Yohanes 1:15

1:15 John ¹  testified ²  about him and shouted out, ³  “This one was the one about whom I said, ‘He who comes after me is greater than I am, ⁴  because he existed before me.’”

Yohanes 1:38

1:38 Jesus turned around and saw them following and said to them, “What do you want?” ⁵  So they said to him, “Rabbi” (which is translated Teacher), ⁶  “where are you staying?”

Yohanes 1:48

1:48 Nathanael asked him, “How do you know me?” Jesus replied, ⁷  “Before Philip called you, when you were under the fig tree, ⁸  I saw you.”

Yohanes 2:9

2:9 When ⁹  the head steward tasted the water that had been turned to wine, not knowing where it came from ¹⁰  (though the servants who had drawn the water knew), he ¹¹  called the bridegroom

Yohanes 3:4-5

3:4 Nicodemus said to him, “How can a man be born when he is old? He cannot enter his mother’s womb and be born a second time, can he?” ¹² 

3:5 Jesus answered, “I tell you the solemn truth, ¹³  unless a person is born of water and spirit, ¹⁴  he cannot enter the kingdom of God.

Yohanes 3:19

3:19 Now this is the basis for judging: ¹⁵  that the light has come into the world and people ¹⁶  loved the darkness rather than the light, because their deeds were evil.

Yohanes 3:29

3:29 The one who has the bride is the bridegroom. The friend of the bridegroom, who stands by and listens for him, rejoices greatly ¹⁷  when he hears the bridegroom’s voice. This then is my joy, and it is complete. ¹⁸ 

Yohanes 3:31

3:31 The one who comes from above is superior to all. ¹⁹  The one who is from the earth belongs to the earth and speaks about earthly things. ²⁰  The one who comes from heaven ²¹  is superior to all. ²² 

Yohanes 4:42

4:42 They said to the woman, “No longer do we believe because of your words, for we have heard for ourselves, and we know that this one ²³  really is the Savior of the world.” ²⁴ 

Yohanes 4:45-46

4:45 So when he came to Galilee, the Galileans welcomed him because they had seen all the things he had done in Jerusalem ²⁵  at the feast ²⁶  (for they themselves had gone to the feast). ²⁷ 

Healing the Royal Official’s Son

4:46 Now he came again to Cana ²⁸  in Galilee where he had made the water wine. ²⁹  In ³⁰  Capernaum ³¹  there was a certain royal official ³²  whose son was sick.

Yohanes 4:50

4:50 Jesus told him, “Go home; ³³  your son will live.” The man believed the word that Jesus spoke to him, and set off for home. ³⁴ 

Yohanes 5:14

5:14 After this Jesus found him at the temple and said to him, “Look, you have become well. Don’t sin any more, ³⁵  lest anything worse happen to you.”

Yohanes 5:18

5:18 For this reason the Jewish leaders ³⁶  were trying even harder to kill him, because not only was he breaking the Sabbath, but he was also calling God his own Father, thus making himself equal with God.

Yohanes 5:30

5:30 I can do nothing on my own initiative. ³⁷  Just as I hear, I judge, and my judgment is just, ³⁸  because I do not seek my own will, but the will of the one who sent me. ³⁹ 

Yohanes 5:43

5:43 I have come in my Father’s name, and you do not accept ⁴⁰  me. If someone else comes in his own name, you will accept ⁴¹  him.

Yohanes 6:5

6:5 Then Jesus, when he looked up ⁴²  and saw that a large crowd was coming to him, said to Philip, “Where can we buy bread so that these people may eat?”

Yohanes 6:24

6:24 So when the crowd realized that neither Jesus nor his disciples were there, they got into the boats ⁴³  and came to Capernaum ⁴⁴  looking for Jesus.

Yohanes 6:35

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. ⁴⁵ 

Yohanes 6:53

6:53 Jesus said to them, “I tell you the solemn truth, ⁴⁶  unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, ⁴⁷  you have no life ⁴⁸  in yourselves.

Yohanes 6:58

6:58 This ⁴⁹  is the bread that came down from heaven; it is not like the bread your ancestors ⁵⁰  ate, but then later died. ⁵¹  The one who eats ⁵²  this bread will live forever.”

Yohanes 6:63-64

6:63 The Spirit is the one who gives life; human nature is of no help! ⁵³  The words that I have spoken to you are spirit and are life. ⁵⁴  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.) ⁵⁵ 

Yohanes 7:12

7:12 There was ⁵⁶  a lot of grumbling ⁵⁷  about him among the crowds. ⁵⁸  Some were saying, “He is a good man,” but others, “He deceives the common people.” ⁵⁹ 

Yohanes 7:18

7:18 The person who speaks on his own authority ⁶⁰  desires ⁶¹  to receive honor ⁶²  for himself; the one who desires ⁶³  the honor ⁶⁴  of the one who sent him is a man of integrity, ⁶⁵  and there is no unrighteousness in him.

Yohanes 7:35

7:35 Then the Jewish leaders ⁶⁶  said to one another, “Where is he ⁶⁷  going to go that we cannot find him? ⁶⁸  He is not going to go to the Jewish people dispersed ⁶⁹  among the Greeks and teach the Greeks, is he? ⁷⁰ 

Yohanes 8:19

8:19 Then they began asking ⁷¹  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.” ⁷² 

Yohanes 8:23

8:23 Jesus replied, ⁷³  “You people ⁷⁴  are from below; I am from above. You people are from this world; I am not from this world.

Yohanes 8:26

8:26 I have many things to say and to judge ⁷⁵  about you, but the Father ⁷⁶  who sent me is truthful, ⁷⁷  and the things I have heard from him I speak to the world.” ⁷⁸ 

Yohanes 8:28

8:28 Then Jesus said, ⁷⁹  “When you lift up the Son of Man, then you will know that I am he, ⁸⁰  and I do nothing on my own initiative, ⁸¹  but I speak just what the Father taught me. ⁸² 

Yohanes 8:39

8:39 They answered him, ⁸³  “Abraham is our father!” ⁸⁴  Jesus replied, ⁸⁵  “If you are ⁸⁶  Abraham’s children, you would be doing ⁸⁷  the deeds of Abraham.

Yohanes 8:42

8:42 Jesus replied, ⁸⁸  “If God were your Father, you would love me, for I have come from God and am now here. ⁸⁹  I ⁹⁰  have not come on my own initiative, ⁹¹  but he ⁹²  sent me.

Yohanes 9:24

9:24 Then they summoned ⁹³  the man who used to be blind ⁹⁴  a second time and said to him, “Promise before God to tell the truth. ⁹⁵  We know that this man ⁹⁶  is a sinner.”

Yohanes 10:18

10:18 No one takes it away from me, but I lay it down ⁹⁷  of my own free will. ⁹⁸  I have the authority ⁹⁹  to lay it down, and I have the authority ¹⁰⁰  to take it back again. This commandment ¹⁰¹  I received from my Father.”

Yohanes 10:24-25

10:24 The Jewish leaders ¹⁰²  surrounded him and asked, ¹⁰³  “How long will you keep us in suspense? ¹⁰⁴  If you are the Christ, ¹⁰⁵  tell us plainly.” ¹⁰⁶  10:25 Jesus replied, ¹⁰⁷  “I told you and you do not believe. The deeds ¹⁰⁸  I do in my Father’s name testify about me.

Yohanes 10:38

10:38 But if I do them, even if you do not believe me, believe the deeds, ¹⁰⁹  so that you may come to know ¹¹⁰  and understand that I am in the Father and the Father is in me.”

Yohanes 12:3

12:3 Then Mary took three quarters of a pound ¹¹¹  of expensive aromatic oil from pure nard ¹¹²  and anointed the feet of Jesus. She ¹¹³  then wiped his feet dry with her hair. (Now the house was filled with the fragrance of the perfumed oil.) ¹¹⁴ 

Yohanes 12:16

12:16 (His disciples did not understand these things when they first happened, ¹¹⁵  but when Jesus was glorified, ¹¹⁶  then they remembered that these things were written about him and that these things had happened ¹¹⁷  to him.) ¹¹⁸ 

Yohanes 12:25

12:25 The one who loves his life ¹¹⁹  destroys ¹²⁰  it, and the one who hates his life in this world guards ¹²¹  it for eternal life.

Yohanes 12:27

12:27 “Now my soul is greatly distressed. And what should I say? ‘Father, deliver me ¹²²  from this hour’? ¹²³  No, but for this very reason I have come to this hour. ¹²⁴ 

Yohanes 12:48

12:48 The one who rejects me and does not accept ¹²⁵  my words has a judge; ¹²⁶  the word ¹²⁷  I have spoken will judge him at the last day.

Yohanes 13:10

13:10 Jesus replied, ¹²⁸  “The one who has bathed needs only to wash his feet, ¹²⁹  but is completely ¹³⁰  clean. ¹³¹  And you disciples ¹³²  are clean, but not every one of you.”

Yohanes 14:9

14:9 Jesus replied, ¹³³  “Have I been with you for so long, and you have not known ¹³⁴  me, Philip? The person who has seen me has seen the Father! How can you say, ‘Show us the Father’?

Yohanes 14:12

14:12 I tell you the solemn truth, ¹³⁵  the person who believes in me will perform ¹³⁶  the miraculous deeds ¹³⁷  that I am doing, ¹³⁸  and will perform ¹³⁹  greater deeds ¹⁴⁰  than these, because I am going to the Father.

Yohanes 14:17

14:17 the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot accept, ¹⁴¹  because it does not see him or know him. But you know him, because he resides ¹⁴²  with you and will be ¹⁴³  in you.

Yohanes 14:24

14:24 The person who does not love me does not obey ¹⁴⁴  my words. And the word ¹⁴⁵  you hear is not mine, but the Father’s who sent me.

Yohanes 14:26

14:26 But the Advocate, ¹⁴⁶  the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you ¹⁴⁷  everything, ¹⁴⁸  and will cause you to remember everything ¹⁴⁹  I said to you.

Yohanes 14:28

14:28 You heard me say to you, ¹⁵⁰  ‘I am going away and I am coming back to you.’ If you loved me, you would be glad ¹⁵¹  that I am going to the Father, because the Father is greater than I am. ¹⁵² 

Yohanes 15:10

15:10 If you obey ¹⁵³  my commandments, you will remain ¹⁵⁴  in my love, just as I have obeyed ¹⁵⁵  my Father’s commandments and remain ¹⁵⁶  in his love.

Yohanes 16:13

16:13 But when he, ¹⁵⁷  the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide ¹⁵⁸  you into all truth. ¹⁵⁹  For he will not speak on his own authority, ¹⁶⁰  but will speak whatever he hears, and will tell you ¹⁶¹  what is to come. ¹⁶² 

Yohanes 16:20

16:20 I tell you the solemn truth, ¹⁶³  you will weep ¹⁶⁴  and wail, ¹⁶⁵  but the world will rejoice; you will be sad, ¹⁶⁶  but your sadness will turn into ¹⁶⁷  joy.

Yohanes 16:23

16:23 At that time ¹⁶⁸  you will ask me nothing. I tell you the solemn truth, ¹⁶⁹  whatever you ask the Father in my name he will give you. ¹⁷⁰ 

Yohanes 17:1

Jesus Prays for the Father to Glorify Him

17:1 When Jesus had finished saying these things, he looked upward ¹⁷¹  to heaven ¹⁷²  and said, “Father, the time ¹⁷³  has come. Glorify your Son, so that your ¹⁷⁴  Son may glorify you –

Yohanes 17:6

Jesus Prays for the Disciples

17:6 “I have revealed ¹⁷⁵  your name to the men ¹⁷⁶  you gave me out of the world. They belonged to you, ¹⁷⁷  and you gave them to me, and they have obeyed ¹⁷⁸  your word.

Yohanes 17:14

17:14 I have given them your word, ¹⁷⁹  and the world has hated them, because they do not belong to the world, ¹⁸⁰  just as I do not belong to the world. ¹⁸¹ 

Yohanes 17:21

17:21 that they will all be one, just as you, Father, are in me and I am in you. I pray ¹⁸²  that they will be in us, so that the world will believe that you sent me.

Yohanes 18:1

Betrayal and Arrest

18:1 When he had said these things, ¹⁸³  Jesus went out with his disciples across the Kidron Valley. ¹⁸⁴  There was an orchard ¹⁸⁵  there, and he and his disciples went into it.

Yohanes 18:17

18:17 The girl ¹⁸⁶  who was the doorkeeper said to Peter, “You’re not one of this man’s disciples too, are you?” ¹⁸⁷  He replied, ¹⁸⁸  “I am not.”

Yohanes 18:28

Jesus Brought Before Pilate

18:28 Then they brought Jesus from Caiaphas to the Roman governor’s residence. ¹⁸⁹  (Now it was very early morning.) ¹⁹⁰  They ¹⁹¹  did not go into the governor’s residence ¹⁹²  so they would not be ceremonially defiled, but could eat the Passover meal.

Yohanes 18:31

18:31 Pilate told them, ¹⁹³  “Take him yourselves and pass judgment on him ¹⁹⁴  according to your own law!” ¹⁹⁵  The Jewish leaders ¹⁹⁶  replied, ¹⁹⁷  “We cannot legally put anyone to death.” ¹⁹⁸ 

Yohanes 19:20

19:20 Thus many of the Jewish residents of Jerusalem ¹⁹⁹  read this notice, ²⁰⁰  because the place where Jesus was crucified was near the city, and the notice was written in Aramaic, ²⁰¹  Latin, and Greek.

Yohanes 20:1

The Resurrection

20:1 Now very early on the first day of the week, ²⁰²  while it was still dark, Mary Magdalene ²⁰³  came to the tomb and saw that the stone had been moved away from the entrance. ²⁰⁴ 

Yohanes 20:31

20:31 But these ²⁰⁵  are recorded ²⁰⁶  so that you may believe ²⁰⁷  that Jesus is the Christ, ²⁰⁸  the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name. ²⁰⁹ 

Yohanes 21:25

21:25 There are many other things that Jesus did. If every one of them were written down, ²¹⁰  I suppose the whole world ²¹¹  would not have room for the books that would be written. ²¹² 

[1:15]  ¹ sn John refers to John the Baptist.

[1:15]  ² tn Or “bore witness.”

[1:15]  ³ tn Grk “and shouted out saying.” The participle λέγων (legwn) is redundant is English and has not been translated.

[1:15]  ⁴ tn Or “has a higher rank than I.”

[1:38]  ⁵ tn Grk “What are you seeking?”

[1:38]  ⁶ sn This is a parenthetical note by the author.

[1:48]  ⁷ tn Grk “answered and said to him.” This is somewhat redundant in English and has been simplified in the translation to “replied.”

[1:48]  ⁸ sn Many have speculated about what Nathanael was doing under the fig tree. Meditating on the Messiah who was to come? A good possibility, since the fig tree was used as shade for teaching or studying by the later rabbis (Ecclesiastes Rabbah 5:11). Also, the fig tree was symbolic for messianic peace and plenty (Mic 4:4, Zech 3:10.)

[2:9]  ⁹ tn Grk “And when.” Because of the difference between Greek style, which often begins sentences or clauses with “and,” and English style, which generally does not, δέ (de) has not been translated here.

[2:9]  ¹⁰ tn Grk “and he did not know where it came from.”

[2:9]  ¹¹ tn Grk “the head steward”; here the repetition of the phrase is somewhat redundant in English and the pronoun (“he”) is substituted in the translation.

[3:4]  ¹² tn The grammatical structure of the question in Greek presupposes a negative reply.

[3:5]  ¹³ tn Grk “Truly, truly, I say to you.”

[3:5]  ¹⁴ tn Or “born of water and wind” (the same Greek word, πνεύματος [pneumatos], may be translated either “spirit/Spirit” or “wind”).

[3:5]  sn Jesus’ somewhat enigmatic statement points to the necessity of being born “from above,” because water and wind/spirit/Spirit come from above. Isaiah 44:3-5 and Ezek 37:9-10 are pertinent examples of water and wind as life-giving symbols of the Spirit of God in his work among people. Both occur in contexts that deal with the future restoration of Israel as a nation prior to the establishment of the messianic kingdom. It is therefore particularly appropriate that Jesus should introduce them in a conversation about entering the kingdom of God. Note that the Greek word πνεύματος is anarthrous (has no article) in v. 5. This does not mean that spirit in the verse should be read as a direct reference to the Holy Spirit, but that both water and wind are figures (based on passages in the OT, which Nicodemus, the teacher of Israel should have known) that represent the regenerating work of the Spirit in the lives of men and women.

[3:19]  ¹⁵ tn Or “this is the reason for God judging,” or “this is how judgment works.”

[3:19]  ¹⁶ tn Grk “and men,” but in a generic sense, referring to people of both genders (as “everyone” in v. 20 makes clear).

[3:29]  ¹⁷ tn Grk “rejoices with joy” (an idiom).

[3:29]  ¹⁸ tn Grk “Therefore this my joy is fulfilled.”

[3:31]  ¹⁹ tn Or “is above all.”

[3:31]  ²⁰ tn Grk “speaks from the earth.”

[3:31]  ²¹ sn The one who comes from heaven refers to Christ. As in John 1:1, the Word’s preexistence is indicated here.

[3:31]  ²² tc Ì⁷⁵ א* D ˹ 565 as well as several versions and fathers lack the phrase “is superior to all” (ἐπάνω πάντων ἐστίν, epanw pantwn estin). This effectively joins the last sentence of v. 31 with v. 32: “The one who comes from heaven testifies about what he has seen and heard, but no one accepts his testimony.” On the other side, the phrase may have been deleted because of perceived redundancy, since it duplicates what is said earlier in the verse. The witnesses that include ἐπάνω πάντων ἐστίν in both places are weighty and widespread (Ì^36vid,66 א² A B L W^s Θ Ψ 083 086 ˹³ 33 Ï lat sy^s,p,h bo). On balance, the longer reading should probably be considered authentic.

[3:31]  tn Or “is above all.”

[4:42]  ²³ tn Or “this.” The Greek pronoun can mean either “this one” or “this” (BDAG 740 s.v. οὗτος 1).

[4:42]  ²⁴ sn There is irony in the Samaritans’ declaration that Jesus was really the Savior of the world, an irony foreshadowed in the prologue to the Fourth Gospel (1:11): “He came to his own, and his own did not receive him.” Yet the Samaritans welcomed Jesus and proclaimed him to be not the Jewish Messiah only, but the Savior of the world.

[4:45]  ²⁵ sn All the things he had done in Jerusalem probably refers to the signs mentioned in John 2:23.

[4:45]  map For location see Map5 B1; Map6 F3; Map7 E2; Map8 F2; Map10 B3; JP1 F4; JP2 F4; JP3 F4; JP4 F4.

[4:45]  ²⁶ sn See John 2:23-25.

[4:45]  ²⁷ sn John 4:44-45. The last part of v. 45 is a parenthetical note by the author. The major problem in these verses concerns the contradiction between the proverb stated by Jesus in v. 44 and the reception of the Galileans in v. 45. Origen solved the problem by referring his own country to Judea (which Jesus had just left) and not Galilee. But this runs counter to the thrust of John’s Gospel, which takes pains to identify Jesus with Galilee (cf. 1:46) and does not even mention his Judean birth. R. E. Brown typifies the contemporary approach: He regards v. 44 as an addition by a later redactor who wanted to emphasize Jesus’ unsatisfactory reception in Galilee. Neither expedient is necessary, though, if honor is understood in its sense of attributing true worth to someone. The Galileans did welcome him, but their welcome was to prove a superficial response based on what they had seen him do at the feast. There is no indication that the signs they saw brought them to place their faith in Jesus any more than Nicodemus did on the basis of the signs. But a superficial welcome based on enthusiasm for miracles is no real honor at all.

[4:46]  ²⁸ map For location see Map1 C3; Map2 D2; Map3 C5.

[4:46]  ²⁹ sn See John 2:1-11.

[4:46]  ³⁰ tn Grk “And in.”

[4:46]  ³¹ sn Capernaum was a town on the northwest shore of the Sea of Galilee, 680 ft (204 m) below sea level. It was a major trade and economic center in the North Galilean region.

[4:46]  map For location see Map1 D2; Map2 C3; Map3 B2.

[4:46]  ³² tn Although βασιλικός (basiliko") has often been translated “nobleman” it is almost certainly refers here to a servant of Herod, tetrarch of Galilee (who in the NT is called a king, Matt 14:9, Mark 6:14-29). Capernaum was a border town, so doubtless there were many administrative officials in residence there.

[4:50]  ³³ tn Grk “Go”; the word “home” is not in the Greek text, but is implied.

[4:50]  ³⁴ tn Grk “and left.” The words “for home” are implied by the following verse.

[5:14]  ³⁵ tn Since this is a prohibition with a present imperative, the translation “stop sinning” is sometimes suggested. This is not likely, however, since the present tense is normally used in prohibitions involving a general condition (as here) while the aorist tense is normally used in specific instances. Only when used opposite the normal usage (the present tense in a specific instance, for example) would the meaning “stop doing what you are doing” be appropriate.

[5:18]  ³⁶ tn Or “the Jewish authorities”; Grk “the Jews.” See the note on the phrase “Jewish leaders” in v. 10.

[5:30]  ³⁷ tn Grk “nothing from myself.”

[5:30]  ³⁸ tn Or “righteous,” or “proper.”

[5:30]  ³⁹ tn That is, “the will of the Father who sent me.”

[5:43]  ⁴⁰ tn Or “you do not receive.”

[5:43]  ⁴¹ tn Or “you will receive.”

[6:5]  ⁴² tn Grk “when he lifted up his eyes” (an idiom).

[6:24]  ⁴³ tn Or “embarked in the boats.”

[6:24]  ⁴⁴ map For location see Map1 D2; Map2 C3; Map3 B2.

[6:35]  ⁴⁵ 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).

[6:53]  ⁴⁶ tn Grk “Truly, truly, I say to you.”

[6:53]  ⁴⁷ 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]  ⁴⁸ tn That is, “no eternal life” (as opposed to physical life).

[6:58]  ⁴⁹ tn Or “This one.”

[6:58]  ⁵⁰ tn Or “forefathers”; Grk “fathers.”

[6:58]  ⁵¹ 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]  ⁵² 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.

[6:63]  ⁵³ tn Grk “the flesh counts for nothing.”

[6:63]  ⁵⁴ tn Or “are spirit-giving and life-producing.”

[6:64]  ⁵⁵ sn This is a parenthetical comment by the author.

[7:12]  ⁵⁶ tn Grk “And there was.”

[7:12]  ⁵⁷ tn Or “complaining.”

[7:12]  ⁵⁸ tn Or “among the common people” (as opposed to the religious authorities mentioned in the previous verse).

[7:12]  ⁵⁹ tn Or “the crowd.”

[7:18]  ⁶⁰ tn Grk “who speaks from himself.”

[7:18]  ⁶¹ tn Or “seeks.”

[7:18]  ⁶² tn Or “praise”; Grk “glory.”

[7:18]  ⁶³ tn Or “seeks.”

[7:18]  ⁶⁴ tn Or “praise”; Grk “glory.”

[7:18]  ⁶⁵ tn Or “is truthful”; Grk “is true.”

[7:35]  ⁶⁶ 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]  ⁶⁷ tn Grk “this one.”

[7:35]  ⁶⁸ tn Grk “will not find him.”

[7:35]  ⁶⁹ 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]  ⁷⁰ 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.

[8:19]  ⁷¹ 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]  ⁷² 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).

[8:23]  ⁷³ tn Grk “And he said to them.”

[8:23]  ⁷⁴ tn The word “people” is supplied in English to clarify the plural Greek pronoun and verb.

[8:26]  ⁷⁵ 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]  ⁷⁶ tn Grk “the one”; the referent (the Father) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[8:26]  ⁷⁷ tn Grk “true” (in the sense of one who always tells the truth).

[8:26]  ⁷⁸ tn Grk “and what things I have heard from him, these things I speak to the world.”

[8:28]  ⁷⁹ tn Grk “Then Jesus said to them” (the words “to them” are not found in all mss).

[8:28]  ⁸⁰ tn Grk “that I am.” See the note on this phrase in v. 24.

[8:28]  ⁸¹ tn Grk “I do nothing from myself.”

[8:28]  ⁸² tn Grk “but just as the Father taught me, these things I speak.”

[8:39]  ⁸³ tn Grk “They answered and said to him.”

[8:39]  ⁸⁴ tn Or “Our father is Abraham.”

[8:39]  ⁸⁵ tn Grk “Jesus said to them.”

[8:39]  ⁸⁶ tc Although most mss (C W Θ Ψ 0250 Ë^1,13 33 Ï) have the imperfect ἦτε (hte, “you were”) here, making this sentence a proper second class condition, the harder reading, ἐστε (este, “you are”), is found in the better witnesses (Ì^66,75 א B D L 070 pc lat).

[8:39]  ⁸⁷ tc Some important mss (Ì⁶⁶ B* [700]) have the present imperative ποιεῖτε (poieite) here: “If you are Abraham’s children, then do,” while many others (א² C K L N Δ Ψ Ë^1,13 33 565 579 892 pm) add the contingent particle ἄν (an) to ἐποιεῖτε (epoieite) making it a more proper second class condition by Attic standards. The simple ἐποιεῖτε without the ἄν is the hardest reading, and is found in some excellent witnesses (Ì⁷⁵ א* B² D W Γ Θ 070 0250 1424 pm).

[8:39]  tn Or “you would do.”

[8:42]  ⁸⁸ tn Grk “Jesus said to them.”

[8:42]  ⁸⁹ tn Or “I came from God and have arrived.”

[8:42]  ⁹⁰ tn Grk “For I.” Here γάρ (gar) has not been translated.

[8:42]  ⁹¹ tn Grk “from myself.”

[8:42]  ⁹² tn Grk “that one” (referring to God).

[9:24]  ⁹³ tn Grk “they called.”

[9:24]  ⁹⁴ tn Grk “who was blind.”

[9:24]  ⁹⁵ tn Grk “Give glory to God” (an idiomatic formula used in placing someone under oath to tell the truth).

[9:24]  ⁹⁶ tn The phrase “this man” is a reference to Jesus.

[10:18]  ⁹⁷ tn Or “give it up.”

[10:18]  ⁹⁸ tn Or “of my own accord.” “Of my own free will” is given by BDAG 321 s.v. ἐμαυτοῦ c.

[10:18]  ⁹⁹ tn Or “I have the right.”

[10:18]  ¹⁰⁰ tn Or “I have the right.”

[10:18]  ¹⁰¹ tn Or “order.”

[10:24]  ¹⁰² tn Or “the Jewish authorities”; Grk “the Jews.” Here the phrase refers to the Jewish leaders. The question they ask Jesus (“Are you the Christ?”) is the same one they sent and asked of John the Baptist in the desert (see John 1:19-34). See also the note on the phrase “the Jewish people” in v. 19.

[10:24]  ¹⁰³ tn Grk “said to him.” This has been translated as “asked” for stylistic reasons.

[10:24]  ¹⁰⁴ tn Grk “How long will you take away our life?” (an idiom which meant to keep one from coming to a conclusion about something). The use of the phrase τὴν ψυχὴν ἡμῶν αἴρεις (thn yuchn Jhmwn airei") meaning “to keep in suspense” is not well attested, although it certainly fits the context here. In modern Greek the phrase means “to annoy, bother.”

[10:24]  ¹⁰⁵ tn Or “the Messiah” (Both Greek “Christ” and Hebrew and Aramaic “Messiah” mean “one who has been anointed”).

[10:24]  sn See the note on Christ in 1:20.

[10:24]  ¹⁰⁶ tn Or “publicly.”

[10:25]  ¹⁰⁷ tn Grk “answered them.”

[10:25]  ¹⁰⁸ tn Or “the works.”

[10:38]  ¹⁰⁹ tn Or “works.”

[10:38]  sn Jesus says that in the final analysis, the deeds he did should indicate whether he was truly from the Father. If the authorities could not believe in him, it would be better to believe in the deeds he did than not to believe at all.

[10:38]  ¹¹⁰ tn Or “so that you may learn.”

[12:3]  ¹¹¹ tn Or “half a liter”; Grk “a pound” (that is, a Roman pound, about 325 grams or 12 ounces).

[12:3]  ¹¹² tn Μύρον (muron) was usually made of myrrh (from which the English word is derived) but here it is used in the sense of ointment or perfumed oil (L&N 6.205). The adjective πιστικῆς (pistikh") is difficult with regard to its exact meaning; some have taken it to derive from πίστις (pistis) and relate to the purity of the oil of nard. More probably it is something like a brand name, “pistic nard,” the exact significance of which has not been discovered.

[12:3]  sn Nard or spikenard is a fragrant oil from the root and spike of the nard plant of northern India. This aromatic oil, if made of something like nard, would have been extremely expensive, costing up to a year’s pay for an average laborer.

[12:3]  ¹¹³ tn Grk “And she.” 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.

[12:3]  ¹¹⁴ sn This is a parenthetical note by the author. With a note characteristic of someone who was there and remembered, the author adds that the house was filled with the fragrance of the perfumed oil. In the later rabbinic literature, Ecclesiastes Rabbah 7.1.1 states “The fragrance of good oil is diffused from the bedroom to the dining hall, but a good name is diffused from one end of the world to the other.” If such a saying was known in the 1st century, this might be the author’s way of indicating that Mary’s act of devotion would be spoken of throughout the entire world (compare the comment in Mark 14:9).

[12:16]  ¹¹⁵ tn Or “did not understand these things at first”; Grk “formerly.”

[12:16]  ¹¹⁶ sn When Jesus was glorified, that is, glorified through his resurrection, exaltation, and return to the Father. Jesus’ glorification is consistently portrayed this way in the Gospel of John.

[12:16]  ¹¹⁷ tn Grk “and that they had done these things,” though the referent is probably indefinite and not referring to the disciples; as such, the best rendering is as a passive (see ExSyn 402-3; R. E. Brown, John [AB], 1:458).

[12:16]  ¹¹⁸ sn The comment His disciples did not understand these things when they first happened (a parenthetical note by the author) informs the reader that Jesus’ disciples did not at first associate the prophecy from Zechariah with the events as they happened. This came with the later (postresurrection) insight which the Holy Spirit would provide after Jesus’ resurrection and return to the Father. Note the similarity with John 2:22, which follows another allusion to a prophecy in Zechariah (14:21).

[12:25]  ¹¹⁹ tn Or “soul.”

[12:25]  ¹²⁰ tn Or “loses.” Although the traditional English translation of ἀπολλύει (apolluei) in John 12:25 is “loses,” the contrast with φυλάξει (fulaxei, “keeps” or “guards”) in the second half of the verse favors the meaning “destroy” here.

[12:25]  ¹²¹ tn Or “keeps.”

[12:27]  ¹²² tn Or “save me.”

[12:27]  ¹²³ tn Or “this occasion.”

[12:27]  sn Father, deliver me from this hour. It is now clear that Jesus’ hour has come – the hour of his return to the Father through crucifixion, death, resurrection, and ascension (see 12:23). This will be reiterated in 13:1 and 17:1. Jesus states (employing words similar to those of Ps 6:4) that his soul is troubled. What shall his response to his imminent death be? A prayer to the Father to deliver him from that hour? No, because it is on account of this very hour that Jesus has come. His sacrificial death has always remained the primary purpose of his mission into the world. Now, faced with the completion of that mission, shall he ask the Father to spare him from it? The expected answer is no.

[12:27]  ¹²⁴ tn Or “this occasion.”

[12:48]  ¹²⁵ tn Or “does not receive.”

[12:48]  ¹²⁶ tn Grk “has one who judges him.”

[12:48]  ¹²⁷ tn Or “message.”

[13:10]  ¹²⁸ tn Grk “Jesus said to him.”

[13:10]  ¹²⁹ tn Grk “has no need except to wash his feet.”

[13:10]  ¹³⁰ tn Or “entirely.”

[13:10]  ¹³¹ sn The one who has bathed needs only to wash his feet. A common understanding is that the “bath” Jesus referred to is the initial cleansing from sin, which necessitates only “lesser, partial” cleansings from sins after conversion. This makes a fine illustration from a homiletic standpoint, but is it the meaning of the passage? This seems highly doubtful. Jesus stated that the disciples were completely clean except for Judas (vv. 10b, 11). What they needed was to have their feet washed by Jesus. In the broader context of the Fourth Gospel, the significance of the foot-washing seems to point not just to an example of humble service (as most understand it), but something more – Jesus’ self-sacrificial death on the cross. If this is correct, then the foot-washing which they needed to undergo represented their acceptance of this act of self-sacrifice on the part of their master. This makes Peter’s initial abhorrence of the act of humiliation by his master all the more significant in context; it also explains Jesus’ seemingly harsh reply to Peter (above, v. 8; compare Matt 16:21-23 where Jesus says to Peter, “Get behind me, Satan”).

[13:10]  ¹³² tn The word “disciples” is supplied in English to clarify the plural Greek pronoun and verb. Peter is not the only one Jesus is addressing here.

[14:9]  ¹³³ tn Grk “Jesus said to him.”

[14:9]  ¹³⁴ tn Or “recognized.”

[14:12]  ¹³⁵ tn Grk “Truly, truly, I say to you.”

[14:12]  ¹³⁶ tn Or “will do.”

[14:12]  ¹³⁷ tn Grk “the works.”

[14:12]  ¹³⁸ tn Or “that I do.”

[14:12]  sn See the note on miraculous deeds in v. 11.

[14:12]  ¹³⁹ tn Or “will do.”

[14:12]  ¹⁴⁰ tn Grk “greater works.”

[14:12]  sn What are the greater deeds that Jesus speaks of, and how is this related to his going to the Father? It is clear from both John 7:39 and 16:7 that the Holy Spirit will not come until Jesus has departed. After Pentecost and the coming of the Spirit to indwell believers in a permanent relationship, believers would be empowered to perform even greater deeds than those Jesus did during his earthly ministry. When the early chapters of Acts are examined, it is clear that, from a numerical standpoint, the deeds of Peter and the other Apostles surpassed those of Jesus in a single day (the day of Pentecost). On that day more were added to the church than had become followers of Jesus during the entire three years of his earthly ministry. And the message went forth not just in Judea, Samaria, and Galilee, but to the farthest parts of the known world. This understanding of what Jesus meant by “greater deeds” is more probable than a reference to “more spectacular miracles.” Certainly miraculous deeds were performed by the apostles as recounted in Acts, but these do not appear to have surpassed the works of Jesus himself in either degree or number.

[14:17]  ¹⁴¹ tn Or “cannot receive.”

[14:17]  ¹⁴² tn Or “he remains.”

[14:17]  ¹⁴³ tc Some early and important witnesses (Ì^66* B D* W 1 565 it) have ἐστιν (estin, “he is”) instead of ἔσται (estai, “he will be”) here, while other weighty witnesses ({Ì^66c,75vid א A D¹ L Θ Ψ Ë¹³ 33^vid Ï as well as several versions and fathers}), read the future tense. When one considers transcriptional evidence, ἐστιν is the more difficult reading and better explains the rise of the future tense reading, but it must be noted that both Ì⁶⁶ and D were corrected from the present tense to the future. If ἐστιν were the original reading, one would expect a few manuscripts to be corrected to read the present when they originally read the future, but that is not the case. When one considers what the author would have written, the future is on much stronger ground. The immediate context (both in 14:16 and in the chapter as a whole) points to the future, and the theology of the book regards the advent of the Spirit as a decidedly future event (see, e.g., 7:39 and 16:7). The present tense could have arisen from an error of sight on the part of some scribes or more likely from an error of thought as scribes reflected upon the present role of the Spirit. Although a decision is difficult, the future tense is most likely authentic. For further discussion on this textual problem, see James M. Hamilton, Jr., “He Is with You and He Will Be in You” (Ph.D. diss., The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, 2003), 213-20.

[14:24]  ¹⁴⁴ tn Or “does not keep.”

[14:24]  ¹⁴⁵ tn Or “the message.”

[14:26]  ¹⁴⁶ tn Or “Helper” or “Counselor”; Grk “Paraclete,” from the Greek word παράκλητος (paraklhto"). See the note on the word “Advocate” in v. 16 for a discussion of how this word is translated.

[14:26]  ¹⁴⁷ tn Grk “that one will teach you.” The words “that one” have been omitted from the translation since they are redundant in English.

[14:26]  ¹⁴⁸ tn Grk “all things.”

[14:26]  ¹⁴⁹ tn Grk “all things.”

[14:28]  ¹⁵⁰ tn Or “You have heard that I said to you.”

[14:28]  ¹⁵¹ tn Or “you would rejoice.”

[14:28]  ¹⁵² sn Jesus’ statement the Father is greater than I am has caused much christological and trinitarian debate. Although the Arians appealed to this text to justify their subordinationist Christology, it seems evident that by the fact Jesus compares himself to the Father, his divine nature is taken for granted. There have been two orthodox interpretations: (1) The Son is eternally generated while the Father is not: Origen, Tertullian, Athanasius, Hilary, etc. (2) As man the incarnate Son was less than the Father: Cyril of Alexandria, Ambrose, Augustine. In the context of the Fourth Gospel the second explanation seems more plausible. But why should the disciples have rejoiced? Because Jesus was on the way to the Father who would glorify him (cf. 17:4-5); his departure now signifies that the work the Father has given him is completed (cf. 19:30). Now Jesus will be glorified with that glory that he had with the Father before the world was (cf. 17:5). This should be a cause of rejoicing to the disciples because when Jesus is glorified he will glorify his disciples as well (17:22).

[15:10]  ¹⁵³ tn Or “keep.”

[15:10]  ¹⁵⁴ tn Or “reside.”

[15:10]  ¹⁵⁵ tn Or “kept.”

[15:10]  ¹⁵⁶ tn Or “reside.”

[16:13]  ¹⁵⁷ tn Grk “that one.”

[16:13]  ¹⁵⁸ tn Or “will lead.”

[16:13]  ¹⁵⁹ sn Three important points must be noted here. (1) When the Holy Spirit comes, he will guide the disciples into all truth. What Jesus had said in 8:31-32, “If you continue to follow my teaching you are really my disciples, and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free,” will ultimately be realized in the ongoing ministry of the Holy Spirit to the disciples after Jesus’ departure. (2) The things the Holy Spirit speaks to them will not be things which originate from himself (he will not speak on his own authority), but things he has heard. This could be taken to mean that no new revelation is involved, as R. E. Brown does (John [AB], 2:714-15). This is a possible but not a necessary inference. The point here concerns the source of the things the Spirit will say to the disciples and does not specifically exclude originality of content. (3) Part at least of what the Holy Spirit will reveal to the disciples will concern what is to come, not just fuller implications of previous sayings of Jesus and the like. This does seem to indicate that at least some new revelation is involved. But the Spirit is not the source or originator of these things – Jesus is the source, and he will continue to speak to his disciples through the Spirit who has come to indwell them. This does not answer the question, however, whether these words are addressed to all followers of Jesus, or only to his apostles. Different modern commentators will answer this question differently. Since in the context of the Farewell Discourse Jesus is preparing the twelve to carry on his ministry after his departure, it is probably best to take these statements as specifically related only to the twelve. Some of this the Holy Spirit does directly for all believers today; other parts of this statement are fulfilled through the apostles (e.g., in giving the Book of Revelation the Spirit speaks through the apostles to the church today of things to come). One of the implications of this is that a doctrine does not have to be traced back to an explicit teaching of Jesus to be authentic; all that is required is apostolic authority.

[16:13]  ¹⁶⁰ tn Grk “speak from himself.”

[16:13]  ¹⁶¹ tn Or will announce to you.”

[16:13]  ¹⁶² tn Grk “will tell you the things to come.”

[16:20]  ¹⁶³ tn Grk “Truly, truly, I say to you.”

[16:20]  ¹⁶⁴ tn Or “wail,” “cry.”

[16:20]  ¹⁶⁵ tn Or “lament.”

[16:20]  ¹⁶⁶ tn Or “sorrowful.”

[16:20]  ¹⁶⁷ tn Grk “will become.”

[16:23]  ¹⁶⁸ tn Grk “And in that day.”

[16:23]  ¹⁶⁹ tn Grk “Truly, truly, I say to you.”

[16:23]  ¹⁷⁰ sn This statement is also found in John 15:16.

[17:1]  ¹⁷¹ tn Grk “he raised his eyes” (an idiom).

[17:1]  sn Jesus also looked upward before his prayer in John 11:41. This was probably a common posture in prayer. According to the parable in Luke 18:13 the tax collector did not feel himself worthy to do this.

[17:1]  ¹⁷² tn Or “to the sky.” The Greek word οὐρανός (ouranos) may be translated “sky” or “heaven” depending on the context.

[17:1]  ¹⁷³ tn Grk “the hour.”

[17:1]  sn The time has come. Jesus has said before that his “hour” had come, both in 12:23 when some Greeks sought to speak with him, and in 13:1 where just before he washed the disciples’ feet. It appears best to understand the “hour” as a period of time starting at the end of Jesus’ public ministry and extending through the passion week, ending with Jesus’ return to the Father through death, resurrection, and exaltation. The “hour” begins as soon as the first events occur which begin the process that leads to Jesus’ death.

[17:1]  ¹⁷⁴ tc The better witnesses (א B C* W 0109 0301) have “the Son” (ὁ υἱός, Jo Juios) here, while the majority (C³ L Ψ Ë¹³ 33 Ï) read “your Son also” (καὶ ὁ υἱὸς σου, kai Jo Juio" sou), or “your Son” (ὁ υἱὸς σου; A D Θ 0250 1 579 pc lat sy); the second corrector of C has καὶ ὁ υἱός (“the Son also”). The longer readings appear to be predictable scribal expansions and as such should be considered secondary.

[17:1]  tn Grk “the Son”; “your” has been added here for English stylistic reasons.

[17:6]  ¹⁷⁵ tn Or “made known,” “disclosed.”

[17:6]  ¹⁷⁶ tn Here “men” is retained as a translation for ἀνθρώποις (anqrwpoi") rather than the more generic “people” because in context it specifically refers to the eleven men Jesus had chosen as apostles (Judas had already departed, John 13:30). If one understands the referent here to be the broader group of Jesus’ followers that included both men and women, a translation like “to the people” should be used here instead.

[17:6]  ¹⁷⁷ tn Grk “Yours they were.”

[17:6]  ¹⁷⁸ tn Or “have kept.”

[17:14]  ¹⁷⁹ tn Or “your message.”

[17:14]  ¹⁸⁰ tn Grk “because they are not of the world.”

[17:14]  ¹⁸¹ tn Grk “just as I am not of the world.”

[17:21]  ¹⁸² tn The words “I pray” are repeated from the first part of v. 20 for clarity.

[18:1]  ¹⁸³ sn When he had said these things appears to be a natural transition at the end of the Farewell Discourse (the farewell speech of Jesus to his disciples in John 13:31-17:26, including the final prayer in 17:1-26). The author states that Jesus went out with his disciples, a probable reference to their leaving the upper room where the meal and discourse described in chaps. 13-17 took place (although some have seen this only as a reference to their leaving the city, with the understanding that some of the Farewell Discourse, including the concluding prayer, was given en route, cf. 14:31). They crossed the Kidron Valley and came to a garden, or olive orchard, identified in Matt 26:36 and Mark 14:32 as Gethsemane. The name is not given in Luke’s or John’s Gospel, but the garden must have been located somewhere on the lower slopes of the Mount of Olives.

[18:1]  ¹⁸⁴ tn Grk “the wadi of the Kidron,” or “the ravine of the Kidron” (a wadi is a stream that flows only during the rainy season and is dry during the dry season).

[18:1]  ¹⁸⁵ tn Or “a garden.”

[18:17]  ¹⁸⁶ tn Grk “slave girl.” Since the descriptive term “slave girl” was introduced in the translation in the previous verse, it would be redundant to repeat the full expression here.

[18:17]  ¹⁸⁷ 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?”).

[18:17]  ¹⁸⁸ tn Grk “He said.”

[18:28]  ¹⁸⁹ tn Grk “to the praetorium.”

[18:28]  sn The permanent residence of the Roman governor of Palestine was in Caesarea (Acts 23:35). The governor had a residence in Jerusalem which he normally occupied only during principal feasts or in times of political unrest. The location of this building in Jerusalem is uncertain, but is probably one of two locations: either (1) the fortress or tower of Antonia, on the east hill north of the temple area, which is the traditional location of the Roman praetorium since the 12th century, or (2) the palace of Herod on the west hill near the present Jaffa Gate. According to Philo (Embassy 38 [299]) Pilate had some golden shields hung there, and according to Josephus (J. W. 2.14.8 [2.301], 2.15.5 [2.328]) the later Roman governor Florus stayed there.

[18:28]  ¹⁹⁰ sn This is a parenthetical note by the author.

[18:28]  ¹⁹¹ tn Grk “And they.” The conjunction καί (kai, “and”) has not been translated here in keeping with the tendency of contemporary English style to use shorter sentences.

[18:28]  ¹⁹² tn Grk “into the praetorium.”

[18:31]  ¹⁹³ tn Grk “Then Pilate said to them.”

[18:31]  ¹⁹⁴ tn Or “judge him.” For the translation “pass judgment on him” see R. E. Brown (John [AB], 2:848).

[18:31]  ¹⁹⁵ sn Pilate, as the sole representative of Rome in a troubled area, was probably in Jerusalem for the Passover because of the danger of an uprising (the normal residence for the Roman governor was in Caesarea as mentioned in Acts 23:35). At this time on the eve of the feast he would have been a busy and perhaps even a worried man. It is not surprising that he offered to hand Jesus back over to the Jewish authorities to pass judgment on him. It may well be that Pilate realized when no specific charge was mentioned that he was dealing with an internal dispute over some religious matter. Pilate wanted nothing to do with such matters, as the statement “Pass judgment on him according to your own law!” indicates. As far as the author is concerned, this points out who was really responsible for Jesus’ death: The Roman governor Pilate would have had nothing to do with it if he had not been pressured by the Jewish religious authorities, upon whom the real responsibility rested.

[18:31]  ¹⁹⁶ tn Or “the Jewish authorities”; Grk “the Jews.” Here the phrase refers to the Jewish leaders, especially members of the Sanhedrin. See the note on the phrase “Jewish leaders” in v. 12.

[18:31]  ¹⁹⁷ tn Grk “said to him.”

[18:31]  ¹⁹⁸ tn Grk “It is not permitted to us to kill anyone.”

[18:31]  sn The historical background behind the statement We cannot legally put anyone to death is difficult to reconstruct. Scholars are divided over whether this statement in the Fourth Gospel accurately reflects the judicial situation between the Jewish authorities and the Romans in 1st century Palestine. It appears that the Roman governor may have given the Jews the power of capital punishment for specific offenses, some of them religious (the death penalty for Gentiles caught trespassing in the inner courts of the temple, for example). It is also pointed out that the Jewish authorities did carry out a number of executions, some of them specifically pertaining to Christians (Stephen, according to Acts 7:58-60; and James the Just, who was stoned in the 60s according to Josephus, Ant. 20.9.1 [20.200]). But Stephen’s death may be explained as a result of “mob violence” rather than a formal execution, and as Josephus in the above account goes on to point out, James was executed in the period between two Roman governors, and the high priest at the time was subsequently punished for the action. Two studies by A. N. Sherwin-White (Roman Society and Roman Law in the New Testament, 1-47; and “The Trial of Christ,” Historicity and Chronology in the New Testament [SPCKTC], 97-116) have tended to support the accuracy of John’s account. He concluded that the Romans kept very close control of the death penalty for fear that in the hands of rebellious locals such power could be used to eliminate factions favorable or useful to Rome. A province as troublesome as Judea would not have been likely to be made an exception to this.

[19:20]  ¹⁹⁹ tn Grk “the Jews.” Here the phrase refers to the residents of Jerusalem in general. See also the note on the phrase Jewish religious leaders” in v. 7.

[19:20]  map For location see Map5 B1; Map6 F3; Map7 E2; Map8 F2; Map10 B3; JP1 F4; JP2 F4; JP3 F4; JP4 F4.

[19:20]  ²⁰⁰ tn Or “this inscription.”

[19:20]  ²⁰¹ tn Grk “in Hebrew.”

[20:1]  ²⁰² sn The first day of the week would be early Sunday morning. The Sabbath (and in this year the Passover) would have lasted from 6 p.m. Friday until 6 p.m. Saturday. Sunday would thus mark the first day of the following week.

[20:1]  ²⁰³ sn John does not mention that Mary Magdalene was accompanied by any of the other women who had been among Jesus’ followers. The synoptic accounts all mention other women who accompanied her (although Mary Magdalene is always mentioned first). Why John does not mention the other women is not clear, but Mary probably becomes the focus of the author’s attention because it was she who came and found Peter and the beloved disciple and informed them of the empty tomb (20:2). Mary’s use of the plural in v. 2 indicates there were others present, in indirect agreement with the synoptic accounts.

[20:1]  ²⁰⁴ tn Grk “from the tomb.”

[20:31]  ²⁰⁵ tn Grk “these things.”

[20:31]  ²⁰⁶ tn Grk “are written.”

[20:31]  ²⁰⁷ tc ‡ A difficult textual variant is present at this point in the Greek text. Some mss (Ì^66vid א* B Θ 0250 pc) read the present subjunctive πιστεύητε (pisteuhte) after ἵνα (Jina; thus NEB text, “that you may hold the faith”) while others (א² A C D L W Ψ Ë^1,13 33 Ï) read the aorist subjunctive πιστεύσητε (pisteushte) after ἵνα (cf. NEB margin, “that you may come to believe”). As reflected by the renderings of the NEB text and margin, it is often assumed that the present tense would suggest ongoing belief (i.e., the Fourth Gospel primarily addressed those who already believed, and was intended to strengthen their faith), while the aorist tense would speak of coming to faith (i.e., John’s Gospel was primarily evangelistic in nature). Both textual variants enjoy significant ms support, although the present subjunctive has somewhat superior witnesses on its behalf. On internal grounds it is hard to decide which is more likely the original. Many resolve this issue on the basis of a reconstruction of the overall purpose of the Gospel, viz., whether it is addressed to unbelievers or believers. However, since elsewhere in the Gospel of John (1) the present tense can refer to both initial faith and continuation in the faith and (2) the aorist tense simply refrains from commenting on the issue, it is highly unlikely that the distinction here would be determinative for the purpose of the Fourth Gospel. The question of purpose cannot be resolved by choosing one textual variant over the other in 20:31, but must be decided on other factors. Nevertheless, if a choice has to be made, the present subjunctive is the preferred reading. NA²⁷ puts the aorist’s sigma in brackets, thus representing both readings virtually equally (so TCGNT 220).

[20:31]  ²⁰⁸ tn Or “Jesus is the Messiah” (Both Greek “Christ” and Hebrew and Aramaic “Messiah” mean “one who has been anointed”).

[20:31]  sn See the note on Christ in 1:20.

[20:31]  ²⁰⁹ sn John 20:31. A major question concerning this verse, the purpose statement of the Gospel of John, is whether the author is writing primarily for an audience of unbelievers, with purely evangelistic emphasis, or whether he envisions an audience of believers, whom he wants to strengthen in their faith. Several points are important in this discussion: (1) in the immediate context (20:30), the other signs spoken of by the author were performed in the presence of disciples; (2) in the case of the first of the signs, at Cana, the author makes a point of the effect the miracle had on the disciples (2:11); (3) if the primary thrust of the Gospel is toward unbelievers, it is difficult to see why so much material in chaps. 13-17 (the last meal and Farewell Discourse, concluding with Jesus’ prayer for the disciples), which deals almost exclusively with the disciples, is included; (4) the disciples themselves were repeatedly said to have believed in Jesus throughout the Gospel, beginning with 2:11, yet they still needed to believe after the resurrection (if Thomas’ experience in 20:27-28 is any indication); and (5) the Gospel appears to be written with the assumption that the readers are familiar with the basic story (or perhaps with one or more of the synoptic gospel accounts, although this is less clear). Thus no account of the birth of Jesus is given at all, and although he is identified as being from Nazareth, the words of the Pharisees and chief priests to Nicodemus (7:52) are almost certainly to be taken as ironic, assuming the reader knows where Jesus was really from. Likewise, when Mary is identified in 11:2 as the one who anointed Jesus’ feet with oil, it is apparently assumed that the readers are familiar with the story, since the incident involved is not mentioned in the Fourth Gospel until 12:3. These observations must be set over against the clear statement of purpose in the present verse, 20:31, which seems to have significant evangelistic emphasis. In addition to this there is the repeated emphasis on witness throughout the Fourth Gospel (cf. the witness of John the Baptist in 1:7, 8, 15, 32, and 34, along with 5:33; the Samaritan woman in 4:39; Jesus’ own witness, along with that of the Father who sent him, in 8:14, 18, and 18:37; the disciples themselves in 15:27; and finally the testimony of the author himself in 19:35 and 21:24). In light of all this evidence it seems best to say that the author wrote with a dual purpose: (1) to witness to unbelievers concerning Jesus, in order that they come to believe in him and have eternal life; and (2) to strengthen the faith of believers, by deepening and expanding their understanding of who Jesus is.

[21:25]  ²¹⁰ tn Grk “written”; the word “down” is supplied in keeping with contemporary English idiom.

[21:25]  ²¹¹ tn Grk “the world itself.”

[21:25]  ²¹² tc Although the majority of mss (C² Θ Ψ Ë¹³ Ï lat) conclude this Gospel with ἀμήν (amhn, “amen”), such a conclusion is routinely added by scribes to NT books because a few of these books originally had such an ending (cf. Rom 16:27; Gal 6:18; Jude 25). A majority of Greek witnesses have the concluding ἀμήν in every NT book except Acts, James, and 3 John (and even in these books, ἀμήν is found in some witnesses). It is thus a predictable variant. Further, excellent and early witnesses, as well as a few others (א A B C*^,3 D W 1 33 pc it), lack the particle, rendering no doubt as to how this Gospel originally ended.

[21:25]  sn The author concludes the Gospel with a note concerning his selectivity of material. He makes it plain that he has not attempted to write an exhaustive account of the words and works of Jesus, for if one attempted to do so, “the whole world would not have room for the books that would be written.” This is clearly hyperbole, and as such bears some similarity to the conclusion of the Book of Ecclesiastes (12:9-12). As it turns out, the statement seems more true of the Fourth Gospel itself, which is the subject of an ever-lengthening bibliography. The statement in v. 25 serves as a final reminder that knowledge of Jesus, no matter how well-attested it may be, is still partial. Everything that Jesus did during his three and one-half years of earthly ministry is not known. This supports the major theme of the Fourth Gospel: Jesus is repeatedly identified as God, and although he may be truly known on the basis of his self-disclosure, he can never be known exhaustively. There is far more to know about Jesus than could ever be written down, or even known. On this appropriate note the Gospel of John ends.