Yohanes 1:19

The Testimony of John the Baptist

1:19 Now ¹  this was ²  John’s ³  testimony ⁴  when the Jewish leaders ⁵  sent ⁶  priests and Levites from Jerusalem ⁷  to ask him, “Who are you?” ⁸ 

Yohanes 1:27

1:27 who is coming after me. I am not worthy ⁹  to untie the strap ¹⁰  of his sandal!”

Yohanes 2:4

2:4 Jesus replied, ¹¹  “Woman, ¹²  why are you saying this to me? ¹³  My time ¹⁴  has not yet come.”

Yohanes 2:7

2:7 Jesus told the servants, ¹⁵  “Fill the water jars with water.” So they filled them up to the very top.

Yohanes 2:19

2:19 Jesus replied, ¹⁶  “Destroy ¹⁷  this temple and in three days I will raise it up again.”

Yohanes 3:10

3:10 Jesus answered, ¹⁸  “Are you the teacher of Israel and yet you don’t understand these things? ¹⁹ 

Yohanes 3:17

3:17 For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, ²⁰  but that the world should be saved through him.

Yohanes 3:27

3:27 John replied, ²¹  “No one can receive anything unless it has been given to him from heaven.

Yohanes 5:35

5:35 He was a lamp that was burning and shining, ²²  and you wanted to rejoice greatly for a short time ²³  in his light.

Yohanes 6:8

6:8 One of Jesus’ disciples, ²⁴  Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother, said to him,

Yohanes 6:33

6:33 For the bread of God is the one who ²⁵  comes down from heaven and gives life to the world.”

Yohanes 6:60

6:60 Then many of his disciples, when they heard these things, ²⁶  said, “This is a difficult ²⁷  saying! ²⁸  Who can understand it?” ²⁹ 

Yohanes 7:13

7:13 However, no one spoke openly about him for fear of the Jewish leaders. ³⁰ 

Yohanes 8:49

8:49 Jesus answered, “I am not possessed by a demon, ³¹  but I honor my Father – and yet ³²  you dishonor me.

Yohanes 10:20

10:20 Many of them were saying, “He is possessed by a demon and has lost his mind! ³³  Why do you listen to him?”

Yohanes 12:32

12:32 And I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all people ³⁴  to myself.”

Yohanes 13:7

13:7 Jesus replied, ³⁵  “You do not understand ³⁶  what I am doing now, but you will understand ³⁷  after these things.”

Yohanes 14:5

14:5 Thomas said, ³⁸  “Lord, we don’t know where you are going. How can we know the way?”

Yohanes 15:8

15:8 My Father is honored ³⁹  by this, that ⁴⁰  you bear ⁴¹  much fruit and show that you are ⁴²  my disciples.

Yohanes 18:19

Jesus Questioned by Annas

18:19 While this was happening, ⁴³  the high priest questioned Jesus about his disciples and about his teaching. ⁴⁴ 

Yohanes 19:32

19:32 So the soldiers came and broke the legs of the two men who had been crucified ⁴⁵  with Jesus, ⁴⁶  first the one and then the other. ⁴⁷ 

Yohanes 20:24

The Response of Thomas

20:24 Now Thomas (called Didymus), ⁴⁸  one of the twelve, was not with them when Jesus came.

[1:19]  ¹ tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “now” to indicate the transition to a new topic. Greek style often begins sentences or clauses with “and,” but English style generally does not.

[1:19]  ² tn Grk “is.”

[1:19]  ³ sn John’s refers to John the Baptist.

[1:19]  ⁴ tn Or “witness.”

[1:19]  sn John the Baptist’s testimony seems to take place over 3 days: day 1, John’s testimony about his own role is largely negative (1:19-28); day 2, John gives positive testimony about who Jesus is (1:29-34); day 3, John sends his own disciples to follow Jesus (1:35-40).

[1:19]  ⁵ tn Or “the Jewish authorities”; Grk “the Jews.” In NT usage the term ᾿Iουδαῖοι (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. Here the author refers to the authorities or leaders in Jerusalem. (For further information see R. G. Bratcher, “‘The Jews’ in the Gospel of John,” BT 26 [1975]: 401-9.)

[1:19]  ⁶ tc ‡ Several important witnesses have πρὸς αὐτόν (pro" auton, “to him”) either here (B C* 33 892^c al it) or after “Levites” (Ì^{66c vid} A Θ Ψ Ë¹³ 579 al lat), while the earliest mss as well as the majority of mss (Ì^66*,75 א C³ L W^s ˹ Ï) lack the phrase. On the one hand, πρὸς αὐτόν could be perceived as redundant since αὐτόν is used again later in the verse, thus prompting scribes to omit the phrase. On the other hand, both the variation in placement of πρὸς αὐτόν and the fact that this phrase rather than the latter αὐτόν is lacking in certain witnesses (cf. John 11:44; 14:7; 18:31), suggests that scribes felt that the sentence needed the phrase to make the sense clearer. Although a decision is difficult, the shorter reading is slightly preferred. NA²⁷ has πρὸς αὐτόν in brackets, indicating doubt as to the phrase’s authenticity.

[1:19]  ⁷ map For location see Map5 B1; Map6 F3; Map7 E2; Map8 F2; Map10 B3; JP1 F4; JP2 F4; JP3 F4; JP4 F4.

[1:19]  ⁸ sn “Who are you?” No uniform Jewish expectation of a single eschatological figure existed in the 1st century. A majority expected the Messiah. But some pseudepigraphic books describe God’s intervention without mentioning the anointed Davidic king; in parts of 1 Enoch, for example, the figure of the Son of Man, not the Messiah, embodies the expectations of the author. Essenes at Qumran seem to have expected three figures: a prophet, a priestly messiah, and a royal messiah. In baptizing, John the Baptist was performing an eschatological action. It also seems to have been part of his proclamation (John 1:23, 26-27). Crowds were beginning to follow him. He was operating in an area not too far from the Essene center on the Dead Sea. No wonder the authorities were curious about who he was.

[1:27]  ⁹ tn Grk “of whom I am not worthy.”

[1:27]  sn The humility of John is evident in the statement I am not worthy. This was considered one of the least worthy tasks of a slave, and John did not consider himself worthy to do even that for the one to come, despite the fact he himself was a prophet.

[1:27]  ¹⁰ tn The term refers to the leather strap or thong used to bind a sandal. This is often viewed as a collective singular and translated as a plural, “the straps of his sandals,” but it may be more emphatic to retain the singular here.

[2:4]  ¹¹ tn Grk “and Jesus said to her.”

[2:4]  ¹² sn The term Woman is Jesus’ normal, polite way of addressing women (Matt 15:28, Luke 13:12; John 4:21; 8:10; 19:26; 20:15). But it is unusual for a son to address his mother with this term. The custom in both Hebrew (or Aramaic) and Greek would be for a son to use a qualifying adjective or title. Is there significance in Jesus’ use here? It probably indicates that a new relationship existed between Jesus and his mother once he had embarked on his public ministry. He was no longer or primarily only her son, but the “Son of Man.” This is also suggested by the use of the same term in 19:26 in the scene at the cross, where the beloved disciple is “given” to Mary as her “new” son.

[2:4]  ¹³ tn Grk “Woman, what to me and to you?” (an idiom). The phrase τί ἐμοὶ καὶ σοί, γύναι (ti emoi kai soi, gunai) is Semitic in origin. The equivalent Hebrew expression in the Old Testament had two basic meanings: (1) When one person was unjustly bothering another, the injured party could say “What to me and to you?” meaning, “What have I done to you that you should do this to me?” (Judg 11:12, 2 Chr 35:21, 1 Kgs 17:18). (2) When someone was asked to get involved in a matter he felt was no business of his, he could say to the one asking him, “What to me and to you?” meaning, “That is your business, how am I involved?” (2 Kgs 3:13, Hos 14:8). Option (1) implies hostility, while option (2) implies merely disengagement. Mere disengagement is almost certainly to be understood here as better fitting the context (although some of the Greek Fathers took the remark as a rebuke to Mary, such a rebuke is unlikely).

[2:4]  ¹⁴ tn Grk “my hour” (referring to the time of Jesus’ crucifixion and return to the Father).

[2:4]  sn The Greek word translated time (ὥρα, Jwra) occurs in John 2:4; 4:21, 23; 5:25, 28, 29; 7:30; 8:20; 12:23, 27; 13:1; 16:25; and 17:1. It is a reference to the special period in Jesus’ life when he was to leave this world and return to the Father (13:1); the hour when the Son of man is glorified (17:1). This is accomplished through his suffering, death, resurrection (and ascension – though this last is not emphasized by John). John 7:30 and 8:20 imply that Jesus’ arrest and death are included. John 12:23 and 17:1, referring to the glorification of the Son, imply that the resurrection and ascension are included as part of the “hour.” In John 2:4 Jesus’ remark to his mother indicates that the time for this self-manifestation has not yet arrived; his identity as Messiah is not yet to be publicly revealed.

[2:7]  ¹⁵ tn Grk “them” (it is clear from the context that the servants are addressed).

[2:19]  ¹⁶ tn Grk “answered and said to them.”

[2:19]  ¹⁷ tn The imperative here is really more than a simple conditional imperative (= “if you destroy”); its semantic force here is more like the ironical imperative found in the prophets (Amos 4:4, Isa 8:9) = “Go ahead and do this and see what happens.”

[3:10]  ¹⁸ tn Grk “Jesus answered and said to him.”

[3:10]  ¹⁹ sn Jesus’ question “Are you the teacher of Israel and yet you don’t understand these things?” implies that Nicodemus had enough information at his disposal from the OT scriptures to have understood Jesus’ statements about the necessity of being born from above by the regenerating work of the Spirit. Isa 44:3-5 and Ezek 37:9-10 are passages Nicodemus might have known which would have given him insight into Jesus’ words. Another significant passage which contains many of these concepts is Prov 30:4-5.

[3:17]  ²⁰ sn That is, “to judge the world to be guilty and liable to punishment.”

[3:27]  ²¹ tn Grk “answered and said.”

[5:35]  ²² sn He was a lamp that was burning and shining. Sir 48:1 states that the word of Elijah was “a flame like a torch.” Because of the connection of John the Baptist with Elijah (see John 1:21 and the note on John’s reply, “I am not”), it was natural for Jesus to apply this description to John.

[5:35]  ²³ tn Grk “for an hour.”

[6:8]  ²⁴ tn Grk “one of his disciples.”

[6:33]  ²⁵ tn Or “he who.”

[6:60]  ²⁶ 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]  ²⁷ tn Or “hard,” “demanding.”

[6:60]  ²⁸ tn Or “teaching”; Grk “word.”

[6:60]  ²⁹ 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.

[7:13]  ³⁰ 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.

[8:49]  ³¹ tn Grk “I do not have a demon.”

[8:49]  ³² tn “Yet” is supplied to show the contrastive element present in the context.

[10:20]  ³³ tn Or “is insane.” To translate simply “he is mad” (so KJV, ASV, RSV; “raving mad” NIV) could give the impression that Jesus was angry, while the actual charge was madness or insanity.

[12:32]  ³⁴ tn Grk “all.” The word “people” is not in the Greek text but is supplied for stylistic reasons and for clarity (cf. KJV “all men”).

[13:7]  ³⁵ tn Grk “answered and said to him.”

[13:7]  ³⁶ tn Grk “You do not know.”

[13:7]  ³⁷ tn Grk “you will know.”

[14:5]  ³⁸ tn Grk “said to him.”

[15:8]  ³⁹ tn Grk “glorified.”

[15:8]  ⁴⁰ tn The ἵνα (Jina) clause is best taken as substantival in apposition to ἐν τούτῳ (en toutw) at the beginning of the verse. The Father is glorified when the disciples bring forth abundant fruit. Just as Jesus has done the works which he has seen his Father doing (5:19-29) so also will his disciples.

[15:8]  ⁴¹ tn Or “yield.”

[15:8]  ⁴² tc Most mss (א A Ψ Ë¹³ 33 Ï) read the future indicative γενήσεσθε (genhsesqe; perhaps best rendered as “[and show that] you will become”), while some early and good witnesses (Ì^66vid B D L Θ 0250 1 565 al) have the aorist subjunctive γένησθε (genhsqe; “[and show that] you are”). The original reading is difficult to determine because the external evidence is fairly evenly divided. On the basis of the external evidence alone the first reading has some credibility because of א and 33, but it is not enough to overthrow the Alexandrian and Western witnesses for the aorist. Some who accept the future indicative see a consecutive (or resultative) sequence between φέρητε (ferhte) in the ἵνα (Jina) clause and γενήσεσθε, so that the disciples’ bearing much fruit results in their becoming disciples. This alleviates the problem of reading a future indicative within a ἵνα clause (a grammatical solecism that is virtually unattested in Attic Greek), although such infrequently occurs in the NT, particularly in the Apocalypse (cf. Gal 2:4; Rev 3:9; 6:4, 11; 8:3; 9:4, 5, 20; 13:12; 14:13; 22:14; even here, however, the Byzantine mss, with א occasionally by their side, almost always change the future indicative to an aorist subjunctive). It seems more likely, however, that the second verb (regardless of whether it is read as aorist or future) is to be understood as coordinate in meaning with the previous verb φέρητε (So M. Zerwick, Biblical Greek §342). Thus the two actions are really one and the same: Bearing fruit and being Jesus’ disciple are not two different actions, but a single action. The first is the outward sign or proof of the second – in bearing fruit the disciples show themselves to be disciples indeed (cf. 15:5). Thus the translation followed here is, “that you bear much fruit and show that you are my disciples.” As far as the textual reading is concerned, it appears somewhat preferable to accept the aorist subjunctive reading (γένησθε) on the basis of better external testimony.

[18:19]  ⁴³ tn The introductory phrase “While this was happening” is not in the Greek text. It has been supplied in the translation to clarify the alternation of scenes in the narrative for the modern reader.

[18:19]  ⁴⁴ sn The nature of this hearing seems to be more that of a preliminary investigation; certainly normal legal procedure was not followed, for no indication is given that any witnesses were brought forth at this point to testify against Jesus. True to what is known of Annas’ character, he was more interested in Jesus’ disciples than in the precise nature of Jesus’ teaching, since he inquired about the followers first. He really wanted to know just how influential Jesus had become and how large a following he had gathered. This was of more concern to Annas that the truth or falsity of Jesus’ teaching.

[19:32]  ⁴⁵ sn See the note on Crucify in 19:6.

[19:32]  ⁴⁶ tn Grk “with him”; the referent (Jesus) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[19:32]  ⁴⁷ tn Grk “broke the legs of the first and of the other who had been crucified with him.”

[20:24]  ⁴⁸ sn This is a parenthetical note by the author; Didymus means “the twin” in Greek.