John 8:40-56

New English Translation

Footnotes

1. John 8:40 tn Grk “seeking.”
2. John 8:40 tn Grk “has spoken to you.”
3. John 8:40 tn The Greek word order is emphatic: “This Abraham did not do.” The emphasis is indicated in the translation by an exclamation point.
4. John 8:41 tn The word “people” is not in the Greek text, but is supplied in English to clarify the plural Greek pronoun and verb.
5. John 8:41 tc ‡ Significant and early witnesses (א B L W 070 it sy^s,p co) lack the conjunction here, while the earliest witnesses along with many others read οὖν (oun, “therefore”; P^66,75 C D Θ Ψ 0250 ƒ¹³ 33 M). 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. NA²⁸ has the conjunction in brackets, indicating some doubt as to its authenticity.
6. John 8:41 tn Grk “him”; the referent (Jesus) is specified in the translation for clarity.
7. John 8:41 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. John 8:42 tn Grk “Jesus said to them.”
9. John 8:42 tn Or “I came from God and have arrived.”
10. John 8:42 tn Grk “For I.” Here γάρ (gar) has not been translated.
11. John 8:42 tn Grk “from myself.”
12. John 8:42 tn Grk “that one” (referring to God).
13. John 8:43 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.
14. John 8:43 tn Grk “my word.”
15. John 8:44 tn The word “people” is supplied in the translation to clarify that the Greek pronoun and verb are plural.
16. John 8:44 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).
17. John 8:44 tn Grk “the desires of your father you want to do.”
18. John 8:44 tn Grk “That one” (referring to the devil).
19. John 8:44 tn Grk “he does not stand in the truth” (in the sense of maintaining, upholding, or accepting the validity of it).
20. John 8:44 tn Grk “Whenever he speaks the lie.”
21. John 8:44 tn Grk “he speaks from his own.”
22. John 8:44 tn Grk “because he is a liar and the father of it.”
23. John 8:45 tn Or “because I tell you.”
24. John 8:46 tn Or “can convict me.”
25. John 8:46 tn Or “of having sinned”; Grk “of sin.”
26. John 8:46 tn Or “if I tell you.”
27. John 8:47 tn Grk “who is of.”
28. John 8:47 tn Grk “to God hears” (in the sense of listening to something and responding to it).
29. John 8:47 tn Grk “you do not hear” (in the sense of listening to something and responding to it).
30. John 8:47 tn Grk “you are not of God.”
31. John 8:48 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.
32. John 8:48 tn Grk “answered and said to him.”
33. John 8:48 tn Grk “Do we not say rightly.”
34. John 8:48 tn Grk “and have a demon.” It is not clear what is meant by the charge Σαμαρίτης εἶ σὺ καὶ δαιμόνιον ἔχεις (Samaritēs ei su kai daimonion echeis). 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.
35. John 8:49 tn Grk “I do not have a demon.”
36. John 8:49 tn “Yet” is supplied to show the contrastive element present in the context.
37. John 8:50 tn Grk “I am not seeking.”
38. John 8:50 tn Grk “my glory.”
39. John 8:50 tn Grk “who seeks.”
40. John 8:50 tn Or “will be the judge.”
41. John 8:51 tn Grk “Truly, truly, I say to you.”
42. John 8:51 tn Grk “If anyone keeps.”
43. John 8:51 tn Grk “my word.”
44. John 8:51 tn Grk “he will never see death forever.” The Greek negative here is emphatic.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.
45. John 8:52 tc ‡ Significant and early witnesses (P⁶⁶ א B C W Θ 579 it) lack the conjunction here, while other witnesses read οὖν (oun, “therefore”; P⁷⁵ D L Ψ 070 ƒ^1,13 33 M lat). This conjunction occurs in John some 200 times, far more than in any other NT book. Even though the most important Johannine papyrus (P⁷⁵) has the conjunction, the combination of P⁶⁶ 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. NA²⁸ has the conjunction in brackets, indicating some doubt as to its authenticity.
46. John 8:52 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).
47. John 8:52 tn Grk “said to him.”
48. John 8:52 tn Grk “you have a demon.”
49. John 8:52 tn “Yet” has been supplied to show the contrastive element present in the context.
50. John 8:52 tn Grk “If anyone keeps.”
51. John 8:52 tn Grk “my word.”
52. John 8:52 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).
53. John 8:52 tn Grk “he will never taste of death forever.” The Greek negative here is emphatic.
54. John 8:53 tn Questions prefaced with μή (mē) 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?”).
55. John 8:54 tn Grk “Jesus answered.”
56. John 8:54 tn Grk “is nothing.”
57. John 8:54 tn The word “people” is not in the Greek text, but is supplied in English to clarify the plural Greek pronoun and verb.
58. John 8:55 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “Yet” to indicate the contrast present in the context.
59. John 8:55 tn Grk “If I say, ‘I do not know him.’”
60. John 8:55 tn Grk “I keep.”
61. John 8:55 tn Grk “his word.”
62. John 8:56 tn Or “rejoiced greatly.”
63. John 8:56 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.