12
Πάλιν οὖν αὐτοῖς ⸂ἐλάλησεν ὁ Ἰησοῦς⸃ λέγων· Ἐγώ εἰμι τὸ φῶς τοῦ κόσμου· ὁ ἀκολουθῶν ⸀ἐμοὶ οὐ μὴ περιπατήσῃ ἐν τῇ σκοτίᾳ, ἀλλ’ ἕξει τὸ φῶς τῆς ζωῆς.
Again therefore Jesus spoke to them, saying, “I am the light of the world; the one following me will not walk in the darkness, but will have the light of life.”
Chapter 8 begins at verse 12 because the base text does not carry 7:53–8:11. I am the light of the world is the second of the “I am” sayings with a predicate, after 6:35.
first here Jesus Ἰησοῦς Iēsous
pronoun them = the Jews
pronoun me = Jesus
Why this rendering
John.8.12 Observation
Syntactic observation
φῶς and σκοτία stand together in one verse. The pair was already set at 1:5, τὸ φῶς ἐν τῇ σκοτίᾳ φαίνει, and GLOSSARY fixed it as light and darkness. In John 8, σκοτία occurs only here. Ἐγώ εἰμι takes an articular predicate, τὸ φῶς τοῦ κόσμου — the shape of ὁ ἄρτος τῆς ζωῆς at 6:35. And this chapter carries three occurrences of Ἐγώ εἰμι with no predicate at all (8:24, 28, 58). SBLGNT places two variant marks in this verse — ⸂ἐλάλησεν ὁ Ἰησοῦς⸃ and ⸀ἐμοὶ.
Rendering options · 2
I am the light of the world (8:12), with 1:5 rendered differently
Basis Chooses whatever word reads best in each chapter.
Rejected 1:5 and 8:12 set the same two words against each other. Different renderings per chapter hide that John takes up in the prologue the opposition he returns to here. The edition-wide consistency rule in GLOSSARY forbids it.
Adopted I am the light of the world; the one following me will not walk in the darkness, but will have the light of life.
Basis Uses the light and darkness fixed at 1:4–5. Ἐγώ εἰμι has the shape of 6:35 and takes the same rendering.
Lost in translation
the echo of 1:5 The light and darkness of the prologue return here in Jesus' own mouth. Only one rendering in both places keeps the echo. Consistency preserves it, but no version prints on the page that this is the echo of 1:5.
Survives in · 개역한글† / King James 1769 / New American Standard (1995)† / English Standard Version† / New English Translation† / Vulgata Clementina / Elberfelder 1871 / Синодальный перевод / this edition — 9 of the nine carry it (this language among them)
13
εἶπον οὖν αὐτῷ οἱ Φαρισαῖοι· Σὺ περὶ σεαυτοῦ μαρτυρεῖς· ἡ μαρτυρία σου οὐκ ἔστιν ἀληθής.
So the Pharisees said to him, “You bear witness about yourself; your witness is not true.”
They give back what Jesus himself said at 5:31.
first here Pharisee Φαρισαῖος Pharisaios
pronoun him = Jesus
pronoun You = Jesus
pronoun your = Jesus
14
ἀπεκρίθη Ἰησοῦς καὶ εἶπεν αὐτοῖς· Κἂν ἐγὼ μαρτυρῶ περὶ ἐμαυτοῦ, ἀληθής ἐστιν ἡ μαρτυρία μου, ὅτι οἶδα πόθεν ἦλθον καὶ ποῦ ὑπάγω· ὑμεῖς δὲ οὐκ οἴδατε πόθεν ἔρχομαι ⸀ἢ ποῦ ὑπάγω.
Jesus answered and said to them, “Even if I bear witness about myself, my witness is true, because I know where I came from and where I am going; but you do not know where I come from or where I am going.
It stands against 5:31 head-on. The ground given is where I came from and where I am going.
pronoun them = the Pharisees
pronoun I = Jesus
pronoun my = Jesus
15
ὑμεῖς κατὰ τὴν σάρκα κρίνετε, ἐγὼ οὐ κρίνω οὐδένα.
You judge according to the flesh; I judge no one.
Flesh is the word rendered so at 1:14 and 6:51.
pronoun You = the Pharisees
pronoun I = Jesus
16
καὶ ἐὰν κρίνω δὲ ἐγώ, ἡ κρίσις ἡ ἐμὴ ⸀ἀληθινή ἐστιν, ὅτι μόνος οὐκ εἰμί, ἀλλ’ ἐγὼ καὶ ὁ πέμψας με πατήρ.
And even if I do judge, my judgement is true, because I am not alone, but I and the Father who sent me.
The two standing together prepares the two witnesses of verse 17.
pronoun I = Jesus
pronoun me = Jesus
17
καὶ ἐν τῷ νόμῳ δὲ τῷ ὑμετέρῳ γέγραπται ὅτι δύο ἀνθρώπων ἡ μαρτυρία ἀληθής ἐστιν.
And in your own law it is written that the witness of two people is true.
Your own law — he does not call it his.
pronoun your = the Pharisees
18
ἐγώ εἰμι ὁ μαρτυρῶν περὶ ἐμαυτοῦ καὶ μαρτυρεῖ περὶ ἐμοῦ ὁ πέμψας με πατήρ.
I am the one bearing witness about myself, and the Father who sent me bears witness about me.”
Two are counted, filling the reckoning of verse 17.
pronoun me = Jesus
19
ἔλεγον οὖν αὐτῷ· Ποῦ ἐστιν ὁ πατήρ σου; ἀπεκρίθη Ἰησοῦς· Οὔτε ἐμὲ οἴδατε οὔτε τὸν πατέρα μου· εἰ ἐμὲ ᾔδειτε, καὶ τὸν πατέρα μου ⸂ἂν ᾔδειτε⸃.
So they were saying to him, “Where is your Father?” Jesus answered, “You know neither me nor my Father; if you had known me, you would have known my Father also.”
Where is your Father is the same kind of question as 7:27, “where he is from”.
pronoun they = the Pharisees
pronoun him = Jesus
pronoun your = Jesus
pronoun You = the Pharisees
pronoun me = Jesus
20
ταῦτα τὰ ῥήματα ⸀ἐλάλησεν ἐν τῷ γαζοφυλακίῳ διδάσκων ἐν τῷ ἱερῷ· καὶ οὐδεὶς ἐπίασεν αὐτόν, ὅτι οὔπω ἐληλύθει ἡ ὥρα αὐτοῦ.
These words he spoke in the treasury, teaching in the the temple; and no one seized him, because his hour had not yet come.
The treasury names a place in the temple courts. The writer gives the place.
pronoun he = Jesus
pronoun him = Jesus
pronoun his = Jesus
21
Εἶπεν οὖν πάλιν ⸀αὐτοῖς· Ἐγὼ ὑπάγω καὶ ζητήσετέ με, καὶ ἐν τῇ ἁμαρτίᾳ ὑμῶν ἀποθανεῖσθε· ὅπου ἐγὼ ὑπάγω ὑμεῖς οὐ δύνασθε ἐλθεῖν.
So he said to them again, “I am going, and you will seek me, and you will die in your sin; where I am going you cannot come.”
It repeats 7:34 and adds in your sin.
pronoun he = Jesus
pronoun them = the Jews
pronoun me = Jesus
pronoun you = the Jews
22
ἔλεγον οὖν οἱ Ἰουδαῖοι· Μήτι ἀποκτενεῖ ἑαυτὸν ὅτι λέγει· Ὅπου ἐγὼ ὑπάγω ὑμεῖς οὐ δύνασθε ἐλθεῖν;
So the Jews were saying, “Will he kill himself, since he says, ‘Where I am going you cannot come’?”
The hearers take it as suicide — the same mishearing as 7:35.
first here Jews Ἰουδαῖος Ioudaios
pronoun he = Jesus
pronoun you = the Jews
23
καὶ ⸀ἔλεγεν αὐτοῖς· Ὑμεῖς ἐκ τῶν κάτω ἐστέ, ἐγὼ ἐκ τῶν ἄνω εἰμί· ὑμεῖς ἐκ ⸂τούτου τοῦ κόσμου⸃ ἐστέ, ἐγὼ οὐκ εἰμὶ ἐκ τοῦ κόσμου τούτου.
And he was saying to them, “You are from below; I am from above. You are of this world; I am not of this world.
From above is the word of 3:3 and 3:31.
pronoun he = Jesus
pronoun them = the Jews
pronoun You = the Jews
24
εἶπον οὖν ὑμῖν ὅτι ἀποθανεῖσθε ἐν ταῖς ἁμαρτίαις ὑμῶν· ἐὰν γὰρ μὴ πιστεύσητε ὅτι ἐγώ εἰμι, ἀποθανεῖσθε ἐν ταῖς ἁμαρτίαις ὑμῶν.
So I said to you that you will die in your sins; for unless you believe that I am, you will die in your sins.”
I am stands with no predicate (ἐγώ εἰμι, egō eimi) — after 4:26 and 6:20, and it returns at verse 58.
pronoun you = the Jews
pronoun I = Jesus
Why this rendering
John.8.24 Observation
Syntactic observation
Nothing follows ἐγώ εἰμι — no predicate, no pronoun. There is no word for “he” in the Greek. The same form occurs three times in this chapter, at 8:24, 28 and 58. 4:26 was its first place in John. ἁμαρτία here is plural (ταῖς ἁμαρτίαις) while 8:21 just before is singular (τῇ ἁμαρτίᾳ). GLOSSARY settled at 1:29 not to pluralise the singular.
Rendering options · 2
unless you believe that I am he
Basis Supplies “he” so that the clause points to the Messiah.
Rejected It supplies a pronoun the text does not have; the Chinese Union Version goes further and fills in 我是基督, “I am the Christ.” Once filled in, the phrase no longer connects to the same form at 8:58, and it becomes less clear why stones were taken up there.
Adopted I said to you that you will die in your sins; for unless you believe that I am, you will die in your sins.
Basis Leaves the predicate empty. The Vulgate keeps ego sum, and the Japanese Shinkyōdōyaku wraps it in quotation marks, 『わたしはある』, marking on the page that it is a set phrase.
Lost in translation
the bare form Most versions supply “he” and produce an ordinary sentence of self-identification. The reader then cannot see that 4:26, 8:24, 8:28 and 8:58 are one formula. Two keep all four bare — the Vulgate with ego sum and the Church Slavonic 1900 with а҆́зъ є҆́смь; the Shinkyōdōyaku marks them with quotation marks.
Survives in · Vulgata Clementina / 新共同訳聖書 (1987)† / this edition — 8 of the nine carry it (this language among them)
25
ἔλεγον οὖν αὐτῷ· Σὺ τίς εἶ; ⸀εἶπεν αὐτοῖς ὁ Ἰησοῦς· Τὴν ἀρχὴν ⸂ὅ τι⸃ καὶ λαλῶ ὑμῖν;
So they were saying to him, “Who are you?” Jesus said to them, “What I have been saying to you from the beginning.
The Greek behind what I have been saying to you from the beginning can be read more than one way, including as a question.
pronoun they = the Jews
pronoun him = Jesus
pronoun you = the Jews
pronoun them = the Jews
26
πολλὰ ἔχω περὶ ὑμῶν λαλεῖν καὶ κρίνειν· ἀλλ’ ὁ πέμψας με ἀληθής ἐστιν, κἀγὼ ἃ ἤκουσα παρ’ αὐτοῦ ταῦτα ⸀λαλῶ εἰς τὸν κόσμον.
I have many things to say and to judge concerning you; but he who sent me is true, and I speak into the world the things I heard from him.”
The things I heard from him takes up the frame of 7:16.
pronoun you = the Jews
pronoun me = Jesus
27
οὐκ ἔγνωσαν ὅτι τὸν πατέρα αὐτοῖς ἔλεγεν.
They did not know that he was speaking to them of the Father.
The writer breaks in to say they did not understand.
pronoun They = the Jews
pronoun he = Jesus
pronoun them = the Jews
28
εἶπεν ⸀οὖν ὁ Ἰησοῦς· Ὅταν ὑψώσητε τὸν υἱὸν τοῦ ἀνθρώπου, τότε γνώσεσθε ὅτι ἐγώ εἰμι, καὶ ἀπ’ ἐμαυτοῦ ποιῶ οὐδέν, ἀλλὰ καθὼς ἐδίδαξέν με ὁ ⸀πατὴρ ταῦτα λαλῶ.
So Jesus said, “When you lift up the Son of Man, then you will know that I am, and that I do nothing of myself, but as the Father taught me, these things I speak.
Lift up is the word of 3:14 and 12:32 — cross and exaltation held in one word.
pronoun you = the Jews
pronoun I = Jesus
29
καὶ ὁ πέμψας με μετ’ ἐμοῦ ἐστιν· οὐκ ἀφῆκέν με ⸀μόνον, ὅτι ἐγὼ τὰ ἀρεστὰ αὐτῷ ποιῶ πάντοτε.
And he who sent me is with me; he has not left me alone, because I always do what pleases him.”
Has not left me alone is taken up again at 16:32.
pronoun he = the one who sent me
pronoun me = Jesus
pronoun him = the one who sent me
30
ταῦτα αὐτοῦ λαλοῦντος πολλοὶ ἐπίστευσαν εἰς αὐτόν.
As he was saying these things, many believed in him.
Belief arises just where the words of verse 31 begin — which is why what follows reads so hard.
pronoun he = Jesus
pronoun him = Jesus
31
Ἔλεγεν οὖν ὁ Ἰησοῦς πρὸς τοὺς πεπιστευκότας αὐτῷ Ἰουδαίους· Ἐὰν ὑμεῖς μείνητε ἐν τῷ λόγῳ τῷ ἐμῷ, ἀληθῶς μαθηταί μού ἐστε,
So Jesus was saying toward the Jews who had believed him, “If you remain in my word, you are truly my disciples,
Remain renders μένω (menō), the word of 6:56 and 15:4.
pronoun you = the Jews who had believed
pronoun my = Jesus
32
καὶ γνώσεσθε τὴν ἀλήθειαν, καὶ ἡ ἀλήθεια ἐλευθερώσει ὑμᾶς.
and you will know the truth, and the truth will free you.”
Free returns at verse 36.
pronoun you = the Jews who had believed
33
ἀπεκρίθησαν ⸂πρὸς αὐτόν⸃· Σπέρμα Ἀβραάμ ἐσμεν καὶ οὐδενὶ δεδουλεύκαμεν πώποτε· πῶς σὺ λέγεις ὅτι Ἐλεύθεροι γενήσεσθε;
They answered toward him, “We are Abraham's seed and have never been slaves to anyone. How do you say, ‘You will become free’?”
Abraham's seed — verse 37 grants it to them.
first here Abraham Ἀβραάμ Abraam
pronoun They = the Jews
pronoun him = Jesus
pronoun We = the Jews
pronoun You = the Jews
34
Ἀπεκρίθη αὐτοῖς ὁ Ἰησοῦς· Ἀμὴν ἀμὴν λέγω ὑμῖν ὅτι πᾶς ὁ ποιῶν τὴν ἁμαρτίαν δοῦλός ἐστιν τῆς ἁμαρτίας·
Jesus answered them, “Amen, amen, I say to you, everyone who does sin is a slave of sin.
Slave (δοῦλος, doulos) is set against the son in verse 35.
pronoun them = the Jews
pronoun you = the Jews
35
ὁ δὲ δοῦλος οὐ μένει ἐν τῇ οἰκίᾳ εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα· ⸀ὁ υἱὸς μένει εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα.
And the slave does not remain in the house to the age; the son remains to the age.
Remain is the word of verse 31, used here of both slave and son.
36
ἐὰν οὖν ὁ υἱὸς ὑμᾶς ἐλευθερώσῃ, ὄντως ἐλεύθεροι ἔσεσθε.
So if the Son frees you, you will be free indeed.
Free indeed answers the question of verse 33.
pronoun you = the Jews
Why this rendering
John.8.36 Observation
Syntactic observation
The verb ἐλευθερώσῃ (ἐλευθερόω) and the adjective ἐλεύθεροι (ἐλεύθερος) stand together in one sentence, sharing a root. The same verb appears at 8:32 (ἡ ἀλήθεια ἐλευθερώσει ὑμᾶς), and at 8:33 the other side answers with the same adjective (Ἐλεύθεροι γενήσεσθε). One root passes back and forth four times between vv.32 and 36. Between them, δοῦλος occurs twice at 8:34–35, and μένω — fixed in chapter 1 — occurs twice within v.35.
Rendering options · 2
set free / free men
Basis Renders verb and adjective each with whatever reads best.
Rejected That the two words share a root is the shape of the exchange. The other side answers “we are already ἐλεύθεροι”, and Jesus takes it back with “if the Son ἐλευθερώσῃ you, you are ἐλεύθεροι indeed.” Split roots break the volley.
Adopted So if the Son frees you, you will be free indeed.
Basis Korean 자유- and English free- share a stem, so vv.32, 33 and 36 keep one root.
Lost in translation
δοῦλος against ἐλεύθερος δοῦλος at vv.34–35 and ἐλεύθερος at vv.33 and 36 form a pair. In English slave and free share no stem, so the opposition is weaker than the direct facing of the two Greek words.
Survives in · this edition — 7 of the nine carry it (this language among them)
37
οἶδα ὅτι σπέρμα Ἀβραάμ ἐστε· ἀλλὰ ζητεῖτέ με ἀποκτεῖναι, ὅτι ὁ λόγος ὁ ἐμὸς οὐ χωρεῖ ἐν ὑμῖν.
I know that you are Abraham's seed; but you seek to kill me, because my word finds no place in you.
Finds no place — it is about room for the word to stand.
pronoun you = the Jews
pronoun me = Jesus
pronoun my = Jesus
38
⸂ἃ ἐγὼ⸃ ἑώρακα παρὰ τῷ ⸀πατρὶ λαλῶ· καὶ ὑμεῖς οὖν ⸂ἃ ἠκούσατε⸃ παρὰ ⸂τοῦ πατρὸς⸃ ποιεῖτε.
I speak what I have seen with the Father; so you also do what you heard from the Father.”
Father stands twice, and the text does not mark whether it is the same father both times. Verse 41 takes that up.
pronoun I = Jesus
pronoun you = the Jews
39
Ἀπεκρίθησαν καὶ εἶπαν αὐτῷ· Ὁ πατὴρ ἡμῶν Ἀβραάμ ἐστιν. λέγει αὐτοῖς ὁ Ἰησοῦς· Εἰ τέκνα τοῦ Ἀβραάμ ⸀ἐστε, τὰ ἔργα τοῦ Ἀβραὰμ ⸀ἐποιεῖτε·
They answered and said to him, “Our father is Abraham.” Jesus says to them, “If you are Abraham's children, you would be doing the works of Abraham.
Children is a different word from seed in verses 33 and 37.
pronoun They = the Jews
pronoun him = Jesus
pronoun them = the Jews
pronoun Our = the Jews
pronoun you = the Jews
40
νῦν δὲ ζητεῖτέ με ἀποκτεῖναι, ἄνθρωπον ὃς τὴν ἀλήθειαν ὑμῖν λελάληκα ἣν ἤκουσα παρὰ τοῦ θεοῦ· τοῦτο Ἀβραὰμ οὐκ ἐποίησεν.
But now you seek to kill me, a man who has spoken to you the truth I heard from God. This Abraham did not do.
He calls himself a man.
pronoun you = the Jews
pronoun me = Jesus
pronoun I = Jesus
41
ὑμεῖς ποιεῖτε τὰ ἔργα τοῦ πατρὸς ὑμῶν. ⸀εἶπαν αὐτῷ· Ἡμεῖς ἐκ πορνείας ⸂οὐ γεγεννήμεθα⸃· ἕνα πατέρα ἔχομεν τὸν θεόν.
You do the works of your father.” They said to him, “We were not born of sexual immorality; we have one Father, God.”
Not born of fornication — the hearers bring that up themselves.
pronoun You = the Jews
pronoun your = the Jews
pronoun They = the Jews
pronoun him = Jesus
pronoun we = the Jews
42
⸀εἶπεν αὐτοῖς ὁ Ἰησοῦς· Εἰ ὁ θεὸς πατὴρ ὑμῶν ἦν ἠγαπᾶτε ἂν ἐμέ, ἐγὼ γὰρ ἐκ τοῦ θεοῦ ἐξῆλθον καὶ ἥκω· οὐδὲ γὰρ ἀπ’ ἐμαυτοῦ ἐλήλυθα, ἀλλ’ ἐκεῖνός με ἀπέστειλεν.
Jesus said to them, “If God were your Father you would love me, for I came out from God and am here; for I have not come from myself, but he sent me.
Came out from God and am here puts two verbs side by side.
pronoun them = the Jews
pronoun your = the Jews
pronoun me = Jesus
pronoun I = Jesus
43
διὰ τί τὴν λαλιὰν τὴν ἐμὴν οὐ γινώσκετε; ὅτι οὐ δύνασθε ἀκούειν τὸν λόγον τὸν ἐμόν.
Why do you not know my speech? Because you cannot hear my word.
Do not know and cannot hear are set against one another.
pronoun you = the Jews
pronoun my = Jesus
44
ὑμεῖς ἐκ τοῦ πατρὸς τοῦ διαβόλου ἐστὲ καὶ τὰς ἐπιθυμίας τοῦ πατρὸς ὑμῶν θέλετε ποιεῖν. ἐκεῖνος ἀνθρωποκτόνος ἦν ἀπ’ ἀρχῆς, καὶ ἐν τῇ ἀληθείᾳ ⸂οὐκ ἔστηκεν⸃, ὅτι οὐκ ἔστιν ἀλήθεια ἐν αὐτῷ. ὅταν λαλῇ τὸ ψεῦδος, ἐκ τῶν ἰδίων λαλεῖ, ὅτι ψεύστης ἐστὶν καὶ ὁ πατὴρ αὐτοῦ.
You are from your father the slanderer, and you want to do the desires of your father. He was a man-killer from the beginning and has not stood in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaks the lie he speaks from his own, for he is a liar and the father of it.
Slanderer renders διάβολος (diabolos), whose root is “to throw across, to divide”; this edition does not render it as devil. The Greek behind from your father the slanderer is also a place where the reading splits three ways.
pronoun You = the Jews
pronoun your = the Jews
pronoun He = the slanderer
Why this rendering
John.8.44 Hypothesis
Syntactic observation
The sentence does not settle what αὐτοῦ refers to in the closing phrase ὁ πατὴρ αὐτοῦ. It reads either as “he is a liar and the father of it — of the lie” or as “he is a liar, and so is his father.” τὸ ψεῦδος just before is neuter and αὐτοῦ is common to masculine and neuter, so the form alone does not decide. ἀνθρωποκτόνος is a compound of ἄνθρωπος and κτείνω, rare in the New Testament. And the ἀρχή of ἀπ’ ἀρχῆς is the word of 1:1 and 2:11. SBLGNT marks ⸂οὐκ ἔστηκεν⸃. Breathing and accent decide whether the word is a perfect ("has stood") or an imperfect ("was standing"), so the marked point is exactly where the aspect divides.
Rendering options · 2
for he is a liar and the father of lies
Basis Takes αὐτοῦ as referring to the lie.
Rejected It settles what the grammar leaves open. The reading is widespread, but the form gives no ground for excluding the other. A translation must choose; there is no reason to hide that it chose.
Adopted When he speaks the lie he speaks from his own, for he is a liar and the father of it.
Basis Follows the common reading while keeping “of it” close to the open pronoun, and records the other reading below.
Lost in translation
that αὐτοῦ is open The Greek allows both readings and a translation prints one. The reader cannot see that there was a choice. In our columns every version takes the “father of lies” reading, so the other appears in no column at all.
this edition — none of the nine carries it (measured)
the compound in ἀνθρωποκτόνος “Man-killer” stands as a single word in Greek, and English can meet it with a compound of its own — man-killer, built limb for limb as the Greek is. Where a language has to unpack it into a phrase, the weight of the one word disperses.
Survives in · this edition — 4 of the nine carry it (this language among them)
45
ἐγὼ δὲ ὅτι τὴν ἀλήθειαν λέγω, οὐ πιστεύετέ μοι.
But because I speak the truth, you do not believe me.
Because I speak the truth — the ground is turned upside down.
pronoun I = Jesus
pronoun you = the Jews
pronoun me = Jesus
46
τίς ἐξ ὑμῶν ἐλέγχει με περὶ ἁμαρτίας; ⸀εἰ ἀλήθειαν λέγω, διὰ τί ὑμεῖς οὐ πιστεύετέ μοι;
Which of you convicts me of sin? If I speak truth, why do you not believe me?
Convicts shares a root with “exposed” at 3:20.
pronoun you = the Jews
pronoun me = Jesus
pronoun I = Jesus
47
ὁ ὢν ἐκ τοῦ θεοῦ τὰ ῥήματα τοῦ θεοῦ ἀκούει· διὰ τοῦτο ὑμεῖς οὐκ ἀκούετε ὅτι ἐκ τοῦ θεοῦ οὐκ ἐστέ.
The one who is from God hears the words of God; for this reason you do not hear, because you are not from God.”
Belonging is measured by hearing.
pronoun you = the Jews
48
⸀Ἀπεκρίθησαν οἱ Ἰουδαῖοι καὶ εἶπαν αὐτῷ· Οὐ καλῶς λέγομεν ἡμεῖς ὅτι Σαμαρίτης εἶ σὺ καὶ δαιμόνιον ἔχεις;
The Jews answered and said to him, “Do we not say well that you are a Samaritan and have a demon?”
A Samaritan — the word of chapter 4.
first here Samaritan Σαμαρίτης Samaritēs
pronoun him = Jesus
pronoun we = the Jews
pronoun you = Jesus
49
ἀπεκρίθη Ἰησοῦς· Ἐγὼ δαιμόνιον οὐκ ἔχω, ἀλλὰ τιμῶ τὸν πατέρα μου, καὶ ὑμεῖς ἀτιμάζετέ με.
Jesus answered, “I do not have a demon, but I honour my Father, and you dishonour me.
Honour and dishonour are a pair; honour is the word of 5:23.
pronoun I = Jesus
pronoun my = Jesus
pronoun you = the Jews
pronoun me = Jesus
50
ἐγὼ δὲ οὐ ζητῶ τὴν δόξαν μου· ἔστιν ὁ ζητῶν καὶ κρίνων.
But I do not seek my glory; there is one who seeks and judges.
One who seeks and judges — no name is given.
pronoun I = Jesus
pronoun my = Jesus
51
ἀμὴν ἀμὴν λέγω ὑμῖν, ἐάν τις τὸν ⸂ἐμὸν λόγον⸃ τηρήσῃ, θάνατον οὐ μὴ θεωρήσῃ εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα.
Amen, amen, I say to you, if anyone keeps my word, he will never see death to the age.”
Never see death — verse 52 answers it by measuring it against Abraham.
pronoun my = Jesus
pronoun he = anyone who keeps my word
52
⸀εἶπον αὐτῷ οἱ Ἰουδαῖοι· Νῦν ἐγνώκαμεν ὅτι δαιμόνιον ἔχεις. Ἀβραὰμ ἀπέθανεν καὶ οἱ προφῆται, καὶ σὺ λέγεις· Ἐάν τις τὸν λόγον μου τηρήσῃ, οὐ μὴ γεύσηται θανάτου εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα·
The Jews said to him, “Now we know that you have a demon. Abraham died, and the prophets, and you say, ‘If anyone keeps my word, he will never taste death to the age.’
The hearers change see to taste.
pronoun him = Jesus
pronoun we = the Jews
pronoun you = Jesus
53
μὴ σὺ μείζων εἶ τοῦ πατρὸς ἡμῶν Ἀβραάμ, ὅστις ἀπέθανεν; καὶ οἱ προφῆται ἀπέθανον· τίνα ⸀σεαυτὸν ποιεῖς;
Are you greater than our father Abraham, who died? And the prophets died. Whom do you make yourself?”
It has the shape of 4:12, “are you greater than our father Jacob”.
pronoun you = Jesus
pronoun our = the Jews
pronoun who = Abraham
pronoun yourself = Jesus
54
ἀπεκρίθη Ἰησοῦς· Ἐὰν ἐγὼ ⸀δοξάσω ἐμαυτόν, ἡ δόξα μου οὐδέν ἐστιν· ἔστιν ὁ πατήρ μου ὁ δοξάζων με, ὃν ὑμεῖς λέγετε ὅτι θεὸς ⸀ἡμῶν ἐστιν,
Jesus answered, “If I glorify myself, my glory is nothing; it is my Father who glorifies me, of whom you say that he is our God.
Glorify stands three times in this chapter (verses 50 and 54).
pronoun I = Jesus
pronoun my = Jesus
pronoun me = Jesus
pronoun you = the Jews
pronoun he = my Father
55
καὶ οὐκ ἐγνώκατε αὐτόν, ἐγὼ δὲ οἶδα αὐτόν· κἂν εἴπω ὅτι οὐκ οἶδα αὐτόν, ἔσομαι ὅμοιος ⸀ὑμῖν ψεύστης· ἀλλὰ οἶδα αὐτὸν καὶ τὸν λόγον αὐτοῦ τηρῶ.
And you have not known him, but I know him. And if I said that I do not know him, I would be like you, a liar; but I know him and I keep his word.
Liar is the word from verse 44.
pronoun you = the Jews
pronoun him = my Father
pronoun I = Jesus
56
Ἀβραὰμ ὁ πατὴρ ὑμῶν ἠγαλλιάσατο ἵνα ἴδῃ τὴν ἡμέραν τὴν ἐμήν, καὶ εἶδεν καὶ ἐχάρη.
Abraham your father rejoiced that he would see my day, and he saw it and was glad.”
My day — the text does not say what it means.
pronoun your = the Jews
pronoun he = Abraham
pronoun it = my day
57
εἶπον οὖν οἱ Ἰουδαῖοι πρὸς αὐτόν· Πεντήκοντα ἔτη οὔπω ἔχεις καὶ Ἀβραὰμ ἑώρακας;
So the Jews said toward him, “You are not yet fifty years old, and you have seen Abraham?”
Fifty years — this is the only place in the book where an age is named.
pronoun him = Jesus
pronoun You = Jesus
pronoun you = Jesus
58
εἶπεν ⸀αὐτοῖς Ἰησοῦς· Ἀμὴν ἀμὴν λέγω ὑμῖν, πρὶν Ἀβραὰμ γενέσθαι ἐγὼ εἰμί.
Jesus said to them, “Amen, amen, I say to you, before Abraham came to be, I am.”
Came to be and I am are the two verbs held apart since 1:1 and 1:3 — becoming against being.
pronoun them = the Jews
Why this rendering
John.8.58 Observation
Syntactic observation
Two verbs stand opposite each other. Abraham takes γενέσθαι, the aorist infinitive of γίνομαι; Jesus takes εἰμί, a present indicative. This is the contrast fixed at 1:1–3 returning unchanged. There the Word was ἦν (imperfect of εἰμί) and all things ἐγένετο (aorist of γίνομαι). GLOSSARY settled those as “was” and “came to be.” Here the tense is present rather than imperfect, but the pair of verbs is the same. And ἐγὼ εἰμί carries no predicate — the form of 8:24 and 8:28. SBLGNT marks a variant (⸀) at αὐτοῖς.
Rendering options · 2
before Abraham was, I am
Basis Renders both verbs with “to be.”
Rejected Making one word of the two verbs that GLOSSARY separated at 1:1–3 collapses the decision inside the four Gospels. And the force of the sentence is that the verbs differ — Abraham came to be, Jesus is. One word leaves only a difference of tense.
Adopted Jesus said to them, “Amen, amen, I say to you, before Abraham came to be, I am.”
Basis γίνομαι takes the rendering fixed at 1:3 and εἰμί that of 1:1, keeping the verbs apart. The Vulgate already has fieret / sum, Elberfelder ward / bin, and NET came into existence / am.
Lost in translation
γίνομαι against εἰμί That the verbs differ is the whole of the sentence. “Before Abraham was, I am” leaves only tense. The Vulgate, Elberfelder, NET and 개역한글 keep them apart.
Survives in · 개역한글† / Young's Literal 1898 / New English Translation† / Vulgata Clementina / Elberfelder 1871 / 新共同訳聖書 (1987)† / this edition — 9 of the nine carry it (this language among them)
the bare ἐγὼ εἰμί Here the clause requires no predicate, so nearly every version leaves it empty. But at 8:24 and 8:28 most supply “he”, so one form is handled two ways inside a chapter.
Survives in · Vulgata Clementina / 新共同訳聖書 (1987)† / this edition — 7 of the nine carry it (this language among them)
59
ἦραν οὖν λίθους ἵνα βάλωσιν ἐπ’ αὐτόν· Ἰησοῦς δὲ ἐκρύβη καὶ ἐξῆλθεν ἐκ τοῦ ⸀ἱεροῦ.
So they took up stones to throw at him; but Jesus hid himself and went out of the the temple.
Hid himself is the word of 7:4 and 7:10.
pronoun they = the Jews
pronoun him = Jesus
pronoun himself = Jesus