Yohanes 2:1

Turning Water into Wine

2:1 Now on the third day there was a wedding at Cana ¹  in Galilee. ²  Jesus’ mother ³  was there,

Yohanes 2:6

2:6 Now there were six stone water jars there for Jewish ceremonial washing, ⁴  each holding twenty or thirty gallons. ⁵ 

Yohanes 2:12

Cleansing the Temple

2:12 After this he went down to Capernaum ⁶  with his mother and brothers ⁷  and his disciples, and they stayed there a few days.

Yohanes 3:27

3:27 John replied, ⁸  “No one can receive anything unless it has been given to him from heaven.

Yohanes 4:1

Departure From Judea

4:1 Now when Jesus ⁹  knew that the Pharisees ¹⁰  had heard that he ¹¹  was winning ¹²  and baptizing more disciples than John

Yohanes 4:15

4:15 The woman said to him, “Sir, give me this water, so that I will not be thirsty or have to come here to draw ¹³  water.” ¹⁴ 

Yohanes 4:17

4:17 The woman replied, ¹⁵  “I have no husband.” Jesus said to her, “Right you are when you said, ¹⁶  ‘I have no husband,’ ¹⁷ 

Yohanes 4:22

4:22 You people ¹⁸  worship what you do not know. We worship what we know, because salvation is from the Jews. ¹⁹ 

Yohanes 4:25

4:25 The woman said to him, “I know that Messiah is coming” (the one called Christ); ²⁰  “whenever he ²¹  comes, he will tell ²²  us everything.” ²³ 

Yohanes 4:52

4:52 So he asked them the time ²⁴  when his condition began to improve, ²⁵  and ²⁶  they told him, “Yesterday at one o’clock in the afternoon ²⁷  the fever left him.”

Yohanes 5:28

5:28 “Do not be amazed at this, because a time ²⁸  is coming when all who are in the tombs will hear his voice

Yohanes 5:32

5:32 There is another ²⁹  who testifies about me, and I know the testimony he testifies about me is true.

Yohanes 6:19

6:19 Then, when they had rowed about three or four miles, ³⁰  they caught sight of Jesus walking on the lake, ³¹  approaching the boat, and they were frightened.

Yohanes 6:65

6:65 So Jesus added, ³²  “Because of this I told you that no one can come to me unless the Father has allowed him to come.” ³³ 

Yohanes 7:16-17

7:16 So Jesus replied, ³⁴  “My teaching is not from me, but from the one who sent me. ³⁵  7:17 If anyone wants to do God’s will, ³⁶  he will know about my teaching, whether it is from God or whether I speak from my own authority. ³⁷ 

Yohanes 7:30

7:30 So then they tried to seize Jesus, ³⁸  but no one laid a hand on him, because his time ³⁹  had not yet come.

Yohanes 7:38

7:38 let the one who believes in me drink. ⁴⁰  Just as the scripture says, ‘From within him ⁴¹  will flow rivers of living water.’” ⁴² 

Yohanes 7:42

7:42 Don’t the scriptures say that the Christ is a descendant ⁴³  of David ⁴⁴  and comes from Bethlehem, ⁴⁵  the village where David lived?” ⁴⁶ 

Yohanes 8:9

8:9 Now when they heard this, they began to drift away one at a time, starting with the older ones, ⁴⁷  until Jesus was left alone with the woman standing before him.

Yohanes 8:11

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.”]] ⁴⁸ 

Yohanes 8:20

8:20 (Jesus ⁴⁹  spoke these words near the offering box ⁵⁰  while he was teaching in the temple courts. ⁵¹  No one seized him because his time ⁵²  had not yet come.) ⁵³ 

Yohanes 9:2

9:2 His disciples asked him, ⁵⁴  “Rabbi, who committed the sin that caused him to be born blind, this man ⁵⁵  or his parents?” ⁵⁶ 

Yohanes 9:31

9:31 We know that God doesn’t listen to ⁵⁷  sinners, but if anyone is devout ⁵⁸  and does his will, God ⁵⁹  listens to ⁶⁰  him. ⁶¹ 

Yohanes 9:41

9:41 Jesus replied, ⁶²  “If you were blind, you would not be guilty of sin, ⁶³  but now because you claim that you can see, ⁶⁴  your guilt ⁶⁵  remains.” ⁶⁶ 

Yohanes 10:9

10:9 I am the door. If anyone enters through me, he will be saved, and will come in and go out, ⁶⁷  and find pasture. ⁶⁸ 

Yohanes 10:35

10:35 If those people to whom the word of God came were called ‘gods’ (and the scripture cannot be broken), ⁶⁹ 

Yohanes 11:2

11:2 (Now it was Mary who anointed the Lord with perfumed oil ⁷⁰  and wiped his feet dry with her hair, whose brother Lazarus was sick.) ⁷¹ 

Yohanes 11:30

11:30 (Now Jesus had not yet entered the village, but was still in the place where Martha had come out to meet him.)

Yohanes 11:39

11:39 Jesus said, “Take away the stone.” ⁷²  Martha, the sister of the deceased, ⁷³  replied, “Lord, by this time the body will have a bad smell, ⁷⁴  because he has been buried ⁷⁵  four days.” ⁷⁶ 

Yohanes 12:2

12:2 So they prepared a dinner for Jesus ⁷⁷  there. Martha ⁷⁸  was serving, and Lazarus was among those present at the table ⁷⁹  with him.

Yohanes 12:50

12:50 And I know that his commandment is eternal life. ⁸⁰  Thus the things I say, I say just as the Father has told me.” ⁸¹ 

Yohanes 17:3

17:3 Now this ⁸²  is eternal life ⁸³  – that they know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, ⁸⁴  whom you sent.

Yohanes 17:5

17:5 And now, Father, glorify me at your side ⁸⁵  with the glory I had with you before the world was created. ⁸⁶ 

Yohanes 19:27

19:27 He then said to his disciple, “Look, here is your mother!” From that very time ⁸⁷  the disciple took her into his own home.

Yohanes 19:35

19:35 And the person who saw it ⁸⁸  has testified (and his testimony is true, and he ⁸⁹  knows that he is telling the truth), ⁹⁰  so that you also may believe.

Yohanes 20:18

20:18 Mary Magdalene came and informed the disciples, “I have seen the Lord!” And she told them ⁹¹  what ⁹²  Jesus ⁹³  had said to her. ⁹⁴ 

Yohanes 21:24

A Final Note

21:24 This is the disciple who testifies about these things and has written these things, and we know that his testimony is true.

[2:1]  ¹ map For location see Map1 C3; Map2 D2; Map3 C5.

[2:1]  ² sn Cana in Galilee was not a very well-known place. It is mentioned only here, in 4:46, and 21:2, and nowhere else in the NT. Josephus (Life 16 [86]) says he once had his quarters there. The probable location is present day Khirbet Cana, 8 mi (14 km) north of Nazareth, or Khirbet Kenna, 4 mi (7 km) northeast of Nazareth.

[2:1]  ³ tn Grk “in Galilee, and Jesus’ mother.”

[2:6]  ⁴ tn Grk “for the purification of the Jews.”

[2:6]  ⁵ tn Grk “holding two or three metretes” (about 75 to 115 liters). Each of the pots held 2 or 3 μετρηταί (metrhtai). A μετρητῆς (metrhths) was about 9 gallons (40 liters); thus each jar held 18-27 gallons (80-120 liters) and the total volume of liquid involved was 108-162 gallons (480-720 liters).

[2:6]  sn Significantly, these jars held water for Jewish ceremonial washing (purification rituals). The water of Jewish ritual purification has become the wine of the new messianic age. The wine may also be, after the fashion of Johannine double meanings, a reference to the wine of the Lord’s Supper. A number have suggested this, but there does not seem to be anything in the immediate context which compels this; it seems more related to how frequently a given interpreter sees references to the sacraments in John’s Gospel as a whole.

[2:12]  ⁶ sn Verse 12 is merely a transitional note in the narrative (although Capernaum does not lie on the direct route to Jerusalem from Cana). Nothing is mentioned in John’s Gospel at this point about anything Jesus said or did there (although later his teaching is mentioned, see 6:59). From the synoptics it is clear that Capernaum was a center of Jesus’ Galilean ministry and might even be called “his own town” (Matt 9:1). The royal official whose son Jesus healed (John 4:46-54) was from Capernaum. He may have heard Jesus speak there, or picked up the story about the miracle at Cana from one of Jesus’ disciples.

[2:12]  map For location see Map1 D2; Map2 C3; Map3 B2.

[2:12]  ⁷ sn With respect to Jesus’ brothers, the so-called Helvidian view is to be preferred (named after Helvidius, a 4th-century theologian). This view holds that the most natural way to understand the phrase is as a reference to children of Joseph and Mary after the birth of Jesus. Other views are that of Epiphanius (they were children of Joseph by a former marriage) or Jerome (they were cousins). The tradition of Mary’s perpetual virginity appeared in the 2nd century and is difficult to explain (as J. H. Bernard, St. John [ICC], 1:85, points out) if some of her other children were prominent members of the early church (e.g., James of Jerusalem). But this is outweighed by the natural sense of the words.

[3:27]  ⁸ tn Grk “answered and said.”

[4:1]  ⁹ tc Several early and important witnesses, along with the majority of later ones (Ì^66c,75 A B C L W^s Ψ 083 ˹³ 33 Ï sa), have κύριος (kurio", “Lord”) here instead of ᾿Ιησοῦς (Ihsou", “Jesus”). As significant as this external support is, the internal evidence seems to be on the side of ᾿Ιησοῦς. “Jesus” is mentioned two more times in the first two verses of chapter four in a way that is stylistically awkward (so much so that the translation has substituted the pronoun for the first one; see tn note below). This seems to be sufficient reason to motivate scribes to change the wording to κύριος. Further, the reading ᾿Ιησοῦς is not without decent support, though admittedly not as strong as that for κύριος (Ì^66* א D Θ 086 ˹ 565 1241 al lat bo). On the other hand, this Gospel speaks of Jesus as Lord in the evangelist’s narrative descriptions elsewhere only in 11:2; 20:18, 20; 21:12; and probably 6:23, preferring ᾿Ιησοῦς most of the time. This fact could be used to argue that scribes, acquainted with John’s style, changed κύριος to ᾿Ιησοῦς. But the immediate context generally is weighed more heavily than an author’s style. It is possible that neither word was in the original text and scribes supplied what they thought most appropriate (see TCGNT 176). But without ms evidence to this effect coupled with the harder reading ᾿Ιησοῦς, this conjecture must remain doubtful. All in all, it is best to regard ᾿Ιησοῦς as the original reading here.

[4:1]  ¹⁰ sn See the note on Pharisees in 1:24.

[4:1]  ¹¹ tn Grk “Jesus”; the repetition of the proper name is somewhat redundant in English (see the beginning of the verse) and so the pronoun (“he”) has been substituted here.

[4:1]  ¹² tn Grk “was making.”

[4:15]  ¹³ tn Grk “or come here to draw.”

[4:15]  ¹⁴ tn The direct object of the infinitive ἀντλεῖν (antlein) is understood in Greek but supplied for clarity in the English translation.

[4:17]  ¹⁵ tn Grk “answered and said to him.”

[4:17]  ¹⁶ tn Grk “Well have you said.”

[4:17]  ¹⁷ tn The word order in Jesus’ reply is reversed from the woman’s original statement. The word “husband” in Jesus’ reply is placed in an emphatic position.

[4:22]  ¹⁸ tn The word “people” is not in the Greek text, but is supplied to indicate that the Greek verb translated “worship” is second person plural and thus refers to more than the woman alone.

[4:22]  ¹⁹ tn Or “from the Judeans.” See the note on “Jew” in v. 9.

[4:25]  ²⁰ tn Both Greek “Christ” and Hebrew and Aramaic “Messiah” mean “the one who has been anointed.”

[4:25]  sn The one called Christ. This is a parenthetical statement by the author. See the note on Christ in 1:20.

[4:25]  ²¹ tn Grk “that one.”

[4:25]  ²² tn Or “he will announce to us.”

[4:25]  ²³ tn Grk “all things.”

[4:52]  ²⁴ tn Grk “the hour.”

[4:52]  ²⁵ tn BDAG 558 s.v. κομψότερον translates the idiom κομψότερον ἔχειν (komyoteron ecein) as “begin to improve.”

[4:52]  ²⁶ tn The second οὖν (oun) in 4:52 has been translated as “and” to improve English style by avoiding redundancy.

[4:52]  ²⁷ tn Grk “at the seventh hour.”

[5:28]  ²⁸ tn Grk “an hour.”

[5:32]  ²⁹ sn To whom does another refer? To John the Baptist or to the Father? In the nearer context, v. 33, it would seem to be John the Baptist. But v. 34 seems to indicate that Jesus does not receive testimony from men. Probably it is better to view v. 32 as identical to v. 37, with the comments about the Baptist as a parenthetical digression.

[6:19]  ³⁰ 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]  ³¹ 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.”

[6:65]  ³² tn Grk “And he said”; the referent (Jesus) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[6:65]  ³³ tn Grk “unless it has been permitted to him by the Father.”

[7:16]  ³⁴ tn Grk “So Jesus answered and said to them.”

[7:16]  ³⁵ tn The phrase “the one who sent me” refers to God.

[7:17]  ³⁶ tn Grk “his will.”

[7:17]  ³⁷ tn Grk “or whether I speak from myself.”

[7:30]  ³⁸ 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.

[7:30]  ³⁹ tn Grk “his hour.”

[7:38]  ⁴⁰ 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 Lord will continually lead you, he will feed you even in parched regions. He will give you renewed strength, and you will be like a well-watered garden, like a spring that continually produces water.” Other passages which have been suggested are Prov 4:23 and 5:15; Isa 44:3 and 55:1; Ezek 47:1 ff.; Joel 3:18; and Zech 13:1 and 14:8. The meaning in this case is that when anyone comes to believe in Jesus the scriptures referring to the activity of the Holy Spirit in a person’s life are fulfilled. “When the believer comes to Christ and drinks he not only slakes his thirst but receives such an abundant supply that veritable rivers flow from him” (L. Morris, John [NICNT], 424-25). In other words, with this view, the believer himself becomes the source of the living water. This is the traditional understanding of the passage, often called the “Eastern interpretation” following Origen, Athanasius, and the Greek Fathers. It is supported by such modern scholars as Barrett, Behm, Bernard, Cadman, Carson, R. H. Lightfoot, Lindars, Michaelis, Morris, Odeberg, Schlatter, Schweizer, C. H. Turner, M. M. B. Turner, Westcott, and Zahn. In addition it is represented by the following Greek texts and translations: KJV, RSV, NASB, NA²⁷, and UBS⁴. D. A. Carson, John, 322-29, has a thorough discussion of the issues and evidence although he opts for the previous interpretation. There is another interpretation possible, however, called the “Western interpretation” because of patristic support by Justin, Hippolytus, Tertullian, and Irenaeus. Modern scholars who favor this view are Abbott, Beasley-Murray, Bishop, Boismard, Braun, Brown, Bullinger, Bultmann, Burney, Dodd, Dunn, Guilding, R. Harris, Hoskyns, Jeremias, Loisy, D. M. Stanley, Thüsing, N. Turner, and Zerwick. This view is represented by the translation in the RSV margin and by the NEB. It is also sometimes called the “christological interpretation” because it makes Jesus himself the source of the living water in v. 38, by punctuating as follows: (37b) ἐάν τι διψᾷ ἐρχέσθω πρός με, καὶ πινέτω (38) ὁ πιστεύων εἰς ἐμέ. Καθὼς εἶπεν ἡ γραφή, ποταμοὶ ἐκ τῆς κοιλίας αὐτοῦ ῥεύσουσιν ὕδατος ζῶντος. Three crucial questions are involved in the solution of this problem: (1) punctuation; (2) determining the antecedent of αὐτοῦ (autou); and (3) the source of the scripture quotation. With regard to (1) Ì⁶⁶ does place a full stop after πινέτω (pinetw), but this may be theologically motivated and could have been added later. Grammatical and stylistic arguments are inconclusive. More important is (2) the determination of the antecedent of αὐτοῦ. Can any other Johannine parallels be found which make the believer the source of the living water? John 4:14 is often mentioned in this regard, but unlike 4:14 the water here becomes a source for others also. Neither does 14:12 provide a parallel. Furthermore, such an interpretation becomes even more problematic in light of the explanation given in v. 39 that the water refers to the Holy Spirit, since it is extremely difficult to see the individual believer becoming the ‘source’ of the Spirit for others. On the other hand, the Gospel of John repeatedly places Jesus himself in this role as source of the living water: 4:10, of course, for the water itself; but according to 20:22 Jesus provides the Spirit (cf. 14:16). Furthermore, the symbolism of 19:34 is difficult to explain as anything other than a deliberate allusion to what is predicted here. This also explains why the Spirit cannot come to the disciples unless Jesus “departs” (16:7). As to (3) the source of the scripture quotation, M. E. Boismard has argued that John is using a targumic rendering of Ps 78:15-16 which describes the water brought forth from the rock in the wilderness by Moses (“Les citations targumiques dans le quatrième évangile,” RB 66 [1959]: 374-78). The frequency of Exodus motifs in the Fourth Gospel (paschal lamb, bronze serpent, manna from heaven) leads quite naturally to the supposition that the author is here drawing on the account of Moses striking the rock in the wilderness to bring forth water (Num 20:8 ff.). That such imagery was readily identified with Jesus in the early church is demonstrated by Paul’s understanding of the event in 1 Cor 10:4. Jesus is the Rock from which the living water – the Spirit – will flow. Carson (see note above) discusses this imagery although he favors the traditional or “Eastern” interpretation. In summary, the latter or “Western” interpretation is to be preferred.

[7:38]  ⁴¹ tn Or “out of the innermost part of his person”; Grk “out of his belly.”

[7:38]  ⁴² 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.

[7:42]  ⁴³ tn Grk “is from the seed” (an idiom for human descent).

[7:42]  ⁴⁴ sn An allusion to Ps 89:4.

[7:42]  ⁴⁵ sn An allusion to Mic 5:2.

[7:42]  map For location see Map5 B1; Map7 E2; Map8 E2; Map10 B4.

[7:42]  ⁴⁶ tn Grk “the village where David was.”

[8:9]  ⁴⁷ tn Or “beginning from the eldest.”

[8:11]  ⁴⁸ tc The earliest and best mss do not contain 7:53–8:11 (see note on 7:53).

[8:20]  ⁴⁹ tn Grk “He”; the referent (Jesus) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[8:20]  ⁵⁰ 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]  ⁵¹ tn Grk “the temple.”

[8:20]  ⁵² tn Grk “his hour.”

[8:20]  ⁵³ sn This is a parenthetical note by the author.

[9:2]  ⁵⁴ tn Grk “asked him, saying.”

[9:2]  ⁵⁵ tn Grk “this one.”

[9:2]  ⁵⁶ 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.

[9:31]  ⁵⁷ tn Grk “God does not hear.”

[9:31]  ⁵⁸ tn Or “godly.”

[9:31]  ⁵⁹ tn Grk “he”; the referent (God) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[9:31]  ⁶⁰ tn Or “hears.”

[9:31]  ⁶¹ tn Grk “this one.”

[9:41]  ⁶² tn Grk “Jesus said to them.”

[9:41]  ⁶³ tn Grk “you would not have sin.”

[9:41]  ⁶⁴ tn Grk “now because you say, ‘We see…’”

[9:41]  ⁶⁵ tn Or “your sin.”

[9:41]  ⁶⁶ 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).

[10:9]  ⁶⁷ tn Since the Greek phrase εἰσέρχομαι καὶ ἐξέρχομαι (eisercomai kai exercomai, “come in and go out”) is in some places an idiom for living or conducting oneself in relationship to some community (“to live with, to live among” [cf. Acts 1:21; see also Num 27:17; 2 Chr 1:10]), it may well be that Jesus’ words here look forward to the new covenant community of believers. Another significant NT text is Luke 9:4, where both these verbs occur in the context of the safety and security provided by a given household for the disciples. See also BDAG 294 s.v. εἰσέρχομαι 1.b.β.

[10:9]  ⁶⁸ sn That is, pasture land in contrast to cultivated land.

[10:35]  ⁶⁹ 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.

[11:2]  ⁷⁰ tn Or “perfume,” “ointment.”

[11:2]  ⁷¹ sn This is a parenthetical note by the author. It is a bit surprising that the author here identifies Mary as the one who anointed the Lord with perfumed oil and wiped his feet dry with her hair, since this event is not mentioned until later, in 12:3. Many see this “proleptic” reference as an indication that the author expected his readers to be familiar with the story already, and go on to assume that in general the author in writing the Fourth Gospel assumed his readers were familiar with the other three gospels. Whether the author assumed actual familiarity with the synoptic gospels or not, it is probable that he did assume some familiarity with Mary’s anointing activity.

[11:39]  ⁷² tn Or “Remove the stone.”

[11:39]  ⁷³ tn Grk “the sister of the one who had died.”

[11:39]  ⁷⁴ tn Grk “already he stinks.”

[11:39]  ⁷⁵ tn Or “been there” (in the tomb – see John 11:17).

[11:39]  ⁷⁶ sn He has been buried four days. Although all the details of the miracle itself are not given, those details which are mentioned are important. The statement made by Martha is extremely significant for understanding what actually took place. There is no doubt that Lazarus had really died, because the decomposition of his body had already begun to take place, since he had been dead for four days.

[12:2]  ⁷⁷ tn Grk “him”; the referent (Jesus) has been specified in the translation for clarity and to conform with contemporary English style.

[12:2]  ⁷⁸ tn Grk “And Martha.” The connective καί (kai, “and”) has been omitted in the translation because it would produce a run-on sentence in English.

[12:2]  ⁷⁹ tn Grk “reclining at the table.”

[12:2]  sn 1st century middle eastern meals were not eaten while sitting at a table, but while reclining on one’s side on the floor with the head closest to the low table and the feet farthest away.

[12:50]  ⁸⁰ tn Or “his commandment results in eternal life.”

[12:50]  ⁸¹ tn Grk “The things I speak, just as the Father has spoken to me, thus I speak.”

[17:3]  ⁸² tn Using αὕτη δέ (Jauth de) to introduce an explanation is typical Johannine style; it was used before in John 1:19, 3:19, and 15:12.

[17:3]  ⁸³ sn This is eternal life. The author here defines eternal life for the readers, although it is worked into the prayer in such a way that many interpreters do not regard it as another of the author’s parenthetical comments. It is not just unending life in the sense of prolonged duration. Rather it is a quality of life, with its quality derived from a relationship with God. Having eternal life is here defined as being in relationship with the Father, the one true God, and Jesus Christ whom the Father sent. Christ (Χριστός, Cristos) is not characteristically attached to Jesus’ name in John’s Gospel; it occurs elsewhere primarily as a title and is used with Jesus’ name only in 1:17. But that is connected to its use here: The statement here in 17:3 enables us to correlate the statement made in 1:18 of the prologue, that Jesus has fully revealed what God is like, with Jesus’ statement in 10:10 that he has come that people might have life, and have it abundantly. These two purposes are really one, according to 17:3, because (abundant) eternal life is defined as knowing (being in relationship with) the Father and the Son. The only way to gain this eternal life, that is, to obtain this knowledge of the Father, is through the Son (cf. 14:6). Although some have pointed to the use of know (γινώσκω, ginwskw) here as evidence of Gnostic influence in the Fourth Gospel, there is a crucial difference: For John this knowledge is not intellectual, but relational. It involves being in relationship.

[17:3]  ⁸⁴ tn Or “and Jesus the Messiah” (Both Greek “Christ” and Hebrew and Aramaic “Messiah” mean “one who has been anointed”).

[17:5]  ⁸⁵ tn Or “in your presence”; Grk “with yourself.” The use of παρά (para) twice in this verse looks back to the assertion in John 1:1 that the Word (the Λόγος [Logos], who became Jesus of Nazareth in 1:14) was with God (πρὸς τὸν θεόν, pro" ton qeon). Whatever else may be said, the statement in 17:5 strongly asserts the preexistence of Jesus Christ.

[17:5]  ⁸⁶ tn Grk “before the world was.” The word “created” is not in the Greek text but is implied.

[17:5]  sn It is important to note that although Jesus prayed for a return to the glory he had at the Father’s side before the world was created, he was not praying for a “de-incarnation.” His humanity which he took on at the incarnation (John 1:14) remains, though now glorified.

[19:27]  ⁸⁷ tn Grk “from that very hour.”

[19:35]  ⁸⁸ tn The word “it” is not in the Greek text but is implied. Direct objects were often omitted in Greek when clear from the context.

[19:35]  ⁸⁹ tn Grk “and that one.”

[19:35]  ⁹⁰ sn A parenthetical note by the author.

[20:18]  ⁹¹ tn The words “she told them” are repeated from the first part of the same verse to improve clarity.

[20:18]  ⁹² tn Grk “the things.”

[20:18]  ⁹³ tn Grk “he”; the referent (Jesus) is specified in the translation for clarity.

[20:18]  ⁹⁴ tn The first part of Mary’s statement, introduced by ὅτι (Joti), is direct discourse (ἑώρακα τὸν κύριον, Jewraka ton kurion), while the second clause switches to indirect discourse (καὶ ταῦτα εἶπεν αὐτῇ, kai tauta eipen auth). This has the effect of heightening the emphasis on the first part of the statement.