1
Ταῦτα ⸀εἰπὼν Ἰησοῦς ἐξῆλθεν σὺν τοῖς μαθηταῖς αὐτοῦ πέραν τοῦ χειμάρρου ⸀τοῦ Κεδρὼν ὅπου ἦν κῆπος, εἰς ὃν εἰσῆλθεν αὐτὸς καὶ οἱ μαθηταὶ αὐτοῦ.
Having said these things, Jesus went out with his disciples across the Kidron valley, where there was a garden, into which he and his disciples entered.
2
ᾔδει δὲ καὶ Ἰούδας ὁ παραδιδοὺς αὐτὸν τὸν τόπον, ὅτι πολλάκις ⸀συνήχθη Ἰησοῦς ἐκεῖ μετὰ τῶν μαθητῶν αὐτοῦ.
Now Judas, who was handing him over, also knew the place, because Jesus had often met there with his disciples.
3
ὁ οὖν Ἰούδας λαβὼν τὴν σπεῖραν καὶ ἐκ τῶν ἀρχιερέων καὶ ⸂ἐκ τῶν⸃ Φαρισαίων ὑπηρέτας ἔρχεται ἐκεῖ μετὰ φανῶν καὶ λαμπάδων καὶ ὅπλων.
So Judas, taking the cohort and officers from the chief priests and the Pharisees, comes there with lanterns and torches and weapons.
4
Ἰησοῦς ⸀οὖν εἰδὼς πάντα τὰ ἐρχόμενα ἐπ’ αὐτὸν ⸂ἐξῆλθεν, καὶ λέγει⸃ αὐτοῖς· Τίνα ζητεῖτε;
So Jesus, knowing all that was coming upon him, went out and says to them, “Whom do you seek?”
5
ἀπεκρίθησαν αὐτῷ· Ἰησοῦν τὸν Ναζωραῖον. λέγει ⸀αὐτοῖς· Ἐγώ εἰμι. εἱστήκει δὲ καὶ Ἰούδας ὁ παραδιδοὺς αὐτὸν μετ’ αὐτῶν.
They answered him, “Jesus the Nazorean.” He says to them, “I am.” And Judas, who was handing him over, was standing with them.
Why this rendering
John.18.5 Observation
Syntactic observation
The predicateless Ἐγώ εἰμι occurs three times in this scene — vv.5, 6 and 8. It began at 4:26 and passed through 8:24, 28, 58 and 9:9 to here. **And at v.6 the narrator records the response: when he said “Ἐγώ εἰμι” they drew back and fell to the ground.** The text itself records what these two words produce. Men come to arrest him falling down is not a response to ordinary self-identification. The εἰς τὰ ὀπίσω of v.6 is the phrase used at 6:66 of the disciples who drew back. SBLGNT marks a variant in this verse (⸀αὐτοῖς·).
Rendering options · 2
I am he
Basis Supplies “he” and makes it self-identification.
Rejected Verse 6 records that they fell when he said it, so an ordinary self-identification leaves the response unexplained. The text puts weight on these two words and the rendering removes it. It is the form of 4:26 and 8:24 and takes the same rendering.
Adopted They answered him, “Jesus the Nazorean.” He says to them, “I am.”
Basis Leaves the predicate empty. The Vulgate has ego sum here as in the earlier places.
Lost in translation
a series of eight places 4:26, 8:24, 8:28, 8:58, 9:9, 18:5, 18:6 and 18:8 are one predicateless form. Most versions supply “he” everywhere and leave it empty only at 8:58, so the series is invisible. Only the Vulgate keeps ego sum in all eight.
Survives in · VULG
6
ὡς οὖν εἶπεν ⸀αὐτοῖς· Ἐγώ εἰμι, ἀπῆλθον εἰς τὰ ὀπίσω καὶ ἔπεσαν χαμαί.
So when he said to them, “I am,” they drew back and fell to the ground.
7
πάλιν οὖν ⸂ἐπηρώτησεν αὐτούς⸃· Τίνα ζητεῖτε; οἱ δὲ εἶπαν· Ἰησοῦν τὸν Ναζωραῖον.
So again he asked them, “Whom do you seek?” And they said, “Jesus the Nazorean.”
8
ἀπεκρίθη Ἰησοῦς· Εἶπον ὑμῖν ὅτι ἐγώ εἰμι· εἰ οὖν ἐμὲ ζητεῖτε, ἄφετε τούτους ὑπάγειν·
Jesus answered, “I told you that I am. So if you seek me, let these go.”
9
ἵνα πληρωθῇ ὁ λόγος ὃν εἶπεν ὅτι Οὓς δέδωκάς μοι οὐκ ἀπώλεσα ἐξ αὐτῶν οὐδένα.
This was so that the word he had spoken might be fulfilled: “Of those you have given me I lost none.”
10
Σίμων οὖν Πέτρος ἔχων μάχαιραν εἵλκυσεν αὐτὴν καὶ ἔπαισεν τὸν τοῦ ἀρχιερέως δοῦλον καὶ ἀπέκοψεν αὐτοῦ τὸ ⸀ὠτάριον τὸ δεξιόν. ἦν δὲ ὄνομα τῷ δούλῳ Μάλχος.
Then Simon Peter, having a sword, drew it and struck the slave of the high priest and cut off his right ear. The slave's name was Malchus.
Why this rendering
John.18.10 Observation
Syntactic observation
εἵλκυσεν is the aorist of ἕλκω. **It is the verb of 12:32, I will ἑλκύσω all to myself.** In John it stands in five places — 6:44, the Father drawing; 12:32, drawing all; here at 18:10, Peter drawing a sword; and 21:6 and 21:11, hauling the net. So **the Father drawing people, Peter drawing a sword and the disciples hauling a net are one verb.** ὠτάριον is a diminutive, nearer to the lobe of the ear, and John records even the slave's name, Malchus. SBLGNT marks a variant in this verse (⸀ὠτάριον).
Rendering options · 2
Adopted drew his sword
Basis Uses the natural rendering.
drew — the same word as at 12:32
Basis Matches the stem of 12:32.
Rejected In Korean one does not 이끌다 a sword. The verb for people and the verb for objects diverge, so joining the five places with one word is impossible. The impossibility is recorded as a loss.
Lost in translation
the five places of ἕλκω The Father draws (6:44), Jesus draws all (12:32), Peter draws a sword (18:10), the disciples haul a net (21:6, 11). One verb spans theology, violence and labour. Korean and English cannot use one verb for people and objects, so **this link survives in no translation.** **But three of the nine do carry it** — German ziehen, French tirer and Spanish tirar take all five sites with one verb. It needs a language that can use one verb of persons and of things, and English is not one.
11
εἶπεν οὖν ὁ Ἰησοῦς τῷ Πέτρῳ· Βάλε τὴν ⸀μάχαιραν εἰς τὴν θήκην· τὸ ποτήριον ὃ δέδωκέν μοι ὁ πατὴρ οὐ μὴ πίω αὐτό;
So Jesus said to Peter, “Put the sword into its sheath. The cup that the Father has given me — shall I not drink it?”
12
Ἡ οὖν σπεῖρα καὶ ὁ χιλίαρχος καὶ οἱ ὑπηρέται τῶν Ἰουδαίων συνέλαβον τὸν Ἰησοῦν καὶ ἔδησαν αὐτὸν
So the cohort and the tribune and the officers of the Jews seized Jesus and bound him,
13
καὶ ⸀ἤγαγον πρὸς Ἅνναν πρῶτον· ἦν γὰρ πενθερὸς τοῦ Καϊάφα, ὃς ἦν ἀρχιερεὺς τοῦ ἐνιαυτοῦ ἐκείνου·
and led him first to Annas; for he was father-in-law of Caiaphas, who was high priest that year.
14
ἦν δὲ Καϊάφας ὁ συμβουλεύσας τοῖς Ἰουδαίοις ὅτι συμφέρει ἕνα ἄνθρωπον ⸀ἀποθανεῖν ὑπὲρ τοῦ λαοῦ.
Now it was Caiaphas who had counselled the Jews that it was expedient for one man to die for the people.
15
Ἠκολούθει δὲ τῷ Ἰησοῦ Σίμων Πέτρος ⸀καὶ ἄλλος μαθητής. ὁ δὲ μαθητὴς ἐκεῖνος ἦν γνωστὸς τῷ ἀρχιερεῖ καὶ συνεισῆλθεν τῷ Ἰησοῦ εἰς τὴν αὐλὴν τοῦ ἀρχιερέως,
And Simon Peter was following Jesus, and another disciple. That disciple was known to the high priest, and he entered with Jesus into the courtyard of the high priest;
16
ὁ δὲ Πέτρος εἱστήκει πρὸς τῇ θύρᾳ ἔξω. ἐξῆλθεν οὖν ὁ μαθητὴς ὁ ἄλλος ⸀ὁ γνωστὸς ⸂τοῦ ἀρχιερέως⸃ καὶ εἶπεν τῇ θυρωρῷ καὶ εἰσήγαγεν τὸν Πέτρον.
but Peter was standing at the door outside. So the other disciple, known to the high priest, went out and spoke to the doorkeeper and brought Peter in.
17
λέγει οὖν ⸂τῷ Πέτρῳ ἡ παιδίσκη ἡ θυρωρός⸃· Μὴ καὶ σὺ ἐκ τῶν μαθητῶν εἶ τοῦ ἀνθρώπου τούτου; λέγει ἐκεῖνος· Οὐκ εἰμί.
So the servant girl who kept the door says to Peter, “Are you also one of this man's disciples?” He says, “I am not.”
18
εἱστήκεισαν δὲ οἱ δοῦλοι καὶ οἱ ὑπηρέται ἀνθρακιὰν πεποιηκότες, ὅτι ψῦχος ἦν, καὶ ἐθερμαίνοντο· ἦν δὲ ⸂καὶ ὁ Πέτρος μετ’ αὐτῶν⸃ ἑστὼς καὶ θερμαινόμενος.
The slaves and the officers were standing there, having made a charcoal fire because it was cold, and they were warming themselves; and Peter also was with them, standing and warming himself.
19
Ὁ οὖν ἀρχιερεὺς ἠρώτησεν τὸν Ἰησοῦν περὶ τῶν μαθητῶν αὐτοῦ καὶ περὶ τῆς διδαχῆς αὐτοῦ.
So the high priest questioned Jesus about his disciples and about his teaching.
20
ἀπεκρίθη ⸀αὐτῷ Ἰησοῦς· Ἐγὼ παρρησίᾳ ⸀λελάληκα τῷ κόσμῳ· ἐγὼ πάντοτε ἐδίδαξα ἐν συναγωγῇ καὶ ἐν τῷ ἱερῷ, ὅπου ⸀πάντες οἱ Ἰουδαῖοι συνέρχονται, καὶ ἐν κρυπτῷ ἐλάλησα οὐδέν·
Jesus answered him, “I have spoken openly to the world; I always taught in a synagogue and in the temple courts, where all the Jews come together, and in secret I said nothing.
21
τί με ⸂ἐρωτᾷς; ἐρώτησον⸃ τοὺς ἀκηκοότας τί ἐλάλησα αὐτοῖς· ἴδε οὗτοι οἴδασιν ἃ εἶπον ἐγώ.
Why do you question me? Question those who have heard what I said to them; see, they know what I said.”
22
ταῦτα δὲ αὐτοῦ εἰπόντος εἷς ⸂παρεστηκὼς τῶν ὑπηρετῶν⸃ ἔδωκεν ῥάπισμα τῷ Ἰησοῦ εἰπών· Οὕτως ἀποκρίνῃ τῷ ἀρχιερεῖ;
When he had said these things, one of the officers standing by gave Jesus a blow, saying, “Do you answer the high priest so?”
23
ἀπεκρίθη ⸀αὐτῷ Ἰησοῦς· Εἰ κακῶς ἐλάλησα, μαρτύρησον περὶ τοῦ κακοῦ· εἰ δὲ καλῶς, τί με δέρεις;
Jesus answered him, “If I spoke wrongly, bear witness about the wrong; but if rightly, why do you strike me?”
24
ἀπέστειλεν ⸀οὖν αὐτὸν ὁ Ἅννας δεδεμένον πρὸς Καϊάφαν τὸν ἀρχιερέα.
So Annas sent him bound to Caiaphas the high priest.
25
Ἦν δὲ Σίμων Πέτρος ἑστὼς καὶ θερμαινόμενος. εἶπον οὖν αὐτῷ· Μὴ καὶ σὺ ἐκ τῶν μαθητῶν αὐτοῦ εἶ; ⸀ἠρνήσατο ἐκεῖνος καὶ εἶπεν· Οὐκ εἰμί.
Now Simon Peter was standing and warming himself. So they said to him, “Are you also one of his disciples?” He denied it and said, “I am not.”
26
λέγει εἷς ἐκ τῶν δούλων τοῦ ἀρχιερέως, συγγενὴς ὢν οὗ ἀπέκοψεν Πέτρος τὸ ὠτίον· Οὐκ ἐγώ σε εἶδον ἐν τῷ κήπῳ μετ’ αὐτοῦ;
One of the slaves of the high priest, a relative of the man whose ear Peter cut off, says, “Did I not see you in the garden with him?”
27
πάλιν οὖν ⸀ἠρνήσατο Πέτρος· καὶ εὐθέως ἀλέκτωρ ἐφώνησεν.
So Peter denied it again; and at once a cock crowed.
28
Ἄγουσιν οὖν τὸν Ἰησοῦν ἀπὸ τοῦ Καϊάφα εἰς τὸ πραιτώριον· ἦν δὲ πρωΐ· καὶ αὐτοὶ οὐκ εἰσῆλθον εἰς τὸ πραιτώριον, ἵνα μὴ μιανθῶσιν ⸀ἀλλὰ φάγωσιν τὸ πάσχα.
So they lead Jesus from Caiaphas to the praetorium; and it was early. And they did not enter the praetorium, so that they might not be defiled but might eat the Passover.
Why this rendering
John.18.28 Hypothesis
Syntactic observation
πραιτώριον is the Latin praetorium written in Greek letters. It occurs **three times** in John — 18:28, 18:33 and 19:9. The author did not render it into Greek but took the Latin word in — a Roman word for a Roman building. μιανθῶσιν is the passive of μιαίνω, to be defiled in the ritual sense, and it occurs only here in John. And this verse fixes the timing of the Passover: they had not yet eaten it. That timing has long been discussed as reading differently from the Synoptics. SBLGNT marks a variant in this verse (⸀ἀλλὰ).
Rendering options · 2
the governor's headquarters
Basis Renders the sense.
Rejected It hides that the author took the Latin word in rather than rendering it into Greek. John also keeps Aramaic by transliteration (rabbi at 1:38, Messiah at 1:41, Siloam at 9:7) and glosses it, but here he does not even gloss it — he treats it as a word the reader already knows.
Adopted So they lead Jesus from Caiaphas to the praetorium; and it was early. And they did not enter the praetorium, so that they might not be defiled but might eat the Passover.
Basis Keeps a transliteration as a transliteration. The Vulgate has praetorium, as do KJV, NASB and ESV. It is the treatment given to ἀμήν and παράκλητος in GLOSSARY.
Lost in translation
that the author took in a Latin word Aramaic is transliterated and glossed (1:38, 1:41, 9:7); the Latin is transliterated and not glossed. That is, the Roman word was already ordinary for author and reader — and rendering it as headquarters erases the fact.
Survives in · KJV / NASB / ESV / VULG / ELB
29
ἐξῆλθεν οὖν ὁ Πιλᾶτος ⸀ἔξω πρὸς αὐτοὺς καὶ ⸀φησίν· Τίνα κατηγορίαν φέρετε ⸀κατὰ τοῦ ἀνθρώπου τούτου;
So Pilate went outside to them and says, “What accusation do you bring against this man?”
30
ἀπεκρίθησαν καὶ εἶπαν αὐτῷ· Εἰ μὴ ἦν οὗτος ⸂κακὸν ποιῶν⸃, οὐκ ἄν σοι παρεδώκαμεν αὐτόν.
They answered and said to him, “If this man were not doing evil, we would not have handed him over to you.”
31
εἶπεν οὖν αὐτοῖς ⸀ὁ Πιλᾶτος· Λάβετε αὐτὸν ὑμεῖς, καὶ κατὰ τὸν νόμον ὑμῶν κρίνατε αὐτόν. ⸀εἶπον αὐτῷ οἱ Ἰουδαῖοι· Ἡμῖν οὐκ ἔξεστιν ἀποκτεῖναι οὐδένα·
So Pilate said to them, “Take him yourselves and judge him according to your law.” The Jews said to him, “It is not lawful for us to put anyone to death,”
32
ἵνα ὁ λόγος τοῦ Ἰησοῦ πληρωθῇ ὃν εἶπεν σημαίνων ποίῳ θανάτῳ ἤμελλεν ἀποθνῄσκειν.
so that the word of Jesus might be fulfilled which he spoke, signifying by what death he was about to die.
33
Εἰσῆλθεν οὖν ⸂πάλιν εἰς τὸ πραιτώριον⸃ ὁ Πιλᾶτος καὶ ἐφώνησεν τὸν Ἰησοῦν καὶ εἶπεν αὐτῷ· Σὺ εἶ ὁ βασιλεὺς τῶν Ἰουδαίων;
So Pilate entered the praetorium again and called Jesus and said to him, “Are you the King of the Jews?”
34
⸀ἀπεκρίθη Ἰησοῦς· ⸂Ἀπὸ σεαυτοῦ⸃ σὺ τοῦτο λέγεις ἢ ἄλλοι ⸂εἶπόν σοι⸃ περὶ ἐμοῦ;
Jesus answered, “Do you say this of yourself, or did others tell you about me?”
35
ἀπεκρίθη ὁ Πιλᾶτος· Μήτι ἐγὼ Ἰουδαῖός εἰμι; τὸ ἔθνος τὸ σὸν καὶ οἱ ἀρχιερεῖς παρέδωκάν σε ἐμοί· τί ἐποίησας;
Pilate answered, “Am I a Jew? Your own nation and the chief priests handed you over to me. What have you done?”
36
ἀπεκρίθη Ἰησοῦς· Ἡ βασιλεία ἡ ἐμὴ οὐκ ἔστιν ἐκ τοῦ κόσμου τούτου· εἰ ἐκ τοῦ κόσμου τούτου ἦν ἡ βασιλεία ἡ ἐμή, οἱ ὑπηρέται ⸂οἱ ἐμοὶ ἠγωνίζοντο ἄν⸃, ἵνα μὴ παραδοθῶ τοῖς Ἰουδαίοις· νῦν δὲ ἡ βασιλεία ἡ ἐμὴ οὐκ ἔστιν ἐντεῦθεν.
Jesus answered, “My kingdom is not from this world. If my kingdom were from this world, my servants would be fighting so that I might not be handed over to the Jews; but as it is, my kingdom is not from here.”
Why this rendering
John.18.36 Hypothesis
Syntactic observation
The preposition is ἐκ, which marks source — out of — not belonging or location. And ἐντεῦθεν at the end of the sentence, from here, restates it: the author himself unfolds the sense as origin. Had belonging or location been meant, ἐν was available, and John uses it often. ἡ βασιλεία ἡ ἐμή sets the noun with the article repeated and recurs three times in this verse. βασιλεία occurs in John only at 3:3, 3:5 and here. SBLGNT marks a variant in this verse (⸂οἱ ἄν⸃,).
Rendering options · 2
My kingdom is not of this world
Basis Uses the settled rendering.
Rejected “Of this world” denies belonging and is commonly read as not being in the world. But ἐκ is source, and ἐντεῦθεν at the end confirms it: the question is where this kingdom comes from, not where it is. Only NET marks the source with from this world.
Adopted Jesus answered, “My kingdom is not from this world. If my kingdom were from this world, my servants would be fighting so that I might not be handed over to the Jews; but as it is, my kingdom is not from here.”
Basis Renders ἐκ as source and ἐντεῦθεν as from here, so the author's own gloss stays in the sentence.
Lost in translation
that ἐκ marks source Denying origin and denying belonging are not the same statement — “it does not come from here” and “it is not here” differ. Korean 속한 and English of both lean toward belonging; only NET and the Vulgate mark source.
Survives in · NET / VULG
37
εἶπεν οὖν αὐτῷ ὁ Πιλᾶτος· Οὐκοῦν βασιλεὺς εἶ σύ; ἀπεκρίθη ⸀ὁ Ἰησοῦς· Σὺ λέγεις ὅτι βασιλεύς ⸀εἰμι. ἐγὼ εἰς τοῦτο γεγέννημαι καὶ εἰς τοῦτο ἐλήλυθα εἰς τὸν κόσμον ἵνα μαρτυρήσω τῇ ἀληθείᾳ· πᾶς ὁ ὢν ἐκ τῆς ἀληθείας ἀκούει μου τῆς φωνῆς.
So Pilate said to him, “Then are you a king?” Jesus answered, “You say that I am a king. For this I have been born, and for this I have come into the world: to bear witness to the truth. Everyone who is of the truth hears my voice.”
Why this rendering
John.18.37 Observation
Syntactic observation
γεγέννημαι is the perfect passive of γεννάω — **the verb of being born from above at 3:3–8** — used here of Jesus himself, and set beside ἐλήλυθα so that he has both been born and come. μαρτυρήσω τῇ ἀληθείᾳ takes the dative, so it is nearer to bearing witness to the truth than of it. In πᾶς ὁ ὢν ἐκ τῆς ἀληθείας the ἐκ returns from v.36 — a person too is spoken of by what he comes out of. And in the next verse Pilate takes up ἀλήθεια without an article. SBLGNT marks a variant in this verse (⸀ὁ ⸀εἰμι.).
Rendering options · 2
Adopted to bear witness to the truth
Basis Uses the settled rendering.
to testify on truth's behalf
Basis Renders the dative more strictly.
Rejected It is awkward in Korean, and the link of γεννάω to chapter 3 matters more in this verse than the shade of the dative. The dative is recorded as a loss.
Lost in translation
that γεννάω is used of Jesus The verb by which a person must be born from above at 3:3–8 is used here of Jesus himself in the perfect passive. Korean and English do use one word in both, but no version marks the link.
38
λέγει αὐτῷ ὁ Πιλᾶτος· Τί ἐστιν ἀλήθεια; Καὶ τοῦτο εἰπὼν πάλιν ἐξῆλθεν πρὸς τοὺς Ἰουδαίους, καὶ λέγει αὐτοῖς· Ἐγὼ οὐδεμίαν ⸂εὑρίσκω ἐν αὐτῷ αἰτίαν⸃·
Pilate says to him, “What is truth?” And having said this he went out again to the Jews and says to them, “I find no charge in him.
39
ἔστιν δὲ συνήθεια ὑμῖν ἵνα ἕνα ⸂ἀπολύσω ὑμῖν⸃ ἐν τῷ πάσχα· βούλεσθε οὖν ⸄ἀπολύσω ὑμῖν⸅ τὸν βασιλέα τῶν Ἰουδαίων;
But you have a custom that I release one man to you at the Passover. So do you want me to release to you the King of the Jews?”
40
ἐκραύγασαν οὖν ⸀πάλιν λέγοντες· Μὴ τοῦτον ἀλλὰ τὸν Βαραββᾶν. ἦν δὲ ὁ Βαραββᾶς λῃστής.
So they cried out again, saying, “Not this man, but Barabbas.” Now Barabbas was a robber.