking him, he stood up straight 272 and replied, 273 “Whoever among you is guiltless 274 may be the first to throw a stone at her.” 8:8 Then 275 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, 276 until Jesus was left alone with the woman standing before him. 8:10 Jesus stood up straight 277 and said to her, “Woman, 278 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.”]] 279
8:12 Then Jesus spoke out again, 280 “I am the light of the world. 281 The one who follows me will never 282 walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.” 8:13 So the Pharisees 283 objected, 284 “You testify about yourself; your testimony is not true!” 285 8:14 Jesus answered, 286 “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 287 do not know where I came from or where I am going. 288 8:15 You people 289 judge by outward appearances; 290 I do not judge anyone. 291 8:16 But if I judge, my evaluation is accurate, 292 because I am not alone when I judge, 293 but I and the Father who sent me do so together. 294 8:17 It is written in your law that the testimony of two men is true. 295 8:18 I testify about myself 296 and the Father who sent me testifies about me.”
8:19 Then they began asking 297 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.” 298 8:20 (Jesus 299 spoke these words near the offering box 300 while he was teaching in the temple courts. 301 No one seized him because his time 302 had not yet come.) 303
8:21 Then Jesus 304 said to them again, 305 “I am going away, and you will look for me 306 but will die in your sin. 307 Where I am going you cannot come.” 8:22 So the Jewish leaders 308 began to say, 309 “Perhaps he is going to kill himself, because he says, ‘Where I am going you cannot come.’” 8:23 Jesus replied, 310 “You people 311 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 312 that you will die in your sins. For unless you believe that I am he, 313 you will die in your sins.”
8:25 So they said to him, “Who are you?” Jesus replied, 314 “What I have told you from the beginning. 8:26 I have many things to say and to judge 315 about you, but the Father 316 who sent me is truthful, 317 and the things I have heard from him I speak to the world.” 318 8:27 (They did not understand that he was telling them about his Father.) 319
8:28 Then Jesus said, 320 “When you lift up the Son of Man, then you will know that I am he, 321 and I do nothing on my own initiative, 322 but I speak just what the Father taught me. 323 8:29 And the one who sent me is with me. He has not left me alone, 324 because I always do those things that please him.” 8:30 While he was saying these things, many people 325 believed in him.
8:31 Then Jesus said to those Judeans 326 who had believed him, “If you continue to follow my teaching, 327 you are really 328 my disciples 8:32 and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” 329 8:33 “We are descendants 330 of Abraham,” they replied, 331 “and have never been anyone’s slaves! How can you say, 332 ‘You will become free’?” 8:34 Jesus answered them, “I tell you the solemn truth, 333 everyone who practices 334 sin is a slave 335 of sin. 8:35 The slave does not remain in the family 336 forever, but the son remains forever. 337 8:36 So if the son 338 sets you free, you will be really free. 8:37 I know that you are Abraham’s descendants. 339 But you want 340 to kill me, because my teaching 341 makes no progress among you. 342 8:38 I am telling you the things I have seen while with the 343 Father; 344 as for you, 345 practice the things you have heard from the 346 Father!”
8:39 They answered him, 347 “Abraham is our father!” 348 Jesus replied, 349 “If you are 350 Abraham’s children, you would be doing 351 the deeds of Abraham. 8:40 But now you are trying 352 to kill me, a man who has told you 353 the truth I heard from God. Abraham did not do this! 354 8:41 You people 355 are doing the deeds of your father.”
Then 356 they said to Jesus, 357 “We were not born as a result of immorality! 358 We have only one Father, God himself.” 8:42 Jesus replied, 359 “If God were your Father, you would love me, for I have come from God and am now here. 360 I 361 have not come on my own initiative, 362 but he 363 sent me. 8:43 Why don’t you understand what I am saying? It is because you cannot accept 364 my teaching. 365 8:44 You people 366 are from 367 your father the devil, and you want to do what your father desires. 368 He 369 was a murderer from the beginning, and does not uphold the truth, 370 because there is no truth in him. Whenever he lies, 371 he speaks according to his own nature, 372 because he is a liar and the father of lies. 373 8:45 But because I am telling you 374 the truth, you do not believe me. 8:46 Who among you can prove me guilty 375 of any sin? 376 If I am telling you 377 the truth, why don’t you believe me? 8:47 The one who belongs to 378 God listens and responds 379 to God’s words. You don’t listen and respond, 380 because you don’t belong to God.” 381
8:48 The Judeans 382 replied, 383 “Aren’t we correct in saying 384 that you are a Samaritan and are possessed by a demon?” 385 8:49 Jesus answered, “I am not possessed by a demon, 386 but I honor my Father – and yet 387 you dishonor me. 8:50 I am not trying to get 388 praise for myself. 389 There is one who demands 390 it, and he also judges. 391 8:51 I tell you the solemn truth, 392 if anyone obeys 393 my teaching, 394 he will never see death.” 395
8:52 Then 396 the Judeans 397 responded, 398 “Now we know you’re possessed by a demon! 399 Both Abraham and the prophets died, and yet 400 you say, ‘If anyone obeys 401 my teaching, 402 he will never experience 403 death.’ 404 8:53 You aren’t greater than our father Abraham who died, are you? 405 And the prophets died too! Who do you claim to be?” 8:54 Jesus replied, 406 “If I glorify myself, my glory is worthless. 407 The one who glorifies me is my Father, about whom you people 408 say, ‘He is our God.’ 8:55 Yet 409 you do not know him, but I know him. If I were to say that I do not know him, 410 I would be a liar like you. But I do know him, and I obey 411 his teaching. 412 8:56 Your father Abraham was overjoyed 413 to see my day, and he saw it and was glad.” 414
8:57 Then the Judeans 415 replied, 416 “You are not yet fifty years old! 417 Have 418 you seen Abraham?” 8:58 Jesus said to them, “I tell you the solemn truth, 419 before Abraham came into existence, 420 I am!” 421 8:59 Then they picked up 422 stones to throw at him, 423 but Jesus hid himself and went out from the temple area. 424
9:1 Now as Jesus was passing by, 425 he saw a man who had been blind from birth. 9:2 His disciples asked him, 426 “Rabbi, who committed the sin that caused him to be born blind, this man 427 or his parents?” 428 9:3 Jesus answered, “Neither this man 429 nor his parents sinned, but he was born blind so that 430 the acts 431 of God may be revealed 432 through what happens to him. 433 9:4 We must perform the deeds 434 of the one who sent me 435 as long as 436 it is daytime. Night is coming when no one can work. 9:5 As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world.” 437 9:6 Having said this, 438 he spat on the ground and made some mud 439 with the saliva. He 440 smeared the mud on the blind man’s 441 eyes 9:7 and said to him, “Go wash in the pool of Siloam” 442 (which is translated “sent”). 443 So the blind man 444 went away and washed, and came back seeing.
9:8 Then the neighbors and the people who had seen him previously 445 as a beggar began saying, 446 “Is this not the man 447 who used to sit and beg?” 9:9 Some people said, 448 “This is the man!” 449 while others said, “No, but he looks like him.” 450 The man himself 451 kept insisting, “I am the one!” 452 9:10 So they asked him, 453 “How then were you made to see?” 454 9:11 He replied, 455 “The man called Jesus made mud, 456 smeared it 457 on my eyes and told me, 458 ‘Go to Siloam and wash.’ So I went and washed, and was able to see.” 459 9:12 They said 460 to him, “Where is that man?” 461 He replied, 462 “I don’t know.”
9:13 They brought the man who used to be blind 463 to the Pharisees. 464 9:14 (Now the day on which Jesus made the mud 465 and caused him to see 466 was a Sabbath.) 467 9:15 So the Pharisees asked him again how he had gained his sight. 468 He replied, 469 “He put mud 470 on my eyes and I washed, and now 471 I am able to see.”
9:16 Then some of the Pharisees began to say, 472 “This man is not from God, because he does not observe 473 the Sabbath.” 474 But others said, “How can a man who is a sinner perform 475 such miraculous signs?” Thus there was a division 476 among them. 9:17 So again they asked the man who used to be blind, 477 “What do you say about him, since he caused you to see?” 478 “He is a prophet,” the man replied. 479
9:18 Now the Jewish religious leaders 480 refused to believe 481 that he had really been blind and had gained his sight until at last they summoned 482 the parents of the man who had become able to see. 483 9:19 They asked the parents, 484 “Is this your son, whom you say 485 was born blind? Then how does he now see?” 9:20 So his parents replied, 486 “We know that this is our son and that he was born blind. 9:21 But we do not know how he is now able to see, nor do we know who caused him to see. 487 Ask him, he is a mature adult. 488 He will speak for himself.” 9:22 (His parents said these things because they were afraid of the Jewish religious leaders. 489 For the Jewish leaders had already agreed that anyone who confessed Jesus 490 to be the Christ 491 would be put out 492 of the synagogue. 493 9:23 For this reason his parents said, “He is a mature adult, 494 ask him.”) 495
9:24 Then they summoned 496 the man who used to be blind 497 a second time and said to him, “Promise before God to tell the truth. 498 We know that this man 499 is a sinner.” 9:25 He replied, 500 “I do not know whether he is a sinner. I do know one thing – that although I was blind, now I can see.” 9:26 Then they said to him, “What did he do to you? How did he cause you to see?” 501 9:27 He answered, 502 “I told you already and you didn’t listen. 503 Why do you want to hear it 504 again? You people 505 don’t want to become his disciples too, do you?”
9:28 They 506 heaped insults 507 on him, saying, 508 “You are his disciple! 509 We are disciples of Moses! 9:29 We know that God has spoken to Moses! We do not know where this man 510 comes from!” 9:30 The man replied, 511 “This is a remarkable thing, 512 that you don’t know where he comes from, and yet he caused me to see! 513 9:31 We know that God doesn’t listen to 514 sinners, but if anyone is devout 515 and does his will, God 516 listens to 517 him. 518 9:32 Never before 519 has anyone heard of someone causing a man born blind to see. 520 9:33 If this man 521 were not from God, he could do nothing.” 9:34 They replied, 522 “You were born completely in sinfulness, 523 and yet you presume to teach us?” 524 So they threw him out.
9:35 Jesus heard that they had thrown him out, so he found the man 525 and said to him, “Do you believe in the Son of Man?” 526 9:36 The man 527 replied, 528 “And who is he, sir, that 529 I may believe in him?” 9:37 Jesus told him, “You have seen him; he 530 is the one speaking with you.” 531 9:38 [He said, “Lord, I believe,” and he worshiped him. 532 9:39 Jesus 533 said,] 534 “For judgment I have come into this world, so that those who do not see may gain their sight, 535 and the ones who see may become blind.”
9:40 Some of the Pharisees 536 who were with him heard this 537 and asked him, 538 “We are not blind too, are we?” 539 9:41 Jesus replied, 540 “If you were blind, you would not be guilty of sin, 541 but now because you claim that you can see, 542 your guilt 543 remains.” 544
[6:1] 1 tn Again, μετὰ ταῦτα (meta tauta) is a vague temporal reference. How Jesus got from Jerusalem to Galilee is not explained, which has led many scholars (e.g., Bernard, Bultmann, and Schnackenburg) to posit either editorial redaction or some sort of rearrangement or dislocation of material (such as reversing the order of chaps. 5 and 6, for example). Such a rearrangement of the material would give a simple and consistent connection of events, but in the absence of all external evidence it does not seem to be supportable. R. E. Brown (John [AB], 1:236) says that such an arrangement is attractive in some ways but not compelling, and that no rearrangement can solve all the geographical and chronological problems in John.
[6:1] 2 sn This is a parenthetical note by the author. Only John in the New Testament refers to the Sea of Galilee by the name Sea of Tiberias (see also John 21:1), but this is correct local usage. In the mid-20’s Herod completed the building of the town of Tiberias on the southwestern shore of the lake; after this time the name came into use for the lake itself.
[6:3] 3 sn Up on the mountainside does not necessarily refer to a particular mountain or hillside, but may simply mean “the hill country” or “the high ground,” referring to the high country east of the Sea of Galilee (known today as the Golan Heights).
[6:4] 4 sn Passover. According to John’s sequence of material, considerable time has elapsed since the feast of 5:1. If the feast in 5:1 was Pentecost of
[6:4] 5 sn This is a parenthetical note by the author.
[6:5] 6 tn Grk “when he lifted up his eyes” (an idiom).
[6:6] 7 tn Grk “he”; the referent (Jesus) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[6:6] 8 sn This is a parenthetical note by the author.
[6:7] 9 tn Grk “Philip answered him.”
[6:7] 10 tn Grk “two hundred denarii.” The denarius was a silver coin worth about a day’s wage for a laborer; this would be an amount worth about eight months’ pay.
[6:8] 11 tn Grk “one of his disciples.”
[6:9] 12 tn Grk “but what are these”; the word “good” is not in the Greek text, but is implied.
[6:10] 14 sn This is a parenthetical note by the author (suggesting an eyewitness recollection).
[6:10] 15 tn Here “men” has been used in the translation because the following number, 5,000, probably included only adult males (see the parallel in Matt 14:21).
[6:11] 16 tn Grk “likewise also (he distributed) from the fish.”
[6:12] 17 tn Grk “he”; the referent (Jesus) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[6:13] 18 sn Note that the fish mentioned previously (in John 6:9) are not emphasized here, only the five barley loaves. This is easy to understand, however, because the bread is of primary importance for the author in view of Jesus’ upcoming discourse on the Bread of Life.
[6:14] 19 tn Grk “he”; the referent (Jesus) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[6:14] 20 sn The Prophet is a reference to the “prophet like Moses” of Deut 18:15, by this time an eschatological figure in popular belief.
[6:14] 21 sn An allusion to Deut 18:15.
[6:15] 22 sn Jesus, knowing that his “hour” had not yet come (and would not, in this fashion) withdrew again up the mountainside alone. The ministry of miracles in Galilee, ending with this, the multiplication of the bread (the last public miracle in Galilee recorded by John) aroused such a popular response that there was danger of an uprising. This would have given the authorities a legal excuse to arrest Jesus. The nature of Jesus’ kingship will become an issue again in the passion narrative of the Fourth Gospel (John 18:33ff.). Furthermore, the volatile reaction of the Galileans to the signs prepares for and foreshadows the misunderstanding of the miracle itself, and even the misunderstanding of Jesus’ explanation of it (John 6:22-71).
[6:16] 23 tn Or “sea.” The Greek word indicates a rather large body of water, but the English word “sea” normally indicates very large bodies of water, so the word “lake” in English is a closer approximation.
[6:17] 24 tn Or “sea.” See the note on “lake” in the previous verse.
[6:17] 25 map For location see Map1 D2; Map2 C3; Map3 B2.
[6:17] 26 sn This is a parenthetical note by the author.
[6:19] 27 tn Grk “about twenty-five or thirty stades” (a stade as a unit of linear measure is about 607 feet or 187 meters).
[6:19] sn About three or four miles. The Sea of Galilee was at its widest point 7 mi (11.6 km) by 12 mi (20 km). So at this point the disciples were in about the middle of the lake.
[6:19] 28 tn Or “sea.” See the note on “lake” in v. 16. John uses the phrase ἐπί (epi, “on”) followed by the genitive (as in Mark, instead of Matthew’s ἐπί followed by the accusative) to describe Jesus walking “on the lake.”
[6:22] 29 tn Or “sea.” See the note on “lake” in v. 16.
[6:22] 30 tc Most witnesses have after “one” the phrase “which his disciples had entered” (ἐκεῖνο εἰς ὃ ἐνέβησαν οἱ μαθηταὶ αὐτοῦ, ekeino ei" }o enebhsan Joi maqhtai autou) although there are several permutations of this clause ([א* D] Θ [Ë13 33] Ï [sa]). The witnesses that lack this expression are, however, significant and diffused (Ì75 א2 A B L N W Ψ 1 565 579 1241 al lat). The clarifying nature of the longer reading, the multiple variants from it, and the weighty testimony for the shorter reading all argue against the authenticity of the longer text in any of its variations.
[6:22] tn Grk “one”; the referent (a small boat) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[6:23] 32 map For location see Map1 E2; Map2 C2; Map3 C3; Map4 D1; Map5 G4.
[6:23] 33 tn Or “boats from Tiberias landed”; Grk “came.”
[6:23] 34 tc D 091 a e sys,c lack the phrase “after the Lord had given thanks” (εὐχαριστήσαντος τοῦ κυρίου, eucaristhsanto" tou kuriou), while almost all the rest of the witnesses ({Ì75 א A B L W Θ Ψ 0141 [Ë1] Ë13 33 Ï as well as several versions and fathers}) have the words (though {l672 l950 syp pbo} read ᾿Ιησοῦ [Ihsou, “Jesus”] instead of κυρίου). Although the shorter reading has minimal support, it is significant that this Gospel speaks of Jesus as Lord in the evangelist’s narrative descriptions only in 11:2; 20:18, 20; 21:12; and possibly 4:1 (but see tc note on “Jesus” there). There is thus but one undisputed preresurrection text in which the narrator calls Jesus “Lord.” This fact can be utilized on behalf of either reading: The participial phrase could be seen as a scribal addition harking back to 6:11 but which does not fit Johannine style, or it could be viewed as truly authentic and in line with what John indisputably does elsewhere even if rarely. On balance, in light of the overwhelming support for these words it is probably best to retain them in the text.
[6:24] 35 tn Or “embarked in the boats.”
[6:24] 36 map For location see Map1 D2; Map2 C3; Map3 B2.
[6:25] 37 tn Or “sea.” See the note on “lake” in v. 16.
[6:25] 38 sn John 6:25-31. The previous miracle of the multiplication of the bread had taken place near the town of Tiberias (cf. John 6:23). Jesus’ disciples set sail for Capernaum (6:17) and were joined by the Lord in the middle of the sea. The next day boats from Tiberias picked up a few of those who had seen the multiplication (certainly not the whole 5,000) and brought them to Capernaum. It was to this group that Jesus spoke in 6:26-27. But there were also people from Capernaum who had gathered to see Jesus, who had not witnessed the multiplication, and it was this group that asked Jesus for a miraculous sign like the manna (6:30-31). This would have seemed superfluous if it were the same crowd that had already seen the multiplication of the bread. But some from Capernaum had heard about it and wanted to see a similar miracle repeated.
[6:26] 39 tn Grk “answered and said to them.”
[6:26] 40 tn Grk “Truly, truly, I say to you.”
[6:26] 41 tn Grk “because you ate of the loaves of bread and were filled.”
[6:27] 42 tn Or “perishes” (this might refer to spoiling, but is more focused on the temporary nature of this kind of food).
[6:27] sn Do not work for the food that disappears. Note the wordplay on “work” here. This does not imply “working” for salvation, since the “work” is later explained (in John 6:29) as “to believe in the one whom he (the Father) sent.”
[6:27] 43 tn The referent (the food) has been specified for clarity by repeating the word “food” from the previous clause.
[6:27] 44 tn Grk “on this one.”
[6:28] 46 tn Grk “What must we do to work the works of God?”
[6:29] 47 tn Grk “answered and said to them.”
[6:29] 49 tn Grk “This is the work of God.”
[6:29] 50 tn Grk “that one” (i.e., God).
[6:31] 51 tn Or “forefathers”; Grk “fathers.”
[6:31] 52 sn A quotation from Ps 78:24 (referring to the events of Exod 16:4-36).
[6:32] 53 tn Grk “Truly, truly, I say to you.”
[6:34] 55 tn Or “Lord.” The Greek κύριος (kurios) means both “Sir” and “Lord.” In this passage it is not at all clear at this point that the crowd is acknowledging Jesus as Lord. More likely this is simply a form of polite address (“sir”).
[6:35] 56 tn Grk “the one who believes in me will not possibly thirst, ever.”
[6:35] sn The one who believes in me will never be thirsty. Note the parallelism between “coming to Jesus” in the first part of v. 35 and “believing in Jesus” in the second part of v. 35. For the author of the Gospel of John these terms are virtually equivalent, both referring to a positive response to Jesus (see John 3:17-21).
[6:36] 57 tn Grk “But I said to you.”
[6:36] 58 tc A few witnesses lack με (me, “me”; א A a b e q sys,c), while the rest of the tradition has the word (Ì66,75vid rell). It is possible that the
[6:37] 59 tn Or “drive away”; Grk “cast out.”
[6:39] 60 tn Or “resurrect them all,” or “make them all live again”; Grk “raise it up.” The word “all” is supplied to bring out the collective nature of the neuter singular pronoun αὐτό (auto) in Greek. The plural pronoun “them” is used rather than neuter singular “it” because this is clearer in English, which does not use neuter collective singulars in the same way Greek does.
[6:40] 61 tn Or “resurrect him,” or “make him live again.”
[6:40] 62 sn Notice that here the result (having eternal life and being raised up at the last day) is produced by looking on the Son and believing in him. Compare John 6:54 where the same result is produced by eating Jesus’ flesh and drinking his blood. This suggests that the phrase in 6:54 (eats my flesh and drinks my blood) is to be understood in terms of the phrase here (looks on the Son and believes in him).
[6:41] 63 tn Grk “Then 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 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). Likewise, the designation “Judeans” does not fit here because the location is Galilee rather than Judea.
[6:43] 64 tn Grk “answered and said to them.”
[6:43] 65 tn Or “Do not grumble among yourselves.” The words “about me” are supplied to clarify the translation “complain to one another” (otherwise the Jewish opponents could be understood to be complaining about one another, rather than complaining to one another about Jesus).
[6:44] 66 tn Or “attracts him,” or “pulls him.” The word is used of pulling or dragging, often by force. It is even used once of magnetic attraction (A. Oepke, TDNT 2:503).
[6:44] sn The Father who sent me draws him. The author never specifically explains what this “drawing” consists of. It is evidently some kind of attraction; whether it is binding and irresistible or not is not mentioned. But there does seem to be a parallel with 6:65, where Jesus says that no one is able to come to him unless the Father has allowed it. This apparently parallels the use of Isaiah by John to reflect the spiritual blindness of the Jewish leaders (see the quotations from Isaiah in John 9:41 and 12:39-40).
[6:45] 67 sn A quotation from Isa 54:13.
[6:45] 68 tn Or “listens to the Father and learns.”
[6:46] 70 sn This is best taken as a parenthetical note by the author. Although some would attribute these words to Jesus himself, the switch from first person in Jesus’ preceding and following remarks to third person in v. 46 suggests that the author has added a clarifying comment here.
[6:47] 71 tn Grk “Truly, truly, I say to you.”
[6:47] 72 tc Most witnesses (A C2 D Ψ Ë1,13 33 Ï lat and other versions) have “in me” (εἰς ἐμέ, eis eme) here, while the Sinaitic and Curetonian Syriac versions read “in God.” These clarifying readings are predictable variants, being motivated by the scribal tendency toward greater explicitness. That the earliest and best witnesses (Ì66,75vid א B C* L T W Θ 892 pc) lack any object is solid testimony to the shorter text’s authenticity.
[6:47] 73 tn Compare John 6:40.
[6:48] 74 tn That is, “the bread that produces (eternal) life.”
[6:49] 75 tn Or “forefathers”; Grk “fathers.”
[6:50] 77 tn Grk “someone” (τις, tis).
[6:51] 78 tn Grk “And the bread.”
[6:52] 79 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] 80 tn Grk “with one another, saying.”
[6:52] 81 tn Grk “this one,” “this person.”
[6:53] 82 tn Grk “Truly, truly, I say to you.”
[6:53] 83 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] 84 tn That is, “no eternal life” (as opposed to physical life).
[6:54] 85 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] 86 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] 89 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] 90 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] 91 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] 93 tn Or “forefathers”; Grk “fathers.”
[6:58] 94 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] 95 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] 96 tn Grk “He”; the referent (Jesus) is specified in the translation for clarity.
[6:59] 97 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] 98 map For location see Map1 D2; Map2 C3; Map3 B2.
[6:60] 99 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] 100 tn Or “hard,” “demanding.”
[6:60] 101 tn Or “teaching”; Grk “word.”
[6:60] 102 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] 103 tn Grk “When Jesus knew within himself.”
[6:61] 104 tn Or “were grumbling.”
[6:61] 105 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] 106 tn Or “he was formerly?”
[6:63] 107 tn Grk “the flesh counts for nothing.”
[6:63] 108 tn Or “are spirit-giving and life-producing.”
[6:64] 109 sn This is a parenthetical comment by the author.
[6:65] 110 tn Grk “And he said”; the referent (Jesus) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[6:65] 111 tn Grk “unless it has been permitted to him by the Father.”
[6:66] 112 tn Grk “many of his disciples went back to what lay behind.”
[6:66] 113 tn Grk “were not walking with him.”
[6:67] 114 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] 116 sn See 1 John 4:16.
[6:69] 117 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] 118 tn Grk “Jesus answered them.”
[6:70] 119 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] 120 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] 121 tn Grk “this one”; the referent (Judas) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[6:71] 122 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] 123 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] 124 tn Grk “Jesus was traveling around in Galilee.”
[7:1] 125 tn Grk “For he.” Here γάρ (gar, “for”) has not been translated.
[7:1] 126 tn Grk “he did not want to travel around in Judea.”
[7:1] 127 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] 128 tn Grk “were seeking.”
[7:2] 129 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] 130 sn Since the present verse places these incidents at the feast of Tabernacles (
[7:3] 131 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] 132 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] 133 tn Or “seeks to be well known.”
[7:4] 134 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] 135 sn This is a parenthetical note by the author.
[7:6] 136 tn Grk “Then Jesus said to them.”
[7:6] 137 tn Or “my opportunity.”
[7:6] 138 tn Or “is not yet here.”
[7:6] 139 tn Grk “your time is always ready.”
[7:8] 140 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] 141 tc Most
[7:8] 142 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] 143 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] 144 tn Grk “he”; the referent (Jesus) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[7:11] 145 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] 146 tn Grk “Where is that one?”
[7:12] 147 tn Grk “And there was.”
[7:12] 148 tn Or “complaining.”
[7:12] 149 tn Or “among the common people” (as opposed to the religious authorities mentioned in the previous verse).
[7:13] 151 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] 152 tn Grk “to the temple.”
[7:14] 153 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] 154 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] 155 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] 156 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] 157 tn Grk “So Jesus answered and said to them.”
[7:16] 158 tn The phrase “the one who sent me” refers to God.
[7:17] 160 tn Grk “or whether I speak from myself.”
[7:18] 161 tn Grk “who speaks from himself.”
[7:18] 163 tn Or “praise”; Grk “glory.”
[7:18] 165 tn Or “praise”; Grk “glory.”
[7:18] 166 tn Or “is truthful”; Grk “is true.”
[7:19] 167 tn Or “accomplishes”; Grk “does.”
[7:20] 169 tn Or “The common people” (as opposed to the religious authorities mentioned in 7:15).
[7:20] 170 tn Grk “You have a demon!”
[7:20] 171 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] 172 tn Grk “Jesus answered and said to them.”
[7:21] 173 tn Grk “I did one deed.”
[7:21] 174 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] 175 tn Grk “gave you circumcision.”
[7:22] 176 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] 177 tn Grk “a man.” See the note on “male child” in the previous verse.
[7:23] 178 tn Grk “receives circumcision.”
[7:23] 179 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] 180 tn Or “made an entire man well.”
[7:24] 181 tn Or “based on sight.”
[7:24] 182 tn Or “honest”; Grk “righteous.”
[7:25] 183 map For location see Map5 B1; Map6 F3; Map7 E2; Map8 F2; Map10 B3; JP1 F4; JP2 F4; JP3 F4; JP4 F4.
[7:25] 184 tn Grk “Is it not this one.”
[7:26] 186 tn Or “speaking openly.”
[7:26] 187 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] 189 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] 191 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] 192 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] 193 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] 194 tn Grk “the temple.”
[7:28] 195 tn Grk “Then Jesus cried out in the temple, teaching and saying.”
[7:28] 196 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] 197 tn Grk “And I have not come from myself.”
[7:28] 198 tn The phrase “the one who sent me” refers to God.
[7:28] 199 tn Grk “the one who sent me is true, whom you do not know.”
[7:29] 200 tn Although the conjunction “but” is not in the Greek text, the contrast is implied (an omitted conjunction is called asyndeton).
[7:29] 201 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] 202 tn Grk “and that one.”
[7:30] 203 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] 205 tn Or “The common people” (as opposed to the religious authorities).
[7:31] 206 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] 207 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] 208 sn See the note on Pharisees in 1:24.
[7:32] 209 tn Or “The common people” (as opposed to the religious authorities like the Pharisees).
[7:32] 210 tn Grk “him”; the referent (Jesus) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[7:32] 211 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] 212 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] 213 tn Grk “Yet a little I am with you.”
[7:33] 214 tn The word “then” is not in the Greek text, but is implied.
[7:35] 216 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] 218 tn Grk “will not find him.”
[7:35] 219 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] 220 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] 221 tn Grk “What is this word that he said.”
[7:37] 223 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] 224 tn Grk “Jesus stood up and cried out, saying.”
[7:38] 225 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] 226 tn Or “out of the innermost part of his person”; Grk “out of his belly.”
[7:38] 227 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] 228 tn Grk “for the Spirit was not yet.” Although only B and a handful of other NT
[7:39] 229 sn This is a parenthetical note by the author.
[7:40] 230 tn Or “The common people” (as opposed to the religious authorities like the chief priests and Pharisees).
[7:40] 232 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] 233 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] 234 tn An initial negative reply (“No”) is suggested by the causal or explanatory γάρ (gar) which begins the clause.
[7:41] 235 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] 236 tn Grk “is from the seed” (an idiom for human descent).
[7:42] 237 sn An allusion to Ps 89:4.
[7:42] 238 sn An allusion to Mic 5:2.
[7:42] map For location see Map5 B1; Map7 E2; Map8 E2; Map10 B4.
[7:42] 239 tn Grk “the village where David was.”
[7:43] 240 tn Or “among the common people” (as opposed to the religious authorities like the chief priests and Pharisees).
[7:43] 241 tn Grk “him”; the referent (Jesus) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[7:44] 242 sn Compare John 7:30 regarding the attempt to seize Jesus.
[7:45] 243 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] 245 sn See the note on Pharisees in 1:24.
[7:45] 246 tn Grk “Why did you not bring him?” The words “back with you” are implied.
[7:47] 247 tn Grk “answered them.”
[7:47] 248 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] 249 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] 250 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] 251 tn Grk “crowd.” “Rabble” is a good translation here because the remark by the Pharisees is so derogatory.
[7:50] 252 tn Grk “him”; the referent (Jesus) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[7:50] 253 tn Grk “who was one of them”; the referent (the rulers) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[7:50] 254 tn Grk “said to them.”
[7:51] 257 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] 258 tn Grk “They answered and said to him.”
[7:52] 259 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] 260 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] 261 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] 262 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] 263 tn An ingressive sense for the imperfect fits well here following the aorist participle.
[8:3] 264 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] 265 sn See the note on Pharisees in 1:24.
[8:4] 266 tn Grk “to him”; the referent (Jesus) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[8:5] 267 sn An allusion to Lev 20:10 and Deut 22:22-24.
[8:5] 268 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] 269 tn Grk “so that they could accuse.”
[8:6] 270 sn This is a parenthetical note by the author of 7:53–8:11.
[8:6] 271 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] 272 tn Or “he straightened up.”
[8:7] 273 tn Grk “and said to them.”
[8:8] 275 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] 276 tn Or “beginning from the eldest.”
[8:10] 277 tn Or “straightened up.”
[8:10] 278 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] 279 tc The earliest and best
[8:12] 280 tn Grk “Then again Jesus spoke to them saying.”
[8:12] 281 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] 282 tn The double negative οὐ μή (ou mh) is emphatic in 1st century Hellenistic Greek.
[8:13] 283 sn See the note on Pharisees in 1:24.
[8:13] 284 tn Grk “Then the Pharisees said to him.”
[8:13] 285 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] 286 tn Grk “Jesus answered and said to them.”
[8:14] 287 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] 288 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] 289 tn The word “people” is supplied in the translation to indicate that the pronoun and verb (“judge”) in Greek are plural.
[8:15] 290 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] 291 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] 292 tn Grk “my judgment is true.”
[8:16] 293 tn The phrase “when I judge” is not in the Greek text, but is implied by the context.
[8:16] 294 tn The phrase “do so together” is not in the Greek text, but is implied by the context.
[8:17] 295 sn An allusion to Deut 17:6.
[8:18] 296 tn Grk “I am the one who testifies about myself.”
[8:19] 297 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] 298 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] 299 tn Grk “He”; the referent (Jesus) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[8:20] 300 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] 301 tn Grk “the temple.”
[8:20] 303 sn This is a parenthetical note by the author.
[8:21] 304 tn Grk “He”; the referent (Jesus) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[8:21] 305 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] 306 tn Grk “you will seek me.”
[8:21] 307 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] 308 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] 309 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] 310 tn Grk “And he said to them.”
[8:23] 311 tn The word “people” is supplied in English to clarify the plural Greek pronoun and verb.
[8:24] 312 tn Grk “thus I said to you.”
[8:24] 313 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] 314 tn Grk “Jesus said to them.”
[8:26] 315 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] 316 tn Grk “the one”; the referent (the Father) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[8:26] 317 tn Grk “true” (in the sense of one who always tells the truth).
[8:26] 318 tn Grk “and what things I have heard from him, these things I speak to the world.”
[8:27] 319 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] 320 tn Grk “Then Jesus said to them” (the words “to them” are not found in all
[8:28] 321 tn Grk “that I am.” See the note on this phrase in v. 24.
[8:28] 322 tn Grk “I do nothing from myself.”
[8:28] 323 tn Grk “but just as the Father taught me, these things I speak.”
[8:29] 324 tn That is, “he has not abandoned me.”
[8:30] 325 tn The word “people” is not in the Greek text, but is supplied for clarity and smoothness in the translation.
[8:31] 326 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] 327 tn Grk “If you continue in my word.”
[8:32] 329 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] 330 tn Grk “We are the seed” (an idiom).
[8:33] 331 tn Grk “They answered to him.”
[8:33] 332 tn Or “How is it that you say.”
[8:34] 333 tn Grk “Truly, truly, I say to you.”
[8:34] 334 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] 335 tn See the note on the word “slaves” in 4:51.
[8:35] 336 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] 337 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] 338 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] 339 tn Grk “seed” (an idiom).
[8:37] 340 tn Grk “you are seeking.”
[8:37] 342 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] 343 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] 344 tn Grk “The things which I have seen with the Father I speak about.”
[8:38] 346 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] 347 tn Grk “They answered and said to him.”
[8:39] 348 tn Or “Our father is Abraham.”
[8:39] 349 tn Grk “Jesus said to them.”
[8:39] 350 tc Although most
[8:39] 351 tc Some important
[8:39] tn Or “you would do.”
[8:40] 353 tn Grk “has spoken to you.”
[8:40] 354 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] 355 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] 356 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] 357 tn Grk “him”; the referent (Jesus) is specified in the translation for clarity.
[8:41] 358 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] 359 tn Grk “Jesus said to them.”
[8:42] 360 tn Or “I came from God and have arrived.”
[8:42] 361 tn Grk “For I.” Here γάρ (gar) has not been translated.
[8:42] 362 tn Grk “from myself.”
[8:42] 363 tn Grk “that one” (referring to God).
[8:43] 364 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] 366 tn The word “people” is supplied in the translation to clarify that the Greek pronoun and verb are plural.
[8:44] 367 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] 368 tn Grk “the desires of your father you want to do.”
[8:44] 369 tn Grk “That one” (referring to the devil).
[8:44] 370 tn Grk “he does not stand in the truth” (in the sense of maintaining, upholding, or accepting the validity of it).
[8:44] 371 tn Grk “Whenever he speaks the lie.”
[8:44] 372 tn Grk “he speaks from his own.”
[8:44] 373 tn Grk “because he is a liar and the father of it.”
[8:45] 374 tn Or “because I tell you.”
[8:46] 375 tn Or “can convict me.”
[8:46] 376 tn Or “of having sinned”; Grk “of sin.”
[8:46] 377 tn Or “if I tell you.”
[8:47] 378 tn Grk “who is of.”
[8:47] 379 tn Grk “to God hears” (in the sense of listening to something and responding to it).
[8:47] 380 tn Grk “you do not hear” (in the sense of listening to something and responding to it).
[8:47] 381 tn Grk “you are not of God.”
[8:48] 382 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] 383 tn Grk “answered and said to him.”
[8:48] 384 tn Grk “Do we not say rightly.”
[8:48] 385 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] 386 tn Grk “I do not have a demon.”
[8:49] 387 tn “Yet” is supplied to show the contrastive element present in the context.
[8:50] 388 tn Grk “I am not seeking.”
[8:50] 390 tn Grk “who seeks.”
[8:50] 391 tn Or “will be the judge.”
[8:51] 392 tn Grk “Truly, truly, I say to you.”
[8:51] 393 tn Grk “If anyone keeps.”
[8:51] 395 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] 396 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] 397 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] 398 tn Grk “said to him.”
[8:52] 399 tn Grk “you have a demon.”
[8:52] 400 tn “Yet” has been supplied to show the contrastive element present in the context.
[8:52] 401 tn Grk “If anyone keeps.”
[8:52] 403 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] 404 tn Grk “he will never taste of death forever.” The Greek negative here is emphatic.
[8:53] 405 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?”).
[8:54] 406 tn Grk “Jesus answered.”
[8:54] 407 tn Grk “is nothing.”
[8:54] 408 tn The word “people” is not in the Greek text, but is supplied in English to clarify the plural Greek pronoun and verb.
[8:55] 409 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “Yet” to indicate the contrast present in the context.
[8:55] 410 tn Grk “If I say, ‘I do not know him.’”
[8:56] 413 tn Or “rejoiced greatly.”
[8:56] 414 tn What is the meaning of Jesus’ statement that the patriarch Abraham “saw” his day and rejoiced? The use of past tenses would seem to refer to something that occurred during the patriarch’s lifetime. Genesis Rabbah 44:25ff, (cf. 59:6) states that Rabbi Akiba, in a debate with Rabbi Johanan ben Zakkai, held that Abraham had been shown not this world only but the world to come (this would include the days of the Messiah). More realistically, it is likely that Gen 22:13-15 lies behind Jesus’ words. This passage, known to rabbis as the Akedah (“Binding”), tells of Abraham finding the ram which will replace his son Isaac on the altar of sacrifice – an occasion of certain rejoicing.
[8:57] 415 tn Grk “Then the Jews.” See the note on this term in v. 31. Here, as in vv. 31, 48, and 52, 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 have now become completely hostile, as John 8:59 clearly shows.
[8:57] 416 tn Grk “said to him.”
[8:57] 417 tn Grk ‘You do not yet have fifty years” (an idiom).
[8:58] 419 tn Grk “Truly, truly, I say to you.”
[8:58] 420 tn Grk “before Abraham was.”
[8:58] 421 sn I am! is an explicit claim to deity. Although each occurrence of the phrase “I am” in the Fourth Gospel needs to be examined individually in context to see if an association with Exod 3:14 is present, it seems clear that this is the case here (as the response of the Jewish authorities in the following verse shows).
[8:59] 422 tn Grk “they took up.”
[8:59] 423 sn Jesus’ Jewish listeners understood his claim to deity, rejected it, and picked up stones to throw at him for what they considered blasphemy.
[8:59] 424 tc Most later witnesses (A Θc Ë1,13 Ï) have at the end of the verse “passing through their midst, he went away in this manner” (διελθὼν διὰ μέσου καὶ παρῆγεν οὕτως, dielqwn dia mesou kai parhgen {outw"), while many others have similar permutations (so א1,2 C L N Ψ 070 33 579 892 1241 al). The wording is similar to two other texts: Luke 4:30 (διελθὼν διὰ μέσου; in several
[8:59] tn Grk “from the temple.”
[9:1] 425 tn Or “going along.” The opening words of chap. 9, καὶ παράγων (kai paragwn), convey only the vaguest indication of the circumstances.
[9:1] sn Since there is no break with chap. 8, Jesus is presumably still in Jerusalem, and presumably not still in the temple area. The events of chap. 9 fall somewhere between the feast of Tabernacles (John 7:2) and the feast of the Dedication (John 10:22). But in the author’s narrative the connection exists – the incident recorded in chap. 9 (along with the ensuing debates with the Pharisees) serves as a real-life illustration of the claim Jesus made in 8:12, I am the light of the world. This is in fact the probable theological motivation behind the juxtaposition of these two incidents in the narrative. The second serves as an illustration of the first, and as a concrete example of the victory of light over darkness. One other thing which should be pointed out about the miracle recorded in chap. 9 is its messianic significance. In the OT it is God himself who is associated with the giving of sight to the blind (Exod 4:11, Ps 146:8). In a number of passages in Isa (29:18, 35:5, 42:7) it is considered to be a messianic activity.
[9:2] 426 tn Grk “asked him, saying.”
[9:2] 428 tn Grk “in order that he should be born blind.”
[9:2] sn The disciples assumed that sin (regardless of who committed it) was the cause of the man’s blindness. This was a common belief in Judaism; the rabbis used Ezek 18:20 to prove there was no death without sin, and Ps 89:33 to prove there was no punishment without guilt (the Babylonian Talmud, b. Shabbat 55a, although later than the NT, illustrates this). Thus in this case the sin must have been on the part of the man’s parents, or during his own prenatal existence. Song Rabbah 1:41 (another later rabbinic work) stated that when a pregnant woman worshiped in a heathen temple the unborn child also committed idolatry. This is only one example of how, in rabbinic Jewish thought, an unborn child was capable of sinning.
[9:3] 430 tn Grk “but so that.” There is an ellipsis that must be supplied: “but [he was born blind] so that” or “but [it happened to him] so that.”
[9:3] 431 tn Or “deeds”; Grk “works.”
[9:3] 432 tn Or “manifested,” “brought to light.”
[9:4] 434 tn Grk “We must work the works.”
[9:4] 435 tn Or “of him who sent me” (God).
[9:5] 437 sn Jesus’ statement I am the light of the world connects the present account with 8:12. Here (seen more clearly than at 8:12) it is obvious what the author sees as the significance of Jesus’ statement. “Light” is not a metaphysical definition of the person of Jesus but a description of his effect on the world, forcing everyone in the world to ‘choose up sides’ for or against him (cf. 3:19-21).
[9:6] 438 tn Grk “said these things.”
[9:6] 439 tn Or “clay” (moistened earth of a clay-like consistency). The textual variant preserved in the Syriac text of Ephraem’s commentary on the Diatessaron (“he made eyes from his clay”) probably arose from the interpretation given by Irenaeus in Against Heresies: “that which the Artificer, the Word, had omitted to form in the womb, he then supplied in public.” This involves taking the clay as an allusion to Gen 2:7, which is very unlikely.
[9:6] 440 tn Because of the length and complexity of the Greek sentence, the conjunction καί (kai) was replaced by a third person pronoun and a new sentence started here in the translation.
[9:7] 442 tn The pool’s name in Hebrew is shiloah from the Hebrew verb “to send.” In Gen 49:10 the somewhat obscure shiloh was interpreted messianically by later Jewish tradition, and some have seen a lexical connection between the two names (although this is somewhat dubious). It is known, however, that it was from the pool of Siloam that the water which was poured out at the altar during the feast of Tabernacles was drawn.
[9:7] 443 sn This is a parenthetical note by the author. Why does he comment on the meaning of the name of the pool? Here, the significance is that the Father sent the Son, and the Son sent the man born blind. The name of the pool is applicable to the man, but also to Jesus himself, who was sent from heaven.
[9:7] 444 tn Grk “So he”; the referent (the blind man) is specified in the translation for clarity.
[9:8] 446 tn An ingressive force (“began saying”) is present here because the change in status of the blind person provokes this new response from those who knew him.
[9:9] 448 tn Grk “Others were saying.”
[9:9] 449 tn Grk “This is the one.”
[9:9] 450 tn Grk “No, but he is like him.”
[9:9] 451 tn Grk “That one”; the referent (the man himself) is specified in the translation for clarity.
[9:10] 453 tn Grk “So they were saying to him.”
[9:10] 454 tn Grk “How then were your eyes opened” (an idiom referring to restoration of sight).
[9:11] 455 tn Grk “That one answered.”
[9:11] 456 tn Or “clay” (moistened earth of a clay-like consistency).
[9:11] 457 tn Grk “and smeared.” Direct objects in Greek were often omitted when obvious from the context.
[9:11] 458 tn Grk “said to me.”
[9:11] 459 tn Or “and I gained my sight.”
[9:12] 460 tn Grk “And they said.”
[9:12] 461 tn Grk “that one.” “Man” is more normal English style for the referent.
[9:13] 463 tn Grk “who was formerly blind.”
[9:13] 464 sn See the note on Pharisees in 1:24.
[9:14] 465 tn Or “clay” (moistened earth of a clay-like consistency).
[9:14] 466 tn Grk “and opened his eyes” (an idiom referring to restoration of sight).
[9:14] 467 sn This is a parenthetical note by the author.
[9:15] 468 tn Or “how he had become able to see.”
[9:15] sn So the Pharisees asked him. Note the subtlety here: On the surface, the man is being judged. But through him, Jesus is being judged. Yet in reality (as the discerning reader will realize) it is ironically the Pharisees themselves who are being judged by their response to Jesus who is the light of the world (cf. 3:17-21).
[9:15] 469 tn Grk “And he said to them.”
[9:15] 470 tn Or “clay” (moistened earth of a clay-like consistency).
[9:15] 471 tn The word “now” is not in the Greek text, but is supplied to indicate the contrast between the man’s former state (blind) and his present state (able to see).
[9:16] 472 tn As a response to the answers of the man who used to be blind, the use of the imperfect tense in the reply of the Pharisees is best translated as an ingressive imperfect (“began to say” or “started saying”).
[9:16] 473 tn Grk “he does not keep.”
[9:16] 474 sn The Jewish religious leaders considered the work involved in making the mud to be a violation of the Sabbath.
[9:16] 476 tn Or “So there was discord.”
[9:17] 477 tn Grk “the blind man.”
[9:17] 478 tn Grk “since he opened your eyes” (an idiom referring to restoration of sight).
[9:17] 479 tn Grk “And he said, ‘He is a prophet.’”
[9:17] sn At this point the man, pressed by the Pharisees, admitted there was something special about Jesus. But here, since prophet is anarthrous (is not accompanied by the Greek article) and since in his initial reply in 9:11-12 the man showed no particular insight into the true identity of Jesus, this probably does not refer to the prophet of Deut 18:15, but merely to an unusual person who is capable of working miracles. The Pharisees had put this man on the spot, and he felt compelled to say something about Jesus, but he still didn’t have a clear conception of who Jesus was, so he labeled him a “prophet.”
[9:18] 480 tn Or “the Jewish religious 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 mainly to the Pharisees, mentioned by name in John 9:13, 15, 16. References in this context to Pharisees and to the synagogue (v. 22) suggest an emphasis on the religious nature of the debate which is brought out by the translation “the Jewish religious leaders.”
[9:18] 481 tn The Greek text contains the words “about him” at this point: “the Jewish authorities did not believe about him…”
[9:18] 482 tn Grk “they called.”
[9:18] 483 tn Or “the man who had gained his sight.”
[9:19] 484 tn Grk “and they asked them, saying”; the referent (the parents) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[9:19] 485 tn The Greek pronoun and verb are both plural (both parents are addressed).
[9:20] 486 tn Grk “So his parents answered and said.”
[9:21] 487 tn Grk “who opened his eyes” (an idiom referring to restoration of sight).
[9:21] 488 tn Or “he is of age.”
[9:22] 489 tn Or “the Jewish religious authorities”; Grk “the Jews.” Twice in this verse the phrase refers to the Pharisees, mentioned by name in John 9:13, 15, 16. The second occurrence is shortened to “the Jewish leaders” for stylistic reasons. See the note on the phrase “the Jewish religious leaders” in v. 18.
[9:22] 490 tn Grk “confessed him.”
[9:22] 491 tn Or “the Messiah” (Both Greek “Christ” and Hebrew and Aramaic “Messiah” mean “one who has been anointed”).
[9:22] sn See the note on Christ in 1:20.
[9:22] 492 tn Or “would be expelled from.”
[9:22] 493 sn This reference to excommunication from the Jewish synagogue for those who had made some sort of confession about Jesus being the Messiah is dismissed as anachronistic by some (e.g., Barrett) and nonhistorical by others. In later Jewish practice there were at least two forms of excommunication: a temporary ban for thirty days, and a permanent ban. But whether these applied in NT times is far from certain. There is no substantial evidence for a formal ban on Christians until later than this Gospel could possibly have been written. This may be a reference to some form of excommunication adopted as a contingency to deal with those who were proclaiming Jesus to be the Messiah. If so, there is no other record of the procedure than here. It was probably local, limited to the area around Jerusalem. See also the note on synagogue in 6:59.
[9:23] 494 tn Or “he is of age.”
[9:23] 495 sn This is a parenthetical note by the author explaining the parents’ response.
[9:24] 496 tn Grk “they called.”
[9:24] 497 tn Grk “who was blind.”
[9:24] 498 tn Grk “Give glory to God” (an idiomatic formula used in placing someone under oath to tell the truth).
[9:24] 499 tn The phrase “this man” is a reference to Jesus.
[9:25] 500 tn Grk “Then that one answered.”
[9:26] 501 tn Grk “open your eyes” (an idiom referring to restoration of sight).
[9:27] 502 tn Grk “He answered them.” The indirect object αὐτοῖς (autois) has not been translated for stylistic reasons.
[9:27] 503 tn Grk “you did not hear.”
[9:27] 504 tn “It” is not in the Greek text but has been supplied. Direct objects in Greek were often omitted when they were clearly implied in the context.
[9:27] 505 tn The word “people” is supplied in the translation to clarify the plural Greek pronoun and verb.
[9:28] 506 tn Grk “And they.” 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.
[9:28] 507 tn The Greek word means “to insult strongly” or “slander.”
[9:28] 509 tn Grk “You are that one’s disciple.”
[9:29] 510 tn Grk “where this one.”
[9:30] 511 tn Grk “The man answered and said to them.” This has been simplified in the translation to “The man replied.”
[9:30] 512 tn Grk “For in this is a remarkable thing.”
[9:30] 513 tn Grk “and he opened my eyes” (an idiom referring to restoration of sight).
[9:31] 514 tn Grk “God does not hear.”
[9:31] 516 tn Grk “he”; the referent (God) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[9:32] 519 tn Or “Never from the beginning of time,” Grk “From eternity.”
[9:32] 520 tn Grk “someone opening the eyes of a man born blind” (“opening the eyes” is an idiom referring to restoration of sight).
[9:34] 522 tn Grk “They answered and said to him.” This has been simplified in the translation to “They replied.”
[9:34] 523 tn Or “From birth you have been evil.” The implication of this insult, in the context of John 9, is that the man whom Jesus caused to see had not previously adhered rigorously to all the conventional requirements of the OT law as interpreted by the Pharisees. Thus he had no right to instruct them about who Jesus was.
[9:34] 524 tn Grk “and are you teaching us?”
[9:35] 525 tn Grk “found him”; the referent (the man) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[9:35] 526 tc Although most witnesses (A L Θ Ψ 070 0250 Ë1,13 33 Ï lat) have θεοῦ (qeou, “of God”) instead of ἀνθρώπου (anqrwpou, “of man”) here, the better witnesses (Ì66,75 א B D W sys) have ἀνθρώπου. Not only is the external evidence decidedly on the side of ἀνθρώπου, but it is difficult to see such early and diverse witnesses changing θεοῦ to ἀνθρώπου. The wording “Son of Man” is thus virtually certain.
[9:36] 528 tn Grk answered and said.” This has been simplified in the translation to “replied.”
[9:36] 529 tn Or “And who is he, sir? Tell me so that…” Some translations supply elliptical words like “Tell me” (NIV, NRSV) following the man’s initial question, but the shorter form given in the translation is clear enough.
[9:37] 531 tn The καί – καί (kai – kai) construction would normally be translated “both – and”: “You have both seen him, and he is the one speaking with you.” In this instance the English semicolon was used instead because it produces a smoother and more emphatic effect in English.
[9:38] 532 sn Assuming the authenticity of John 9:38-39a (see the tc note following the bracket in v. 39), the man’s response after Jesus’ statement of v. 37 is extremely significant: He worshiped Jesus. In the Johannine context the word would connote its full sense: This was something due God alone. Note also that Jesus did not prevent the man from doing this. The verb προσκυνέω (proskunew) is used in John 4:20-25 of worshiping God, and again with the same sense in 12:20. This would be the only place in John’s Gospel where anyone is said to have worshiped Jesus using this term. As such, it forms the climax of the story of the man born blind, but the uniqueness of the concept of worshiping Jesus at this point in John's narrative (which reaches its ultimate climax in the confession of Thomas in John 20:28) may suggest it is too early for such a response and it represents a later scribal addition.
[9:39] 533 tn Grk “And Jesus.” 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.
[9:39] 534 tc ‡ Some early and important witnesses (Ì75 א* W b sams ac2 mf) lack the words, “He said, ‘Lord, I believe,’ and he worshiped him. Jesus said,” (vv. 38-39a). This is weighty evidence for the omission of these words. It is difficult to overstate the value of Ì75 here, since it is the only currently available papyrus ms extant for the text of John 9:38-39. Further, א is an important and early Alexandrian witness for the omission. The versional testimony and codex W also give strong support to the omission. Nearly all other
[9:39] 535 tn Or “that those who do not see may see.”
[9:40] 536 sn See the note on Pharisees in 1:24.
[9:40] 537 tn Grk “heard these things.”
[9:40] 538 tn Grk “and said to him.”
[9:40] 539 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 we?”).
[9:41] 540 tn Grk “Jesus said to them.”
[9:41] 541 tn Grk “you would not have sin.”
[9:41] 542 tn Grk “now because you say, ‘We see…’”
[9:41] 544 sn Because you claim that you can see, your guilt remains. The blind man received sight physically, and this led him to see spiritually as well. But the Pharisees, who claimed to possess spiritual sight, were spiritually blinded. The reader might recall Jesus’ words to Nicodemus in 3:10, “Are you the teacher of Israel and don’t understand these things?” In other words, to receive Jesus was to receive the light of the world, to reject him was to reject the light, close one’s eyes, and become blind. This is the serious sin of which Jesus had warned before (8:21-24). The blindness of such people was incurable since they had rejected the only cure that exists (cf. 12:39-41).
