Yohanes 6:1

The Feeding of the Five Thousand

6:1 After this ¹  Jesus went away to the other side of the Sea of Galilee (also called the Sea of Tiberias). ² 

Yohanes 4:4

Conversation With a Samaritan Woman

4:4 But he had ³  to pass through Samaria. ⁴ 

Yohanes 4:30

4:30 So ⁵  they left the town and began coming ⁶  to him.

Yohanes 6:48

6:48 I am the bread of life. ⁷ 

Yohanes 11:1

The Death of Lazarus

11:1 Now a certain man named Lazarus was sick. He was from Bethany, the village where Mary and her sister Martha lived. ⁸ 

Yohanes 21:1

Jesus’ Appearance to the Disciples in Galilee

21:1 After this ⁹  Jesus revealed himself again to the disciples by the Sea of Tiberias. ¹⁰  Now this is how he did so. ¹¹ 

Yohanes 3:31

3:31 The one who comes from above is superior to all. ¹²  The one who is from the earth belongs to the earth and speaks about earthly things. ¹³  The one who comes from heaven ¹⁴  is superior to all. ¹⁵ 

Yohanes 7:52

7:52 They replied, ¹⁶  “You aren’t from Galilee too, are you? ¹⁷  Investigate carefully and you will see that no prophet ¹⁸  comes from Galilee!”

Yohanes 1:44

1:44 (Now Philip was from Bethsaida, ¹⁹  the town of ²⁰  Andrew and Peter.)

Yohanes 6:25

Jesus’ Discourse About the Bread of Life

6:25 When they found him on the other side of the lake, ²¹  they said to him, “Rabbi, when did you get here?” ²² 

Yohanes 7:14

Teaching in the Temple

7:14 When the feast was half over, Jesus went up to the temple courts ²³  and began to teach. ²⁴ 

Yohanes 10:2

10:2 The one who enters by the door is the shepherd of the sheep.

Yohanes 10:39

10:39 Then ²⁵  they attempted ²⁶  again to seize him, but he escaped their clutches. ²⁷ 

Yohanes 11:53

11:53 So from that day they planned together to kill him.

Yohanes 12:32

12:32 And I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all people ²⁸  to myself.”

Yohanes 4:39

The Samaritans Respond

4:39 Now many Samaritans from that town believed in him because of the report of the woman who testified, ²⁹  “He told me everything I ever did.”

Yohanes 10:16

10:16 I have ³⁰  other sheep that do not come from ³¹  this sheepfold. ³²  I must bring them too, and they will listen to my voice, ³³  so that ³⁴  there will be one flock and ³⁵  one shepherd.

Yohanes 3:6

3:6 What is born of the flesh is flesh, ³⁶  and what is born of the Spirit is spirit.

Yohanes 4:7

4:7 A Samaritan woman ³⁷  came to draw water. Jesus said to her, “Give me some water ³⁸  to drink.”

Yohanes 4:54

4:54 Jesus did this as his second miraculous sign ³⁹  when he returned from Judea to Galilee.

Yohanes 10:27

10:27 My sheep listen to my voice, and I know them, and they follow me.

Yohanes 17:4

17:4 I glorified you on earth by completing ⁴⁰  the work you gave me to do. ⁴¹ 

Yohanes 18:19

Jesus Questioned by Annas

18:19 While this was happening, ⁴²  the high priest questioned Jesus about his disciples and about his teaching. ⁴³ 

Yohanes 1:50

1:50 Jesus said to him, ⁴⁴  “Because I told you that I saw you under the fig tree, do you believe? You will see greater things than these.” ⁴⁵ 

Yohanes 2:1

Turning Water into Wine

2:1 Now on the third day there was a wedding at Cana ⁴⁶  in Galilee. ⁴⁷  Jesus’ mother ⁴⁸  was there,

Yohanes 4:5-6

4:5 Now he came to a Samaritan town ⁴⁹  called Sychar, ⁵⁰  near the plot of land that Jacob had given to his son Joseph. ⁵¹  4:6 Jacob’s well was there, so Jesus, since he was tired from the journey, sat right down beside ⁵²  the well. It was about noon. ⁵³ 

Yohanes 5:28

5:28 “Do not be amazed at this, because a time ⁵⁴  is coming when all who are in the tombs will hear his voice

Yohanes 6:17

6:17 got into a boat, and started to cross the lake ⁵⁵  to Capernaum. ⁵⁶  (It had already become dark, and Jesus had not yet come to them.) ⁵⁷ 

Yohanes 6:19

6:19 Then, when they had rowed about three or four miles, ⁵⁸  they caught sight of Jesus walking on the lake, ⁵⁹  approaching the boat, and they were frightened.

Yohanes 6:21

6:21 Then they wanted to take him into the boat, and immediately the boat came to the land where they had been heading.

Yohanes 7:17

7:17 If anyone wants to do God’s will, ⁶⁰  he will know about my teaching, whether it is from God or whether I speak from my own authority. ⁶¹ 

Yohanes 7:38

7:38 let the one who believes in me drink. ⁶²  Just as the scripture says, ‘From within him ⁶³  will flow rivers of living water.’” ⁶⁴ 

Yohanes 7:41-42

7:41 Others said, “This is the Christ!” ⁶⁵  But still others said, “No, ⁶⁶  for the Christ doesn’t come from Galilee, does he? ⁶⁷  7:42 Don’t the scriptures say that the Christ is a descendant ⁶⁸  of David ⁶⁹  and comes from Bethlehem, ⁷⁰  the village where David lived?” ⁷¹ 

Yohanes 8:34

8:34 Jesus answered them, “I tell you the solemn truth, ⁷²  everyone who practices ⁷³  sin is a slave ⁷⁴  of sin.

Yohanes 10:1

Jesus as the Good Shepherd

10:1 “I tell you the solemn truth, ⁷⁵  the one who does not enter the sheepfold ⁷⁶  by the door, ⁷⁷  but climbs in some other way, is a thief and a robber.

Yohanes 10:3

10:3 The doorkeeper ⁷⁸  opens the door ⁷⁹  for him, ⁸⁰  and the sheep hear his voice. He ⁸¹  calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. ⁸² 

Yohanes 10:28-29

10:28 I give ⁸³  them eternal life, and they will never perish; ⁸⁴  no one will snatch ⁸⁵  them from my hand. 10:29 My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all, ⁸⁶  and no one can snatch ⁸⁷  them from my Father’s hand.

Yohanes 11:13

11:13 (Now Jesus had been talking about ⁸⁸  his death, but they ⁸⁹  thought he had been talking about real sleep.) ⁹⁰ 

Yohanes 11:55

11:55 Now the Jewish feast of Passover ⁹¹  was near, and many people went up to Jerusalem ⁹²  from the rural areas before the Passover to cleanse themselves ritually. ⁹³ 

Yohanes 12:21

12:21 So these approached Philip, ⁹⁴  who was from Bethsaida in Galilee, and requested, ⁹⁵  “Sir, we would like to see Jesus.”

Yohanes 15:22

15:22 If I had not come and spoken to them, they would not be guilty of sin. ⁹⁶  But they no longer have any excuse for their sin.

Yohanes 19:27

19:27 He then said to his disciple, “Look, here is your mother!” From that very time ⁹⁷  the disciple took her into his own home.

Yohanes 20:7

20:7 and the face cloth, ⁹⁸  which had been around Jesus’ head, not lying with the strips of linen cloth but rolled up in a place by itself. ⁹⁹ 

Yohanes 18:37

18:37 Then Pilate said, ¹⁰⁰  “So you are a king!” Jesus replied, “You say that I am a king. For this reason I was born, and for this reason I came into the world – to testify to the truth. Everyone who belongs to the truth listens to ¹⁰¹  my voice.”

Yohanes 2:11

2:11 Jesus did this as the first of his miraculous signs, ¹⁰²  in Cana ¹⁰³  of Galilee. In this way he revealed ¹⁰⁴  his glory, and his disciples believed in him. ¹⁰⁵ 

Yohanes 3:4

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?” ¹⁰⁶ 

Yohanes 4:46-47

Healing the Royal Official’s Son

4:46 Now he came again to Cana ¹⁰⁷  in Galilee where he had made the water wine. ¹⁰⁸  In ¹⁰⁹  Capernaum ¹¹⁰  there was a certain royal official ¹¹¹  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 ¹¹²  to come down and heal his son, who was about to die.

Yohanes 5:25

5:25 I tell you the solemn truth, ¹¹³  a time ¹¹⁴  is coming – and is now here – when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God, and those who hear will live.

Yohanes 6:35

6:35 Jesus said to them, “I am the bread of life. The one who comes to me will never go hungry, and the one who believes in me will never be thirsty. ¹¹⁵ 

Yohanes 7:37

Teaching About the Spirit

7:37 On the last day of the feast, the greatest day, ¹¹⁶  Jesus stood up and shouted out, ¹¹⁷  “If anyone is thirsty, let him come to me, and

Yohanes 8:12

Jesus as the Light of the World

8:12 Then Jesus spoke out again, ¹¹⁸  “I am the light of the world. ¹¹⁹  The one who follows me will never ¹²⁰  walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.”

Yohanes 11:4

11:4 When Jesus heard this, he said, “This sickness will not lead to death, ¹²¹  but to God’s glory, ¹²²  so that the Son of God may be glorified through it.” ¹²³ 

Yohanes 11:9

11:9 Jesus replied, ¹²⁴  “Are there not twelve hours in a day? If anyone walks around in the daytime, he does not stumble, ¹²⁵  because he sees the light of this world. ¹²⁶ 

Yohanes 11:54

11:54 Thus Jesus no longer went ¹²⁷  around publicly ¹²⁸  among the Judeans, ¹²⁹  but went away from there to the region near the wilderness, to a town called Ephraim, ¹³⁰  and stayed there with his disciples.

Yohanes 12:3

12:3 Then Mary took three quarters of a pound ¹³¹  of expensive aromatic oil from pure nard ¹³²  and anointed the feet of Jesus. She ¹³³  then wiped his feet dry with her hair. (Now the house was filled with the fragrance of the perfumed oil.) ¹³⁴ 

Yohanes 12:27

12:27 “Now my soul is greatly distressed. And what should I say? ‘Father, deliver me ¹³⁵  from this hour’? ¹³⁶  No, but for this very reason I have come to this hour. ¹³⁷ 

Yohanes 14:17

14:17 the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot accept, ¹³⁸  because it does not see him or know him. But you know him, because he resides ¹³⁹  with you and will be ¹⁴⁰  in you.

Yohanes 15:26

15:26 When the Advocate ¹⁴¹  comes, whom I will send you from the Father – the Spirit of truth who goes out from the Father – he ¹⁴²  will testify about me,

Yohanes 16:13

16:13 But when he, ¹⁴³  the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide ¹⁴⁴  you into all truth. ¹⁴⁵  For he will not speak on his own authority, ¹⁴⁶  but will speak whatever he hears, and will tell you ¹⁴⁷  what is to come. ¹⁴⁸ 

Yohanes 16:21

16:21 When a woman gives birth, she has distress ¹⁴⁹  because her time ¹⁵⁰  has come, but when her child is born, she no longer remembers the suffering because of her joy that a human being ¹⁵¹  has been born into the world. ¹⁵² 

Yohanes 17:12

17:12 When I was with them I kept them safe ¹⁵³  and watched over them ¹⁵⁴  in your name ¹⁵⁵  that you have given me. Not one ¹⁵⁶  of them was lost except the one destined for destruction, ¹⁵⁷  so that the scripture could be fulfilled. ¹⁵⁸ 

Yohanes 19:20

19:20 Thus many of the Jewish residents of Jerusalem ¹⁵⁹  read this notice, ¹⁶⁰  because the place where Jesus was crucified was near the city, and the notice was written in Aramaic, ¹⁶¹  Latin, and Greek.

Yohanes 19:25

19:25 Now standing beside Jesus’ cross were his mother, his mother’s sister, Mary the wife of Clopas, and Mary Magdalene. ¹⁶² 

Yohanes 21:2

21:2 Simon Peter, Thomas ¹⁶³  (called Didymus), ¹⁶⁴  Nathanael ¹⁶⁵  (who was from Cana ¹⁶⁶  in Galilee), the sons ¹⁶⁷  of Zebedee, ¹⁶⁸  and two other disciples ¹⁶⁹  of his were together.

Yohanes 21:8

21:8 Meanwhile the other disciples came with the boat, dragging the net full of fish, for they were not far from land, only about a hundred yards. ¹⁷⁰ 

Yohanes 6:22

6:22 The next day the crowd that remained on the other side of the lake ¹⁷¹  realized that only one small boat ¹⁷²  had been there, and that Jesus had not boarded ¹⁷³  it with his disciples, but that his disciples had gone away alone.

Yohanes 6:51

6:51 I am the living bread that came down from heaven. If anyone eats from this bread he will live forever. The bread ¹⁷⁴  that I will give for the life of the world is my flesh.”

Yohanes 13:1

Washing the Disciples’ Feet

13:1 Just before the Passover feast, Jesus knew that his time ¹⁷⁵  had come to depart ¹⁷⁶  from this world to the Father. Having loved his own who were in the world, he now loved them to the very end. ¹⁷⁷ 

[6:1]  ¹ tn Again, μετὰ ταῦτα (meta tauta) is a vague temporal reference. How Jesus got from Jerusalem to Galilee is not explained, which has led many scholars (e.g., Bernard, Bultmann, and Schnackenburg) to posit either editorial redaction or some sort of rearrangement or dislocation of material (such as reversing the order of chaps. 5 and 6, for example). Such a rearrangement of the material would give a simple and consistent connection of events, but in the absence of all external evidence it does not seem to be supportable. R. E. Brown (John [AB], 1:236) says that such an arrangement is attractive in some ways but not compelling, and that no rearrangement can solve all the geographical and chronological problems in John.

[6:1]  ² sn This is a parenthetical note by the author. Only John in the New Testament refers to the Sea of Galilee by the name Sea of Tiberias (see also John 21:1), but this is correct local usage. In the mid-20’s Herod completed the building of the town of Tiberias on the southwestern shore of the lake; after this time the name came into use for the lake itself.

[4:4]  ³ 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]  ⁴ 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 b.c.; (2) Foreign colonists brought in from Babylonia and Media by the Assyrian conquerors to settle the land with inhabitants who would be loyal to Assyria. There was theological opposition between the Samaritans and the Jews because the former refused to worship in Jerusalem. After the exile the Samaritans put obstacles in the way of the Jewish restoration of Jerusalem, and in the 2nd century b.c. the Samaritans helped the Syrians in their wars against the Jews. In 128 b.c. the Jewish high priest retaliated and burned the Samaritan temple on Mount Gerizim.

[4:30]  ⁵ tn “So” is supplied for transitional smoothness in English.

[4:30]  ⁶ 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.

[6:48]  ⁷ tn That is, “the bread that produces (eternal) life.”

[11:1]  ⁸ tn Grk “from Bethany, the village of Mary and her sister Martha.”

[21:1]  ⁹ tn The time reference indicated by μετὰ ταῦτα (meta tauta) is indefinite, in comparison with the specific “after eight days” (μεθ᾿ ἡμέρας ὀκτώ, meq’ Jhmera" oktw) between the two postresurrection appearances of Jesus in 20:26.

[21:1]  ¹⁰ sn The Sea of Tiberias is another name for the Sea of Galilee (see 6:1).

[21:1]  ¹¹ tn Grk “how he revealed himself.”

[3:31]  ¹² tn Or “is above all.”

[3:31]  ¹³ tn Grk “speaks from the earth.”

[3:31]  ¹⁴ sn The one who comes from heaven refers to Christ. As in John 1:1, the Word’s preexistence is indicated here.

[3:31]  ¹⁵ tc Ì⁷⁵ א* D ˹ 565 as well as several versions and fathers lack the phrase “is superior to all” (ἐπάνω πάντων ἐστίν, epanw pantwn estin). This effectively joins the last sentence of v. 31 with v. 32: “The one who comes from heaven testifies about what he has seen and heard, but no one accepts his testimony.” On the other side, the phrase may have been deleted because of perceived redundancy, since it duplicates what is said earlier in the verse. The witnesses that include ἐπάνω πάντων ἐστίν in both places are weighty and widespread (Ì^36vid,66 א² A B L W^s Θ Ψ 083 086 ˹³ 33 Ï lat sy^s,p,h bo). On balance, the longer reading should probably be considered authentic.

[3:31]  tn Or “is above all.”

[7:52]  ¹⁶ tn Grk “They answered and said to him.”

[7:52]  ¹⁷ tn Questions prefaced with μή (mh) in Greek anticipate a negative answer. This can sometimes be indicated by using a “tag” at the end in English (here the tag is “are you?”).

[7:52]  ¹⁸ tc At least one early and important ms (Ì^66*) places the article before “prophet” (ὁ προφήτης, Jo profhths), making this a reference to the “prophet like Moses” mentioned in Deut 18:15.

[7:52]  tn This claim by the leaders presents some difficulty, because Jonah had been from Gath Hepher, in Galilee (2 Kgs 14:25). Also the Babylonian Talmud later stated, “There was not a tribe in Israel from which there did not come prophets” (b. Sukkah 27b). Two explanations are possible: (1) In the heat of anger the members of the Sanhedrin overlooked the facts (this is perhaps the easiest explanation). (2) This anarthrous noun is to be understood as a reference to the prophet of Deut 18:15 (note the reading of Ì⁶⁶ which is articular), by this time an eschatological figure in popular belief. This would produce in the text of John’s Gospel a high sense of irony indeed, since the religious authorities by their insistence that “the Prophet” could not come from Galilee displayed their true ignorance of where Jesus came from on two levels at once (Bethlehem, his birthplace, the fulfillment of Mic 5:2, but also heaven, from which he was sent by the Father). The author does not even bother to refute the false attestation of Jesus’ place of birth as Galilee (presumably Christians knew all too well where Jesus came from).

[1:44]  ¹⁹ sn Although the author thought of the town as in Galilee (12:21), Bethsaida technically was in Gaulanitis (Philip the Tetrarch’s territory) across from Herod’s Galilee. There may have been two places called Bethsaida, or this may merely reflect popular imprecision – locally it was considered part of Galilee, even though it was just east of the Jordan river. This territory was heavily Gentile (which may explain why Andrew and Philip both have Gentile names).

[1:44]  ²⁰ tn Probably ἀπό (apo) indicates “originally from” in the sense of birthplace rather than current residence; Mark 1:21, 29 seems to locate the home of Andrew and Peter at Capernaum. The entire remark (v. 44) amounts to a parenthetical comment by the author.

[6:25]  ²¹ tn Or “sea.” See the note on “lake” in v. 16.

[6:25]  ²² sn John 6:25-31. The previous miracle of the multiplication of the bread had taken place near the town of Tiberias (cf. John 6:23). Jesus’ disciples set sail for Capernaum (6:17) and were joined by the Lord in the middle of the sea. The next day boats from Tiberias picked up a few of those who had seen the multiplication (certainly not the whole 5,000) and brought them to Capernaum. It was to this group that Jesus spoke in 6:26-27. But there were also people from Capernaum who had gathered to see Jesus, who had not witnessed the multiplication, and it was this group that asked Jesus for a miraculous sign like the manna (6:30-31). This would have seemed superfluous if it were the same crowd that had already seen the multiplication of the bread. But some from Capernaum had heard about it and wanted to see a similar miracle repeated.

[7:14]  ²³ tn Grk “to the temple.”

[7:14]  ²⁴ tn Or “started teaching.” An ingressive sense for the imperfect verb (“began to teach” or “started teaching”) fits well here, since the context implies that Jesus did not start his teaching at the beginning of the festival, but began when it was about half over.

[10:39]  ²⁵ tc It is difficult to decide between ἐζήτουν οὖν (ezhtoun oun, “then they were seeking”; Ì⁶⁶ א A L W Ψ Ë^1,13 33 pm lat), ἐζήτουν δέ (ezhtoun de, “now they were seeking”; Ì⁴⁵ and a few versional witnesses), καὶ ἐζήτουν (kai ezhtoun, “and they were seeking”; D), and ἐζήτουν (Ì^75vid B Γ Θ 700 pm). Externally, the most viable readings are ἐζήτουν οὖν and ἐζήτουν. Transcriptionally, the οὖν could have dropped out via haplography since the verb ends in the same three letters. On the other hand, it is difficult to explain the readings with δέ or καί if ἐζήτουν οὖν is original; such readings would more likely have arisen from the simple ἐζήτουν. Intrinsically, John is fond of οὖν, using it some 200 times. Further, this Gospel begins relatively few sentences without some conjunction. The minimal support for the δέ and καί readings suggests that they arose either from the lone verb reading (which would thus be prior to their respective Vorlagen but not necessarily the earliest reading) or through carelessness on the part of the scribes. Indeed, the ancestors of Ì⁴⁵ and D may have committed haplography, leaving later scribes in the chain to guess at the conjunction needed. In sum, the best reading appears to be ἐζήτουν οὖν.

[10:39]  ²⁶ tn Grk “they were seeking.”

[10:39]  ²⁷ tn Grk “he departed out of their hand.”

[10:39]  sn It is not clear whether the authorities simply sought to “arrest” him, or were renewing their attempt to stone him (cf. John 10:31) by seizing him and taking him out to be stoned. In either event, Jesus escaped their clutches. Nor is it clear whether Jesus’ escape is to be understood as a miracle. If so, the text gives little indication and even less description. What is clear is that until his “hour” comes, Jesus is completely safe from the hands of men: His enemies are powerless to touch him until they are permitted to do so.

[12:32]  ²⁸ 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”).

[4:39]  ²⁹ tn Grk “when she testified.”

[10:16]  ³⁰ tn Grk “And I have.” Because of the difference between Greek style, which often begins sentences or clauses with “and,” and English style, which generally does not, καί (kai) has not been translated here.

[10:16]  ³¹ tn Or “that do not belong to”; Grk “that are not of.”

[10:16]  ³² sn The statement I have other sheep that do not come from this sheepfold almost certainly refers to Gentiles. Jesus has sheep in the fold who are Jewish; there are other sheep which, while not of the same fold, belong to him also. This recalls the mission of the Son in 3:16-17, which was to save the world – not just the nation of Israel. Such an emphasis would be particularly appropriate to the author if he were writing to a non-Palestinian and primarily non-Jewish audience.

[10:16]  ³³ tn Grk “they will hear my voice.”

[10:16]  ³⁴ tn Grk “voice, and.”

[10:16]  ³⁵ tn The word “and” is not in the Greek text, but must be supplied to conform to English style. In Greek it is an instance of asyndeton (omission of a connective), usually somewhat emphatic.

[3:6]  ³⁶ 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.

[4:7]  ³⁷ 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]  ³⁸ tn The phrase “some water” is supplied as the understood direct object of the infinitive πεῖν (pein).

[4:54]  ³⁹ 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.

[17:4]  ⁴⁰ tn Or “by finishing” or “by accomplishing.” Jesus now states that he has glorified the Father on earth by finishing (τελειώσας [teleiwsas] is best understood as an adverbial participle of means) the work which the Father had given him to do.

[17:4]  sn By completing the work. The idea of Jesus being sent into the world on a mission has been mentioned before, significantly in 3:17. It was even alluded to in the immediately preceding verse here (17:3). The completion of the “work” the Father had sent him to accomplish was mentioned by Jesus in 4:34 and 5:36. What is the nature of the “work” the Father has given the Son to accomplish? It involves the Son’s mission to be the Savior of the world, as 3:17 indicates. But this is accomplished specifically through Jesus’ sacrificial death on the cross (a thought implied by the reference to the Father “giving” the Son in 3:16). It is not without significance that Jesus’ last word from the cross is “It is completed” (19:30).

[17:4]  ⁴¹ tn Grk “the work that you gave to me so that I may do it.”

[18:19]  ⁴² tn The introductory phrase “While this was happening” is not in the Greek text. It has been supplied in the translation to clarify the alternation of scenes in the narrative for the modern reader.

[18:19]  ⁴³ sn The nature of this hearing seems to be more that of a preliminary investigation; certainly normal legal procedure was not followed, for no indication is given that any witnesses were brought forth at this point to testify against Jesus. True to what is known of Annas’ character, he was more interested in Jesus’ disciples than in the precise nature of Jesus’ teaching, since he inquired about the followers first. He really wanted to know just how influential Jesus had become and how large a following he had gathered. This was of more concern to Annas that the truth or falsity of Jesus’ teaching.

[1:50]  ⁴⁴ tn Grk “answered and said to him.” This has been simplified in the translation to “said to him.”

[1:50]  ⁴⁵ sn What are the greater things Jesus had in mind? In the narrative this forms an excellent foreshadowing of the miraculous signs which began at Cana of Galilee.

[2:1]  ⁴⁶ map For location see Map1 C3; Map2 D2; Map3 C5.

[2:1]  ⁴⁷ 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]  ⁴⁸ tn Grk “in Galilee, and Jesus’ mother.”

[4:5]  ⁴⁹ tn Grk “town of Samaria.” The noun Σαμαρείας (Samareias) has been translated as an attributive genitive.

[4:5]  ⁵⁰ sn Sychar was somewhere in the vicinity of Shechem, possibly the village of Askar, 1.5 km northeast of Jacob’s well.

[4:5]  ⁵¹ sn Perhaps referred to in Gen 48:22.

[4:6]  ⁵² 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]  ⁵³ 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.”

[5:28]  ⁵⁴ tn Grk “an hour.”

[6:17]  ⁵⁵ tn Or “sea.” See the note on “lake” in the previous verse.

[6:17]  ⁵⁶ map For location see Map1 D2; Map2 C3; Map3 B2.

[6:17]  ⁵⁷ sn This is a parenthetical note by the author.

[6:19]  ⁵⁸ 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]  ⁵⁹ 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.”

[7:17]  ⁶⁰ tn Grk “his will.”

[7:17]  ⁶¹ tn Grk “or whether I speak from myself.”

[7:38]  ⁶² 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]  ⁶³ tn Or “out of the innermost part of his person”; Grk “out of his belly.”

[7:38]  ⁶⁴ 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.

[7:41]  ⁶⁵ tn Or “the Messiah” (Both Greek “Christ” and Hebrew and Aramaic “Messiah” mean “one who has been anointed”).

[7:41]  sn See the note on Christ in 1:20.

[7:41]  ⁶⁶ tn An initial negative reply (“No”) is suggested by the causal or explanatory γάρ (gar) which begins the clause.

[7:41]  ⁶⁷ tn Questions prefaced with μή (mh) in Greek anticipate a negative answer. This can sometimes be indicated by using a “tag” at the end in English (here the tag is “does he?”).

[7:42]  ⁶⁸ tn Grk “is from the seed” (an idiom for human descent).

[7:42]  ⁶⁹ sn An allusion to Ps 89:4.

[7:42]  ⁷⁰ sn An allusion to Mic 5:2.

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

[7:42]  ⁷¹ tn Grk “the village where David was.”

[8:34]  ⁷² tn Grk “Truly, truly, I say to you.”

[8:34]  ⁷³ tn Or “who commits.” This could simply be translated, “everyone who sins,” but the Greek is more emphatic, using the participle ποιῶν (poiwn) in a construction with πᾶς (pas), a typical Johannine construction. Here repeated, continuous action is in view. The one whose lifestyle is characterized by repeated, continuous sin is a slave to sin. That one is not free; sin has enslaved him. To break free from this bondage requires outside (divine) intervention. Although the statement is true at the general level (the person who continually practices a lifestyle of sin is enslaved to sin) the particular sin of the Jewish authorities, repeatedly emphasized in the Fourth Gospel, is the sin of unbelief. The present tense in this instance looks at the continuing refusal on the part of the Jewish leaders to acknowledge who Jesus is, in spite of mounting evidence.

[8:34]  ⁷⁴ tn See the note on the word “slaves” in 4:51.

[10:1]  ⁷⁵ tn Grk “Truly, truly, I say to you.”

[10:1]  ⁷⁶ sn There was more than one type of sheepfold in use in Palestine in Jesus’ day. The one here seems to be a courtyard in front of a house (the Greek word used for the sheepfold here, αὐλή [aulh] frequently refers to a courtyard), surrounded by a stone wall (often topped with briars for protection).

[10:1]  ⁷⁷ tn Or “entrance.”

[10:3]  ⁷⁸ tn Or “porter” (British English).

[10:3]  sn There have been many attempts to identify who the doorkeeper represents, none of which are convincing. More likely there are some details in this parable that are included for the sake of the story, necessary as parts of the overall picture but without symbolic significance.

[10:3]  ⁷⁹ tn The words “the door” are not in the Greek text but are implied. Direct objects in Greek were often omitted when clear from the context.

[10:3]  ⁸⁰ tn Grk “For this one.”

[10:3]  ⁸¹ tn Grk “And he.” Because of the difference between Greek style, which often begins sentences or clauses with “and,” and English style, which generally does not, καί (kai) has not been translated here.

[10:3]  ⁸² sn He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. Some interpreters have suggested that there was more than one flock in the fold, and there would be a process of separation where each shepherd called out his own flock. This may also be suggested by the mention of a doorkeeper in v. 3 since only the larger sheepfolds would have such a guard. But the Gospel of John never mentions a distinction among the sheep in this fold; in fact (10:16) there are other sheep which are to be brought in, but they are to be one flock and one shepherd.

[10:28]  ⁸³ tn Grk “And I give.”

[10:28]  ⁸⁴ tn Or “will never die” or “will never be lost.”

[10:28]  ⁸⁵ tn Or “no one will seize.”

[10:29]  ⁸⁶ tn Or “is superior to all.”

[10:29]  ⁸⁷ tn Or “no one can seize.”

[11:13]  ⁸⁸ tn Or “speaking about.”

[11:13]  ⁸⁹ tn Grk “these.”

[11:13]  ⁹⁰ tn Grk “the sleep of slumber”; this is a redundant expression to emphasize physical sleep as opposed to death.

[11:13]  sn This is a parenthetical note by the author.

[11:55]  ⁹¹ tn Grk “the Passover of the Jews.” This is the final Passover of Jesus’ ministry. The author is now on the eve of the week of the Passion. Some time prior to the feast itself, Jerusalem would be crowded with pilgrims from the surrounding districts (ἐκ τῆς χώρας, ek th" cwra") who had come to purify themselves ceremonially before the feast.

[11:55]  ⁹² map For location see Map5 B1; Map6 F3; Map7 E2; Map8 F2; Map10 B3; JP1 F4; JP2 F4; JP3 F4; JP4 F4.

[11:55]  ⁹³ tn Or “to purify themselves” (to undergo or carry out ceremonial cleansing before participating in the Passover celebration).

[12:21]  ⁹⁴ sn These Greeks approached Philip, although it is not clear why they did so. Perhaps they identified with his Greek name (although a number of Jews from border areas had Hellenistic names at this period). By see it is clear they meant “speak with,” since anyone could “see” Jesus moving through the crowd. The author does not mention what they wanted to speak with Jesus about.

[12:21]  ⁹⁵ tn Grk “and were asking him, saying.” The participle λέγοντες (legontes) is redundant in contemporary English and has not been translated here.

[15:22]  ⁹⁶ tn Grk “they would not have sin” (an idiom).

[15:22]  sn Jesus now describes the guilt of the world. He came to these people with both words (15:22) and sign-miracles (15:24), yet they remained obstinate in their unbelief, and this sin of unbelief was without excuse. Jesus was not saying that if he had not come and spoken to these people they would be sinless; rather he was saying that if he had not come and spoken to them, they would not be guilty of the sin of rejecting him and the Father he came to reveal. Rejecting Jesus is the one ultimate sin for which there can be no forgiveness, because the one who has committed this sin has at the same time rejected the only cure that exists. Jesus spoke similarly to the Pharisees in 9:41: “If you were blind, you would have no sin (same phrase as here), but now you say ‘We see’ your sin remains.”

[19:27]  ⁹⁷ tn Grk “from that very hour.”

[20:7]  ⁹⁸ sn The word translated face cloth is a Latin loanword (sudarium). It was a small towel used to wipe off perspiration (the way a handkerchief would be used today). This particular item was not mentioned in connection with Jesus’ burial in John 19:40, probably because this was only a brief summary account. A face cloth was mentioned in connection with Lazarus’ burial (John 11:44) and was probably customary. R. E. Brown speculates that it was wrapped under the chin and tied on top of the head to prevent the mouth of the corpse from falling open (John [AB], 2:986), but this is not certain.

[20:7]  ⁹⁹ sn Much dispute and difficulty surrounds the translation of the words not lying with the strips of linen cloth but rolled up in a place by itself. Basically the issue concerns the positioning of the graveclothes as seen by Peter and the other disciple when they entered the tomb. Some have sought to prove that when the disciples saw the graveclothes they were arranged just as they were when around the body, so that when the resurrection took place the resurrected body of Jesus passed through them without rearranging or disturbing them. In this case the reference to the face cloth being rolled up does not refer to its being folded, but collapsed in the shape it had when wrapped around the head. Sometimes in defense of this view the Greek preposition μετά (meta, which normally means “with”) is said to mean “like” so that the comparison with the other graveclothes does not involve the location of the face cloth but rather its condition (rolled up rather than flattened). In spite of the intriguing nature of such speculations, it seems more probable that the phrase describing the face cloth should be understood to mean it was separated from the other graveclothes in a different place inside the tomb. This seems consistent with the different conclusions reached by Peter and the beloved disciple (vv. 8-10). All that the condition of the graveclothes indicated was that the body of Jesus had not been stolen by thieves. Anyone who had come to remove the body (whether the authorities or anyone else) would not have bothered to unwrap it before carrying it off. And even if one could imagine that they had (perhaps in search of valuables such as rings or jewelry still worn by the corpse) they would certainly not have bothered to take time to roll up the face cloth and leave the other wrappings in an orderly fashion.

[18:37]  ¹⁰⁰ tn Grk “said to him.”

[18:37]  ¹⁰¹ tn Or “obeys”; Grk “hears.”

[2:11]  ¹⁰² 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. also 4:54 where the same construction occurs.

[2:11]  ¹⁰³ map For location see Map1 C3; Map2 D2; Map3 C5.

[2:11]  ¹⁰⁴ tn Grk “in Cana of Galilee, and he revealed.”

[2:11]  ¹⁰⁵ tn Or “his disciples trusted in him,” or “his disciples put their faith in him.”

[3:4]  ¹⁰⁶ tn The grammatical structure of the question in Greek presupposes a negative reply.

[4:46]  ¹⁰⁷ map For location see Map1 C3; Map2 D2; Map3 C5.

[4:46]  ¹⁰⁸ sn See John 2:1-11.

[4:46]  ¹⁰⁹ tn Grk “And in.”

[4:46]  ¹¹⁰ 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]  ¹¹¹ 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]  ¹¹² tn The direct object of ἠρώτα (hrwta) is supplied from context. Direct objects were frequently omitted in Greek when clear from the context.

[5:25]  ¹¹³ tn Grk “Truly, truly, I say to you.”

[5:25]  ¹¹⁴ tn Grk “an hour.”

[6:35]  ¹¹⁵ tn Grk “the one who believes in me will not possibly thirst, ever.”

[6:35]  sn The one who believes in me will never be thirsty. Note the parallelism between “coming to Jesus” in the first part of v. 35 and “believing in Jesus” in the second part of v. 35. For the author of the Gospel of John these terms are virtually equivalent, both referring to a positive response to Jesus (see John 3:17-21).

[7:37]  ¹¹⁶ sn There is a problem with the identification of this reference to the last day of the feast, the greatest day: It appears from Deut 16:13 that the feast went for seven days. Lev 23:36, however, makes it plain that there was an eighth day, though it was mentioned separately from the seven. It is not completely clear whether the seventh or eighth day was the climax of the feast, called here by the author the “last great day of the feast.” Since according to the Mishnah (m. Sukkah 4.1) the ceremonies with water and lights did not continue after the seventh day, it seems more probable that this is the day the author mentions.

[7:37]  ¹¹⁷ tn Grk “Jesus stood up and cried out, saying.”

[8:12]  ¹¹⁸ tn Grk “Then again Jesus spoke to them saying.”

[8:12]  ¹¹⁹ sn The theory proposed by F. J. A. Hort (The New Testament in the Original Greek, vol. 2, Introduction; Appendix, 87-88), that the backdrop of 8:12 is the lighting of the candelabra in the court of women, may offer a plausible setting to the proclamation by Jesus that he is the light of the world. The last time that Jesus spoke in the narrative (assuming 7:53-8:11 is not part of the original text, as the textual evidence suggests) is in 7:38, where he was speaking to a crowd of pilgrims in the temple area. This is where he is found in the present verse, and he may be addressing the crowd again. Jesus’ remark has to be seen in view of both the prologue (John 1:4, 5) and the end of the discourse with Nicodemus (John 3:19-21). The coming of Jesus into the world provokes judgment: A choosing up of sides becomes necessary. The one who comes to the light, that is, who follows Jesus, will not walk in the darkness. The one who refuses to come, will walk in the darkness. In this contrast, there are only two alternatives. So it is with a person’s decision about Jesus. Furthermore, this serves as in implicit indictment of Jesus’ opponents, who still walk in the darkness, because they refuse to come to him. This sets up the contrast in chap. 9 between the man born blind, who receives both physical and spiritual sight, and the Pharisees (John 9:13, 15, 16) who have physical sight but remain in spiritual darkness.

[8:12]  ¹²⁰ tn The double negative οὐ μή (ou mh) is emphatic in 1st century Hellenistic Greek.

[11:4]  ¹²¹ tn Grk “This sickness is not to death.”

[11:4]  sn Jesus plainly stated the purpose of Lazarus’ sickness in the plan of God: The end of the matter would not be death, but the glorification of the Son. Johannine double-meanings abound here: Even though death would not be the end of the matter, Lazarus is going to die; and ultimately his death and resurrection would lead to the death and resurrection of the Son of God (11:45-53). Furthermore, the glorification of the Son is not praise that comes to him for the miracle, but his death, resurrection, and return to the Father which the miracle precipitates (note the response of the Jewish authorities in 11:47-53).

[11:4]  ¹²² tn Or “to God’s praise.”

[11:4]  ¹²³ sn So that the Son of God may be glorified through it. These statements are highly ironic: For Lazarus, the sickness did not end in his death, because he was restored to life. But for Jesus himself, the miraculous sign he performed led to his own death, because it confirmed the authorities in their plan to kill Jesus (11:47-53). In the Gospel of John, Jesus’ death is consistently portrayed as his ‘glorification’ through which he accomplishes his return to the Father.

[11:9]  ¹²⁴ tn Grk “Jesus answered.”

[11:9]  ¹²⁵ tn Or “he does not trip.”

[11:9]  ¹²⁶ sn What is the light of this world? On one level, of course, it refers to the sun, but the reader of John’s Gospel would recall 8:12 and understand Jesus’ symbolic reference to himself as the light of the world. There is only a limited time left (Are there not twelve hours in a day?) until the Light will be withdrawn (until Jesus returns to the Father) and the one who walks around in the dark will trip and fall (compare the departure of Judas by night in 13:30).

[11:54]  ¹²⁷ tn Grk “walked.”

[11:54]  ¹²⁸ tn Or “openly.”

[11:54]  ¹²⁹ tn Grk “among the Jews.” Here the phrase refers to the residents of Judea in general, who would be likely to report Jesus to the religious authorities. The vicinity around Jerusalem was no longer safe for Jesus and his disciples. On the translation “Judeans” cf. BDAG 479 s.v. ᾿Ιουδαῖος 2.e. See also the references in vv. 8, 19, 31, 33, 36, and 45.

[11:54]  ¹³⁰ tn There is no certain identification of the location to which Jesus withdrew in response to the decision of the Jewish authorities. Many have suggested the present town of Et-Taiyibeh, identified with ancient Ophrah (Josh 18:23) or Ephron (Josh 15:9). If so, this would be 12-15 mi (19-24 km) northeast of Jerusalem.

[12:3]  ¹³¹ tn Or “half a liter”; Grk “a pound” (that is, a Roman pound, about 325 grams or 12 ounces).

[12:3]  ¹³² tn Μύρον (muron) was usually made of myrrh (from which the English word is derived) but here it is used in the sense of ointment or perfumed oil (L&N 6.205). The adjective πιστικῆς (pistikh") is difficult with regard to its exact meaning; some have taken it to derive from πίστις (pistis) and relate to the purity of the oil of nard. More probably it is something like a brand name, “pistic nard,” the exact significance of which has not been discovered.

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

[12:3]  ¹³³ tn Grk “And she.” Because of the difference between Greek style, which often begins sentences or clauses with “and,” and English style, which generally does not, καί (kai) has not been translated here.

[12:3]  ¹³⁴ sn This is a parenthetical note by the author. With a note characteristic of someone who was there and remembered, the author adds that the house was filled with the fragrance of the perfumed oil. In the later rabbinic literature, Ecclesiastes Rabbah 7.1.1 states “The fragrance of good oil is diffused from the bedroom to the dining hall, but a good name is diffused from one end of the world to the other.” If such a saying was known in the 1st century, this might be the author’s way of indicating that Mary’s act of devotion would be spoken of throughout the entire world (compare the comment in Mark 14:9).

[12:27]  ¹³⁵ tn Or “save me.”

[12:27]  ¹³⁶ tn Or “this occasion.”

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

[12:27]  ¹³⁷ tn Or “this occasion.”

[14:17]  ¹³⁸ tn Or “cannot receive.”

[14:17]  ¹³⁹ tn Or “he remains.”

[14:17]  ¹⁴⁰ tc Some early and important witnesses (Ì^66* B D* W 1 565 it) have ἐστιν (estin, “he is”) instead of ἔσται (estai, “he will be”) here, while other weighty witnesses ({Ì^66c,75vid א A D¹ L Θ Ψ Ë¹³ 33^vid Ï as well as several versions and fathers}), read the future tense. When one considers transcriptional evidence, ἐστιν is the more difficult reading and better explains the rise of the future tense reading, but it must be noted that both Ì⁶⁶ and D were corrected from the present tense to the future. If ἐστιν were the original reading, one would expect a few manuscripts to be corrected to read the present when they originally read the future, but that is not the case. When one considers what the author would have written, the future is on much stronger ground. The immediate context (both in 14:16 and in the chapter as a whole) points to the future, and the theology of the book regards the advent of the Spirit as a decidedly future event (see, e.g., 7:39 and 16:7). The present tense could have arisen from an error of sight on the part of some scribes or more likely from an error of thought as scribes reflected upon the present role of the Spirit. Although a decision is difficult, the future tense is most likely authentic. For further discussion on this textual problem, see James M. Hamilton, Jr., “He Is with You and He Will Be in You” (Ph.D. diss., The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, 2003), 213-20.

[15:26]  ¹⁴¹ tn Or “Helper” or “Counselor”; Grk “Paraclete,” from the Greek word παράκλητος (paraklhto"). See the note on the word “Advocate” in John 14:16 for discussion of how this word is translated.

[15:26]  ¹⁴² tn Grk “that one.”

[16:13]  ¹⁴³ tn Grk “that one.”

[16:13]  ¹⁴⁴ tn Or “will lead.”

[16:13]  ¹⁴⁵ sn Three important points must be noted here. (1) When the Holy Spirit comes, he will guide the disciples into all truth. What Jesus had said in 8:31-32, “If you continue to follow my teaching you are really my disciples, and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free,” will ultimately be realized in the ongoing ministry of the Holy Spirit to the disciples after Jesus’ departure. (2) The things the Holy Spirit speaks to them will not be things which originate from himself (he will not speak on his own authority), but things he has heard. This could be taken to mean that no new revelation is involved, as R. E. Brown does (John [AB], 2:714-15). This is a possible but not a necessary inference. The point here concerns the source of the things the Spirit will say to the disciples and does not specifically exclude originality of content. (3) Part at least of what the Holy Spirit will reveal to the disciples will concern what is to come, not just fuller implications of previous sayings of Jesus and the like. This does seem to indicate that at least some new revelation is involved. But the Spirit is not the source or originator of these things – Jesus is the source, and he will continue to speak to his disciples through the Spirit who has come to indwell them. This does not answer the question, however, whether these words are addressed to all followers of Jesus, or only to his apostles. Different modern commentators will answer this question differently. Since in the context of the Farewell Discourse Jesus is preparing the twelve to carry on his ministry after his departure, it is probably best to take these statements as specifically related only to the twelve. Some of this the Holy Spirit does directly for all believers today; other parts of this statement are fulfilled through the apostles (e.g., in giving the Book of Revelation the Spirit speaks through the apostles to the church today of things to come). One of the implications of this is that a doctrine does not have to be traced back to an explicit teaching of Jesus to be authentic; all that is required is apostolic authority.

[16:13]  ¹⁴⁶ tn Grk “speak from himself.”

[16:13]  ¹⁴⁷ tn Or will announce to you.”

[16:13]  ¹⁴⁸ tn Grk “will tell you the things to come.”

[16:21]  ¹⁴⁹ sn The same word translated distress here has been translated sadness in the previous verse (a wordplay that is not exactly reproducible in English).

[16:21]  ¹⁵⁰ tn Grk “her hour.”

[16:21]  ¹⁵¹ tn Grk “that a man” (but in a generic sense, referring to a human being).

[16:21]  ¹⁵² sn Jesus now compares the situation of the disciples to a woman in childbirth. Just as the woman in the delivery of her child experiences real pain and anguish (has distress), so the disciples will also undergo real anguish at the crucifixion of Jesus. But once the child has been born, the mother’s anguish is turned into joy, and she forgets the past suffering. The same will be true of the disciples, who after Jesus’ resurrection and reappearance to them will forget the anguish they suffered at his death on account of their joy.

[17:12]  ¹⁵³ tn Or “I protected them”; Grk “I kept them.”

[17:12]  ¹⁵⁴ tn Grk “and guarded them.”

[17:12]  ¹⁵⁵ tn Or “by your name.”

[17:12]  ¹⁵⁶ tn Grk And not one.” The conjunction καί (kai, “and”) has not been translated here in keeping with the tendency of contemporary English style to use shorter sentences.

[17:12]  ¹⁵⁷ tn Grk “the son of destruction” (a Semitic idiom for one appointed for destruction; here it is a reference to Judas).

[17:12]  sn The one destined to destruction refers to Judas. Clearly in John’s Gospel Judas is portrayed as a tool of Satan. He is described as “the devil” in 6:70. In 13:2 Satan put into Judas’ heart the idea of betraying Jesus, and 13:27 Satan himself entered Judas. Immediately after this Judas left the company of Jesus and the other disciples and went out into the realm of darkness (13:30). Cf. 2 Thess 2:3, where this same Greek phrase (“the son of destruction”; see tn above) is used to describe the man through whom Satan acts to rebel against God in the last days.

[17:12]  ¹⁵⁸ sn A possible allusion to Ps 41:9 or Prov 24:22 LXX. The exact passage is not specified here, but in John 13:18, Ps 41:9 is explicitly quoted by Jesus with reference to the traitor, suggesting that this is the passage to which Jesus refers here. The previous mention of Ps 41:9 in John 13:18 probably explains why the author felt no need for an explanatory parenthetical note here. It is also possible that the passage referred to here is Prov 24:22 LXX, where in the Greek text the phrase “son of destruction” appears.

[19:20]  ¹⁵⁹ tn Grk “the Jews.” Here the phrase refers to the residents of Jerusalem in general. See also the note on the phrase Jewish religious leaders” in v. 7.

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

[19:20]  ¹⁶⁰ tn Or “this inscription.”

[19:20]  ¹⁶¹ tn Grk “in Hebrew.”

[19:25]  ¹⁶² sn Several women are mentioned, but it is not easy to determine how many. It is not clear whether his mother’s sister and Mary the wife of Clopas are to be understood as the same individual (in which case only three women are mentioned: Jesus’ mother, her sister Mary, and Mary Magdalene) or as two different individuals (in which case four women are mentioned: Jesus’ mother, her sister, Mary Clopas’ wife, and Mary Magdalene). It is impossible to be certain, but when John’s account is compared to the synoptics it is easier to reconcile the accounts if four women were present than if there were only three. It also seems that if there were four women present, this would have been seen by the author to be in juxtaposition to the four soldiers present who performed the crucifixion, and this may explain the transition from the one incident in 23-24 to the other in 25-27. Finally, if only three were present, this would mean that both Jesus’ mother and her sister were named Mary, and this is highly improbable in a Jewish family of that time. If there were four women present, the name of the second, the sister of Jesus’ mother, is not mentioned. It is entirely possible that the sister of Jesus’ mother mentioned here is to be identified with the woman named Salome mentioned in Mark 15:40 and also with the woman identified as “the mother of the sons of Zebedee” mentioned in Matt 27:56. If so, and if John the Apostle is to be identified as the beloved disciple, then the reason for the omission of the second woman’s name becomes clear; she would have been John’s own mother, and he consistently omitted direct reference to himself or his brother James or any other members of his family in the Fourth Gospel.

[21:2]  ¹⁶³ tn Grk “and Thomas.” The conjunction καί (kai, “and”) has not been translated here in keeping with the tendency of contemporary English style to use a coordinating conjunction only between the last two elements of a series.

[21:2]  ¹⁶⁴ sn Didymus means “the twin” in Greek.

[21:2]  ¹⁶⁵ tn Grk “and Nathanael.” The conjunction καί (kai, “and”) has not been translated here in keeping with the tendency of contemporary English style to use a coordinating conjunction only between the last two elements of a series.

[21:2]  ¹⁶⁶ map For location see Map1 C3; Map2 D2; Map3 C5.

[21:2]  ¹⁶⁷ tn Grk “and the sons.” The conjunction καί (kai, “and”) has not been translated here in keeping with the tendency of contemporary English style to use a coordinating conjunction only between the last two elements of a series.

[21:2]  ¹⁶⁸ sn The sons of Zebedee were James and John.

[21:2]  ¹⁶⁹ sn The two other disciples who are not named may have been Andrew and Philip, who are mentioned together in John 6:7-8 and 12:22.

[21:8]  ¹⁷⁰ tn Or “about a hundred meters”; Grk “about two hundred cubits.” According to BDAG 812 s.v., a πῆχυς (phcu") was about 18 inches or .462 meters, so two hundred πηχῶν (phcwn) would be about 100 yards (92.4 meters).

[6:22]  ¹⁷¹ tn Or “sea.” See the note on “lake” in v. 16.

[6:22]  ¹⁷² tc Most witnesses have after “one” the phrase “which his disciples had entered” (ἐκεῖνο εἰς ὃ ἐνέβησαν οἱ μαθηταὶ αὐτοῦ, ekeino ei" }o enebhsan Joi maqhtai autou) although there are several permutations of this clause ([א* D] Θ [˹³ 33] Ï [sa]). The witnesses that lack this expression are, however, significant and diffused (Ì⁷⁵ א² A B L N W Ψ 1 565 579 1241 al lat). The clarifying nature of the longer reading, the multiple variants from it, and the weighty testimony for the shorter reading all argue against the authenticity of the longer text in any of its variations.

[6:22]  tn Grk “one”; the referent (a small boat) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[6:22]  ¹⁷³ tn Grk “entered.”

[6:51]  ¹⁷⁴ tn Grk “And the bread.”

[13:1]  ¹⁷⁵ tn Grk “his hour.”

[13:1]  ¹⁷⁶ tn Grk “that he should depart.” The ἵνα (Jina) clause in Koine Greek frequently encroached on the simple infinitive (for the sake of greater clarity).

[13:1]  ¹⁷⁷ tn Or “he now loved them completely,” or “he now loved them to the uttermost” (see John 19:30). All of John 13:1 is a single sentence in Greek, although in English this would be unacceptably awkward. At the end of the verse the idiom εἰς τέλος (eis telos) was translated literally as “to the end” and the modern equivalents given in the note above, because there is an important lexical link between this passage and John 19:30, τετέλεσται (tetelestai, “It is ended”).

[13:1]  sn The full extent of Jesus’ love for his disciples is not merely seen in his humble service to them in washing their feet (the most common interpretation of the passage). The full extent of his love for them is demonstrated in his sacrificial death for them on the cross. The footwashing episode which follows then becomes a prophetic act, or acting out beforehand, of his upcoming death on their behalf. The message for the disciples was that they were to love one another not just in humble, self-effacing service, but were to be willing to die for one another. At least one of them got this message eventually, though none understood it at the time (see 1 John 3:16).