Yohanes 3:1--5:47
Konteks3:1 Now a certain man, a Pharisee 1 named Nicodemus, who was a member of the Jewish ruling council, 2 3:2 came to Jesus 3 at night 4 and said to him, “Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher who has come from God. For no one could perform the miraculous signs 5 that you do unless God is with him.” 3:3 Jesus replied, 6 “I tell you the solemn truth, 7 unless a person is born from above, 8 he cannot see the kingdom of God.” 9 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?” 10
3:5 Jesus answered, “I tell you the solemn truth, 11 unless a person is born of water and spirit, 12 he cannot enter the kingdom of God. 3:6 What is born of the flesh is flesh, 13 and what is born of the Spirit is spirit. 3:7 Do not be amazed that I said to you, ‘You must all 14 be born from above.’ 15 3:8 The wind 16 blows wherever it will, and you hear the sound it makes, but do not know where it comes from and where it is going. So it is with everyone who is born of the Spirit.” 17
3:9 Nicodemus replied, 18 “How can these things be?” 19 3:10 Jesus answered, 20 “Are you the teacher of Israel and yet you don’t understand these things? 21 3:11 I tell you the solemn truth, 22 we speak about what we know and testify about what we have seen, but 23 you people 24 do not accept our testimony. 25 3:12 If I have told you people 26 about earthly things and you don’t believe, how will you believe if I tell you about heavenly things? 27 3:13 No one 28 has ascended 29 into heaven except the one who descended from heaven – the Son of Man. 30 3:14 Just as 31 Moses lifted up the serpent 32 in the wilderness, 33 so must the Son of Man be lifted up, 34 3:15 so that everyone who believes in him may have eternal life.” 35
3:16 For this is the way 36 God loved the world: He gave his one and only 37 Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish 38 but have eternal life. 39 3:17 For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, 40 but that the world should be saved through him. 3:18 The one who believes in him is not condemned. 41 The one who does not believe has been condemned 42 already, because he has not believed in the name of the one and only 43 Son of God. 3:19 Now this is the basis for judging: 44 that the light has come into the world and people 45 loved the darkness rather than the light, because their deeds were evil. 3:20 For everyone who does evil deeds hates the light and does not come to the light, so that their deeds will not be exposed. 3:21 But the one who practices the truth comes to the light, so that it may be plainly evident that his deeds have been done in God. 46
3:22 After this, 47 Jesus and his disciples came into Judean territory, and there he spent time with them and was baptizing. 3:23 John 48 was also baptizing at Aenon near Salim, 49 because water was plentiful there, and people were coming 50 to him 51 and being baptized. 3:24 (For John had not yet been thrown into prison.) 52
3:25 Now a dispute came about between some of John’s disciples and a certain Jew 53 concerning ceremonial washing. 54 3:26 So they came to John and said to him, “Rabbi, the one who was with you on the other side of the Jordan River, 55 about whom you testified – see, he is baptizing, and everyone is flocking to him!”
3:27 John replied, 56 “No one can receive anything unless it has been given to him from heaven. 3:28 You yourselves can testify that I said, ‘I am not the Christ,’ 57 but rather, ‘I have been sent before him.’ 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 58 when he hears the bridegroom’s voice. This then is my joy, and it is complete. 59 3:30 He must become more important while I become less important.” 60
3:31 The one who comes from above is superior to all. 61 The one who is from the earth belongs to the earth and speaks about earthly things. 62 The one who comes from heaven 63 is superior to all. 64 3:32 He testifies about what he has seen and heard, but no one accepts his testimony. 3:33 The one who has accepted his testimony has confirmed clearly that God is truthful. 65 3:34 For the one whom God has sent 66 speaks the words of God, for he does not give the Spirit sparingly. 67 3:35 The Father loves the Son and has placed all things under his authority. 68 3:36 The one who believes in the Son has eternal life. The one who rejects 69 the Son will not see life, but God’s wrath 70 remains 71 on him.
4:1 Now when Jesus 72 knew that the Pharisees 73 had heard that he 74 was winning 75 and baptizing more disciples than John 4:2 (although Jesus himself was not baptizing, but his disciples were), 76 4:3 he left Judea and set out once more for Galilee. 77
4:4 But he had 78 to pass through Samaria. 79 4:5 Now he came to a Samaritan town 80 called Sychar, 81 near the plot of land that Jacob had given to his son Joseph. 82 4:6 Jacob’s well was there, so Jesus, since he was tired from the journey, sat right down beside 83 the well. It was about noon. 84
4:7 A Samaritan woman 85 came to draw water. Jesus said to her, “Give me some water 86 to drink.” 4:8 (For his disciples had gone off into the town to buy supplies. 87 ) 88 4:9 So the Samaritan woman said to him, “How can you – a Jew 89 – ask me, a Samaritan woman, for water 90 to drink?” (For Jews use nothing in common 91 with Samaritans.) 92
4:10 Jesus answered 93 her, “If you had known 94 the gift of God and who it is who said to you, ‘Give me some water 95 to drink,’ you would have asked him, and he would have given you living water.” 96 4:11 “Sir,” 97 the woman 98 said to him, “you have no bucket and the well 99 is deep; where then do you get this 100 living water? 101 4:12 Surely you’re not greater than our ancestor 102 Jacob, are you? For he gave us this well and drank from it himself, along with his sons and his livestock.” 103
4:13 Jesus replied, 104 “Everyone who drinks some of this water will be thirsty 105 again. 4:14 But whoever drinks some of the water that I will give him will never be thirsty again, 106 but the water that I will give him will become in him a fountain 107 of water springing up 108 to eternal life.” 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 109 water.” 110 4:16 He 111 said to her, “Go call your husband and come back here.” 112 4:17 The woman replied, 113 “I have no husband.” Jesus said to her, “Right you are when you said, 114 ‘I have no husband,’ 115 4:18 for you have had five husbands, and the man you are living with 116 now is not your husband. This you said truthfully!”
4:19 The woman said to him, “Sir, I see 117 that you are a prophet. 4:20 Our fathers worshiped on this mountain, 118 and you people 119 say that the place where people must worship is in Jerusalem.” 120 4:21 Jesus said to her, “Believe me, woman, 121 a time 122 is coming when you will worship 123 the Father neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem. 4:22 You people 124 worship what you do not know. We worship what we know, because salvation is from the Jews. 125 4:23 But a time 126 is coming – and now is here 127 – when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for the Father seeks 128 such people to be 129 his worshipers. 130 4:24 God is spirit, 131 and the people who worship him must worship in spirit and truth.” 4:25 The woman said to him, “I know that Messiah is coming” (the one called Christ); 132 “whenever he 133 comes, he will tell 134 us everything.” 135 4:26 Jesus said to her, “I, the one speaking to you, am he.”
4:27 Now at that very moment his disciples came back. 136 They were shocked 137 because he was speaking 138 with a woman. However, no one said, “What do you want?” 139 or “Why are you speaking with her?” 4:28 Then the woman left her water jar, went off into the town and said to the people, 140 4:29 “Come, see a man who told me everything I ever did. Surely he can’t be the Messiah, 141 can he?” 142 4:30 So 143 they left the town and began coming 144 to him.
4:31 Meanwhile the disciples were urging him, 145 “Rabbi, eat something.” 146 4:32 But he said to them, “I have food to eat that you know nothing about.” 4:33 So the disciples began to say 147 to one another, “No one brought him anything 148 to eat, did they?” 149 4:34 Jesus said to them, “My food is to do the will of the one who sent me 150 and to complete 151 his work. 152 4:35 Don’t you say, 153 ‘There are four more months and then comes the harvest?’ I tell you, look up 154 and see that the fields are already white 155 for harvest! 4:36 The one who reaps receives pay 156 and gathers fruit for eternal life, so that the one who sows and the one who reaps can rejoice together. 4:37 For in this instance the saying is true, 157 ‘One sows and another reaps.’ 4:38 I sent you to reap what you did not work for; others have labored and you have entered into their labor.”
4:39 Now many Samaritans from that town believed in him because of the report of the woman who testified, 158 “He told me everything I ever did.” 4:40 So when the Samaritans came to him, they began asking 159 him to stay with them. 160 He stayed there two days, 4:41 and because of his word many more 161 believed. 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 162 really is the Savior of the world.” 163
4:43 After the two days he departed from there to Galilee. 4:44 (For Jesus himself had testified that a prophet has no honor in his own country.) 164 4:45 So when he came to Galilee, the Galileans welcomed him because they had seen all the things he had done in Jerusalem 165 at the feast 166 (for they themselves had gone to the feast). 167
4:46 Now he came again to Cana 168 in Galilee where he had made the water wine. 169 In 170 Capernaum 171 there was a certain royal official 172 whose son was sick. 4:47 When he heard that Jesus had come back from Judea to Galilee, he went to him and begged him 173 to come down and heal his son, who was about to die. 4:48 So Jesus said to him, “Unless you people 174 see signs and wonders you will never believe!” 175 4:49 “Sir,” the official said to him, “come down before my child dies.” 4:50 Jesus told him, “Go home; 176 your son will live.” The man believed the word that Jesus spoke to him, and set off for home. 177
4:51 While he was on his way down, 178 his slaves 179 met him and told him that his son was going to live. 4:52 So he asked them the time 180 when his condition began to improve, 181 and 182 they told him, “Yesterday at one o’clock in the afternoon 183 the fever left him.” 4:53 Then the father realized that it was the very time 184 Jesus had said to him, “Your son will live,” and he himself believed along with his entire household. 4:54 Jesus did this as his second miraculous sign 185 when he returned from Judea to Galilee.
5:1 After this 186 there was a Jewish feast, 187 and Jesus went up to Jerusalem. 188 5:2 Now there is 189 in Jerusalem by the Sheep Gate 190 a pool called Bethzatha 191 in Aramaic, 192 which has five covered walkways. 193 5:3 A great number of sick, blind, lame, and paralyzed people were lying in these walkways. 5:4 [[EMPTY]] 194 5:5 Now a man was there who had been disabled for thirty-eight years. 195 5:6 When Jesus saw him lying there and when he realized 196 that the man 197 had been disabled a long time already, he said to him, “Do you want to become well?” 5:7 The sick man answered him, “Sir, 198 I have no one to put me into the pool when the water is stirred up. While I am trying to get into the water, 199 someone else 200 goes down there 201 before me.” 5:8 Jesus said to him, “Stand up! Pick up your mat 202 and walk.” 5:9 Immediately the man was healed, 203 and he picked up his mat 204 and started walking. (Now that day was a Sabbath.) 205
5:10 So the Jewish leaders 206 said to the man who had been healed, “It is the Sabbath, and you are not permitted to carry your mat.” 207 5:11 But he answered them, “The man who made me well said to me, ‘Pick up your mat 208 and walk.’” 5:12 They asked him, “Who is the man who said to you, ‘Pick up your mat 209 and walk’?” 210 5:13 But the man who had been healed did not know who it was, for Jesus had slipped out, since there was a crowd in that place.
5:14 After this Jesus found him at the temple and said to him, “Look, you have become well. Don’t sin any more, 211 lest anything worse happen to you.” 5:15 The man went away and informed the Jewish leaders 212 that Jesus was the one who had made him well.
5:16 Now because Jesus was doing these things 213 on the Sabbath, the Jewish leaders 214 began persecuting 215 him. 5:17 So he 216 told 217 them, “My Father is working until now, and I too am working.” 218 5:18 For this reason the Jewish leaders 219 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.
5:19 So Jesus answered them, 220 “I tell you the solemn truth, 221 the Son can do nothing on his own initiative, 222 but only what he sees the Father doing. For whatever the Father 223 does, the Son does likewise. 224 5:20 For the Father loves the Son and shows him everything he does, and will show him greater deeds than these, so that you will be amazed. 5:21 For just as the Father raises the dead and gives them life, 225 so also the Son gives life to whomever he wishes. 226 5:22 Furthermore, the Father does not judge 227 anyone, but has assigned 228 all judgment to the Son, 5:23 so that all people 229 will honor the Son just as they honor the Father. The one who does not honor the Son does not honor the Father who sent him.
5:24 “I tell you the solemn truth, 230 the one who hears 231 my message 232 and believes the one who sent me has eternal life and will not be condemned, 233 but has crossed over from death to life. 5:25 I tell you the solemn truth, 234 a time 235 is coming – and is now here – when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God, and those who hear will live. 5:26 For just as the Father has life in himself, thus he has granted the Son to have life in himself, 5:27 and he has granted the Son 236 authority to execute judgment, 237 because he is the Son of Man.
5:28 “Do not be amazed at this, because a time 238 is coming when all who are in the tombs will hear his voice 5:29 and will come out – the ones who have done what is good to the resurrection resulting in life, and the ones who have done what is evil to the resurrection resulting in condemnation. 239 5:30 I can do nothing on my own initiative. 240 Just as I hear, I judge, and my judgment is just, 241 because I do not seek my own will, but the will of the one who sent me. 242
5:31 “If I testify about myself, my testimony is not true. 5:32 There is another 243 who testifies about me, and I know the testimony he testifies about me is true. 5:33 You have sent to John, 244 and he has testified to the truth. 5:34 (I do not accept 245 human testimony, but I say this so that you may be saved.) 5:35 He was a lamp that was burning and shining, 246 and you wanted to rejoice greatly for a short time 247 in his light.
5:36 “But I have a testimony greater than that from John. For the deeds 248 that the Father has assigned me to complete – the deeds 249 I am now doing – testify about me that the Father has sent me. 5:37 And the Father who sent me has himself testified about me. You people 250 have never heard his voice nor seen his form at any time, 251 5:38 nor do you have his word residing in you, because you do not believe the one whom he sent. 5:39 You study the scriptures thoroughly 252 because you think in them you possess eternal life, 253 and it is these same scriptures 254 that testify about me, 5:40 but you are not willing to come to me so that you may have life.
5:41 “I do not accept 255 praise 256 from people, 257 5:42 but I know you, that you do not have the love of God 258 within you. 5:43 I have come in my Father’s name, and you do not accept 259 me. If someone else comes in his own name, you will accept 260 him. 5:44 How can you believe, if you accept praise 261 from one another and don’t seek the praise 262 that comes from the only God? 263
5:45 “Do not suppose that I will accuse you before the Father. The one who accuses you is Moses, in whom you have placed your hope. 264 5:46 If 265 you believed Moses, you would believe me, because he wrote about me. 5:47 But if you do not believe what Moses 266 wrote, how will you believe my words?”
[3:1] 1 sn See the note on Pharisees in 1:24.
[3:1] 2 tn Grk “a ruler of the Jews” (denoting a member of the Sanhedrin, the highest legal, legislative, and judicial body among the Jews).
[3:2] 3 tn Grk “him”; the referent (Jesus) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[3:2] 4 tn Or “during the night.”
[3:2] sn Possibly Nicodemus came…at night because he was afraid of public association with Jesus, or he wanted a lengthy discussion without interruptions; no explanation for the timing of the interview is given by the author. But the timing is significant for John in terms of the light-darkness motif – compare John 9:4, 11:10, 13:30 (especially), 19:39, and 21:3. Out of the darkness of his life and religiosity Nicodemus came to the Light of the world. The author probably had multiple meanings or associations in mind here, as is often the case.
[3:2] 5 sn The reference to signs (σημεῖα, shmeia) forms a link with John 2:23-25. Those people in Jerusalem believed in Jesus because of the signs he had performed. Nicodemus had apparently seen them too. But for Nicodemus all the signs meant is that Jesus was a great teacher sent from God. His approach to Jesus was well-intentioned but theologically inadequate; he had failed to grasp the messianic implications of the miraculous signs.
[3:3] 6 tn Grk “answered and said to him.”
[3:3] 7 tn Grk “Truly, truly, I say to you.”
[3:3] 8 tn The word ἄνωθεν (anwqen) has a double meaning, either “again” (in which case it is synonymous with παλίν [palin]) or “from above” (BDAG 92 s.v. ἄνωθεν). This is a favorite technique of the author of the Fourth Gospel, and it is lost in almost all translations at this point. John uses the word 5 times, in 3:3, 7; 3:31; 19:11 and 23. In the latter 3 cases the context makes clear that it means “from above.” Here (3:3, 7) it could mean either, but the primary meaning intended by Jesus is “from above.” Nicodemus apparently understood it the other way, which explains his reply, “How can a man be born when he is old? He can’t enter his mother’s womb a second time and be born, can he?” The author uses the technique of the “misunderstood question” often to bring out a particularly important point: Jesus says something which is misunderstood by the disciples or (as here) someone else, which then gives Jesus the opportunity to explain more fully and in more detail what he really meant.
[3:3] sn Or born again. The Greek word ἄνωθεν (anwqen) can mean both “again” and “from above,” giving rise to Nicodemus’ misunderstanding about a second physical birth (v. 4).
[3:3] 9 sn What does Jesus’ statement about not being able to see the kingdom of God mean within the framework of John’s Gospel? John uses the word kingdom (βασιλεία, basileia) only 5 times (3:3, 5; 18:36 [3x]). Only here is it qualified with the phrase of God. The fact that John does not stress the concept of the kingdom of God does not mean it is absent from his theology, however. Remember the messianic implications found in John 2, both the wedding and miracle at Cana and the cleansing of the temple. For Nicodemus, the term must surely have brought to mind the messianic kingdom which Messiah was supposed to bring. But Nicodemus had missed precisely this point about who Jesus was. It was the Messiah himself with whom Nicodemus was speaking. Whatever Nicodemus understood, it is clear that the point is this: He misunderstood Jesus’ words. He over-literalized them, and thought Jesus was talking about repeated physical birth, when he was in fact referring to new spiritual birth.
[3:4] 10 tn The grammatical structure of the question in Greek presupposes a negative reply.
[3:5] 11 tn Grk “Truly, truly, I say to you.”
[3:5] 12 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.
[3:6] 13 sn What is born of the flesh is flesh, i.e., what is born of physical heritage is physical. (It is interesting to compare this terminology with that of the dialogue in John 4, especially 4:23, 24.) For John the “flesh” (σάρξ, sarx) emphasizes merely the weakness and mortality of the creature – a neutral term, not necessarily sinful as in Paul. This is confirmed by the reference in John 1:14 to the Logos becoming “flesh.” The author avoids associating sinfulness with the incarnate Christ.
[3:7] 14 tn “All” has been supplied to indicate the plural pronoun in the Greek text.
[3:7] 15 tn Or “born again.” The same Greek word with the same double meaning occurs in v. 3.
[3:8] 16 tn The same Greek word, πνεύματος (pneumatos), may be translated “wind” or “spirit.”
[3:8] 17 sn Again, the physical illustrates the spiritual, although the force is heightened by the word-play here on wind-spirit (see the note on wind at the beginning of this verse). By the end of the verse, however, the final usage of πνεύματος (pneumatos) refers to the Holy Spirit.
[3:9] 18 tn Grk “Nicodemus answered and said to him.”
[3:9] 19 sn “How can these things be?” is Nicodemus’ answer. It is clear that at this time he has still not grasped what Jesus is saying. Note also that this is the last appearance of Nicodemus in the dialogue. Having served the purpose of the author, at this point he disappears from the scene. As a character in the narrative, he has served to illustrate the prevailing Jewish misunderstanding of Jesus’ teaching about the necessity of a new, spiritual birth from above. Whatever parting words Nicodemus might have had with Jesus, the author does not record them.
[3:10] 20 tn Grk “Jesus answered and said to him.”
[3:10] 21 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.
[3:11] 22 tn Grk “Truly, truly, I say to you.”
[3:11] 23 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “but” to show the contrast present in the context.
[3:11] 24 tn The word “people” is not in the Greek text, but is supplied in the translation to indicate that the verb is second person plural (referring to more than Nicodemus alone).
[3:11] 25 sn Note the remarkable similarity of Jesus’ testimony to the later testimony of the Apostle John himself in 1 John 1:2: “And we have seen and testify and report to you the eternal life which was with the Father and was revealed to us.” This is only one example of how thoroughly the author’s own thoughts were saturated with the words of Jesus (and also how difficult it is to distinguish the words of Jesus from the words of the author in the Fourth Gospel).
[3:12] 26 tn The word “people” is not in the Greek text, but is supplied to indicate that the verb is second person plural (referring to more than Nicodemus alone).
[3:12] 27 sn Obviously earthly things and heavenly things are in contrast, but what is the contrast? What are earthly things which Jesus has just spoken to Nicodemus? And through him to others – this is not the first instance of the plural pronoun, see v. 7, you must all. Since Nicodemus began with a plural (we know, v. 2) Jesus continues it, and through Nicodemus addresses a broader audience. It makes most sense to take this as a reference to the things Jesus has just said (and the things he is about to say, vv. 13-15). If this is the case (and it seems the most natural explanation) then earthly things are not necessarily strictly physical things, but are so called because they take place on earth, in contrast to things like v. 16, which take place in heaven. Some have added the suggestion that the things are called earthly because physical analogies (birth, wind, water) are used to describe them. This is possible, but it seems more probable that Jesus calls these things earthly because they happen on earth (even though they are spiritual things). In the context, taking earthly things as referring to the words Jesus has just spoken fits with the fact that Nicodemus did not believe. And he would not after hearing heavenly things either, unless he first believed in the earthly things – which included the necessity of a regenerating work from above, by the Holy Spirit.
[3:13] 28 tn Grk “And no one.”
[3:13] 29 sn The verb ascended is a perfect tense in Greek (ἀναβέβηκεν, anabebhken) which seems to look at a past, completed event. (This is not as much of a problem for those who take Jesus’ words to end at v. 12, and these words to be a comment by the author, looking back on Jesus’ ascension.) As a saying of Jesus, these words are a bit harder to explain. Note, however, the lexical similarities with 1:51: “ascending,” “descending,” and “son of man.” Here, though, the ascent and descent is accomplished by the Son himself, not the angels as in 1:51. There is no need to limit this saying to Jesus’ ascent following the resurrection, however; the point of the Jacob story (Gen 28), which seems to be the background for 1:51, is the freedom of communication and relationship between God and men (a major theme of John’s Gospel). This communication comes through the angels in Gen 28 (and John 1:51); but here (most appropriately) it comes directly through the Son of Man. Although Jesus could be referring to a prior ascent, after an appearance as the preincarnate Son of Man, more likely he is simply pointing out that no one from earth has ever gone up to heaven and come down again. The Son, who has come down from heaven, is the only one who has been ‘up’ there. In both Jewish intertestamental literature and later rabbinic accounts, Moses is portrayed as ascending to heaven to receive the Torah and descending to distribute it to men (e.g., Targum Ps 68:19.) In contrast to these Jewish legends, the Son is the only one who has ever made the ascent and descent.
[3:13] 30 tc Most witnesses, including a few important ones (A[*] Θ Ψ 050 Ë1,13 Ï latt syc,p,h), have at the end of this verse “the one who is in heaven” (ὁ ὢν ἐν τῷ οὐρανῷ, Jo wn en tw ouranw). A few others have variations on this phrase, such as “who was in heaven” (e syc), or “the one who is from heaven” (0141 pc sys). The witnesses normally considered the best, along with several others, lack the phrase in its entirety (Ì66,75 א B L T Ws 083 086 33 1241 pc co). On the one hand, if the reading ὁ ὢν ἐν τῷ οὐρανῷ is authentic it may suggest that while Jesus was speaking to Nicodemus he spoke of himself as in heaven even while he was on earth. If that is the case, one could see why variations from this hard saying arose: “who was in heaven,” “the one who is from heaven,” and omission of the clause. At the same time, such a saying could be interpreted (though with difficulty) as part of the narrator’s comments rather than Jesus’ statement to Nicodemus, alleviating the problem. And if v. 13 was viewed in early times as the evangelist’s statement, “the one who is in heaven” could have crept into the text through a marginal note. Other internal evidence suggests that this saying may be authentic. The adjectival participle, ὁ ὤν, is used in the Fourth Gospel more than any other NT book (though the Apocalypse comes in a close second), and frequently with reference to Jesus (1:18; 6:46; 8:47). It may be looking back to the LXX of Exod 3:14 (ἐγώ εἰμι ὁ ὤν). Especially since this exact construction is not necessary to communicate the location of the Son of Man, its presence in many witnesses here may suggest authenticity. Further, John uses the singular of οὐρανός (ourano", “heaven”) in all 18 instances of the word in this Gospel, and all but twice with the article (only 1:32 and 6:58 are anarthrous, and even in the latter there is significant testimony to the article). At the same time, the witnesses that lack this clause are very weighty and must not be discounted. Generally speaking, if other factors are equal, the reading of such
[3:13] sn See the note on the title Son of Man in 1:51.
[3:14] 31 tn Grk “And just as.”
[3:14] 32 sn Or the snake, referring to the bronze serpent mentioned in Num 21:9.
[3:14] 33 sn An allusion to Num 21:5-9.
[3:14] 34 sn So must the Son of Man be lifted up. This is ultimately a prediction of Jesus’ crucifixion. Nicodemus could not have understood this, but John’s readers, the audience to whom the Gospel is addressed, certainly could have (compare the wording of John 12:32). In John, being lifted up refers to one continuous action of ascent, beginning with the cross but ending at the right hand of the Father. Step 1 is Jesus’ death; step 2 is his resurrection; and step 3 is the ascension back to heaven. It is the upward swing of the “pendulum” which began with the incarnation, the descent of the Word become flesh from heaven to earth (cf. Paul in Phil 2:5-11). See also the note on the title Son of Man in 1:51.
[3:15] 35 tn This is the first use of the term ζωὴν αἰώνιον (zwhn aiwnion) in the Gospel, although ζωή (zwh) in chap. 1 is to be understood in the same way without the qualifying αἰώνιος (aiwnios).
[3:15] sn Some interpreters extend the quotation of Jesus’ words through v. 21.
[3:16] 36 tn Or “this is how much”; or “in this way.” The Greek adverb οὕτως (Joutws) can refer (1) to the degree to which God loved the world, that is, to such an extent or so much that he gave his own Son (see R. E. Brown, John [AB], 1:133-34; D. A. Carson, John, 204) or (2) simply to the manner in which God loved the world, i.e., by sending his own son (see R. H. Gundry and R. W. Howell, “The Sense and Syntax of John 3:14-17 with Special Reference to the Use of Οὕτως…ὥστε in John 3:16,” NovT 41 [1999]: 24-39). Though the term more frequently refers to the manner in which something is done (see BDAG 741-42 s.v. οὕτω/οὕτως), the following clause involving ὥστε (Jwste) plus the indicative (which stresses actual, but [usually] unexpected result) emphasizes the greatness of the gift God has given. With this in mind, then, it is likely (3) that John is emphasizing both the degree to which God loved the world as well as the manner in which He chose to express that love. This is in keeping with John’s style of using double entendre or double meaning. Thus, the focus of the Greek construction here is on the nature of God's love, addressing its mode, intensity, and extent.
[3:16] 37 tn Although this word is often translated “only begotten,” such a translation is misleading, since in English it appears to express a metaphysical relationship. The word in Greek was used of an only child (a son [Luke 7:12, 9:38] or a daughter [Luke 8:42]). It was also used of something unique (only one of its kind) such as the mythological Phoenix (1 Clement 25:2). From here it passes easily to a description of Isaac (Heb 11:17 and Josephus, Ant. 1.13.1 [1.222]) who was not Abraham’s only son, but was one-of-a-kind because he was the child of the promise. Thus the word means “one-of-a-kind” and is reserved for Jesus in the Johannine literature of the NT. While all Christians are children of God (τέκνα θεοῦ, tekna qeou), Jesus is God’s Son in a unique, one-of-a-kind sense. The word is used in this way in all its uses in the Gospel of John (1:14, 1:18, 3:16, and 3:18).
[3:16] 38 tn In John the word ἀπόλλυμι (apollumi) can mean either (1) to be lost (2) to perish or be destroyed, depending on the context.
[3:16] 39 sn The alternatives presented are only two (again, it is typical of Johannine thought for this to be presented in terms of polar opposites): perish or have eternal life.
[3:17] 40 sn That is, “to judge the world to be guilty and liable to punishment.”
[3:18] 43 tn See the note on the term “one and only” in 3:16.
[3:19] 44 tn Or “this is the reason for God judging,” or “this is how judgment works.”
[3:19] 45 tn Grk “and men,” but in a generic sense, referring to people of both genders (as “everyone” in v. 20 makes clear).
[3:21] 46 sn John 3:16-21 provides an introduction to the (so-called) “realized” eschatology of the Fourth Gospel: Judgment has come; eternal life may be possessed now, in the present life, as well as in the future. The terminology “realized eschatology” was originally coined by E. Haenchen and used by J. Jeremias in discussion with C. H. Dodd, but is now characteristically used to describe Dodd’s own formulation. See L. Goppelt, Theology of the New Testament, 1:54, note 10, and R. E. Brown (John [AB], 1:cxvii-cxviii) for further discussion. Especially important to note is the element of choice portrayed in John’s Gospel. If there is a twofold reaction to Jesus in John’s Gospel, it should be emphasized that that reaction is very much dependent on a person’s choice, a choice that is influenced by his way of life, whether his deeds are wicked or are done in God (John 3:20-21). For John there is virtually no trace of determinism at the surface. Only when one looks beneath the surface does one find statements like “no one can come to me, unless the Father who sent me draws him” (John 6:44).
[3:22] 47 tn This section is related loosely to the preceding by μετὰ ταῦτα (meta tauta). This constitutes an indefinite temporal reference; the intervening time is not specified.
[3:23] 48 sn John refers to John the Baptist.
[3:23] 49 tn The precise locations of Αἰνών (Ainwn) and Σαλείμ (Saleim) are unknown. Three possibilities are suggested: (1) In Perea, which is in Transjordan (cf. 1:28). Perea is just across the river from Judea. (2) In the northern Jordan Valley, on the west bank some 8 miles [13 km] south of Scythopolis. But with the Jordan River so close, the reference to abundant water (3:23) seems superfluous. (3) Thus Samaria has been suggested. 4 miles (6.6 km) east of Shechem is a town called Salim, and 8 miles (13 km) northeast of Salim lies modern Ainun. In the general vicinity are many springs. Because of the meanings of the names (Αἰνών = “springs” in Aramaic and Σαλείμ = Salem, “peace”) some have attempted to allegorize here that John the Baptist is near salvation. Obviously there is no need for this. It is far more probable that the author has in mind real places, even if their locations cannot be determined with certainty.
[3:23] 50 tn Or “people were continually coming.”
[3:23] 51 tn The words “to him” are not in the Greek text, but are implied.
[3:24] 52 sn This is a parenthetical note by the author.
[3:25] 53 tc Was this dispute between the Baptist’s disciples and an individual Judean (᾿Ιουδαίου, Ioudaiou) or representatives of the Jewish authorities (᾿Ιουδαίων, Ioudaiwn)? There is good external support for the plural ᾿Ιουδαίων (Ì66 א* Θ Ë1,13 565 al latt), but the external evidence for the singular ᾿Ιουδαίου is slightly stronger ({Ì75 א2 A B L Ψ 33 1241 the majority of Byzantine minuscules and others}).
[3:25] tn Or “a certain Judean.” Here BDAG 478 s.v. ᾿Ιουδαίος 2.a states, “Judean (with respect to birth, nationality, or cult).” If the emphasis is simply on the individual’s origin, “Judean” would be preferable since it designates a nationality or place of origin. However, the mention of ceremonial washing in the context suggests the dispute was religious in nature, so “Jew” has been retained in the translation here.
[3:25] 54 tn Or “ceremonial cleansing,” or “purification.”
[3:25] sn What was the controversy concerning ceremonial washing? It is not clear. Some have suggested that it was over the relative merits of the baptism of Jesus and John. But what about the ceremonial nature of the washing? There are so many unanswered questions here that even R. E. Brown (who does not usually resort to dislocations in the text as a solution to difficulties) proposes that this dialogue originally took place immediately after 1:19-34 and before the wedding at Cana. (Why else the puzzled hostility of the disciples over the crowds coming to Jesus?) Also, the synoptics imply John was imprisoned before Jesus began his Galilean ministry. At any rate, there is no reason to rearrange the material here – it occurs in this place for a very good reason. As far as the author is concerned, it serves as a further continuation of the point made to Nicodemus, that is, the necessity of being born “from above” (3:3). Note that John the Baptist describes Jesus as “the one who comes from heaven” in 3:31 (ἄνωθεν [anwqen], the same word as in 3:3). There is another lexical tie to preceding material: The subject of the dispute, ceremonial washing (3:25), calls to mind the six stone jars of water changed to wine at the wedding feast in 2:6, put there for “Jewish ceremonial washing.” This section ultimately culminates and concludes ideas begun in chap. 2 and continued in chap. 3. Although the author does not supply details, one scenario would be this: The disciples of John, perplexed after this disagreement with an individual Jew (or with the Jewish authorities), came to John and asked about the fact that Jesus was baptizing and more and more were coming to him. John had been preaching a baptism of repentance for forgiveness of sin (see Mark 1:4, Luke 3:3). Possibly what the Jew(s) reported to John’s disciples was that Jesus was now setting aside the Jewish purification rituals as unnecessary. To John’s disciples this might also be interpreted as: (a) a falling away from Judaism, and (b) a break with John’s own teaching. That Jesus could have said this is very evident from many incidents in his ministry in all the gospels. The thrust would be that outward cleansing (that is, observance of purification rituals) was not what made a person clean. A new heart within (that is, being born from above) is what makes a person clean. So John’s disciples came to him troubled about an apparent contradiction in doctrine though the explicit problem they mentioned is that Jesus was baptizing and multitudes were coming to him. (Whether Jesus was or was not baptizing really wasn’t the issue though, and John the Baptist knew that because he didn’t mention it in his reply. In 4:2 the author says that Jesus was not baptizing, but his disciples. That reference would seem to cover this incident as well, and so the disciples of John are just reporting what they have heard, or thought they heard.) The real point at issue is the authority of Jesus to “overturn” the system of ritual purification within Judaism. John replied to this question of the authority of Jesus in 3:27-36. In 3:27-30 he reassured his disciples, reminding them that if more people were coming to Jesus, it did not threaten him at all, because “heaven” had ordained it to be so (v. 27). (After all, some of these very disciples of John had presumably heard him tell the Jewish delegation that he was not the Messiah but was sent before him, mentioned in John 1.) Then John compared himself to the friend of the bridegroom who stands by and yet participates in the bridegroom’s joy (v. 29). John was completely content in his own position as forerunner and preparer of the way.
[3:26] 55 tn “River” is not in the Greek text but is supplied for clarity.
[3:27] 56 tn Grk “answered and said.”
[3:28] 57 tn Or “the Messiah” (Both Greek “Christ” and Hebrew and Aramaic “Messiah” mean “one who has been anointed”).
[3:28] sn See the note on Christ in 1:20.
[3:29] 58 tn Grk “rejoices with joy” (an idiom).
[3:29] 59 tn Grk “Therefore this my joy is fulfilled.”
[3:30] 60 sn Some interpreters extend the quotation of John the Baptist’s words through v. 36.
[3:31] 61 tn Or “is above all.”
[3:31] 62 tn Grk “speaks from the earth.”
[3:31] 63 sn The one who comes from heaven refers to Christ. As in John 1:1, the Word’s preexistence is indicated here.
[3:31] 64 tc Ì75 א* D Ë1 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 (Ì36vid,66 א2 A B L Ws Θ Ψ 083 086 Ë13 33 Ï lat sys,p,h bo). On balance, the longer reading should probably be considered authentic.
[3:31] tn Or “is above all.”
[3:34] 67 tn Grk “for not by measure does he give the Spirit” (an idiom). Leviticus Rabbah 15:2 states: “The Holy Spirit rested on the prophets by measure.” Jesus is contrasted to this. The Spirit rests upon him without measure.
[3:35] 68 tn Grk “has given all things into his hand” (an idiom).
[3:36] 69 tn Or “refuses to believe,” or “disobeys.”
[3:36] 70 tn Or “anger because of evil,” or “punishment.”
[4:1] 72 tc Several early and important witnesses, along with the majority of later ones (Ì66c,75 A B C L Ws Ψ 083 Ë13 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 (Ì66* א D Θ 086 Ë1 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] 73 sn See the note on Pharisees in 1:24.
[4:1] 74 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.
[4:2] 76 sn This is a parenthetical note by the author.
[4:3] 77 sn The author doesn’t tell why Jesus chose to set out once more for Galilee. Some have suggested that the Pharisees turned their attention to Jesus because John the Baptist had now been thrown into prison. But the text gives no hint of this. In any case, perhaps Jesus simply did not want to provoke a confrontation at this time (knowing that his “hour” had not yet come).
[4:4] 78 sn Travel through Samaria was not geographically necessary; the normal route for Jews ran up the east side of the Jordan River (Transjordan). Although some take the impersonal verb had to (δεῖ, dei) here to indicate logical necessity only, normally in John’s Gospel its use involves God’s will or plan (3:7, 3:14, 3:30, 4:4, 4:20, 4:24, 9:4, 10:16, 12:34, 20:9).
[4:4] 79 sn Samaria. The Samaritans were descendants of 2 groups: (1) The remnant of native Israelites who were not deported after the fall of the Northern Kingdom in 722
[4:5] 80 tn Grk “town of Samaria.” The noun Σαμαρείας (Samareias) has been translated as an attributive genitive.
[4:5] 81 sn Sychar was somewhere in the vicinity of Shechem, possibly the village of Askar, 1.5 km northeast of Jacob’s well.
[4:5] 82 sn Perhaps referred to in Gen 48:22.
[4:6] 83 tn Grk “on (ἐπί, epi) the well.” There may have been a low stone rim encircling the well, or the reading of Ì66 (“on the ground”) may be correct.
[4:6] 84 tn Grk “the sixth hour.”
[4:6] sn It was about noon. The suggestion has been made by some that time should be reckoned from midnight rather than sunrise. This would make the time 6 a.m. rather than noon. That would fit in this passage but not in John 19:14 which places the time when Jesus is condemned to be crucified at “the sixth hour.”
[4:7] 85 tn Grk “a woman from Samaria.” According to BDAG 912 s.v. Σαμάρεια, the prepositional phrase is to be translated as a simple attributive: “γυνὴ ἐκ τῆς Σαμαρείας a Samaritan woman J 4:7.”
[4:7] 86 tn The phrase “some water” is supplied as the understood direct object of the infinitive πεῖν (pein).
[4:8] 88 sn This is a parenthetical note by the author, indicating why Jesus asked the woman for a drink (for presumably his disciples also took the water bucket with them).
[4:9] 89 tn Or “a Judean.” Here BDAG 478 s.v. ᾿Ιουδαίος 2.a states, “Judean (with respect to birth, nationality, or cult).” The same term occurs in the plural later in this verse. In one sense “Judean” would work very well in the translation here, since the contrast is between residents of the two geographical regions. However, since in the context of this chapter the discussion soon becomes a religious rather than a territorial one (cf. vv. 19-26), the translation “Jew” has been retained here and in v. 22.
[4:9] 90 tn “Water” is supplied as the understood direct object of the infinitive πεῖν (pein).
[4:9] 91 tn D. Daube (“Jesus and the Samaritan Woman: the Meaning of συγχράομαι [Jn 4:7ff],” JBL 69 [1950]: 137-47) suggests this meaning.
[4:9] sn The background to the statement use nothing in common is the general assumption among Jews that the Samaritans were ritually impure or unclean. Thus a Jew who used a drinking vessel after a Samaritan had touched it would become ceremonially unclean.
[4:9] 92 sn This is a parenthetical note by the author.
[4:10] 93 tn Grk “answered and said to her.”
[4:10] 94 tn Or “if you knew.”
[4:10] 95 tn The phrase “some water” is supplied as the understood direct object of the infinitive πεῖν (pein).
[4:10] 96 tn This is a second class conditional sentence in Greek.
[4:10] sn The word translated living is used in Greek of flowing water, which leads to the woman’s misunderstanding in the following verse. She thought Jesus was referring to some unknown source of drinkable water.
[4:11] 97 tn Or “Lord.” The Greek term κύριος (kurios) means both “Sir” and “Lord.” In this passage there is probably a gradual transition from one to the other as the woman’s respect for Jesus grows throughout the conversation (4:11, 15, 19).
[4:11] 98 tc ‡ Two early and important Greek
[4:11] 99 tn The word for “well” has now shifted to φρέαρ (frear, “cistern”); earlier in the passage it was πηγή (phgh).
[4:11] 100 tn The anaphoric article has been translated “this.”
[4:11] 101 sn Where then do you get this living water? The woman’s reply is an example of the “misunderstood statement,” a technique appearing frequently in John’s Gospel. Jesus was speaking of living water which was spiritual (ultimately a Johannine figure for the Holy Spirit, see John 7:38-39), but the woman thought he was speaking of flowing (fresh drinkable) water. Her misunderstanding gave Jesus the opportunity to explain what he really meant.
[4:12] 102 tn Or “our forefather”; Grk “our father.”
[4:12] 103 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 this instance all of v. 12 is one question. It has been broken into two sentences for the sake of English style (instead of “for he” the Greek reads “who”).
[4:13] 104 tn Grk “answered and said to her.”
[4:13] 105 tn Grk “will thirst.”
[4:14] 106 tn Grk “will never be thirsty forever.” The possibility of a later thirst is emphatically denied.
[4:14] 107 tn Or “well.” “Fountain” is used as the translation for πηγή (phgh) here since the idea is that of an artesian well that flows freely, but the term “artesian well” is not common in contemporary English.
[4:14] 108 tn The verb ἁλλομένου (Jallomenou) is used of quick movement (like jumping) on the part of living beings. This is the only instance of its being applied to the action of water. However, in the LXX it is used to describe the “Spirit of God” as it falls on Samson and Saul. See Judg 14:6, 19; 15:14; 1 Kgdms 10:2, 10 LXX (= 1 Sam 10:6, 10 ET); and Isa 35:6 (note context).
[4:15] 109 tn Grk “or come here to draw.”
[4:15] 110 tn The direct object of the infinitive ἀντλεῖν (antlein) is understood in Greek but supplied for clarity in the English translation.
[4:16] 111 tc Most witnesses have “Jesus” here, either with the article (אc C2 D L Ws Ψ 086 Ï lat) or without (א* A Θ Ë1,13 al), while several important and early witnesses lack the name (Ì66,75 B C* 33vid pc). It is unlikely that scribes would have deliberately expunged the name of Jesus from the text here, especially since it aids the reader with the flow of the dialogue. Further, that the name occurs both anarthrously and with the article suggests that it was a later addition. (For similar arguments, see the tc note on “woman” in 4:11).
[4:16] 112 tn Grk “come here” (“back” is implied).
[4:17] 113 tn Grk “answered and said to him.”
[4:17] 114 tn Grk “Well have you said.”
[4:17] 115 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.
[4:18] 116 tn Grk “the one you have.”
[4:19] 117 tn Grk “behold” or “perceive,” but these are not as common in contemporary English usage.
[4:20] 118 sn This mountain refers to Mount Gerizim, where the Samaritan shrine was located.
[4:20] 119 tn The word “people” is not in the Greek text, but is supplied to indicate that the Greek verb translated “say” is second person plural and thus refers to more than Jesus alone.
[4:20] 120 map For location see Map5 B1; Map6 F3; Map7 E2; Map8 F2; Map10 B3; JP1 F4; JP2 F4; JP3 F4; JP4 F4.
[4:21] 121 sn Woman was a polite form of address (see BDAG 208-9 s.v. γυνή 1), similar to “Madam” or “Ma’am” used in English in different regions.
[4:21] 123 tn The verb is plural.
[4:22] 124 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] 125 tn Or “from the Judeans.” See the note on “Jew” in v. 9.
[4:23] 127 tn “Here” is not in the Greek text but is supplied to conform to contemporary English idiom.
[4:23] 128 sn See also John 4:27.
[4:23] 129 tn Or “as.” The object-complement construction implies either “as” or “to be.”
[4:23] 130 tn This is a double accusative construction of object and complement with τοιούτους (toioutous) as the object and the participle προσκυνοῦντας (proskunounta") as the complement.
[4:23] sn The Father wants such people as his worshipers. Note how the woman has been concerned about where people ought to worship, while Jesus is concerned about who people ought to worship.
[4:24] 131 tn Here πνεῦμα (pneuma) is understood as a qualitative predicate nominative while the articular θεός (qeos) is the subject.
[4:25] 132 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] 134 tn Or “he will announce to us.”
[4:25] 135 tn Grk “all things.”
[4:27] 136 tn Or “his disciples returned”; Grk “came” (“back” is supplied in keeping with English usage). Because of the length of the Greek sentence it is better to divide here and begin a new English sentence, leaving the καί (kai) before ἐθαύμαζον (eqaumazon) untranslated.
[4:27] 137 tn BDAG 444 s.v. θαυμάζω 1.a.γ has “be surprised that” followed by indirect discourse. The context calls for a slightly stronger wording.
[4:27] 138 tn The ὅτι (Joti) could also be translated as declarative (“that he had been speaking with a woman”) but since this would probably require translating the imperfect verb as a past perfect (which is normal after a declarative ὅτι), it is preferable to take this ὅτι as causal.
[4:27] 139 tn Grk “seek.” See John 4:23.
[4:27] sn The question “What do you want?” is John’s editorial comment (for no one in the text was asking it). The author is making a literary link with Jesus’ statement in v. 23: It is evident that, in spite of what the disciples may have been thinking, what Jesus was seeking is what the Father was seeking, that is to say, someone to worship him.
[4:28] 140 tn The term ἄνθρωποι (anqrwpoi) used here can mean either “people” (when used generically) or “men” (though there is a more specific term in Greek for adult males, ανήρ [anhr]). Thus the woman could have been speaking either (1) to all the people or (2) to the male leaders of the city as their representatives. However, most recent English translations regard the former as more likely and render the word “people” here.
[4:29] 141 tn Grk “the Christ” (both Greek “Christ” and Hebrew and Aramaic “Messiah” mean “one who has been anointed”). Although the Greek text reads χριστός (cristos) here, it is more consistent based on 4:25 (where Μεσσίας [Messias] is the lead term and is qualified by χριστός) to translate χριστός as “Messiah” here.
[4:29] 142 tn The use of μήτι (mhti) normally presupposes a negative answer. This should not be taken as an indication that the woman did not believe, however. It may well be an example of “reverse psychology,” designed to gain a hearing for her testimony among those whose doubts about her background would obviate her claims.
[4:30] 143 tn “So” is supplied for transitional smoothness in English.
[4:30] 144 sn The imperfect tense is here rendered began coming for the author is not finished with this part of the story yet; these same Samaritans will appear again in v. 35.
[4:31] 145 tn Grk “were asking him, saying.”
[4:31] 146 tn The direct object of φάγε (fage) in Greek is understood; “something” is supplied in English.
[4:33] 147 tn An ingressive imperfect conveys the idea that Jesus’ reply provoked the disciples’ response.
[4:33] 148 tn The direct object of ἤνεγκεν (hnenken) in Greek is understood; “anything” is supplied in English.
[4:33] 149 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 it is “did they?”).
[4:34] 150 sn The one who sent me refers to the Father.
[4:34] 151 tn Or “to accomplish.”
[4:34] 152 tn The substantival ἵνα (Jina) clause has been translated as an English infinitive clause.
[4:34] sn No one brought him anything to eat, did they? In the discussion with the disciples which took place while the woman had gone into the city, note again the misunderstanding: The disciples thought Jesus referred to physical food, while he was really speaking figuratively and spiritually again. Thus Jesus was forced to explain what he meant, and the explanation that his food was his mission, to do the will of God and accomplish his work, leads naturally into the metaphor of the harvest. The fruit of his mission was represented by the Samaritans who were coming to him.
[4:35] 153 tn The recitative ὅτι (Joti) after λέγετε (legete) has not been translated.
[4:35] 154 tn Grk “lift up your eyes” (an idiom). BDAG 357 s.v. ἐπαίρω 1 has “look up” here.
[4:35] 155 tn That is, “ripe.”
[4:36] 156 tn Or “a reward”; see L&N 38.14 and 57.173. This is something of a wordplay.
[4:37] 157 tn The recitative ὅτι (Joti) after ἀληθινός (alhqino") has not been translated.
[4:39] 158 tn Grk “when she testified.”
[4:40] 159 tn Following the arrival of the Samaritans, the imperfect verb has been translated as ingressive.
[4:40] 160 tn Because of the length of the Greek sentence and the sequencing with the following verse, the conjunction καί (kai) has not been translated here. Instead a new English sentence is begun.
[4:41] 161 tn Or “and they believed much more.”
[4:42] 162 tn Or “this.” The Greek pronoun can mean either “this one” or “this” (BDAG 740 s.v. οὗτος 1).
[4:42] 163 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.
[4:44] 164 sn This is a parenthetical note by the author.
[4:45] 165 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] 166 sn See John 2:23-25.
[4:45] 167 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] 168 map For location see Map1 C3; Map2 D2; Map3 C5.
[4:46] 169 sn See John 2:1-11.
[4:46] 171 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] 172 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.
[4:47] 173 tn The direct object of ἠρώτα (hrwta) is supplied from context. Direct objects were frequently omitted in Greek when clear from the context.
[4:48] 174 tn The word “people” is not in the Greek text, but is supplied to indicate that the verb is second person plural (referring to more than the royal official alone).
[4:48] 175 tn Or “you never believe.” The verb πιστεύσητε (pisteushte) is aorist subjunctive and may have either nuance.
[4:50] 176 tn Grk “Go”; the word “home” is not in the Greek text, but is implied.
[4:50] 177 tn Grk “and left.” The words “for home” are implied by the following verse.
[4:51] 178 sn While he was on his way down. Going to Capernaum from Cana, one must go east across the Galilean hills and then descend to the Sea of Galilee. The 20 mi (33 km) journey could not be made in a single day. The use of the description on his way down shows the author was familiar with Palestinian geography.
[4:51] 179 tn Traditionally, “servants.” Though δοῦλος (doulos) is normally translated “servant,” the word does not bear the connotation of a free individual serving another. BDAG notes that “‘servant’ for ‘slave’ is largely confined to Biblical transl. and early American times…in normal usage at the present time the two words are carefully distinguished” (BDAG 260 s.v.). The most accurate translation is “bondservant” (sometimes found in the ASV for δοῦλος), in that it often indicates one who sells himself into slavery to another. But as this is archaic, few today understand its force.
[4:52] 181 tn BDAG 558 s.v. κομψότερον translates the idiom κομψότερον ἔχειν (komyoteron ecein) as “begin to improve.”
[4:52] 182 tn The second οὖν (oun) in 4:52 has been translated as “and” to improve English style by avoiding redundancy.
[4:52] 183 tn Grk “at the seventh hour.”
[4:53] 184 tn Grk “at that hour.”
[4:54] 185 tn This sentence in Greek involves an object-complement construction. The force can be either “Jesus did this as,” or possibly “Jesus made this to be.” The latter translation accents not only Jesus’ power but his sovereignty too. Cf. 2:11 where the same construction occurs.
[5:1] 186 sn The temporal indicator After this is not specific, so it is uncertain how long after the incidents at Cana this occurred.
[5:1] 187 tc The textual variants ἑορτή or ἡ ἑορτή (Jeorth or Jh Jeorth, “a feast” or “the feast”) may not appear significant at first, but to read ἑορτή with the article would almost certainly demand a reference to the Jewish Passover. The article is found in א C L Δ Ψ Ë1 33 892 1424 pm, but is lacking in {Ì66,75 A B D T Ws Θ Ë13 565 579 700 1241 pm}. Overall, the shorter reading has somewhat better support. Internally, the known proclivity of scribes to make the text more explicit argues compellingly for the shorter reading. Thus, the verse refers to a feast other than the Passover. The incidental note in 5:3, that the sick were lying outside in the porticoes of the pool, makes Passover an unlikely time because it fell toward the end of winter and the weather would not have been warm. L. Morris (John [NICNT], 299, n. 6) thinks it impossible to identify the feast with certainty.
[5:1] sn A Jewish feast. Jews were obligated to go up to Jerusalem for 3 major annual feasts: Passover, Pentecost, and Tabernacles. If the first is probably ruled out because of the time of year, the last is not as likely because it forms the central setting for chap. 7 (where there are many indications in the context that Tabernacles is the feast in view.) This leaves the feast of Pentecost, which at some point prior to this time in Jewish tradition (as reflected in Jewish intertestamental literature and later post-Christian rabbinic writings) became identified with the giving of the law to Moses on Mount Sinai. Such an association might explain Jesus’ reference to Moses in 5:45-46. This is uncertain, however. The only really important fact for the author is that the healing was done on a Sabbath. This is what provoked the controversy with the Jewish authorities recorded in 5:16-47.
[5:1] 188 map For location see Map5 B1; Map6 F3; Map7 E2; Map8 F2; Map10 B3; JP1 F4; JP2 F4; JP3 F4; JP4 F4.
[5:2] 189 tn Regarding the use of the present tense ἐστιν (estin) and its implications for the dating of the Gospel of John, see the article by D. B. Wallace, “John 5,2 and the Date of the Fourth Gospel,” Bib 71 (1990): 177-205.
[5:2] 190 tn The site of the miracle is also something of a problem: προβατικῇ (probatikh) is usually taken as a reference to the Sheep Gate near the temple. Some (R. E. Brown and others) would place the word κολυμβήθρα (kolumbhqra) with προβατικῇ to read “in Jerusalem, by the Sheep Pool, there is (another pool) with the Hebrew name.” This would imply that there is reference to two pools in the context rather than only one. This does not seem necessary (although it is a grammatical possibility). The gender of the words does not help since both are feminine (as is the participle ἐπιλεγομένη [epilegomenh]). Note however that Brown’s suggestion would require a feminine word to be supplied (for the participle ἐπιλεγομένη to modify). The traditional understanding of the phrase as a reference to the Sheep Gate near the temple appears more probably correct.
[5:2] 191 tc Some
[5:2] sn On the location of the pool called Bethzatha, the double-pool of St. Anne is the probable site, and has been excavated; the pools were trapezoidal in shape, 165 ft (49.5 m) wide at one end, 220 ft (66 m) wide at the other, and 315 ft (94.5 m) long, divided by a central partition. There were colonnades (rows of columns) on all 4 sides and on the partition, thus forming the five covered walkways mentioned in John 5:2. Stairways at the corners permitted descent to the pool.
[5:2] 193 tn Or “porticoes,” or “colonnades”; Grk “stoas.”
[5:2] sn The pool had five porticoes. These were covered walkways formed by rows of columns supporting a roof and open on the side facing the pool. People could stand, sit, or walk on these colonnaded porches, protected from the weather and the heat of the sun.
[5:4] 194 tc The majority of later
[5:5] 195 tn Grk “who had had thirty-eight years in his disability.”
[5:6] 197 tn Grk “he.” The referent (the man) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[5:7] 198 tn Or “Lord.” The Greek κύριος (kurios) means both “Sir” and “Lord.” In this passage the paralytic who was healed by Jesus never acknowledges Jesus as Lord – he rather reports Jesus to the authorities.
[5:7] 199 tn Grk “while I am going.”
[5:7] 201 tn The word “there” is not in the Greek text but is implied.
[5:8] 202 tn Or “pallet,” “mattress,” “cot,” or “stretcher.” Some of these items, however, are rather substantial (e.g., “mattress”) and would probably give the modern English reader a false impression.
[5:9] 203 tn Grk “became well.”
[5:9] 204 tn Or “pallet,” “mattress,” “cot,” or “stretcher.” See the note on “mat” in the previous verse.
[5:9] 205 tn Grk “Now it was Sabbath on that day.”
[5:9] sn This is a parenthetical note by the author.
[5:10] 206 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. Here the author refers to the Jewish authorities or leaders in Jerusalem. (For further information see R. G. Bratcher, “‘The Jews’ in the Gospel of John,” BT 26 [1975]: 401-9).
[5:10] 207 tn Or “pallet,” “mattress,” “cot,” or “stretcher.” See the note on “mat” in v. 8.
[5:11] 208 tn Or “pallet,” “mattress,” “cot,” or “stretcher.” See the note on “mat” in v. 8.
[5:12] 209 tc While a number of
[5:12] 210 tn Grk “Pick up and walk”; the object (the mat) is implied but not repeated.
[5:14] 211 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.
[5:15] 212 tn Or “the Jewish authorities”; Grk “the Jews.” See the note on the phrase “Jewish leaders” in v. 10.
[5:16] 213 sn Note the plural phrase these things which seems to indicate that Jesus healed on the Sabbath more than once (cf. John 20:30). The synoptic gospels show this to be true; the incident in 5:1-15 has thus been chosen by the author as representative.
[5:16] 214 tn Or “the Jewish authorities”; Grk “the Jews.” See the note on the phrase “Jewish leaders” in v. 10.
[5:17] 216 tc ‡ Most witnesses (Ì66 A D L Θ Ψ Ë1,13 33 Ï latt co) have ᾿Ιησοῦς (Ihsou", “Jesus”) here, while generally better witnesses (Ì75 א B W {0141} 892 1241 pbo) lack the name. Although it is possible that Alexandrian scribes deleted the name due to proclivities to prune, this is not as likely as other witnesses adding it for clarification, especially since multiple strands of the Alexandrian text are represented in the shorter reading. NA27 places the word in brackets, indicating some doubts as to authenticity.
[5:17] 218 sn “My Father is working until now, and I too am working.” What is the significance of Jesus’ claim? A preliminary understanding can be obtained from John 5:18, noting the Jewish authorities’ response and the author’s comment. They sought to kill Jesus, because not only was he breaking the Sabbath, but he was also calling God his own Father, thus making himself equal with God. This must be seen in the context of the relation of God to the Sabbath rest. In the commandment (Exod 20:11) it is explained that “In six days the Lord made the heavens and the earth…and rested on the seventh day; therefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy.” Philo, based on the LXX translation of Exod 20:11, denied outright that God had ever ceased his creative activity. And when Rabban Gamaliel II, R. Joshua, R. Eleazar ben Azariah, and R. Akiba were in Rome, ca.
[5:18] 219 tn Or “the Jewish authorities”; Grk “the Jews.” See the note on the phrase “Jewish leaders” in v. 10.
[5:19] 220 tn Grk “answered and said to them.”
[5:19] 221 tn Grk “Truly, truly, I say to you.”
[5:19] 222 tn Grk “nothing from himself.”
[5:19] 223 tn Grk “that one”; the referent (the Father) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[5:19] 224 sn What works does the Son do likewise? The same that the Father does – and the same that the rabbis recognized as legitimate works of God on the Sabbath (see note on working in v. 17). (1) Jesus grants life (just as the Father grants life) on the Sabbath. But as the Father gives physical life on the Sabbath, so the Son grants spiritual life (John 5:21; note the “greater things” mentioned in v. 20). (2) Jesus judges (determines the destiny of people) on the Sabbath, just as the Father judges those who die on the Sabbath, because the Father has granted authority to the Son to judge (John 5:22-23). But this is not all. Not only has this power been granted to Jesus in the present; it will be his in the future as well. In v. 28 there is a reference not to spiritually dead (only) but also physically dead. At their resurrection they respond to the Son as well.
[5:21] 225 tn Grk “and makes them live.”
[5:21] 226 tn Grk “the Son makes whomever he wants to live.”
[5:22] 228 tn Or “given,” or “handed over.”
[5:23] 229 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”).
[5:24] 230 tn Grk “Truly, truly, I say to you.”
[5:24] 233 tn Grk “and does not come into judgment.”
[5:25] 234 tn Grk “Truly, truly, I say to you.”
[5:27] 237 tn Grk “authority to judge.”
[5:29] 239 tn Or “a resurrection resulting in judgment.”
[5:30] 240 tn Grk “nothing from myself.”
[5:30] 241 tn Or “righteous,” or “proper.”
[5:30] 242 tn That is, “the will of the Father who sent me.”
[5:32] 243 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.
[5:33] 244 sn John refers to John the Baptist.
[5:34] 245 tn Or “I do not receive.”
[5:35] 246 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] 247 tn Grk “for an hour.”
[5:36] 249 tn Grk “complete, which I am now doing”; the referent of the relative pronoun has been specified by repeating “deeds” from the previous clause.
[5:37] 250 tn The word “people” is not in the Greek text, but is supplied to clarify that the following verbs (“heard,” “seen,” “have residing,” “do not believe”) are second person plural.
[5:37] 251 sn You people have never heard his voice nor seen his form at any time. Compare Deut 4:12. Also see Deut 5:24 ff., where the Israelites begged to hear the voice no longer – their request (ironically) has by this time been granted. How ironic this would be if the feast is Pentecost, where by the 1st century
[5:39] 252 tn Or “Study the scriptures thoroughly” (an imperative). For the meaning of the verb see G. Delling, TDNT 2:655-57.
[5:39] 253 sn In them you possess eternal life. Note the following examples from the rabbinic tractate Pirqe Avot (“The Sayings of the Fathers”): Pirqe Avot 2:8, “He who has acquired the words of the law has acquired for himself the life of the world to come”; Pirqe Avot 6:7, “Great is the law for it gives to those who practice it life in this world and in the world to come.”
[5:39] 254 tn The words “same scriptures” are not in the Greek text, but are supplied to clarify the referent (“these”).
[5:41] 255 tn Or “I do not receive.”
[5:41] 256 tn Or “honor” (Grk “glory,” in the sense of respect or honor accorded to a person because of their status).
[5:41] 257 tn Grk “from men,” but in a generic sense; both men and women are implied here.
[5:42] 258 tn The genitive in the phrase τὴν ἀγάπην τοῦ θεοῦ (thn agaphn tou qeou, “the love of God”) could be translated as either a subjective genitive (“God’s love”) or an objective genitive (“love for God”). Either is grammatically possible. This is possibly an instance of a plenary genitive (see ExSyn 119-21; M. Zerwick, Biblical Greek, §§36-39). If so, the emphasis would be on the love God gives which in turn produces love for him, but Jesus’ opponents are lacking any such love inside them.
[5:43] 259 tn Or “you do not receive.”
[5:43] 260 tn Or “you will receive.”
[5:44] 261 tn Or “honor” (Grk “glory,” in the sense of respect or honor accorded to a person because of their status).
[5:44] 262 tn Or “honor” (Grk “glory,” in the sense of respect or honor accorded to a person because of their status).
[5:44] 263 tc Several early and important witnesses (Ì66,75 B W a b sa) lack θεοῦ (qeou, “God”) here, thus reading “the only one,” while most of the rest of the tradition, including some important
[5:45] 264 sn The final condemnation will come from Moses himself – again ironic, since Moses is the very one the Jewish authorities have trusted in (placed your hope). This is again ironic if it is occurring at Pentecost, which at this time was being celebrated as the occasion of the giving of the Torah to Moses on Mt. Sinai. There is evidence that some Jews of the 1st century looked on Moses as their intercessor at the final judgment (see W. A. Meeks, The Prophet King [NovTSup], 161). This would mean the statement Moses, in whom you have placed your hope should be taken literally and relates directly to Jesus’ statements about the final judgment in John 5:28-29.
[5:47] 266 tn Grk “that one” (“he”); the referent (Moses) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
