1
Μετὰ ταῦτα ⸀ἦν ἑορτὴ τῶν Ἰουδαίων, καὶ ⸀ἀνέβη Ἰησοῦς εἰς Ἱεροσόλυμα.
After these things there was a feast of the Jews, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem.
The feast is not named. At 2:13 and 6:4 the book says Passover.
first here Jews Ἰουδαῖος Ioudaios
first here Jesus Ἰησοῦς Iēsous
2
ἔστιν δὲ ἐν τοῖς Ἱεροσολύμοις ἐπὶ τῇ προβατικῇ κολυμβήθρα ἡ ἐπιλεγομένη Ἑβραϊστὶ ⸀Βηθεσδά, πέντε στοὰς ἔχουσα·
Now there is in Jerusalem by the sheep gate a pool, called in Hebrew Bethesda, having five colonnades.
In Hebrew — the writer marks the sound and leaves it unexplained. The name is also a place where the manuscripts differ.
first here Hebrew Ἑβραϊστί Hebraisti
first here Bethesda Βηθεσδά Bēthesda
Why this rendering
John.5.2 Observation
Syntactic observation
SBLGNT marks the place name with a variant sign (⸀) and prints Βηθεσδά. Three readings survive across our version columns — SBLGNT, the Textus Receptus, KJV, 개역한글, NASB, ESV, NIV, Elberfelder, the Synodal and the Chinese Union Version read Bethesda; Tischendorf's eighth edition, NET and the Japanese Shinkyōdōyaku read Bethzatha; the Vulgate reads Bethsaida. The manuscript families carry straight through into the printed editions, and our columns display the split. προβατικῇ is an adjective with no noun — only “by the sheep [something].”
Rendering options · 2
Adopted Bethesda
Basis Follows the reading of SBLGNT, our base text.
Bethzatha
Basis Follows the Tischendorf line.
Rejected Our base text is SBLGNT (DECISIONS C1), so we do not switch base texts verse by verse. The other readings are kept as variant entries rather than erased.
Lost in translation
that the place name is unsettled A translation prints one name, so the reader cannot see that the manuscripts diverge. Our columns show Bethesda, Bethzatha and Bethsaida side by side; no single translation can.
this edition — none of the nine carries it (measured)
3
ἐν ταύταις κατέκειτο ⸀πλῆθος τῶν ἀσθενούντων, τυφλῶν, χωλῶν, ⸀ξηρῶν.
In these lay a multitude of the sick — blind, lame, withered.
The base text has no verse 4. The line about an angel stirring the water is not carried here, so verse 4 is missing outright. The stirring in verse 7 stands as the sick man's own words.
Why this rendering
John.5.3 Observation
Syntactic observation
Chapter 5 has forty-six verses in SBLGNT. There is no verse 4. Verse 3 ends at ξηρῶν, and the familiar lines about waiting for the moving of the water and about an angel going down at times to stir the pool are not in our base text. Our version columns show five ways of handling the spot — absent altogether (SBLGNT, Tischendorf, ESV, NET, NIV); printed as text (the Textus Receptus, KJV, YLT, NASB, the Vulgate, Elberfelder, the Synodal); printed in square brackets (개역한글); printed with an explicit note (the Chinese Union Version's 有古卷在此有); and marked with a dagger and brackets (the Japanese Shinkyōdōyaku's †〔 〕). SBLGNT places two variant marks inside this verse — ⸀πλῆθος and ⸀ξηρῶν. The second is the last word of the verse, exactly where the added lines attach.
Rendering options · 3
print it in square brackets
Basis Keeps the familiar text while marking its status.
Rejected Our base text is SBLGNT (DECISIONS C1), so what is not in it does not occupy a place in the running text. Brackets mark status but do not say what was dropped or why; we say that in the variant entry instead.
print it as running text
Basis Follows the traditional text.
Rejected Printed without a mark, the reader has no way to learn that it is absent from the base text.
Adopted render verse 3 to ξηρῶν and show the omitted lines as a variant entry
Basis Follow the base text without going silent. Dropping it without comment leaves the reader knowing nothing, as with ESV, NET and NIV.
Lost in translation
that something is missing A reader of the running text alone cannot know what was dropped here or why. The versions that delete it say nothing; those that print it do not mark it. Only the Héhéběn and the Shinkyōdōyaku say so on the page.
Survives in · 繁體 和合本 (1919) / 新共同訳聖書 (1987)† / 개역한글†
5
ἦν δέ τις ἄνθρωπος ἐκεῖ ⸀τριάκοντα ὀκτὼ ἔτη ἔχων ἐν τῇ ἀσθενείᾳ ⸀αὐτοῦ·
And a certain man was there who had been in his illness thirty-eight years.
Thirty-eight years counts the illness, not his age.
pronoun his = the sick man
6
τοῦτον ἰδὼν ὁ Ἰησοῦς κατακείμενον, καὶ γνοὺς ὅτι πολὺν ἤδη χρόνον ἔχει, λέγει αὐτῷ· Θέλεις ὑγιὴς γενέσθαι;
Jesus, seeing him lying there and knowing that he had already been a long time in that state, says to him, “Do you want to become well?”
The question is not “can you be healed” but do you want to become well.
pronoun him = the sick man
pronoun he = the sick man
7
ἀπεκρίθη αὐτῷ ὁ ἀσθενῶν· Κύριε, ἄνθρωπον οὐκ ἔχω ἵνα ὅταν ταραχθῇ τὸ ὕδωρ βάλῃ με εἰς τὴν κολυμβήθραν· ἐν ᾧ δὲ ἔρχομαι ἐγὼ ἄλλος πρὸ ἐμοῦ καταβαίνει.
The sick man answered him, “Sir, I have no one to put me into the pool when the water is stirred; and while I am coming, another goes down before me.”
He does not answer the question; he explains why he cannot get in.
pronoun him = Jesus
pronoun me = the sick man
pronoun I = the sick man
8
λέγει αὐτῷ ὁ Ἰησοῦς· ⸀Ἔγειρε ἆρον τὸν κράβαττόν σου καὶ περιπάτει.
Jesus says to him, “Rise, take up your mat and walk.”
Mat renders κράβαττος (krabattos), the pallet of a poor man. Mark uses the same word.
pronoun him = the sick man
pronoun your = the sick man
9
καὶ εὐθέως ἐγένετο ὑγιὴς ὁ ἄνθρωπος καὶ ἦρε τὸν κράβαττον αὐτοῦ καὶ περιεπάτει. Ἦν δὲ σάββατον ἐν ἐκείνῃ τῇ ἡμέρᾳ.
And at once the man became well, and took up his mat and was walking. Now that day was a Sabbath.
The Sabbath is named after the healing — the story turns here.
10
ἔλεγον οὖν οἱ Ἰουδαῖοι τῷ τεθεραπευμένῳ· Σάββατόν ἐστιν, ⸀καὶ οὐκ ἔξεστίν σοι ἆραι τὸν ⸀κράβαττον.
So the Jews said to the man who had been healed, “It is the Sabbath, and it is not lawful for you to take up your mat.”
What is challenged is not the healing but the carrying.
pronoun you = the man who had been healed
11
⸂ὃς δὲ⸃ ἀπεκρίθη αὐτοῖς· Ὁ ποιήσας με ὑγιῆ ἐκεῖνός μοι εἶπεν Ἆρον τὸν κράβαττόν σου καὶ περιπάτει.
But he answered them, “The one who made me well, he said to me, ‘Take up your mat and walk.’”
The healed man does not know the name — verse 13 says why.
pronoun he = the first “he” is the healed man; the second is the one who made him well
pronoun them = the Jews
pronoun me = the healed man
12
ἠρώτησαν ⸀οὖν αὐτόν· Τίς ἐστιν ὁ ἄνθρωπος ὁ εἰπών σοι· ⸀Ἆρον καὶ περιπάτει;
They asked him, “Who is the man who said to you, ‘Take it up and walk’?”
They ask not who healed him but who told him to carry.
pronoun They = the Jews
pronoun him = the healed man
pronoun you = the healed man
13
ὁ δὲ ἰαθεὶς οὐκ ᾔδει τίς ἐστιν, ὁ γὰρ Ἰησοῦς ἐξένευσεν ὄχλου ὄντος ἐν τῷ τόπῳ.
But the one who had been healed did not know who it was, for Jesus had slipped away, a crowd being in the place.
Slipped away — the text says he moved off.
pronoun it = the one who healed him
14
μετὰ ταῦτα εὑρίσκει αὐτὸν ὁ Ἰησοῦς ἐν τῷ ἱερῷ καὶ εἶπεν αὐτῷ· Ἴδε ὑγιὴς γέγονας· μηκέτι ἁμάρτανε, ἵνα μὴ χεῖρόν ⸂σοί τι⸃ γένηται.
After these things Jesus finds him in the the temple and said to him, “See, you have become well. Sin no more, so that nothing worse happens to you.”
Nothing worse is left unsaid — the text does not fill it in.
pronoun him = the healed man
pronoun you = the healed man
15
ἀπῆλθεν ὁ ἄνθρωπος καὶ ⸀ἀνήγγειλεν τοῖς Ἰουδαίοις ὅτι Ἰησοῦς ἐστιν ὁ ποιήσας αὐτὸν ὑγιῆ.
The man went away and announced to the Jews that it was Jesus who had made him well.
He goes and announces. The book does not call it an accusation.
pronoun him = the healed man
16
καὶ διὰ τοῦτο ἐδίωκον ⸂οἱ Ἰουδαῖοι τὸν Ἰησοῦν⸃ ὅτι ταῦτα ἐποίει ἐν σαββάτῳ.
And for this reason the Jews were persecuting Jesus, because he was doing these things on a Sabbath.
Were persecuting stands in the imperfect — an ongoing thing, not one act.
pronoun he = Jesus
17
ὁ ⸀δὲ ἀπεκρίνατο αὐτοῖς· Ὁ πατήρ μου ἕως ἄρτι ἐργάζεται κἀγὼ ἐργάζομαι.
But he answered them, “My Father is working until now, and I am working.”
Working until now — the Sabbath question is answered by the Father's work.
pronoun he = Jesus
pronoun them = the Jews
18
διὰ τοῦτο οὖν μᾶλλον ἐζήτουν αὐτὸν οἱ Ἰουδαῖοι ἀποκτεῖναι ὅτι οὐ μόνον ἔλυε τὸ σάββατον, ἀλλὰ καὶ πατέρα ἴδιον ἔλεγε τὸν θεόν, ἴσον ἑαυτὸν ποιῶν τῷ θεῷ.
For this reason then the Jews were seeking all the more to kill him, because he was not only breaking the Sabbath but was also calling God his own Father, making himself equal with God.
The writer gives two grounds — the Sabbath, and calling God his own Father.
pronoun him = Jesus
pronoun he = Jesus
19
Ἀπεκρίνατο οὖν ὁ Ἰησοῦς καὶ ⸀ἔλεγεν αὐτοῖς· Ἀμὴν ἀμὴν λέγω ὑμῖν, οὐ δύναται ὁ υἱὸς ποιεῖν ἀφ’ ἑαυτοῦ οὐδὲν ⸀ἐὰν μή τι βλέπῃ τὸν πατέρα ποιοῦντα· ἃ γὰρ ἂν ἐκεῖνος ποιῇ, ταῦτα καὶ ὁ υἱὸς ὁμοίως ποιεῖ.
So Jesus answered and was saying to them, “Amen, amen, I say to you, the Son can do nothing of himself unless he sees the Father doing it; for whatever that one does, these things the Son also does likewise.
Was saying is imperfect — set down as continuing speech.
pronoun them = the Jews
pronoun he = the Son
20
ὁ γὰρ πατὴρ φιλεῖ τὸν υἱὸν καὶ πάντα δείκνυσιν αὐτῷ ἃ αὐτὸς ποιεῖ, καὶ μείζονα τούτων δείξει αὐτῷ ἔργα, ἵνα ὑμεῖς θαυμάζητε.
For the Father loves the Son and shows him all that he himself does; and greater works than these he will show him, so that you may marvel.
Loves here is a different verb (φιλέω, phileō) from the one at 3:35. This book uses both.
pronoun him = the Son
pronoun he = the Father
pronoun you = the Jews
21
ὥσπερ γὰρ ὁ πατὴρ ἐγείρει τοὺς νεκροὺς καὶ ζῳοποιεῖ, οὕτως καὶ ὁ υἱὸς οὓς θέλει ζῳοποιεῖ.
For as the Father raises the dead and gives them life, so also the Son gives life to whom he wills.
Raises and gives life are paired in one sentence.
pronoun he = the Son
22
οὐδὲ γὰρ ὁ πατὴρ κρίνει οὐδένα, ἀλλὰ τὴν κρίσιν πᾶσαν δέδωκεν τῷ υἱῷ,
For the Father judges no one, but has given all judgement to the Son,
Judgement is given to the Son entirely.
23
ἵνα πάντες τιμῶσι τὸν υἱὸν καθὼς τιμῶσι τὸν πατέρα. ὁ μὴ τιμῶν τὸν υἱὸν οὐ τιμᾷ τὸν πατέρα τὸν πέμψαντα αὐτόν.
so that all may honour the Son as they honour the Father. The one not honouring the Son does not honour the Father who sent him.
Honour has at its root the setting of a price on a thing.
pronoun him = the Son
24
Ἀμὴν ἀμὴν λέγω ὑμῖν ὅτι ὁ τὸν λόγον μου ἀκούων καὶ πιστεύων τῷ πέμψαντί με ἔχει ζωὴν αἰώνιον, καὶ εἰς κρίσιν οὐκ ἔρχεται ἀλλὰ μεταβέβηκεν ἐκ τοῦ θανάτου εἰς τὴν ζωήν.
Amen, amen, I say to you, the one hearing my word and believing him who sent me has life eternal, and does not come into judgement, but has passed over from death into life.
Has stands in the present — not something to be received later but held now.
pronoun me = Jesus
25
Ἀμὴν ἀμὴν λέγω ὑμῖν ὅτι ἔρχεται ὥρα καὶ νῦν ἐστιν ὅτε οἱ νεκροὶ ⸀ἀκούσουσιν τῆς φωνῆς τοῦ υἱοῦ τοῦ θεοῦ καὶ οἱ ἀκούσαντες ⸀ζήσουσιν.
Amen, amen, I say to you, an hour is coming, and now is, when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God, and those who hear will live.
Is coming, and now is repeats the frame of 4:23.
26
ὥσπερ γὰρ ὁ πατὴρ ἔχει ζωὴν ἐν ἑαυτῷ, οὕτως ⸂καὶ τῷ υἱῷ ἔδωκεν⸃ ζωὴν ἔχειν ἐν ἑαυτῷ·
For as the Father has life in himself, so he gave to the Son also to have life in himself.
Life in himself is said twice over.
pronoun he = the Father
27
καὶ ἐξουσίαν ἔδωκεν ⸀αὐτῷ κρίσιν ποιεῖν, ὅτι υἱὸς ἀνθρώπου ἐστίν.
And he gave him authority to carry out judgement, because he is Son of Man.
Son of Man stands here without the article — rare in this book.
pronoun he = the Father — the second “he” is the Son
pronoun him = the Son
28
μὴ θαυμάζετε τοῦτο, ὅτι ἔρχεται ὥρα ἐν ᾗ πάντες οἱ ἐν τοῖς μνημείοις ⸀ἀκούσουσιν τῆς φωνῆς αὐτοῦ
Do not marvel at this, for an hour is coming in which all who are in the tombs will hear his voice
All who are in the tombs widens the “dead” of verse 25.
pronoun his = the Son of Man
29
καὶ ἐκπορεύσονται οἱ τὰ ἀγαθὰ ποιήσαντες εἰς ἀνάστασιν ζωῆς, οἱ ⸀δὲ τὰ φαῦλα πράξαντες εἰς ἀνάστασιν κρίσεως.
and will come out — those who did good things to a resurrection of life, those who practised base things to a resurrection of judgement.
Did and practised are two different verbs in Greek; the text keeps them apart.
30
Οὐ δύναμαι ἐγὼ ποιεῖν ἀπ’ ἐμαυτοῦ οὐδέν· καθὼς ἀκούω κρίνω, καὶ ἡ κρίσις ἡ ἐμὴ δικαία ἐστίν, ὅτι οὐ ζητῶ τὸ θέλημα τὸ ἐμὸν ἀλλὰ τὸ θέλημα τοῦ πέμψαντός ⸀με.
I can do nothing of myself. As I hear, I judge, and my judgement is just, because I do not seek my own will but the will of the one who sent me.
He turns onto himself what verse 19 said of the Son.
pronoun my = Jesus
31
Ἐὰν ἐγὼ μαρτυρῶ περὶ ἐμαυτοῦ, ἡ μαρτυρία μου οὐκ ἔστιν ἀληθής·
If I bear witness about myself, my witness is not true.
He says his own witness alone is not true. At 8:14 he takes it up again.
pronoun I = Jesus
32
ἄλλος ἐστὶν ὁ μαρτυρῶν περὶ ἐμοῦ, καὶ οἶδα ὅτι ἀληθής ἐστιν ἡ μαρτυρία ἣν μαρτυρεῖ περὶ ἐμοῦ.
There is another who bears witness about me, and I know that the witness he bears about me is true.
Another — who it is is named at verse 37.
pronoun he = the other who bears witness
33
ὑμεῖς ἀπεστάλκατε πρὸς Ἰωάννην, καὶ μεμαρτύρηκε τῇ ἀληθείᾳ·
You have sent to John, and he has borne witness to the truth.
This points to the sending at 1:19.
first here John Ἰωάννης Iōannēs
pronoun he = John
34
ἐγὼ δὲ οὐ παρὰ ἀνθρώπου τὴν μαρτυρίαν λαμβάνω, ἀλλὰ ταῦτα λέγω ἵνα ὑμεῖς σωθῆτε.
But I do not receive the witness from a man; rather I say these things so that you may be saved.
He says he does not take a man's witness, and then cites John's. The reason follows.
pronoun I = Jesus
35
ἐκεῖνος ἦν ὁ λύχνος ὁ καιόμενος καὶ φαίνων, ὑμεῖς δὲ ἠθελήσατε ἀγαλλιαθῆναι πρὸς ὥραν ἐν τῷ φωτὶ αὐτοῦ·
He was the lamp that burns and shines, and you were willing for an hour to rejoice in his light.
Lamp, not light — the same distinction the book made of John at 1:8.
pronoun He = John
pronoun his = John
36
ἐγὼ δὲ ἔχω τὴν μαρτυρίαν ⸀μείζω τοῦ Ἰωάννου, τὰ γὰρ ἔργα ἃ ⸀δέδωκέν μοι ὁ πατὴρ ἵνα τελειώσω αὐτά, αὐτὰ τὰ ἔργα ⸀ἃ ποιῶ, μαρτυρεῖ περὶ ἐμοῦ ὅτι ὁ πατήρ με ἀπέσταλκεν,
But I have a witness greater than John's; for the works that the Father has given me to complete — these very works that I do — bear witness about me that the Father has sent me.
Complete shares its root with 4:34 and 19:30.
pronoun me = Jesus
37
καὶ ὁ πέμψας με πατὴρ ⸀ἐκεῖνος μεμαρτύρηκεν περὶ ἐμοῦ. οὔτε φωνὴν αὐτοῦ ⸂πώποτε ἀκηκόατε⸃ οὔτε εἶδος αὐτοῦ ἑωράκατε,
And the Father who sent me, he has borne witness about me. You have neither heard his voice at any time nor seen his form,
Neither heard nor seen joins with 1:18.
pronoun he = the Father
pronoun his = the Father
38
καὶ τὸν λόγον αὐτοῦ οὐκ ἔχετε ⸂ἐν ὑμῖν μένοντα⸃, ὅτι ὃν ἀπέστειλεν ἐκεῖνος τούτῳ ὑμεῖς οὐ πιστεύετε.
and you do not have his word remaining in you, because you do not believe the one whom he sent.
Remaining renders μένω (menō), a word this book builds chapter 15 on.
pronoun his = the Father
pronoun he = the Father
39
Ἐραυνᾶτε τὰς γραφάς, ὅτι ὑμεῖς δοκεῖτε ἐν αὐταῖς ζωὴν αἰώνιον ἔχειν· καὶ ἐκεῖναί εἰσιν αἱ μαρτυροῦσαι περὶ ἐμοῦ·
You search the scriptures, because you think that in them you have life eternal; and it is they that bear witness about me.
You search can be read as a command or as a statement — the Greek form does not settle it. This edition takes it as a statement.
pronoun them = the writings
pronoun they = the writings
Why this rendering
John.5.39 Hypothesis
Syntactic observation
Ἐραυνᾶτε is second person plural present active of ἐραυνάω. For a contract verb in this slot the indicative and the imperative are identical in form — “you search the writings” and “search the writings” cannot be told apart on the page. Our morphological data tags the word 2PAI-P--, that is, indicative. That is not an observation but an editorial judgement by MorphGNT. We state here that our data layer is not neutral at this point. Our version columns split as well: Elberfelder prints the indicative and notes “O. Erforschet” in the margin, and the Chinese Union Version prints 或作：應當查考聖經.
Rendering options · 2
Search the scriptures
Basis Reads it as an imperative, an exhortation.
Rejected The next verse runs “and yet you are unwilling to come to me” (v.40), so an imperative weakens that turn. The form alone cannot rule it out, however, so it is recorded here rather than dismissed.
Adopted You search the writings, because you think that in them you have life eternal; and it is they that bear witness about me.
Basis Read as an indicative so that it runs into v.40, “and yet you are unwilling to come to me.” The morphological tag in our base data is also indicative, but the observation above states that the tag is itself a judgement.
Lost in translation
the identity of indicative and imperative The Greek here admits two readings; English must choose one. Choosing removes the other, and the reader cannot see that there was a choice. Only the Elberfelder and the Héhéběn leave both on the page.
Survives in · Elberfelder 1871 / 繁體 和合本 (1919) / this edition — 1 of the nine carry it (not this language)
40
καὶ οὐ θέλετε ἐλθεῖν πρός με ἵνα ζωὴν ἔχητε.
And yet you are unwilling to come to me so that you may have life.
Unwilling — not unable but unwilling.
pronoun me = Jesus
41
δόξαν παρὰ ἀνθρώπων οὐ λαμβάνω,
I do not receive glory from people,
Glory (δόξα, doxa) returns at verse 44.
42
ἀλλὰ ἔγνωκα ὑμᾶς ὅτι τὴν ἀγάπην τοῦ θεοῦ οὐκ ἔχετε ἐν ἑαυτοῖς.
but I have known you, that you do not have the love of God in yourselves.
The love of God — whether love toward God or love from God is not settled by the Greek.
pronoun you = the Jews
43
ἐγὼ ἐλήλυθα ἐν τῷ ὀνόματι τοῦ πατρός μου καὶ οὐ λαμβάνετέ με· ἐὰν ἄλλος ἔλθῃ ἐν τῷ ὀνόματι τῷ ἰδίῳ, ἐκεῖνον λήμψεσθε.
I have come in the name of my Father and you do not receive me; if another comes in his own name, that one you will receive.
Another comes in his own name — the text does not say who.
pronoun his = the other who comes
pronoun that one = the other who comes
44
πῶς δύνασθε ὑμεῖς πιστεῦσαι, δόξαν παρ’ ἀλλήλων λαμβάνοντες, καὶ τὴν δόξαν τὴν παρὰ τοῦ μόνου θεοῦ οὐ ζητεῖτε;
How can you believe, receiving glory from one another and not seeking the glory that is from the only God?
Glory from one another is set against glory from God.
Why this rendering
John.5.44 Observation
Syntactic observation
δόξα occurs twice in this verse and once in v.41 — the same word each time. In v.41 and the first half of v.44 it is the δόξα received from people; in the second half of v.44 it is the δόξα that comes “from the only God.” The first is anarthrous and the second carries the article twice, τὴν δόξαν τὴν παρὰ. One word, divided by the presence and absence of the article.
Rendering options · 2
“praise” from people, “glory” from God
Basis Treats the two as different in sense and splits the word.
Rejected Making one word into two removes the shape of the question. The sentence asks where the same thing is sought, not which of two different things. The Vulgate in fact splits it, using claritatem at v.41 and gloriam at v.44.
Adopted How can you believe, receiving glory from one another and not seeking the glory that is from the only God?
Basis Keeps one word in all three places so the shape of the question stands. The contrast of article cannot be carried and is recorded below.
Lost in translation
the presence and absence of the article The δόξα from people is anarthrous; the δόξα from God carries the article twice. English can mark it here — glory from one another against the glory that is from the only God — because these are common nouns and the article stands free. What was lost at 1:1c and 4:24 survives at this one.
Survives in · Sahidic Coptic / Delitzsch Hebrew NT (1877) / Salkinson-Ginsburg 1885 / Armenian (Western) / this edition — 5 of the nine carry it (this language among them)
45
μὴ δοκεῖτε ὅτι ἐγὼ κατηγορήσω ὑμῶν πρὸς τὸν πατέρα· ἔστιν ὁ κατηγορῶν ὑμῶν Μωϋσῆς, εἰς ὃν ὑμεῖς ἠλπίκατε.
Do not think that I will accuse you before the Father. There is one who accuses you — Moses, in whom you have hoped.
The accuser is turned around — not Jesus but Moses.
first here Moses Μωϋσῆς Mōysēs
pronoun you = the Jews
46
εἰ γὰρ ἐπιστεύετε Μωϋσεῖ, ἐπιστεύετε ἂν ἐμοί, περὶ γὰρ ἐμοῦ ἐκεῖνος ἔγραψεν.
For if you believed Moses, you would believe me; for he wrote about me.
He wrote about me — the text does not say where.
pronoun he = Moses
pronoun me = Jesus
47
εἰ δὲ τοῖς ἐκείνου γράμμασιν οὐ πιστεύετε, πῶς τοῖς ἐμοῖς ῥήμασιν πιστεύσετε;
But if you do not believe his writings, how will you believe my words?”
The chapter closes with writings set against words.
pronoun his = Moses
pronoun my = Jesus
Why this rendering
John.5.47 Observation
Syntactic observation
Two words stand opposite each other — γράμμασιν is the dative plural of γράμμα, a thing written, and ῥήμασιν the dative plural of ῥῆμα, a thing spoken. Moses gets what is written; Jesus gets what is spoken. Both are objects of πιστεύω in matching clauses. On the detector this verse carries the chapter's most negative archaism figure (modern 0.372, noise −0.110).
Rendering options · 2
if you do not believe what Moses wrote, how will you believe what I say
Basis Unpacks both nouns into relative clauses for readability.
Rejected Turning two nouns into verb phrases loosens the symmetry. The original sets nouns of the same case in the same slot to face “writing” against “speech”; unpacking removes the pair.
Adopted But if you do not believe his writings, how will you believe my words?
Basis Two nouns for two nouns, keeping the symmetry. 개역한글, KJV, NASB, the Vulgate, Elberfelder and the Synodal already do this.
Lost in translation
the γράμμα / ῥῆμα symmetry What is written and what is spoken stand opposite as nouns of the same case. Unpacking removes the pair. NET, NIV and the Shinkyōdōyaku unpack; the rest keep the nouns.
Survives in · 개역한글† / Young's Literal 1898 / King James 1769 / New American Standard (1995)† / English Standard Version† / Vulgata Clementina / Elberfelder 1871 / Синодальный перевод / this edition — 9 of the nine carry it (this language among them)