Yohanes 10:35

10:35 If those people to whom the word of God came were called ‘gods’ (and the scripture cannot be broken), ¹ 

Yohanes 12:38-40

12:38 so that the word ²  of Isaiah the prophet would be fulfilled. He said, ³  “Lord, who has believed our message, and to whom has the arm of the Lord ⁴  been revealed?” ⁵  12:39 For this reason they could not believe, ⁶  because again Isaiah said,

12:40 “He has blinded their eyes

and hardened their heart, ⁷ 

so that they would not see with their eyes

and understand with their heart, ⁸ 

and turn to me, ⁹  and I would heal them.” ¹⁰ 

Yohanes 19:28-30

Jesus’ Death

19:28 After this Jesus, realizing that by this time ¹¹  everything was completed, ¹²  said (in order to fulfill the scripture), ¹³  “I am thirsty!” ¹⁴  19:29 A jar full of sour wine ¹⁵  was there, so they put a sponge soaked in sour wine on a branch of hyssop ¹⁶  and lifted it ¹⁷  to his mouth. 19:30 When ¹⁸  he had received the sour wine, Jesus said, “It is completed!” ¹⁹  Then he bowed his head and gave up his spirit. ²⁰ 

Yohanes 19:36

19:36 For these things happened so that the scripture would be fulfilled, “Not a bone of his will be broken.” ²¹ 

[10:35]  ¹ sn The parenthetical note And the scripture cannot be broken belongs to Jesus’ words rather than the author’s. Not only does Jesus appeal to the OT to defend himself against the charge of blasphemy, but he also adds that the scripture cannot be “broken.” In this context he does not explain precisely what is meant by “broken,” but it is not too hard to determine. Jesus’ argument depended on the exact word used in the context of Ps 82:6. If any other word for “judge” had been used in the psalm, his argument would have been meaningless. Since the scriptures do use this word in Ps 82:6, the argument is binding, because they cannot be “broken” in the sense of being shown to be in error.

[12:38]  ² tn Or “message.”

[12:38]  ³ tn Grk “who said.”

[12:38]  ⁴ tn “The arm of the Lord” is an idiom for “God’s great power” (as exemplified through Jesus’ miraculous signs). This response of unbelief is interpreted by the author as a fulfillment of the prophetic words of Isaiah (Isa 53:1). The phrase ὁ βραχίων κυρίου (Jo braciwn kuriou) is a figurative reference to God’s activity and power which has been revealed in the sign-miracles which Jesus has performed (compare the previous verse).

[12:38]  ⁵ sn A quotation from Isa 53:1.

[12:39]  ⁶ sn The author explicitly states here that Jesus’ Jewish opponents could not believe, and quotes Isa 6:10 to show that God had in fact blinded their eyes and hardened their heart. This OT passage was used elsewhere in the NT to explain Jewish unbelief: Paul’s final words in Acts (28:26-27) are a quotation of this same passage, which he uses to explain why the Jewish people have not accepted the gospel he has preached. A similar passage (Isa 29:10) is quoted in a similar context in Rom 11:8.

[12:40]  ⁷ tn Or “closed their mind.”

[12:40]  ⁸ tn Or “their mind.”

[12:40]  ⁹ tn One could also translate στραφῶσιν (strafwsin) as “repent” or “change their ways,” but both of these terms would be subject to misinterpretation by the modern English reader. The idea is one of turning back to God, however. The words “to me” are not in the Greek text, but are implied.

[12:40]  ¹⁰ sn A quotation from Isa 6:10.

[19:28]  ¹¹ tn Or “that already.”

[19:28]  ¹² tn Or “finished,” “accomplished”; Grk “fulfilled.”

[19:28]  ¹³ sn A reference to Ps 69:21 or Ps 22:15.

[19:28]  ¹⁴ sn In order to fulfill (τελειωθῇ [teleiwqh], a wordplay on the previous statement that everything was completed [τετέλεσται, tetelestai]) the scripture, he said, “I am thirsty.” The scripture referred to is probably Ps 69:21, “They also gave me gall for my food, and for my thirst they gave me vinegar to drink.” Also suggested, however, is Ps 22:15, “My tongue cleaves to the roof of my mouth, and you [God] lay me in the dust of death.” Ps 22:1 reads “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?,” a statement Jesus makes from the cross in both Matt 27:46 and Mark 15:34. In light of the connection in the Fourth Gospel between thirst and the living water which Jesus offers, it is highly ironic that here Jesus himself, the source of that living water, expresses his thirst. And since 7:39 associates the living water with the Holy Spirit, Jesus’ statement here in 19:28 amounts to an admission that at this point he has been forsaken by God (cf. Ps 22:1, Matt 27:46, and Mark 15:34).

[19:29]  ¹⁵ sn The cheap sour wine was called in Latin posca, and referred to a cheap vinegar wine diluted heavily with water. It was the drink of slaves and soldiers, and was probably there for the soldiers who had performed the crucifixion.

[19:29]  ¹⁶ sn Hyssop was a small aromatic bush; exact identification of the plant is uncertain. The hyssop used to lift the wet sponge may have been a form of reed (κάλαμος, kalamo", “reed,” is used in Matt 27:48 and Mark 15:36); the biblical name can refer to several different species of plant (at least eighteen different plants have been suggested).

[19:29]  ¹⁷ tn Or “and brought it.”

[19:30]  ¹⁸ tn Grk “Then when.” Here οὖν (oun) has not been translated for stylistic reasons.

[19:30]  ¹⁹ tn Or “It is accomplished,” “It is finished,” or “It is ended.” See tn on John 13:1.

[19:30]  ²⁰ tn Or “he bowed his head and died”; Grk “he bowed his head and gave over the spirit.”

[19:36]  ²¹ sn A quotation from Exod 12:46, Num 9:12, and Ps 34:20. A number of different OT passages lie behind this quotation: Exod 12:10 LXX, Exod 12:46, Num 9:12, or Ps 34:20. Of these, the first is the closest in form to the quotation here. The first three are all more likely candidates than the last, since the first three all deal with descriptions of the Passover lamb.