The Free Grace Study Bible is my next project! A key distinctive of the FG Study Bible is that it will be an English translation from the biblical Greek that emphasizes metanoia as a change of mind and heart, not "repentance" (whatever that means!) as in most English translations. (For my reasons for saying this, see my blog post titled "Biblical Repentance: Lost in Translation?")
My plan is to begin translating The Gospel According to St. John this year (2023), beginning with John 1:1 and translating verse-by-verse through the entire book. I will include the Greek text accompanied by my English translation for each verse. This could change, but the Greek text that I plan to use is Scrivener's 1894 edition of the Textus Receptus. (Although in my translation of The Gospel According to St. Mark, the Greek text that I used for Mark 1:1-22 is the Nestle 1904 Greek New Testament. But I will likely switch to Scrivener's Textus Receptus when I get a chance.) Note that in the translations below, italicized words are not in the Greek.
The key verse for this new translation (and the biblical basis for undertaking such an endeavor) is found in the words of Jesus in Matthew 13:52, when He says: “Therefore every scribe who has become a disciple of the kingdom of heaven is like a head of a household, who brings out of his treasure things new and old.”
The Free Grace notes that I have provided as commentary are compiled from various sources, including notes from my Bible. The quotations by Dr. Ironside are from his weekly lessons in The Sunday School Times. (The specific bibliographic information is cited in the notes.)
May God be pleased to use this translation to open the eyes of those who sit in darkness, and may they come to see, as did Martin Luther & countless others, the truth of the gospel and of God's amazing grace!
Please feel free to submit your thoughts, corrections, and critiques in the comments section. I welcome your feedback.
— J. PERREAULT.
The Gospel According to St. Mark
Introduction: Written to the Romans. Christ portrayed as the ideal Servant. "Christ, the servant, goes about his work at once." —D. L. Moody, Notes From My Bible.
"There were two great Gentile peoples of that day: the Romans and the Greeks, and Mark is addressing the first-named. The Romans represented the idea of active power in the world, and their ideal was military glory. They were the people who did things. Their highest conception of power and authority was themselves, i.e., the Roman state, which they worshiped in the person of its emperor. Their spiritual need as a people grew out of this fact, for they were failing to attain their ideal in the state. With all their power and authority, injustice, cruelty and suffering still prevailed, and would continue to do so. Mark's Gospel fits into this condition of things. It sets forth Jesus as the active Servant of Jehovah. It is marked by energy, power, movement, particularly attractive to the Romans. It is the earliest Gospel, containing but sixteen chapters in comparison with the twenty-eight in Matthew, showing it to be intended for a people of action rather than meditation. The discourses of Jesus are omitted, rather than His deeds, as for example, the Sermon on the Mount, the charge to the disciples, the message on His second coming. And then, too, the things which Mark records as distinguished from Matthew, are those calculated to arouse the attention of men of affairs and action. In this connection note the frequent employment of the words 'straightway' and 'immediately,' which are the same word in the original, and occur not less than forty times." —James M. Gray, Christian Workers' Commentary, p. 314.
Mark 1:1
Nestle's 1904 Greek NT:
Ἀρχὴ τοῦ εὐαγγελίου Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ Υἱοῦ Θεοῦ.
Free Grace Translation:
The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God.
Study Bible Commentary:
"'The beginning of the gospel.' The Gospel is good news. There is but one Gospel, though different phases are emphasized at different times. But it is God’s message, the glad tidings concerning his Son, who came into the world to save sinners and to establish a Kingdom of righteousness." —H. A. Ironside, "Preparing for a Life of Service." The Sunday School Times (December 25, 1937), Vol. 79, Issue 52, p. 929. Note: Dr. Ironside's commentary is based on the King James Version of the Bible.
Mark 1:2
Nestle's 1904 Greek NT:
Καθὼς γέγραπται ἐν τῷ Ἡσαΐᾳ τῷ προφήτῃ Ἰδοὺ ἀποστέλλω τὸν ἄγγελόν μου πρὸ προσώπου σου, ὃς κατασκευάσει τὴν ὁδόν σου·
Free Grace Translation:
As it is written in Isaiah the prophet, “Behold, I am sending My messenger before your face, who will prepare your way.”
Mark 1:3
Nestle's 1904 Greek NT:
φωνὴ βοῶντος ἐν τῇ ἐρήμῳ Ἑτοιμάσατε τὴν ὁδὸν Κυρίου, εὐθείας ποιεῖτε τὰς τρίβους αὐτοῦ,
Free Grace Translation:
“The voice of one shouting in the wilderness: ‘Prepare the way of the Lord! Make His paths straight!’”
Bible Translation Notes:
"The voice of one crying is the Septuagint version of the Hebrew phrase which might be more exactly rendered a voice crying. (The oldest English versions have a crier.) It is a kind of exclamation, as if he had said hark! one cries (or is crying)." —J. A. Alexander, Commentary on the Gospel of Mark, p. 3.
Study Bible Commentary:
Mark 1:4
Nestle's 1904 Greek NT:
ἐγένετο Ἰωάνης ὁ βαπτίζων ἐν τῇ ἐρήμῳ κηρύσσων βάπτισμα μετανοίας εἰς ἄφεσιν ἁμαρτιῶν.
Free Grace Translation:
John came baptizing in the wilderness, proclaiming baptism as the sign of a whole-hearted change of mind for the forgiveness of sins.
Bible Translation Notes:
In regards to the meaning of "repentance" I am indebted to J. B. Phillips for his fine rendering of Mark 1:4, which reads in his translation: “For John came and began to baptize men in the desert, proclaiming baptism as the mark of a complete change of heart and of the forgiveness of sin.” (See: J. B. Phillips, The Gospels: Translated into Modern English [New York: The MacMillan Company, 1957], p. 67, emphasis added. Cf. Charles Ryrie, The Acts of the Apostles [Chicago: Moody Press, 1961], p 23.) Commenting on Mark 1:4, Charles Ellicott similarly writes: “The special phrase ‘baptism of repentance’—i.e., the sign of repentance, that which was connected with it, and pre-supposed it”. According to Moulton’s Grammar of New Testament Greek, the Greek phrase baptisma metanoias (KJV: “baptism of repentance”) is to be understood in this sense. Turner writes the following in his discussion of the subjective genitive: “That is doubtless the way to regard Mk 1:4 baptisma metanoias; it [i.e. baptism] does not lead to, but springs from, repentance.” (J. H. Moulton, Nigel Turner, A Grammar of New Testament Greek [Edinburgh: T. & T. Clark, 1963], Vol. III, p. 211.) In other words, John the Baptist was preaching repentance (a change of heart) unto the forgiveness of sins, and baptism as a result and sign of it (cf. 1 Cor. 1:22). Concerning the word μετανοίας, also see Bauer's Greek-English Lexicon (3rd edition), pp. 640-641, s.v. "μετάνοια, ας, ἡ, ⟦metánoia⟧ (μετανοέω) prim. ‘a change of mind’…in our literature with focus on the need of change in view of responsibility to deity...repentance, turning about, conversion...baptisma metanoias Mk 1:4”. For more information, see my article "The Meaning of Repentance: Quotes from the Ancients, Lexicons, and Theologians" (FGFS, May 28, 2021).
Mark 1:5
Nestle's 1904 Greek NT:
καὶ ἐξεπορεύετο πρὸς αὐτὸν πᾶσα ἡ Ἰουδαία χώρα καὶ οἱ Ἱεροσολυμεῖται πάντες, καὶ ἐβαπτίζοντο ὑπ’ αὐτοῦ ἐν τῷ Ἰορδάνῃ ποταμῷ ἐξομολογούμενοι τὰς ἁμαρτίας αὐτῶν.
Free Grace Translation:
And all the region of Judea went out to him, and all those of Jerusalem, and they were being baptized by him in the Jordan River, confessing their sins.
Study Bible Commentary:
"'Baptized ... confessing their sins.' It is always a mistake when people trust an ordinance rather than that which the ordinance sets forth. It was not the application of water to the body that effected purification from sin. When repentance was genuine, and confession led to faith in a pardoning God, they could be assured of forgiveness. John gave the basis of it all when he pointed Jesus out as the Lamb of God who taketh away the sin of the world (John 1:29)." —H. A. Ironside.
Mark 1:6
Nestle's 1904 Greek NT:
καὶ ἦν ὁ Ἰωάνης ἐνδεδυμένος τρίχας καμήλου καὶ ζώνην δερματίνην περὶ τὴν ὀσφὺν αὐτοῦ, καὶ ἔσθων ἀκρίδας καὶ μέλι ἄγριον.
Free Grace Translation:
And John was wearing camel’s hair and a leather belt around his waist, and eating locusts and wild honey.
Mark 1:7
Nestle's 1904 Greek NT:
καὶ ἐκήρυσσεν λέγων Ἔρχεται ὁ ἰσχυρότερός μου ὀπίσω μου, οὗ οὐκ εἰμὶ ἱκανὸς κύψας λῦσαι τὸν ἱμάντα τῶν ὑποδημάτων αὐτοῦ.
Free Grace Translation:
And he was preaching saying: “There is coming one mightier than I after me, of whom I am not worthy, when stooping down, to loosen the strap of His sandals!”
Bible Translation Notes:
"ἐκήρυσσεν. Mk alone has this imperf. of continued action, which fits on well to ἦν ἐνδεδ. κ. ἔσθων ["was wearing...and eating"]. Mt., Lk. and Jn have aorists of other verbs." (Alfred Plummer, The Gospel According to St Mark [Cambridge: The University Press, 1914], p. 55, brackets added.)
Mark 1:8
Nestle's 1904 Greek NT:
ἐγὼ ἐβάπτισα ὑμᾶς ὕδατι, αὐτὸς δὲ βαπτίσει ὑμᾶς Πνεύματι Ἁγίῳ.
Free Grace Translation:
“I baptized you with water, but He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit.”
Mark 1:9
Nestle's 1904 Greek NT:
Καὶ ἐγένετο ἐν ἐκείναις ταῖς ἡμέραις ἦλθεν Ἰησοῦς ἀπὸ Ναζαρὲτ τῆς Γαλιλαίας καὶ ἐβαπτίσθη εἰς τὸν Ἰορδάνην ὑπὸ Ἰωάνου.
Free Grace Translation:
And it happened in those days that Jesus came from Nazareth of Galilee and was baptized in the Jordan by John.
Mark 1:10
Nestle's 1904 Greek NT:
καὶ εὐθὺς ἀναβαίνων ἐκ τοῦ ὕδατος εἶδεν σχιζομένους τοὺς οὐρανοὺς καὶ τὸ Πνεῦμα ὡς περιστερὰν καταβαῖνον εἰς αὐτόν·
Free Grace Translation:
And immediately coming up out of the water, He saw the heavens splitting apart and the Spirit as a dove coming down unto Him.
Mark 1:11
Nestle's 1904 Greek NT:
And a voice came out of the heavens: “You are My beloved Son, in you I am well pleased.”
Study Bible Commentary:
"'My beloved Son.' Note the
manifestation of the Holy Trinity. The Son ascended from Jordan, the Spirit descended and abode upon him, and the Father’s voice was heard declaring his unqualified delight in his Son. Connect with this Isaiah 48:16, where Messiah says, 'The Lord God, and his Spirit, hath sent me.'" —H. A. Ironside.
Mark 1:12
Nestle's 1904 Greek NT:
Καὶ εὐθὺς τὸ Πνεῦμα αὐτὸν ἐκβάλλει εἰς τὴν ἔρημον.
Free Grace Translation:
And immediately the Spirit sent Him out into the wilderness.
Mark 1:13
Nestle's 1904 Greek NT:
καὶ ἦν ἐν τῇ ἐρήμῳ τεσσεράκοντα ἡμέρας πειραζόμενος ὑπὸ τοῦ Σατανᾶ, καὶ ἦν μετὰ τῶν θηρίων, καὶ οἱ ἄγγελοι διηκόνουν αὐτῷ.
Free Grace Translation:
And He was in the wilderness forty days being tempted by Satan; and He was with the wild animals, and the angels were ministering to Him.
Study Bible Commentary:
"The temptation of Jesus was not to see whether he would fail. It was rather to prove that he would not. Just as the acid test applied to gold manifests the preciousness of the metal, so the temptation by Satan but made evident the holiness and strength of the Second Man in contrast to the weakness and failure of the first. The temptation ended, angels ministered to him who was at once their Creator and the object of their loving care." —H. A. Ironside.
Mark 1:14
Nestle's 1904 Greek NT:
Καὶ μετὰ τὸ παραδοθῆναι τὸν Ἰωάνην ἦλθεν ὁ Ἰησοῦς εἰς τὴν Γαλιλαίαν κηρύσσων τὸ εὐαγγέλιον τοῦ Θεοῦ
Free Grace Translation:
And after John was arrested, Jesus went into Galilee, preaching the gospel of God.
Study Bible Commentary:
"This is not a different Gospel from the Gospel of the grace of God (Gal. 1:8, 9), but it suggests a different emphasis. It was the good news that the King was ready to set up his Kingdom wherever there were willing hearts to receive him." —H. A. Ironside, "Beginning a Life of Service." The Sunday School Times (Jan. 1, 1938), Vol. 80, Issue 1, p. 7. Note: Dr. Ironside's commentary is based on the King James Version of the text.
Mark 1:15
Nestle's 1904 Greek NT:
καὶ λέγων ὅτι Πεπλήρωται ὁ καιρὸς καὶ ἤγγικεν ἡ βασιλεία τοῦ Θεοῦ· μετανοεῖτε καὶ πιστεύετε ἐν τῷ εὐαγγελίῳ.
Free Grace Translation:
And saying: “The time is fulfilled and the kingdom of God is near. Change your thinking and believe in the good news!”
Study Bible Commentary:
"It is as though he exclaimed, 'Change your attitude, and receive the good news in faith.' To repent is more than to be sorry for sin, and more than to reform the life. It is to judge one’s self in the presence of God and to acknowledge one’s need and sinfulness." —H. A. Ironside.
Mark 1:16
Nestle's 1904 Greek NT:
Καὶ παράγων παρὰ τὴν θάλασσαν τῆς Γαλιλαίας εἶδεν Σίμωνα καὶ Ἀνδρέαν τὸν ἀδελφὸν Σίμωνος ἀμφιβάλλοντας ἐν τῇ θαλάσσῃ· ἦσαν γὰρ ἁλεεῖς.
Free Grace Translation:
And passing by alongside the Sea of Galilee, He saw Simon and Andrew, the brother of Simon, casting a net in the lake, for they were fishermen.
Study Bible Commentary:
"The first disciples of Jesus were workingmen dependent for their living upon the treasure of the deep. Catching fish requires peculiar skill and patience. The fishing boat was a good school for training those who were to catch men for Christ." —H. A. Ironside.
Mark 1:17
Nestle's 1904 Greek NT:
καὶ εἶπεν αὐτοῖς ὁ Ἰησοῦς Δεῦτε ὀπίσω μου, καὶ ποιήσω ὑμᾶς γενέσθαι ἁλεεῖς ἀνθρώπων.
Free Grace Translation:
And Jesus said to them, “Follow Me, and I will turn you into fishermen of people!”
Bible Translation Notes:
See Bauer's Lexicon (4th ed.), p. 175, s.v. ginomai, 5.A.: "ποιήσω ὑμᾶς γενέσθαι ἁλιεῖς ἀνθρώπων I will turn you into fishers of people Mk 1:17".
Mark 1:18
Nestle's 1904 Greek NT:
καὶ εὐθὺς ἀφέντες τὰ δίκτυα ἠκολούθησαν αὐτῷ.
Free Grace Translation:
And immediately, leaving their nets, they followed Him.
Study Bible Commentary:
"The response was immediate. We know from John’s Gospel (chap. 1:40-42) that they had been attracted to Jesus sometime before. In fullest confidence they left all to go with him as his intimate disciples." —H. A. Ironside.
Note that this is discipleship (following Jesus; coming after Him), not salvation (coming to Him). —Editor.
Mark 1:19
Nestle's 1904 Greek NT:
Καὶ προβὰς ὀλίγον εἶδεν Ἰάκωβον τὸν τοῦ Ζεβεδαίου καὶ Ἰωάνην τὸν ἀδελφὸν αὐτοῦ, καὶ αὐτοὺς ἐν τῷ πλοίῳ καταρτίζοντας τὰ δίκτυα,
Free Grace Translation:
And going on a little, He saw James the son of Zebedee, and John his brother, and they were in the boat preparing the nets.
Study Bible Commentary:
"James and John. These had also known him previously and were prepared already for his summons, and so they, too, left home and ships to follow him when the call came." —H. A. Ironside.
Mark 1:20
Nestle's 1904 Greek NT:
καὶ εὐθὺς ἐκάλεσεν αὐτούς· καὶ ἀφέντες τὸν πατέρα αὐτῶν Ζεβεδαῖον ἐν τῷ πλοίῳ μετὰ τῶν μισθωτῶν ἀπῆλθον ὀπίσω αὐτοῦ.
Free Grace Translation:
And immediately He called them; and leaving their father Zebedee in the boat with the hired men, they departed after Him.
Mark 1:21
Nestle's 1904 Greek NT:
Καὶ εἰσπορεύονται εἰς Καφαρναούμ· καὶ εὐθὺς τοῖς σάββασιν εἰσελθὼν εἰς τὴν συναγωγὴν ἐδίδασκεν.
Free Grace Translation:
And they went into Capernaum; and immediately on the Sabbaths, after going into the synagogue, He was teaching.
Study Bible Commentary:
"Jesus had removed from Nazareth to Capernaum some time before. It was called 'his own city' (Matt. 9:1). Apparently its residents, at first, gave him a readier acceptance than had his townspeople of Nazareth (Luke 4:16-30)." —H. A. Ironside.
Mark 1:22
Nestle's 1904 Greek NT:
καὶ ἐξεπλήσσοντο ἐπὶ τῇ διδαχῇ αὐτοῦ· ἦν γὰρ διδάσκων αὐτοὺς ὡς ἐξουσίαν ἔχων, καὶ οὐχ ὡς οἱ γραμματεῖς.
Free Grace Translation:
And they were amazed at His teaching, for He was teaching them as one having authority, and not as the scribes.
Study Bible Commentary:
"Teaching with authority. Other teachers bolstered up their instruction by quoting from those who had gone before them. Jesus spoke directly, and even set aside the teachings of the elders and traditions of their honored rabbis, as he declared, 'I say unto you' (Matt. 5: 21, 22, 27, 28, 31-39)." —H. A. Ironside.
The Gospel According to St. John
Introduction: Written to the church in general and to the world at large. Christ portrayed as the Son of God. "Christ as the Eternal Son." —Dr. Ironside.
"The Gospel of John was written to unfold the glories of the only begotten Son of the Father in incarnation. It was written in the latter part of the first Christian century, long after the Synoptic Gospels had been produced. In these we see our Lord portrayed respectively as the King of Israel by Matthew; the perfect Servant and Prophet of Jehovah by Mark; and the perfect, sinless Man; the seeking Saviour, by Luke. To complete the picture, it was given to John, the disciple whom Jesus loved, to set Him forth as the Son of God: in manhood, that all might believe and find life eternal in Him. We are told definitely that this Gospel was written for this very purpose, 'That ye might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing ye might have life through his name' (20:31). Christianity is centered in a Person, and that Person is the Son of God. We see Him set forth in this Gospel as the eternal Word, the Lamb of God who taketh away the sin of the world, the source of all life and blessing for time and eternity. In the first twelve chapters the appeal is particularly to the unsaved. To them the Lord Jesus is presented in every possible aspect as the One suited to meet men just where they are and to save them by His grace. In the other nine chapters the appeal is to those who have already trusted Him, and to them He is presented in every aspect suited to the circumstances in which they may be found as they pass through, this scene on to their destined home in the Father’s House." —H. A. Ironside, "The Glory of the Son of God." The Sunday School Times (December 19, 1942), Vol. 84, Issue 51, p. 9. Note: Dr. Ironside's commentary is based on the King James Version of the Bible.
John 1:1
Greek Textus Receptus:
Ἐν ἀρχῇ ἦν ὁ λόγος, καὶ ὁ λόγος ἦν πρὸς τὸν Θεόν, καὶ Θεὸς ἦν ὁ λόγος.
Free Grace Translation:
In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
Study Bible Commentary:
"'In the beginning was the Word.' The Word is the expression of the thought, the revelation of the mind, of God. Christ is that Word. In Him God has revealed Himself. When everything that ever had beginning began, He, the Word, was. He had no beginning. He was one with the Father and the Holy Spirit from all eternity. This clause sets forth His eternal existence. 'The Word was with God.' This declares the distinct personality of the Word. 'The Word was God.' It is His full deity that is insisted on. He was in no sense inferior to the other persons of the Godhead." —H. A. Ironside, "The Glory of the Son of God." The Sunday School Times (December 19, 1942), Vol. 84, Issue 51, p. 9. Note: Dr. Ironside's commentary is based on the King James Version of the Bible.
John 1:2
Greek Textus Receptus:
οὗτος ἦν ἐν ἀρχῇ πρὸς τὸν Θεόν.
Free Grace Translation:
He was in the beginning with God.
Study Bible Commentary:
"There was no change in His relationship. He remains the same forever." —H. A. Ironside.
John 1:3
Greek Textus Receptus:
πάντα δι’ αὐτοῦ ἐγένετο, καὶ χωρὶς αὐτοῦ ἐγένετο οὐδὲ ἕν ὃ γέγονεν.
Free Grace Translation:
All things came into being through Him, and apart from Him not even one thing came into being that has come into being.
John 1:4
Greek Textus Receptus:
ἐν αὐτῷ ζωὴ ἦν, καὶ ἡ ζωὴ ἦν τὸ φῶς τῶν ἀνθρώπων,
Free Grace Translation:
In Him was life, and the life was the light of mankind,
Study Bible Commentary:
"He is the source of all communicated life, because He, with the Father, has underived life in Himself (5:26). This life, seen in all its perfection in Him while He was here on earth, is in itself 'the light of men.' In Christ men are given a revelation of all they need to know in order to illumine their hearts and minds and guide them through this dark world." —H. A. Ironside.
John 1:5
Greek Textus Receptus:
καὶ τὸ φῶς ἐν τῇ σκοτίᾳ φαίνει, καὶ ἡ σκοτία αὐτὸ οὐ κατέλαβεν.
Free Grace Translation:
and the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it.
Study Bible Commentary:
"So blinded have men become by the love of sinning, that their minds are in an impenetrable fog, which even the light that shines from the face of Christ cannot pierce, so long as they persistently refuse to heed the words of God." —H. A. Ironside.
John 1:6
Greek Textus Receptus:
ἐγένετο ἄνθρωπος ἀπεσταλμένος παρὰ Θεοῦ, ὄνομα αὐτῷ Ἰωάννης
Free Grace Translation:
There came a man sent from God, whose name was John.
Study Bible Commentary:
"The ministry of John the Baptist was preparatory. He was sent to call men to repentance in order that they might face the light and learn to know Him who came as a light into the world (12:46)." —H. A. Ironside.
John 1:7
Greek Textus Receptus:
οὗτος ἦλθεν εἰς μαρτυρίαν, ἵνα μαρτυρήσῃ περὶ τοῦ φωτός, ἵνα πάντες πιστεύσωσι δι’ αὐτοῦ.
Free Grace Translation:
He came as a witness to testify about the Light, so that all might believe through him.
Bible Translation Notes:
See Alford's Greek Testament and The Expositor's Greek Testament.
Study Bible Commentary:
"What a commentary on man’s utterly lost condition and his sin-blinded heart, that anyone should be required to bear witness of light!" —H. A. Ironside.
John 1:8
Greek Textus Receptus:
οὐκ ἦν ἐκεῖνος τὸ φῶς, ἀλλ’ ἵνα μαρτυρήσῃ περὶ τοῦ φωτός.
Free Grace Translation:
He was not the Light, but he came so that he might testify about the Light.
Study Bible Commentary:
"There is an immeasurable distance between the greatest of Christ’s servants and He who is both Saviour and Lord." —H. A. Ironside.
John 1:9
Greek Textus Receptus:
ἦν τὸ φῶς τὸ ἀληθινόν, ὃ φωτίζει πάντα ἄνθρωπον ἐρχόμενον εἰς τὸν κόσμον.
Free Grace Translation:
The true Light, which enlightens every person, was coming into the world.
Study Bible Commentary:
"That is, the perfect life of Jesus casts light on all other men — showing up their sins and failures in contrast to His holiness and perfection. It is not that, as some have supposed, there is a spark of the divine in every man, a gleam which, if obeyed, will result in final salvation. Men are lost in the darkness. The light shines upon them, exposes their sins, illumines the darkness about them and reveals the Saviour God has provided." —H. A. Ironside.
Note in verse 9 that all men are graciously drawn by God (cf. Gen. 6:3; Jn. 12:32, 16:8-11; Acts 7:51). God desires to save the whole world, including the "non-elect" (see 1 Tim. 2:4, 4:10; 2 Pet. 3:9; 1 Jn. 2:2). —Editor.
John 1:10
Greek Textus Receptus:
ἐν τῷ κόσμῳ ἦν, καὶ ὁ κόσμος δι’ αὐτοῦ ἐγένετο, καὶ ὁ κόσμος αὐτὸν οὐκ ἔγνω.
Free Grace Translation:
He was in the world, and the world was made by Him, and yet the world did not know Him.
Study Bible Commentary:
"When He, who had brought all things into existence, came into His own world, He was unrecognized and walked through this scene as a heavenly Stranger." —H. A. Ironside.
John 1:11
Greek Textus Receptus:
εἰς τὰ ἴδια ἦλθε, καὶ οἱ ἴδιοι αὐτὸν οὐ παρέλαβον.
Free Grace Translation:
He came to His own, and His own did not receive Him.
Bible Translation Notes:
Dean Alford writes: "τὰ ἴδια here cannot well mean the world, or οἱ ἴδιοι mankind in general: it would be difficult to point out any Scripture usage to justify such a meaning. But abundance of passages bear out the meaning which makes τὰ ἴδια His own inheritance or possession, i.e. Judæa; and οἱ ἴδιοι, the Jews: compare especially the parable Matthew 21:33 ff., and Sir 24:7 ff. And thus ἦλθεν forms a nearer step in the approach to the declaration in John 1:14. He came to His own." (Alford's Greek Testament, commentary on John 1:11.)
Study Bible Commentary:
"The first 'his own' is in the neuter. He came unto His own things, that is, His own world, His own land, His own Temple. The second is personal; His own people, Israel, received Him not. They who were supposed to be waiting for Him did not know Him when He came, and they refused to own His authority." —H. A. Ironside.
John 1:12
Greek Textus Receptus:
ὅσοι δὲ ἔλαβον αὐτόν, ἔδωκεν αὐτοῖς ἐξουσίαν τέκνα Θεοῦ γενέσθαι, τοῖς πιστεύουσιν εἰς τὸ ὄνομα αὐτοῦ·
Free Grace Translation:
But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, even to those who believe in His name,
Study Bible Commentary:
"'As many as received him.' A few there were who opened their hearts to receive Him. To these He gave the right or title to be called children of God. It is not exactly sons, but children, those born into the family. All who 'believe on his name' are born from above, and so made members of the household of faith." —H. A. Ironside. Note: Dr. Ironside's commentary is based on the King James Version of the Bible.
John 1:13
Greek Textus Receptus:
οἳ οὐκ ἐξ αἱμάτων, οὐδὲ ἐκ θελήματος σαρκός, οὐδὲ ἐκ θελήματος ἀνδρός, ἀλλ’ ἐκ Θεοῦ ἐγεννήθησαν.
Free Grace Translation:
who were born not from physical descent, nor from sexual desire, nor from the will of a husband, but from God.
Bible Translation Notes:
Grk. "who were not born of blood(s)." See Bauer's Lexicon (1st ed.), s.v. haima, 1.a. "of human blood...Esp. as a principal component of the human body ... Pl[ural]. ta haimata ... descent ... =owe one's [human] descent to the physical nature J 1:13". (Walter Bauer, William F. Arndt and F. Wilbur Gingrich, Editors, A Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament and Other Early Christian Literature [Chicago: The University of Chicago Press, 1957], p. 22.)
Commenting on John 1:13 in his Word Pictures in the New Testament, A. T. Robertson writes: "Which were born (ο εγεννηθησαν). First aorist passive indicative of γενναω, to beget, 'who were begotten.' By spiritual generation (of God, εκ θεου), not by physical (εξ αιματων, plural as common in classics and O.T., though why it is not clear unless blood of both father and mother; εκ θεληματος σαρκος, from sexual desire; εκ θεληματος ανδρος, from the will of the male)."
Henry Alford similarly affirms: "Euthymius [377-473 AD] seems to give the right interpretation: εἰπὼν δὲ ὅτι οὐκ ἐξ αἱμάτων, ἐπήγαγε φανερώτερον ὅτι οὐδὲ ἐκ θελήματος σαρκός · εἶτα καὶ τοῦτο τελεώτερον ἐφηρμήνευσε, προσθεὶς ὅτι οὐκ ἐκ θελήματος ἀνδρός · αἷμα γὰρ καὶ σάρξ, ὁ ἀνήρ · θέλημα δὲ νῦν νοεῖ τὴν ἐπιθυμίαν, τὴν συνουσίαν: in loc. ii. 421." Translated into English it reads: "But when he said that it was not of blood, he made it more evident that it was not of the will of the flesh; he also explained this further, adding that it was not of the will of a man; for the man is blood and flesh; but 'will' now [i.e. here in this context] means desire, intercourse." (Alford, The Greek Testament [Cambridge: 1874], Vol. 1, p. 685, comment on John 1:13.)
Everett F. Harrison affirms: "born . . . of God. This is not a natural process such as brings people into the world - not of blood (literally, bloods), suggesting the mingling of paternal and maternal strains in procreation. The will of the flesh suggests the natural, human desire for children, as the will of man (the word for husband) suggests the special desire for progeny to carry on a family name. So the new birth, something supernatural, is carefully guarded from confusion with natural birth." (Harrison, "The Gospel According to John." Charles F. Pfeiffer and Everett F. Harrison, Editors, The Wycliffe Bible Commentary [Chicago: The Moody Bible Institute of Chicago, 1962], p. 1073, comment on John 1:13.)
Study Bible Commentary:
"Salvation, or eternal life, is not inherited. Because one is born into a family of believers, he is not himself a possessor of divine life. 'Nor of the will of the flesh.' No one becomes a child of God by self-effort, Reformation, or turning over a new leaf, as men say, is not the same as being born again. 'Nor of the will of man.' No religious dignitary, or ecclesiastical authority, can produce the new life by any sacramental observances. 'But of God.' New birth is of God alone. It is He who gives eternal life to all who believe in His Son." —H. A. Ironside. Note: Dr. Ironside's commentary is based on the King James Version of the Bible.
John 1:14
Greek Textus Receptus:
καὶ ὁ λόγος σὰρξ ἐγένετο, καὶ ἐσκήνωσεν ἐν ἡμῖν, καὶ ἐθεασάμεθα τὴν δόξαν αὐτοῦ, δόξαν ὡς μονογενοῦς παρὰ πατρός, πλήρης χάριτος καὶ ἀληθείας.
Free Grace Translation:
And the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, glory as of the only-begotten from the Father, full of grace and truth.
Study Bible Commentary:
"'The Word became flesh' (R.V.). The Revised Version is clearer here than the Authorized Version. Strictly speaking, the eternal Word was not 'made' anything... He voluntarily 'became' flesh. That is, He stooped in grace to take our humanity into union with His deity, that He might reconcile us to God and become the Mediator between God and man. He 'dwelt among us.' It is literally 'tabernacled' among us. Of old, the tabernacle was the sanctuary in which the glory of God was hidden. So the humanity of Jesus was the temple in which Deity was enshrined. As to His personal glory, He was 'the only begotten of the Father.' Unbelieving men did not see this glory. Those who knew Him did. In Him they saw the fullness of grace and truth. All that God is has been told out in the Man Christ Jesus." —H. A. Ironside. Note: Dr. Ironside's commentary is based on the King James Version of the Bible.
John 1:15
Greek Textus Receptus:
Ἰωάννης μαρτυρεῖ περὶ αὐτοῦ, καὶ κέκραγε λέγων, Οὗτος ἦν ὃν εἶπον, Ὁ ὀπίσω μου ἐρχόμενος ἔμπροσθέν μου γέγονεν· ὅτι πρῶτός μου ἦν.
Free Grace Translation:
John testified concerning Him, and cried out loudly saying, "This was He of whom I said, 'The one coming after me is preferred ahead of me, because He existed before me!'"
Study Bible Commentary:
"As to natural birth, John was older than the Lord Jesus. But he saw in Jesus the One who existed before he himself had any being. It is a testimony to the pre-existence of our Lord." —H. A. Ironside, "The Word Made Flesh." The Sunday School Times (December 21, 1946), Volume 88, Issue 51, p. 9.
John 1:16
Greek Textus Receptus:
καὶ ἐκ τοῦ πληρώματος αὐτοῦ ἡμεῖς πάντες ἐλάβομεν, καὶ χάριν ἀντὶ χάριτος
Free Grace Translation:
And of His fullness we have all received, and grace upon grace.
Study Bible Commentary:
"'Of his fulness have we all received.' In Him dwelt 'all the fulness of the Godhead bodily' (Col. 2:9) and from that infinite store all who are one with Him by receiving divine life are filled full (Col. 2:10). Thus grace abounds upon grace. The supply is inexhaustible." —H. A. Ironside. Note: Dr. Ironside's commentary is based on the King James Version of the Bible.
John 1:17
Greek Textus Receptus:
ὅτι ὁ νόμος διὰ Μωσέως ἐδόθη, ἡ χάρις καὶ ἡ ἀλήθεια διὰ Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ ἐγένετο.
Free Grace Translation:
For the Law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ.
Study Bible Commentary:
"'The law was given by Moses.' This characterized the old dispensation. 'Grace and truth came by Jesus Christ.' From the moment He appeared, a new age began. God is now displaying His grace; not at the expense of His truth, but in full accordance with it." —H. A. Ironside. Note: Dr. Ironside's commentary is based on the King James Version of the Bible.
John 1:18
Greek Textus Receptus:
Θεὸν οὐδεὶς ἑώρακε πώποτε· ὁ μονογενὴς υἱός, ὁ ὢν εἰς τὸν κόλπον τοῦ πατρός ἐκεῖνος ἐξηγήσατο.
Free Grace Translation:
No one has seen God at any time, the only-begotten Son, who is in the bosom of the Father, He has explained Him.
Bible Study Commentary:
"Deity is invisible to created eyes (Col. 1:15). 'The only begotten Son, subsisting in the Father’s bosom, hath told Him out.' God is fully known in the person of His Son. " —H. A. Ironside. Note: Dr. Ironside's commentary is based on the King James Version of the Bible.
John 1:19
Greek Textus Receptus:
Καὶ αὕτη ἐστὶν ἡ μαρτυρία τοῦ Ἰωάννου, ὅτε ἀπέστειλαν οἱ Ἰουδαῖοι ἐξ Ἱεροσολύμων ἱερεῖς καὶ Λευΐτας ἵνα ἐρωτήσωσιν αὐτόν, Σὺ τίς εἶ;
Free Grace Translation:
And this is the testimony of John, when the Jews sent priests and Levites from Jerusalem in order that they might ask him, "Who are you?"
John 1:20
Greek Textus Recpetus:
καὶ ὡμολόγησε, καὶ οὐκ ἠρνήσατο· καὶ ὡμολόγησεν ὅτι Οὐκ εἰμὶ ἐγὼ ὁ Χριστός.
Free Grace Translation:
And he confessed and did not deny, and confessed, "I am not the Christ."
John 1:21
Greek Textus Receptus:
καὶ ἠρώτησαν αὐτόν, Τί οὖν; Ἠλίας εἶ σύ; καὶ λέγει, Οὐκ εἰμί. Ὁ προφήτης εἶ σύ; καὶ ἀπεκρίθη, Οὔ.
Free Grace Translation:
And they asked him, "What then? Are you Elijah?" And he said, "I am not." "Are you the Prophet?" And he answered, "No."
John 1:22
Greek Textus Receptus:
εἶπον οὖν αὐτῷ, Τίς εἶ; ἵνα ἀπόκρισιν δῶμεν τοῖς πέμψασιν ἡμᾶς τί λέγεις περὶ σεαυτοῦ;
Free Grace Translation:
Therefore they said to him, "Who are you, that we may give an answer to those who sent us? What do you say concerning yourself?"
John 1:23
Greek Textus Receptus:
ἔφη, Ἐγὼ φωνὴ βοῶντος ἐν τῇ ἐρήμῳ, Εὐθύνατε τὴν ὁδὸν Κυρίου, καθὼς εἶπεν Ἠσαΐας ὁ προφήτης.
Free Grace Translation:
He said, "I am a voice shouting in the wilderness, 'Make straight the way of the Lord!' just as Isaiah the prophet said."
John 1:24
Greek Textus Receptus:
καὶ οἱ ἀπεσταλμένοι ἦσαν ἐκ τῶν Φαρισαίων.
Free Grace Translation:
And the ones who had been sent were from the Pharisees.
John 1:25
Greek Textus Receptus:
καὶ ἠρώτησαν αὐτόν, καὶ εἶπον αὐτῷ, Τί οὖν βαπτίζεις, εἰ σὺ οὐκ εἶ ὁ Χριστός, οὔτε Ἠλίας, οὔτε ὁ προφήτης;
Free Grace Translation:
And they asked him, and said to him, "Then why do you baptize, if you are not the Christ, nor Elijah, nor the Prophet?"
John 1:26
Greek Textus Receptus:
ἀπεκρίθη αὐτοῖς ὁ Ἰωάννης, λέγων, Ἐγὼ βαπτίζω ἐν ὕδατι· μέσος δὲ ὑμῶν ἕστηκεν ὃν ὑμεῖς οὐκ οἴδατε
Free Grace Translation:
John answered them saying, "I baptize in water, but in your midst stands He whom you do not know."
John 1:27
Greek Textus Receptus:
αὐτός ἐστιν ὁ ὀπίσω μου ἐρχόμενος, ὃς ἔμπροσθέν μου γέγονεν· οὗ ἐγὼ οὐκ εἰμὶ ἄξιος ἵνα λύσω αὐτοῦ τὸν ἱμάντα τοῦ ὑποδήματος.
Free Grace Translation:
"He is the one coming after me, who is preferred ahead of me; of whom I am not worthy that I should loose the strap of His sandal!"
John 1:28
Greek Textus Receptus:
ταῦτα ἐν Βηθαβαρᾶ ἐγένετο πέραν τοῦ Ἰορδάνου, ὅπου ἦν Ἰωάννης βαπτίζων.
Free Grace Translation:
These things happened in Bethany on the other side of the Jordan, where John was baptizing.
John 1:29
Greek Textus Receptus:
Τῇ ἐπαύριον βλέπει ὁ Ἰωάννης τὸν Ἰησοῦν ἐρχόμενον πρὸς αὐτόν καὶ λέγει Ἴδε ὁ ἀμνὸς τοῦ θεοῦ ὁ αἴρων τὴν ἁμαρτίαν τοῦ κόσμου
Free Grace Translation:
On the following day, John saw Jesus coming towards him and said, "Behold! The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!"
John 1:30
Greek Textus Receptus:
οὗτός ἐστι περὶ οὗ ἐγὼ εἶπον, Ὀπίσω μου ἔρχεται ἀνὴρ, ὃς ἔμπροσθέν μου γέγονεν, ὅτι πρῶτός μου ἦν.
Free Grace Translation:
"This is He about whom I said, 'After me is coming a Man who is preferred ahead of me, because He existed before me.'"
John 1:31
Greek Textus Receptus:
κἀγὼ οὐκ ᾔδειν αὐτόν· ἀλλ’ ἵνα φανερωθῇ τῷ Ἰσραήλ, διὰ τοῦτο ἦλθον ἐγὼ ἐν τῷ ὕδατι βαπτίζων.
Free Grace Translation:
"And I did not know Him, but that He might be manifested to Israel, for this reason I came baptizing in water."
John 1:32
Greek Textus Receptus:
καὶ ἐμαρτύρησεν Ἰωάννης, λέγων ὅτι Τεθέαμαι τὸ Πνεῦμα καταβαῖνον ὡσεὶ περιστερὰν ἐξ οὐρανοῦ, καὶ ἔμεινεν ἐπ’ αὐτόν.
Free Grace Translation:
And John testified, saying, "I saw the Spirit descending like a dove from heaven, and He remained on Him."
John 1:33
Greek Textus Receptus:
κἀγὼ οὐκ ᾔδειν αὐτόν· ἀλλ’ ὁ πέμψας με βαπτίζειν ἐν ὕδατι, ἐκεῖνός μοι εἶπεν, Ἐφ’ ὃν ἂν ἴδῃς τὸ Πνεῦμα καταβαῖνον καὶ μένον ἐπ’ αὐτόν, οὗτός ἐστιν ὁ βαπτίζων ἐν Πνεύματι Ἁγίῳ.
Free Grace Translation:
"And I did not recognize Him, but the one sending me to baptize in water, said to me, 'On whomever you see the Spirit descending and remaining on Him, this is the one baptizing in the Holy Spirit.'"
John 1:34
Greek Textus Receptus:
κἀγὼ ἑώρακα, καὶ μεμαρτύρηκα ὅτι οὗτός ἐστιν ὁ υἱὸς τοῦ Θεοῦ.
Free Grace Translation:
"And I have seen, and I bear witness that this is the Son of God!"
John 1:35
Greek Textus Receptus:
Τῇ ἐπαύριον πάλιν εἱστήκει ὁ Ἰωάννης, καὶ ἐκ τῶν μαθητῶν αὐτοῦ δύο·
Free Grace Translation:
The next day John was again standing there, and two of his disciples,
John 1:36
Greek Textus Receptus:
καὶ ἐμβλέψας τῷ Ἰησοῦ περιπατοῦντι, λέγει, Ἴδε ὁ ἀμνὸς τοῦ Θεοῦ.
Free Grace Translation:
and looking at Jesus walking by, he said, "Behold, the Lamb of God!"
John 1:37
Greek Textus Receptus:
καὶ ἤκουσαν αὐτοῦ οἱ δύο μαθηταὶ λαλοῦντος, καὶ ἠκολούθησαν τῷ Ἰησοῦ.
Free Grace Translation:
And the two disciples heard him speaking, and they followed Jesus.
Bible Study Commentary:
"John the Baptist had just directed attention to Jesus as he exclaimed, 'Behold the Lamb of God!' The two disciples, hearing his words, turned to Jesus, who was walking near by, and began to follow in His steps." —H. A. Ironside, "Andrew, The Man Who Brought Others." The Sunday School Times (July 31, 1948), Vol. 90, Issue 31, p. 6.
John 1:38
Greek Textus Receptus:
στραφεὶς δὲ ὁ Ἰησοῦς καὶ θεασάμενος αὐτοὺς ἀκολουθοῦντας, λέγει αὐτοῖς, Τί ζητεῖτε; οἱ δὲ εἶπον αὐτῷ, Ῥαββί ὃ λέγεται ἑρμηνευόμενον, Διδάσκαλε, ποῦ μένεις;
Free Grace Translation:
But Jesus, after turning and observing them following, said to them, "What do you seek?" But they said to Him, "Rabbi" (which is to say, being translated, "Teacher"), "where are you staying?"
Bible Study Commentary:
"It is evident they were eager to know Him better to whom John had directed their attention. All Israel was in expectation of Messiah’s coming, and these two were destined to be among the first to know and welcome Him." —H. A. Ironside.
John 1:39
Greek Textus Receptus:
λέγει αὐτοῖς, Ἔρχεσθε καὶ ἴδετε. ἦλθον καὶ εἶδον ποῦ μένει· καὶ παρ’ αὐτῷ ἔμειναν τὴν ἡμέραν ἐκείνην· ὥρα δὲ ἦν ὡς δεκάτη.
Free Grace Translation:
He said to them, "Come and see." They went and saw where He was staying, and they remained with Him that day; it was about the tenth hour.
Bible Study Commentary:
"Invited by Jesus, they accompanied Him to His abode and spent some wonderful hours in His company. How interesting must their interview have been! It resulted in making them His forever." —H. A. Ironside.
John 1:40
Greek Textus Receptus:
ἦν Ἀνδρέας ὁ ἀδελφὸς Σίμωνος Πέτρου εἷς ἐκ τῶν δύο τῶν ἀκουσάντων παρὰ Ἰωάννου καὶ ἀκολουθησάντων αὐτῷ.
Free Grace Translation:
Andrew, the brother of Simon Peter, was one of the two who heard John speak and followed Him.
Bible Study Commentary:
"Inasmuch as in the lists of the apostles, Peter’s name always precedes Andrew’s it is reasonable to believe that Andrew was the younger of the two, and possibly the very energy of Peter had a deterring effect on Andrew, so that he became accustomed to keeping in the background: yet he became the one through whom his more self-reliant brother was reached for Christ." —H. A. Ironside.
John 1:41
Greek Textus Receptus:
εὑρίσκει οὗτος πρῶτος τὸν ἀδελφὸν τὸν ἴδιον Σίμωνα, καὶ λέγει αὐτῷ, Εὑρήκαμεν τὸν Μεσσίαν, ὅ ἐστι μεθερμηνευόμενον, ὁ Χριστός.
Free Grace Translation:
He first found his own brother Simon and said to him, "We have found the Messiah" (which is translated, "the Christ").
Study Bible Commentary:
"Grateful for the revelation that had come to him and believing without question in the claims of Jesus, Andrew lost no time in seeking out his brother Simon, who was already a disciple of John the Baptist (Acts 1:21, 22) to whom he gave the glad message, 'We have found the Messias, which is . . . the Christ.' " —H. A. Ironside, "Andrew, The Man Who Brought Others." The Sunday School Times (July 31, 1948), Vol. 90, No. 31, p. 6. Note: Dr. Ironside's commentary is based on the King James Version of the Bible.
John 1:42
Greek Textus Receptus:
καὶ ἤγαγεν αὐτὸν πρὸς τὸν Ἰησοῦν. ἐμβλέψας δὲ αὐτῷ ὁ Ἰησοῦς εἶπε, Σὺ εἶ Σίμων ὁ υἱὸς Ἰωνᾶ· σὺ κληθήσῃ Κηφᾶς, ὃ ἑρμηνεύεται Πέτρος.
Free Grace Translation:
And he brought him to Jesus. But looking intently at him, Jesus said, "You are Simon the son of John; you will be called Cephas" (which is translated "Peter").
Study Bible Commentary:
"'He brought him to Jesus.' The result was that Simon immediately accompanied Andrew to Jesus, who received him as a disciple and gave him a new name, the name by which he was ever after to be known, 'Thou shalt be called Cephas,' that is, a stone. The word is Aramaic and answers to the Greek 'Peter.' Both names were used interchangeably in after days." —H. A. Ironside, "Andrew, The Man Who Brought Others." The Sunday School Times (July 31, 1948), Vol. 90, No. 31, p. 6. Note: Dr. Ironside's commentary is based on the King James Version of the Bible.
"These words were spoken by the Lord Jesus when Andrew brought his brother to Him. They show us that the Lord recognized in this man, from the first, one who would become, through His grace, a stalwart, rocklike preacher of the Word." —H. A. Ironside, "Decisive Moments in Peter's Life." The Sunday School Times (April 13, 1946), Vol. 88, No. 15, p. 9.
John 1:43
Greek Textus Receptus:
Τῇ ἐπαύριον ἠθέλησεν ὁ Ἰησοῦς ἐξελθεῖν εἰς τὴν Γαλιλαίαν, καὶ εὑρίσκει Φίλιππον, καὶ λέγει αὐτῷ, Ἀκολούθει μοι.
Free Grace Translation:
The next day Jesus decided to go out into Galilee, and He found Philip, and said to him, "Follow Me."
Study Bible Commentary:
"From this verse it might appear that Philip followed Jesus without being evangelized by another disciple, but there are several indications that Philip was approached by Andrew and Peter before he actually met the Lord. Verse 44 says that Andrew and Peter were from the same city as Philip, suggesting that they had talked to him. Furthermore, when Philip told Nathaniel what had happened, he said 'we' have found the Messiah (v. 45)." —Earl D. Radmacher, General Editor, The NKJV Study Bible (Nashville: Thomas Nelson Publishers, 2007), p. 1658, bold original.
"Andrew found Philip . . . somewhere along the way, or, most likely, in Galilee. [...] Having come to Jesus on Andrew's invitation, Philip accepted Jesus' invitation to follow Him." —Thomas L. Constable, Notes on John, comment on John 1:43-44, ellipsis and brackets added.
John 1:44
Greek Textus Receptus:
ἦν δὲ ὁ Φίλιππος ἀπὸ Βηθσαϊδά, ἐκ τῆς πόλεως Ἀνδρέου καὶ Πέτρου.
Free Grace Translation:
Now Philip was from Bethsaida, from the city of Andrew and Peter.
Study Bible Commentary:
"Bethsaida—'The house of nets,' so called because inhabited by fisherman. There were two places by this name." —William B. Olmstead, Editor, Practical Commentary Lessons 1908 (Chicago: Fleming H. Revell Company, 1907), "Jesus and His First Disciples" (January 19, 1908), p. 25.
"From Bethsaida (απο Βηθσαιδα). Same expression in John 12:21 with the added words 'of Galilee,' which locates it in Galilee, not in Iturea. There were two Bethsaidas, one called Bethsaida Julias in Iturea (that in Luke 9:10) or the Eastern Bethsaida, the other the Western Bethsaida in Galilee (Mark 6:45), perhaps somewhere near Capernaum. This is the town of Andrew and Peter and Philip. Hence Philip would be inclined to follow the example of his townsmen." (A. T. Robertson, Word Pictures in the New Testament, commentary on John 1:44.)
John 1:45
Greek Textus Receptus:
εὑρίσκει Φίλιππος τὸν Ναθαναήλ, καὶ λέγει αὐτῷ, Ὃν ἔγραψε Μωσῆς ἐν τῷ νόμῳ καὶ οἱ προφῆται εὑρήκαμεν, Ἰησοῦν τὸν υἱὸν τοῦ Ἰωσὴφ τὸν ἀπὸ Ναζαρέθ.
Free Grace Translation:
Philip found Nathanael, and said to him, "We have found the one whom Moses wrote about in the Law and the Prophets, Jesus the son of Joseph from Nazareth."
John 1:46
Greek Textus Receptus:
καὶ εἶπεν αὐτῷ Ναθαναήλ, Ἐκ Ναζαρὲθ δύναταί τι ἀγαθὸν εἶναι; λέγει αὐτῷ Φίλιππος, Ἔρχου καὶ ἴδε.
Free Grace Translation:
And Nathanael said to him, "Can anything good be from Nazareth?" Philip said to him, "Come and see."
John 1:47
Greek Textus Receptus:
εἶδεν ὁ Ἰησοῦς τὸν Ναθαναὴλ ἐρχόμενον πρὸς αὐτὸν, καὶ λέγει περὶ αὐτοῦ, Ἴδε ἀληθῶς Ἰσραηλίτης, ἐν ᾧ δόλος οὐκ ἔστι.
Free Grace Translation:
Jesus saw Nathanael coming towards Him, and said concerning him, "Behold, this is truly an Israelite in whom there is no deceit!"
Bible Translation Notes:
Compare with Bowes' translation, which on John 1:47b reads: "Behold truly an Israelite, in whom there is no guile!" (John Bowes, The New Testament: Translated From the Purest Greek [Dundee, 1870], p. 145.) Also see the statement by Augustine, when he quotes the same passage and which is translated thus: "This is truly an Israelite in whom there is no guile." (Augustine, "Homily 7, On John 1:34-51," Translated by Edmund Hill, "Homilies on the Gospel of John 1-40," The Works of Saint Augustine: A Translation for the 21st Century [New York: New City Press, 2009], Vol. 12, p. 160.)
John 1:48
Greek Textus Receptus:
λέγει αὐτῷ Ναθαναήλ, Πόθεν με γινώσκεις; ἀπεκρίθη ὁ Ἰησοῦς καὶ εἶπεν αὐτῷ, Πρὸ τοῦ σε Φίλιππον φωνῆσαι, ὄντα ὑπὸ τὴν συκῆν, εἶδόν σε.
Free Grace Translation:
Nathanael said to Him, "Where do you know me from?" Jesus answered and said to him, "Before Philip called you, when you were under the fig tree, I saw you."
John 1:49
Greek Textus Receptus:
ἀπεκρίθη Ναθαναὴλ καὶ λέγει αὐτῷ, Ῥαββί, σὺ εἶ ὁ υἱὸς τοῦ Θεοῦ, σὺ εἶ ὁ βασιλεὺς τοῦ Ἰσραήλ.
Free Grace Translation:
Nathanael answered and said to Him, "Rabbi, you are the Son of God! You are the King of Israel!"
John 1:50
Greek Textus Receptus:
ἀπεκρίθη Ἰησοῦς καὶ εἶπεν αὐτῷ, Ὅτι εἶπόν σοι, εἶδόν σε ὑποκάτω τῆς συκῆς, πιστεύεις; μείζω τούτων ὄψει.
Free Grace Translation:
Jesus answered and said to him, "Because I said to you, 'I saw you under the fig tree,' you believe? You will see greater things than these!"
John 1:51
Greek Textus Receptus:
καὶ λέγει αὐτῷ, Ἀμὴν ἀμὴν λέγω ὑμῖν, ἀπ’ ἄρτι ὄψεσθε τὸν οὐρανὸν ἀνεῳγότα, καὶ τοὺς ἀγγέλους τοῦ Θεοῦ ἀναβαίνοντας καὶ καταβαίνοντας ἐπὶ τὸν υἱὸν τοῦ ἀνθρώπου.
Free Grace Translation:
And He said to him, "Truly, truly, I say to you, from henceforth you will see heaven opened, and the angels of God ascending and descending on the Son of Man."
John 2:1
Greek Textus Receptus:
Καὶ τῇ ἡμέρᾳ τῇ τρίτῃ γάμος ἐγένετο ἐν Κανᾷ τῆς Γαλιλαίας, καὶ ἦν ἡ μήτηρ τοῦ Ἰησοῦ ἐκεῖ·
Free Grace Translation:
And on the third day a wedding took place in Cana of Galilee, and the mother of Jesus was there.
John 2:2
Greek Textus Receptus:
ἐκλήθη δὲ καὶ ὁ Ἰησοῦς καὶ οἱ μαθηταὶ αὐτοῦ εἰς τὸν γάμον.
Free Grace Translation:
Now Jesus also was invited, and His disciples, to the wedding.
John 2:3
Greek Textus Receptus:
καὶ ὑστερήσαντος οἴνου, λέγει ἡ μήτηρ τοῦ Ἰησοῦ πρὸς αὐτόν, Οἶνον οὐκ ἔχουσι.
Free Grace Translation:
And after running out of wine, the mother of Jesus said to him, "They have no wine."
John 2:4
Greek Textus Receptus:
λέγει αὐτῇ ὁ Ἰησοῦς, Τί ἐμοὶ καὶ σοί, γύναι; οὔπω ἥκει ἡ ὥρα μου.
Free Grace Translation:
Jesus said to her, "Woman, what is that to Me and to you? My hour is not yet come."
John 2:5
Greek Textus Receptus:
λέγει ἡ μήτηρ αὐτοῦ τοῖς διακόνοις, Ὅ τι ἂν λέγῃ ὑμῖν, ποιήσατε.
Free Grace Translation:
His mother said to the servants, "Whatever He says to you, do it."
John 2:6
Greek Textus Receptus:
ἦσαν δὲ ἐκεῖ ὑδρίαι λίθιναι ἓξ κείμεναι κατὰ τὸν καθαρισμὸν τῶν Ἰουδαίων, χωροῦσαι ἀνὰ μετρητὰς δύο ἢ τρεῖς.
Free Grace Translation:
Now there were six stone vessels for holding water setting there, according to the ritual cleansing of the Jews, having space for two or three measures apiece [nearly nine gallons each].
John 2:7
Greek Textus Receptus:
λέγει αὐτοῖς ὁ Ἰησοῦς, Γεμίσατε τὰς ὑδρίας ὕδατος. καὶ ἐγέμισαν αὐτὰς ἕως ἄνω.
Free Grace Translation:
Jesus said to them, "Fill the vessels with water." And they filled them up to the top.
John 2:8
Greek Textus Receptus:
καὶ λέγει αὐτοῖς, Ἀντλήσατε νῦν, καὶ φέρετε τῷ ἀρχιτρικλίνῳ. καὶ ἤνεγκαν.
Free Grace Translation:
And He said to them, "Now draw some out, and bring it to the master of the banquet." And they brought it to him.
John 2:9
Greek Textus Receptus:
ὡς δὲ ἐγεύσατο ὁ ἀρχιτρίκλινος τὸ ὕδωρ οἶνον γεγενημένον, καὶ οὐκ ᾔδει πόθεν ἐστίν οἱ δὲ διάκονοι ᾔδεισαν οἱ ἠντληκότες τὸ ὕδωρ, φωνεῖ τὸν νυμφίον ὁ ἀρχιτρίκλινος,
Free Grace Translation:
But when the master of the banquet tasted the water that had become wine, and he did not know where it was from (but the servants who had drawn the water knew), the master of the banquet called the bridegroom,
John 2:10
Greek Textus Receptus:
καὶ λέγει αὐτῷ, Πᾶς ἄνθρωπος πρῶτον τὸν καλὸν οἶνον τίθησι, καὶ ὅταν μεθυσθῶσι, τότε τὸν ἐλάσσω· σὺ τετήρηκας τὸν καλὸν οἶνον ἕως ἄρτι.
Free Grace Translation:
and said to him, "Everyone serves the good wine first, and whenever they might become drunk, then the inferior. You have kept the good wine until now!"
John 2:11
Greek Textus Receptus:
ταύτην ἐποίησε τὴν ἀρχὴν τῶν σημείων ὁ Ἰησοῦς ἐν Κανᾷ τῆς Γαλιλαίας καὶ ἐφανέρωσε τὴν δόξαν αὐτοῦ· καὶ ἐπίστευσαν εἰς αὐτὸν οἱ μαθηταὶ αὐτοῦ.
Free Grace Translation:
Jesus did this, the first of the miraculous signs, in Cana of Galilee and manifested His glory. And His disciples believed in Him.
John 2:12
Greek Textus Receptus:
Μετὰ τοῦτο κατέβη εἰς Καπερναούμ, αὐτὸς καὶ ἡ μήτηρ αὐτοῦ, καὶ οἱ ἀδελφοὶ αὐτοῦ, καὶ οἱ μαθηταὶ αὐτοῦ· καὶ ἐκεῖ ἔμειναν οὐ πολλὰς ἡμέρας.
Free Grace Translation:
After this He went down into Capernaum, He and His mother, and His brothers, and His disciples, and they remained there not many days.
John 2:13
Greek Textus Receptus:
Καὶ ἐγγὺς ἦν τὸ πάσχα τῶν Ἰουδαίων, καὶ ἀνέβη εἰς Ἱεροσόλυμα ὁ Ἰησοῦς.
Free Grace Translation:
And the Passover of the Jews was near, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem.
John 2:14
Greek Textus Receptus:
καὶ εὗρεν ἐν τῷ ἱερῷ τοὺς πωλοῦντας βόας καὶ πρόβατα καὶ περιστεράς, καὶ τοὺς κερματιστὰς καθημένους
Free Grace Translation:
And He found in the temple courtyard those selling oxen and sheep and doves, and the money-changers sitting at tables.
John 2:15
Greek Textus Receptus:
καὶ ποιήσας φραγέλλιον ἐκ σχοινίων πάντας ἐξέβαλεν ἐκ τοῦ ἱεροῦ, τά τε πρόβατα καὶ τοὺς βόας· καὶ τῶν κολλυβιστῶν ἐξέχεε τὸ κέρμα, καὶ τὰς τραπέζας ἀνέστρεψε·
Free Grace Translation:
And after making a whip from ropes, He drove them all out of the temple precincts, with the sheep and the oxen; and He poured out the coins of the money-changers, and overturned the tables.
John 2:16
Greek Textus Receptus:
καὶ τοῖς τὰς περιστερὰς πωλοῦσιν εἶπεν, Ἄρατε ταῦτα ἐντεῦθεν· μὴ ποιεῖτε τὸν οἶκον τοῦ πατρός μου οἶκον ἐμπορίου.
Free Grace Translation:
And to those selling the doves He said, "Take these away from here! Don't make the house of My Father a house of merchandise."
John 2:17
Greek Textus Receptus:
ἐμνήσθησαν δὲ οἱ μαθηταὶ αὐτοῦ ὅτι γεγραμμένον ἐστίν, Ὁ ζῆλος τοῦ οἴκου σου κατέφάγέ με.
Free Grace Translation:
And His disciples remembered that it is written, "Zeal for your house will consume me."
John 2:18
Greek Textus Receptus:
ἀπεκρίθησαν οὖν οἱ Ἰουδαῖοι καὶ εἶπον αὐτῷ, Τί σημεῖον δεικνύεις ἡμῖν, ὅτι ταῦτα ποιεῖς;
Free Grace Translation:
Then the Jews replied and said to Him, "What sign do you show to us, since you are doing these things?"
John 2:19
Greek Textus Receptus:
ἀπεκρίθη ὁ Ἰησοῦς καὶ εἶπεν αὐτοῖς, Λύσατε τὸν ναὸν τοῦτον, καὶ ἐν τρισὶν ἡμέραις ἐγερῶ αὐτόν.
Free Grace Translation:
Jesus answered and said to them, "Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up."
John 2:20
Greek Textus Receptus:
εἶπον οὖν οἱ Ἰουδαῖοι, Τεσσαράκοντα καὶ ἕξ ἔτεσιν ᾠκοδομήθη ὁ ναὸς οὗτος, καὶ σὺ ἐν τρισὶν ἡμέραις ἐγερεῖς αὐτόν;
Free Grace Translation:
Then the Jews said, "This temple has been under construction for forty-six years, and you will rebuild it in three days?"
John 2:21
Greek Textus Receptus:
ἐκεῖνος δὲ ἔλεγε περὶ τοῦ ναοῦ τοῦ σώματος αὐτοῦ.
Free Grace Translation:
But He was speaking about the temple of His body.
John 2:22
Greek Textus Receptus:
ὅτε οὖν ἠγέρθη ἐκ νεκρῶν, ἐμνήσθησαν οἱ μαθηταὶ αὐτοῦ ὅτι τοῦτο ἔλεγεν αὐτοῖς· καὶ ἐπίστευσαν τῇ γραφῇ, καὶ τῷ λόγῳ ᾧ εἶπεν ὁ Ἰησοῦς.
Free Grace Translation:
When therefore He was raised from the dead, His disciples remembered that He had said this; and they believed the Scripture, and the word which Jesus spoke.
Study Bible Commentary:
The reference to "the Scripture" is specfically to the Old Testament (cf. John 20:9; also see Luke 24:26-27; 1 Cor. 15:4).
John 2:23
Greek Textus Receptus:
Ὡς δὲ ἦν ἐν Ἱεροσολύμοις ἐν τῷ πάσχα, ἐν τῇ ἑορτῇ, πολλοὶ ἐπίστευσαν εἰς τὸ ὄνομα αὐτοῦ, θεωροῦντες αὐτοῦ τὰ σημεῖα ἃ ἐποίει.
Free Grace Translation:
And while He was in Jerusalem at the Passover, during the feast, many believed in His name, beholding of Him the miraculous signs that He was doing.
Study Bible Commentary:
In light of John 1:12, the phrase "believed in His name" (Jn. 2:23) should be understood as saving faith: "But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to be called children of God, even to those who believe in His name." Commenting on John 2:23, Luther affirms that "this faith is as yet a milk-faith." God's desire is that it should grow into something more trustworthy (cf. 1 Pet. 2:2). See John 4:45, Bible Translation Notes.
John 2:24
Greek Textus Receptus:
αὐτὸς δὲ ὁ Ἰησοῦς οὐκ ἐπίστευεν ἑαυτὸν αὐτοῖς, διὰ τὸ αὐτὸν γινώσκειν πάντας,
Free Grace Translation:
But Jesus was not entrusting Himself to them [to be made an earthly king before the appointed time], because He knew all men,
Study Bible Commentary:
Also see John 6:14-15; 18:36.
John 2:25
Greek Textus Receptus:
καὶ ὅτι οὐ χρείαν εἶχεν ἵνα τις μαρτυρήσῃ περὶ τοῦ ἀνθρώπου· αὐτὸς γὰρ ἐγίνωσκε τί ἦν ἐν τῷ ἀνθρώπῳ.
Free Grace Translation:
and because He had no need that anyone should testify concerning man, for He knew what was in man.
John 3:1
Greek Textus Receptus:
Ἦν δὲ ἄνθρωπος ἐκ τῶν Φαρισαίων, Νικόδημος ὄνομα αὐτῷ, ἄρχων τῶν Ἰουδαίων·
Free Grace Translation:
Now there was a man of the Pharisees named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews.
Study Bible Commentary:
"The name, in this instance, indicated the man’s station. Nicodemus means 'ruler of the people.' This outstanding Pharisee, of blameless life, was a suited example through whom to emphasize the imperative necessity of the birth from above." —H. A. Ironside, "Jesus Instructs a Great Teacher." The Sunday School Times (December 26, 1942), Vol. 84, Issue 52, p. 9.
John 3:2
Greek Textus Receptus:
οὗτος ἦλθε πρὸς τὸν Ἰησοῦν νυκτός, καὶ εἶπεν αὐτῷ, Ῥαββί, οἴδαμεν ὅτι ἀπὸ Θεοῦ ἐλήλυθας διδάσκαλος· οὐδεὶς γὰρ ταῦτα τὰ σημεῖα δύναται ποιεῖν ἃ σὺ ποιεῖς, ἐὰν μὴ ᾖ ὁ Θεὸς μετ’ αὐτοῦ.
Free Grace Translation:
He came to Jesus by night and said to Him, "Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher who has come from God, for no one is able to do these miraculous signs that you do, unless God is with Him."
John 3:3
Greek Textus Receptus:
Ἀπεκρίθη ὁ Ἰησοῦς καὶ εἶπεν αὐτῷ, Ἀμὴν ἀμὴν λέγω σοι, ἐὰν μή τις γεννηθῇ ἄνωθεν, οὐ δύναται ἰδεῖν τὴν βασιλείαν τοῦ Θεοῦ.
Free Grace Translation:
Jesus answered and said to him, "Truly, truly, I say to you, unless someone is born from above, he cannot see the kingdom of God."
Study Bible Commentary:
"While doubtless appreciating the earnestness of Nicodemus,
the Lord broke in on his laudatory introduction by a declaration that must have astonished this religious leader. The words of Jesus indicated that all his morality and spiritual culture counted for nothing. There must be a new life. What was needed was not simply a Teacher, but a life-giving Saviour. Till born again, one is blind to the realities of God’s Kingdom." —H. A. Ironside.
John 3:4
Greek Textus Receptus:
λέγει πρὸς αὐτὸν ὁ Νικόδημος, Πῶς δύναται ἄνθρωπος γεννηθῆναι γέρων ὤν; μὴ δύναται εἰς τὴν κοιλίαν τῆς μητρὸς αὐτοῦ δεύτερον εἰσελθεῖν καὶ γεννηθῆναι;
Free Grace Translation:
Nicodemus said to Him, "How can a man be born when he is old? He cannot go into his mother's womb a second time and be born, can he?"
Study Bible Commentary:
"'How can a man be born when he is old?' The amazed Pharisee raised a very natural question. How was this new birth to be brought about? Could one go through the whole process of nature a second time and so be born anew?" —H. A. Ironside.
John 3:5
Greek Textus Receptus:
ἀπεκρίθη ὁ Ἰησοῦς, Ἀμὴν ἀμὴν λέγω σοι, ἐὰν μή τις γεννηθῇ ἐξ ὕδατος καὶ Πνεύματος, οὐ δύναται εἰσελθεῖν εἰς τὴν βασιλείαν τοῦ Θεοῦ.
Free Grace Translation:
Jesus answered, "Truly, truly, I say to you, unless someone is born of water and Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God."
Study Bible Commentary:
"Water is the well-known symbol, as used in both Testaments of the Word of God, which gives life and cleanses. See Psalm 119:9 and Ezekiel 36:25, 26. Compare John 4:14 and Ephesians 5:26. No matter if one could be born a second time according to the natural order, he would be no better off than before. The birth of which Jesus spoke must be produced by the Word and Spirit of God. See 1 Peter 1:23-25 and James 1:18. Compare with these Titus 3:5." —H. A. Ironside.
John 3:6
Greek Textus Receptus:
τὸ γεγεννημένον ἐκ τῆς σαρκὸς σάρξ ἐστι· καὶ τὸ γεγεννημένον ἐκ τοῦ πνεύματος πνεῦμά ἐστι.
Free Grace Translation:
"What is born of the flesh is flesh, and what is born of the Spirit is Spirit."
Study Bible Commentary:
"'Born of the flesh . . . born of the Spirit.' The two are contrasted. The birth after the flesh produces flesh. The birth after the Spirit produces spirit — a new, spiritual nature. See this amplified in Galatians 5:17-24. Nothing can change flesh into spirit. There must be a new life altogether." —H. A. Ironside.
John 3:7
Greek Textus Receptus:
μὴ θαυμάσῃς ὅτι εἶπόν σοι, Δεῖ ὑμᾶς γεννηθῆναι ἄνωθεν.
Free Grace Translation:
"Don't be amazed that I said to you, 'You must be born from above.'"
Study Bible Commentary:
"'Ye must be born again.' This is the only way by which one, born after the flesh, may become a new creature. In Tennyson’s 'Maud' he cries out,
This is exactly what occurs when one receives the Gospel message in faith. Then the Spirit of God produces the new life and the man is born again." —H. A. Ironside.
John 3:8
Greek Textus Receptus:
τὸ πνεῦμα ὅπου θέλει πνεῖ, καὶ τὴν φωνὴν αὐτοῦ ἀκούεις, ἀλλ’ οὐκ οἶδας πόθεν ἔρχεται καὶ ποῦ ὑπάγει· οὕτως ἐστὶ πᾶς ὁ γεγεννημένος ἐκ τοῦ πνεύματος.
Free Grace Translation:
"The wind blows where it wishes, and you hear the sound of it, but you don't know where it comes from and where it goes, so is everyone who is born of the Spirit."
Study Bible Commentary:
"Jesus draws a lesson from nature. The wind is unseen and no man comprehends its origin or its activity. So it is with the new birth. When one is born again, the change is seen in his behavior and attitude toward God and man, but none can analyze or explain the spiritual reality that has taken place." —H. A. Ironside.
John 3:9
Greek Textus Receptus:
ἀπεκρίθη Νικόδημος καὶ εἶπεν αὐτῷ, Πῶς δύναται ταῦτα γενέσθαι;
Free Grace Translation:
Nicodemus answered and said to Him, "How can these things be?"
Study Bible Commentary:
"'How can these things be?' The question of Nicodemus indicates both his bewilderment and his concern. He had received a new idea of what is involved in relationship to God, but how was it to be brought about?" —H. A. Ironside.
John 3:10
Greek Textus Receptus:
ἀπεκρίθη ὁ Ἰησοῦς καὶ εἶπεν αὐτῷ, Σὺ εἶ ὁ διδάσκαλος τοῦ Ἰσραήλ, καὶ ταῦτα οὐ γινώσκεις;
Free Grace Translation:
Jesus answered and said to him, "Are you the teacher of Israel, and you don't understand these things?"
Study Bible Commentary:
"Jesus drives home the fact that all his learning has fallen short of the mark, for, though familiar with the letter of Scripture, Nicodemus had never realized its spiritual import. Is not this true of many today?" —H. A. Ironside.
John 3:11
Greek Textus Receptus:
ἀμὴν ἀμὴν λέγω σοι ὅτι ὃ οἴδαμεν λαλοῦμεν, καὶ ὃ ἑωράκαμεν μαρτυροῦμεν· καὶ τὴν μαρτυρίαν ἡμῶν οὐ λαμβάνετε.
Free Grace Translation:
"Truly, truly, I say to you, we speak about what we know, and we testify about what we've seen, and yet you don't receive our testimony."
Study Bible Commentary:
"Jesus dealt not in religious theories or sacramental vagaries. He bore witness to realities, for all down through the centuries of the past, God had been producing this new birth in those who received His Word — as the Scriptures bear witness — but this the doctor of the law had failed to realize." —H. A. Ironside.
John 3:12
Greek Textus Receptus:
εἰ τὰ ἐπίγεια εἶπον ὑμῖν καὶ οὐ πιστεύετε, πῶς, ἐὰν εἴπω ὑμῖν τὰ ἐπουράνια, πιστεύσετε;
Free Grace Translation:
"If I told you earthly things and you don't believe, how, if I tell you heavenly things, will you believe?"
Study Bible Commentary:
"'Earthly things . . . heavenly things.' The necessity of the new birth was not a strange and novel doctrine. It was linked with the entire earthly system given by Moses. David knew this when he cried, 'Create in me a clean heart, . . . and renew a right spirit within me' (Psa. 51:10). But the fuller revelation of eternal life connected with the birth from above was a new and heavenly revelation which was characteristic of our Lord’s ministry. This He was about to unfold to Nicodemus, though he seemed as yet unready to receive it." —H. A. Ironside.
John 3:13
Greek Textus Receptus:
καὶ οὐδεὶς ἀναβέβηκεν εἰς τὸν οὐρανόν, εἰ μὴ ὁ ἐκ τοῦ οὐρανοῦ καταβάς, ὁ υἱὸς τοῦ ἀνθρώπου ὁ ὤν ἐν τῷ οὐρανῷ
Free Grace Translation:
"And no one has ascended into heaven, except He who came down from heaven, the Son of Man who is in heaven."
Study Bible Commentary:
"This verse seems to come in parenthetically, in order to explain the Lord’s title to minister heavenly things. He belonged to Heaven. Even while walking the earth as man, He dwelt in the bosom of the Father in the fullness of communion as the Heavenly One." —H. A. Ironside.
John 3:14
Greek Textus Receptus:
καὶ καθὼς Μωσῆς ὕψωσε τὸν ὄφιν ἐν τῇ ἐρήμῳ, οὕτως ὑψωθῆναι δεῖ τὸν υἱὸν τοῦ ἀνθρώπου·
Free Grace Translation:
"And just as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up,"
Study Bible Commentary:
"'As Moses lifted up the serpent . . . even so must the Son of man be lifted up.' With the event to which Jesus referred, Nicodemus was familiar. The application was new. As the uplifted, brazen serpent was for all who looked to it the means of life and healing, so the Lord Jesus must be lifted up on the cross for the redemption of a lost world." —H. A. Ironside.
"The Serpent of Brass. This was a remarkable type of Christ taking the sinner’s place — being made sin for us (Num. 21:8). It was through the serpent (Satan) that sin came into the world. The serpent of brass pictured Jesus Christ enduring the judgment (of which brass is the symbol) when He bore our sins in His own body on the tree. But though made sin, He was sinless (2 Cor. 5:21). In that brazen serpent there was no poison. So Jesus was holy, harmless, undefiled, separate from sinners (Heb. 7:26). All who looked to the lifted-up serpent were freed from their agony and pain. All who look to Jesus Christ are saved eternally." —H. A. Ironside.
John 3:15
Greek Textus Receptus:
ἵνα πᾶς ὁ πιστεύων εἰς αὐτὸν μὴ ἀπόληται, ἀλλ’ ἔχῃ ζωὴν αἰώνιον.
Free Grace Translation:
"so that everyone who believes in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life."
Bible Translation Notes:
“The man who has faith has (the present tense points to a present possession) eternal life in Christ. […] This is the first mention in this Gospel of eternal life”. (Leon Morris, The Gospel According to John [Grand Rapids: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co., 1971], pp. 226-227, brackets added, comment on John 3:15.)
“Anyone who believes has (the present tense points to a present possession) eternal life in Christ. […] This is the first mention in this Gospel of eternal life”. (Leon Morris, The Gospel According to John, Revised Edition [Grand Rapids: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co., 1995], pp. 200-201, brackets added, comment on John 3:15.)
Study Bible Commentary:
"Of old, it was whosoever looked to the serpent was healed. Now, whosoever believes, that is, looks in faith to the crucified Saviour, receives eternal life. To have eternal life is to be born again." —H. A. Ironside.
John 3:16
Greek Textus Receptus:
Οὕτω γὰρ ἠγάπησεν ὁ Θεὸς τὸν κόσμον, ὥστε τὸν υἱὸν αὐτοῦ τὸν μονογενῆ ἔδωκεν, ἵνα πᾶς ὁ πιστεύων εἰς αὐτὸν μὴ ἀπόληται, ἀλλ’ ἔχῃ ζωὴν αἰώνιον.
Free Grace Translation:
"For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life."
Bible Translation Notes:
"'The change from the aorist (ἀπόληται) to the present (ἔχῃ) is to be noted, the utter ruin being spoken of as an act, the possession of life eternal as an enduring experience' (Meyer, Weiss, Holtzmann)." —Expositor's Greek Testament, commentary on John 3:16.
Study Bible Commentary:
"'God so loved . . . that he gave.' Well has this verse been called 'The Miniature Bible' and 'The Gospel in a Nutshell.' It is the whole story of God’s grace to lost mankind told in twenty-five words. In love God gave His Son — gave Him up to the death of the cross — that anyone who trusts in Him may know that death and judgment
are forever past, and everlasting life is the present portion of each believer." —H. A. Ironside.
John 3:17
Greek Textus Receptus:
οὐ γὰρ ἀπέστειλεν ὁ Θεὸς τὸν υἱὸν αὐτοῦ εἰς τὸν κόσμον ἵνα κρίνῃ τὸν κόσμον, ἀλλ’ ἵνα σωθῇ ὁ κόσμος δι’ αὐτοῦ.
Free Grace Translation:
"For God did not send His Son into the world to judge the world, but that the world through Him might be saved."
John 3:18
Greek Textus Receptus:
ὁ πιστεύων εἰς αὐτὸν οὐ κρίνεται· ὁ δὲ μὴ πιστεύων ἤδη κέκριται, ὅτι μὴ πεπίστευκεν εἰς τὸ ὄνομα τοῦ μονογενοῦς υἱοῦ τοῦ Θεοῦ.
Free Grace Translation:
"The one who believes in Him is not judged; but the one who does not believe has been judged already, because he has not believed in the name of the one and only Son of God."
John 3:19
Greek Textus Receptus:
αὕτη δέ ἐστιν ἡ κρίσις ὅτι τὸ φῶς ἐλήλυθεν εἰς τὸν κόσμον καὶ ἠγάπησαν οἱ ἄνθρωποι μᾶλλον τὸ σκότος ἢ τὸ φῶς· ἦν γὰρ πονηρὰ αὐτῶν τὰ ἔργα
Free Grace Translation:
"And this is the judgment, that the light has come into the world, and people loved the darkness rather than the light, for their deeds were evil."
John 3:20
Greek Textus Receptus:
πᾶς γὰρ ὁ φαῦλα πράσσων μισεῖ τὸ φῶς, καὶ οὐκ ἔρχεται πρὸς τὸ φῶς, ἵνα μὴ ἐλεγχθῇ τὰ ἔργα αὐτοῦ.
Free Grace Translation:
"For everyone committing vileness hates the light, and does not come to the light, so that his deeds may not be exposed."
John 3:21
Greek Textus Receptus:
ὁ δὲ ποιῶν τὴν ἀλήθειαν ἔρχεται πρὸς τὸ φῶς, ἵνα φανερωθῇ αὐτοῦ τὰ ἔργα, ὅτι ἐν Θεῷ ἐστιν εἰργασμένα.
Free Grace Translation:
"But the one who does the truth comes to the light, in order that his works may be clearly seen, that they have been done in God."
John 3:22
Greek Textus Receptus:
Μετὰ ταῦτα ἦλθεν ὁ Ἰησοῦς καὶ οἱ μαθηταὶ αὐτοῦ εἰς τὴν Ἰουδαίαν γῆν· καὶ ἐκεῖ διέτριβε μετ’ αὐτῶν καὶ ἐβάπτιζεν.
Free Grace Translation:
After these things Jesus and His disciples went into the Judean countryside, and He was sojourning there with them and was baptizing.
John 3:23
Greek Textus Receptus:
ἦν δὲ καὶ Ἰωάννης βαπτίζων ἐν Αἰνὼν ἐγγὺς τοῦ Σαλείμ, ὅτι ὕδατα πολλὰ ἦν ἐκεῖ· καὶ παρεγίνοντο καὶ ἐβαπτίζοντο.
Free Grace Translation:
Now John also was baptizing in Aenon near Salim, because there was much water there, and people were coming and were being baptized.
John 3:24
Greek Textus Receptus:
οὔπω γὰρ ἦν βεβλημένος εἰς τὴν φυλακὴν ὁ Ἰωάννης.
Free Grace Translation:
For John had not yet been thrown into prison.
John 3:25
Greek Textus Receptus:
ἐγένετο οὖν ζήτησις ἐκ τῶν μαθητῶν Ἰωάννου μετὰ Ἰουδαίων περὶ καθαρισμοῦ.
Free Grace Translation:
Then a dispute arose between John's disciples and some Jews concerning ceremonial washing.
John 3:26
Greek Textus Receptus:
καὶ ἦλθον πρὸς τὸν Ἰωάννην καὶ εἶπον αὐτῷ, Ῥαββί, ὃς ἦν μετὰ σοῦ πέραν τοῦ Ἰορδάνου, ᾧ σὺ μεμαρτύρηκας, ἴδε οὗτος βαπτίζει, καὶ πάντες ἔρχονται πρὸς αὐτόν.
Free Grace Translation:
And they came to John and said to him, "Rabbi, He who was with you on the other side of the Jordan, to whom you have borne witness — behold, He is baptizing, and all the people are going to Him!"
John 3:27
Greek Textus Receptus:
ἀπεκρίθη Ἰωάννης καὶ εἶπεν, Οὐ δύναται ἄνθρωπος λαμβάνειν οὐδέν, ἐὰν μὴ ᾖ δεδομένον αὐτῷ ἐκ τοῦ οὐρανοῦ.
Free Grace Translation:
John answered and said, "A man can receive nothing unless it has been given to him from heaven."
John 3:28
Greek Textus Receptus:
αὐτοὶ ὑμεῖς μοι μαρτυρεῖτε ὅτι εἶπον, Οὐκ εἰμὶ ἐγὼ ὁ Χριστός, ἀλλ’ ὅτι ἀπεσταλμένος εἰμὶ ἔμπροσθεν ἐκείνου.
Free Grace Translation:
"You yourselves can bear witness to me that I said, 'I am not the Christ,' but 'I have been sent before Him.'"
John 3:29
Greek Textus Receptus:
ὁ ἔχων τὴν νύμφην, νυμφίος ἐστίν· ὁ δὲ φίλος τοῦ νυμφίου, ὁ ἑστηκὼς καὶ ἀκούων αὐτοῦ, χαρᾷ χαίρει διὰ τὴν φωνὴν τοῦ νυμφίου· αὕτη οὖν ἡ χαρὰ ἡ ἐμὴ πεπλήρωται.
Free Grace Translation:
"The one who has the bride is the bridegroom, but the friend of the bridegroom, the one who stands by and listens for him, rejoices greatly because of the voice of the bridegroom. Therefore this joy of mine has been made full."
John 3:30
Greek Textus Receptus:
ἐκεῖνον δεῖ αὐξάνειν, ἐμὲ δὲ ἐλαττοῦσθαι.
Free Grace Translation:
"He must increase, but I must decrease."
John 3:31
Greek Textus Receptus:
Ὁ ἄνωθεν ἐρχόμενος ἐπάνω πάντων ἐστίν. ὁ ὢν ἐκ τῆς γῆς, ἐκ τῆς γῆς ἐστι, καὶ ἐκ τῆς γῆς λαλεῖ· ὁ ἐκ τοῦ οὐρανοῦ ἐρχόμενος ἐπάνω πάντων ἐστί.
Free Grace Translation:
"The One who comes from on high is above all. The one who is from the earth, is earthly, and speaks of the earth. The One who comes from heaven is above all."
Bible Translation Notes:
I followed Tyndale's translation for my translation of John 3:31 in regards to the phrase "on high". This was also the reading used in several of the other early English Bibles, e.g. The Geneva Bible, The Bishops Bible, and The Coverdale Bible (where the same phrase is variously spelled "an hye" or "an hie"). Most of the more recent English Bible translations read similar to how the English Standard Version translates it: "He who comes from above is above all" (Jn. 3:31, ESV), where two different Greek words (ἄνωθεν, ἐπάνω) are translated using the same English word ("above"). I chose to follow Tyndale's translation here because it points to the fact that two different words are employed in the Greek.
John 3:32
Greek Textus Receptus:
καὶ ὃ ἑώρακε καὶ ἤκουσε, τοῦτο μαρτυρεῖ· καὶ τὴν μαρτυρίαν αὐτοῦ οὐδεὶς λαμβάνει.
Free Grace Translation:
"And what He has seen and heard, this He testifies, and yet no one receives His testimony."
John 3:33
Greek Textus Receptus:
ὁ λαβὼν αὐτοῦ τὴν μαρτυρίαν ἐσφράγισεν ὅτι ὁ Θεὸς ἀληθής ἐστιν.
Free Grace Translation:
"The one who receives His testimony confirms that God is true."
John 3:34
Greek Textus Receptus:
ὃν γὰρ ἀπέστειλεν ὁ Θεός, τὰ ῥήματα τοῦ Θεοῦ λαλεῖ· οὐ γὰρ ἐκ μέτρου δίδωσιν ὁ Θεὸς τὸ Πνεῦμα.
Free Grace Translation:
"For He whom God sent, speaks the words of God. For God gives the Spirit without measure."
John 3:35
Greek Textus Receptus:
ὁ πατὴρ ἀγαπᾷ τὸν υἱόν, καὶ πάντα δέδωκεν ἐν τῇ χειρὶ αὐτοῦ.
Free Grace Translation:
"The Father loves the Son, and has given all things into His hand."
John 3:36
Greek Textus Receptus:
ὁ πιστεύων εἰς τὸν υἱὸν ἔχει ζωὴν αἰώνιον· ὁ δὲ ἀπειθῶν τῷ υἱῷ, οὐκ ὄψεται ζωήν, ἀλλ’ ἡ ὀργὴ τοῦ Θεοῦ μένει ἐπ’ αὐτόν.
Free Grace Translation:
"The one who believes in the Son has eternal life, but the one who refuses to believe in the Son will not see life, but the wrath of God remains on him."
Bible Translation Notes:
Grk. "but the one refusing to be persuaded by the Son." The Greek word ἀπειθῶν is a present active participle = "refusing to be persuaded". J. H. Thayer notes the following in his Greek-English Lexicon: "ἀπειθέω, ἀπειθῶ; imperfect ἠπείθουν; 1 aorist ἠπείθησα; to be ἀπειθής (which see); not to allow oneself to be persuaded; not to comply with; a. to refuse or withhold belief (in Christ, in the gospel; opposed to πιστεύω): τῷ υἱῷ, John 3:36;" (Thayer, Thayer's Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament [Grand Rapids: Baker Book House, 1977], p. 55, s.v. ἀπειθέω, ἀπειθῶ. Note: The Fourth Edition of Thayer's Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament, published by T. and T. Clark in 1901, was used in preparation of this edition.)
Also see Bauer's Greek-English Lexicon (1st edition) on the same word, when it says: "[S]ince, in the view of the early Christians, the supreme disobedience was a refusal to believe their gospel, a[peitheō] may be restricted in some passages to the m[eaning] disbelieve, be an unbeliever. This sense, though greatly disputed (it is not found outside our lit[erature]), seems most probable in J 3:36; Ac 14:2; 19:9; Ro 15:31, and only slightly less prob. in Ro 2:8; 1 Pt 2:8; 3:1, perh[aps] also vs. 20; 4:17; IMg 8:2." (Walter Bauer, William F. Arndt, and F. Wilbur Gingrich, A Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament and Other Early Christian Literature, 1st English Edition [Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1957], p. 82, brackets added.)
The Exegetical Dictionary of the New Testament notes: "[I]n John 3:36….ʾAπειθειν becomes a t.t. [technical term] for nonacceptance of the Christian faith.” (Exegetical Dictionary of the New Testament [Grand Rapids: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co., 1990], vol. 1, p. 118, ellipsis added.)
Bill Mounce, the NT Greek scholar, affirms: "ἀπειθέω [-, ἠπείθησα, -, -, -] to be uncompliant; to refuse belief, disbelieve, John 3:36;" (William D. Mounce, The Analytical Lexicon to the Greek New Testament [Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1993], p. 84, brackets his.)
John 4:1
Greek Textus Receptus:
Ὡς οὖν ἔγνω ὁ Κύριος ὅτι ἤκουσαν οἱ Φαρισαῖοι ὅτι Ἰησοῦς πλείονας μαθητὰς ποιεῖ καὶ βαπτίζει ἢ Ἰωάννης
Free Grace Translation:
When therefore the Lord knew that the Pharisees heard that Jesus was making and baptizing more disciples than John
John 4:2
Greek Textus Receptus:
καίτοιγε Ἰησοῦς αὐτὸς οὐκ ἐβάπτιζεν, ἀλλ’ οἱ μαθηταὶ αὐτοῦ,
Free Grace Translation:
(although Jesus Himself was not baptizing, but His disciples),
John 4:3
Greek Textus Receptus:
ἀφῆκε τὴν Ἰουδαίαν, καὶ ἀπῆλθε πάλιν εἰς τὴν Γαλιλαίαν.
Free Grace Translation:
He left Judea, and departed again into Galilee.
John 4:4
Greek Textus Receptus:
ἔδει δὲ αὐτὸν διέρχεσθαι διὰ τῆς Σαμαρείας.
Free Grace Translation:
But it was necessary for Him to pass through Samaria.
Study Bible Commentary:
"Ordinarily, the prejudiced Jew, who detested the Samaritans, would take an altogether different route to pass from Judea to Galilee. Fording the Jordan east of Jericho, he went northward and entered Galilee from Perea, just south of the Sea of Galilee. But the Lord Jesus Christ had an appointment to meet. He knew that a poor sinner was to be reached that day and He could not take any other route." —H. A. Ironside, "Jesus and the Woman at the Well." The Sunday School Times (Jan. 11, 1947), Vol. 89, Issue 2, p. 9. Note: Dr. Ironside's commentary is based on the King James Version of the Bible.
"This was not a geographical necessity, but the 'must' of the will of God. See Luke 2:49; John 3:14; Acts 19:21; 1 Corinthians 9:16. Does the holy imperative of the will of God direct our lives?" —J. C. Macaulay, "Christian Relations Among Races." The Sunday School Times (Aug. 18, 1951), Vol. 93, Issue 33, p. 6.
John 4:5
Greek Textus Receptus:
ἔρχεται οὖν εἰς πόλιν τῆς Σαμαρείας λεγομένην Συχάρ, πλησίον τοῦ χωρίου ὃ ἔδωκεν Ἰακὼβ Ἰωσὴφ τῷ υἱῷ αὐτοῦ·
Free Grace Translation:
So He came into a city of Samaria called Sychar, near the parcel of land that Jacob gave to his son Joseph.
Study Bible Commentary:
"'The parcel of ground that Jacob gave to his son Joseph.' This was close to Sychar. We read of it in Genesis 33:19 and 48:22. It was there the bones of Joseph were buried (Josh. 24: 32)." —H. A. Ironside, "Jesus and the Woman at the Well." The Sunday School Times (Jan. 11, 1947), Vol. 89, Issue 2, p. 9. Note: Dr. Ironside's commentary is based on the King James Version of the Bible.
John 4:6
Greek Textus Receptus:
ἦν δὲ ἐκεῖ πηγὴ τοῦ Ἰακώβ. ὁ οὖν Ἰησοῦς κεκοπιακὼς ἐκ τῆς ὁδοιπορίας ἐκαθέζετο οὕτως ἐπὶ τῇ πηγῇ ὥρα ἦν ὡσεὶ ἕκτη.
Free Grace Translation:
And Jacob's well was there. Therefore Jesus, being wearied from the journey, was sitting thus upon the well. It was about the sixth hour [i.e. mid-day].
Study Bible Commentary:
"How this emphasizes the true humanity of our Lord. As man He became tired. As the eternal God He never was weary (Isa. 40:28)." —H. A. Ironside.
John 4:7
Greek Textus Receptus:
ἔρχεται γυνὴ ἐκ τῆς Σαμαρείας ἀντλῆσαι ὕδωρ· λέγει αὐτῇ ὁ Ἰησοῦς, Δός μοι πιεῖν
Free Grace Translation:
A Samaritan woman came to draw water. Jesus said to her, "Give Me a drink."
Study Bible Commentary:
"In order to win the confidence of the Samaritan woman Jesus took the place of a suppliant and asked a favor of her, which amazed her, accustomed, as she was, to the scornful attitude of the Jews toward people of her nationality and religion." —H. A. Ironside.
John 4:8
Greek Textus Receptus:
οἱ γὰρ μαθηταὶ αὐτοῦ ἀπεληλύθεισαν εἰς τὴν πόλιν, ἵνα τροφὰς ἀγοράσωσι.
Free Grace Translation:
For His disciples had gone away into the city, that they might buy food.
Study Bible Commentary:
"This interview was in sacred confidence between Christ and a sinner. No other human ear heard what went on that day, but the Holy Spirit has recorded it for our instruction." —H. A. Ironside.
John 4:9
Greek Textus Receptus:
λέγει οὖν αὐτῷ ἡ γυνὴ ἡ Σαμαρεῖτις, Πῶς σὺ Ἰουδαῖος ὢν παρ’ ἐμοῦ πιεῖν αἰτεῖς, οὔσης γυναικὸς Σαμαρείτιδος; οὐ γὰρ συγχρῶνται Ἰουδαῖοι Σαμαρείταις.
Free Grace Translation:
Then the Samaritan woman said to Him, "How is it that you, being a Jew, ask for a drink from me, a Samaritan woman?" (For Jews don't associate with Samaritans.)
Study Bible Commentary:
"The explanation of her surprise is given in the last part of the verse. For centuries there had been bitter strife between these two groups." —H. A. Ironside.
John 4:10
Greek Textus Receptus:
ἀπεκρίθη Ἰησοῦς καὶ εἶπεν αὐτῇ, Εἰ ᾔδεις τὴν δωρεὰν τοῦ Θεοῦ, καὶ τίς ἐστιν ὁ λέγων σοι, Δός μοι πιεῖν, σὺ ἂν ᾔτησας αὐτόν, καὶ ἔδωκεν ἄν σοι ὕδωρ ζῶν.
Free Grace Translation:
Jesus answered and said to her, "If you knew the gift of God, and who is the one saying to you, 'Give Me a drink,' you would ask Him, and He would give you living water."
Study Bible Commentary:
"Note the two things brought out here. The gift of God is eternal life (Rom. 6:23). He who sat by the well was the Son of God, the embodiment of that life. To know Him is to possess eternal life." —H. A. Ironside.
John 4:11
Greek Textus Receptus:
λέγει αὐτῷ ἡ γυνή, Κύριε, οὔτε ἄντλημα ἔχεις, καὶ τὸ φρέαρ ἐστὶ βαθύ· πόθεν οὖν ἔχεις τὸ ὕδωρ τὸ ζῶν;
Free Grace Translation:
The woman said to Him, "Sir, you have no bucket, and the well is deep. From where then do you get the living water?"
John 4:12
Greek Textus Receptus:
μὴ σὺ μείζων εἶ τοῦ πατρὸς ἡμῶν Ἰακώβ, ὃς ἔδωκεν ἡμῖν τὸ φρέαρ, καὶ αὐτὸς ἐξ αὐτοῦ ἔπιε, καὶ οἱ υἱοὶ αὐτοῦ, καὶ τὰ θρέμματα αὐτοῦ;
Free Grace Translation:
"Surely you're not greater than our forefather Jacob, who gave the well to us, and he drank from it, and his sons, and his livestock?"
John 4:13
Greek Textus Receptus:
ἀπεκρίθη ὁ Ἰησοῦς καὶ εἶπεν αὐτῇ, Πᾶς ὁ πίνων ἐκ τοῦ ὕδατος τούτου, διψήσει πάλιν·
Free Grace Translation:
Jesus answered and said to her, "Everyone drinking from this water will thirst again."
John 4:14
Greek Textus Receptus:
ὃς δ’ ἂν πίῃ ἐκ τοῦ ὕδατος οὗ ἐγὼ δώσω αὐτῷ, οὐ μὴ διψήσῃ εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα· ἀλλὰ τὸ ὕδωρ ὃ δώσω αὐτῷ γενήσεται ἐν αὐτῷ πηγὴ ὕδατος ἁλλομένου εἰς ζωὴν αἰώνιον.
Free Grace Translation:
"But whoever drinks from the water that I will give him will never thirst again, but the water that I will give him will become in him a well of water springing up unto eternal life."
Bible Translation Notes:
For the phrase "εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα" (eis ton aiōna), see Bauer's Greek-English Lexicon (4th ed.), p. 28, s.v. αἰών.
John 4:15
Greek Textus Receptus:
λέγει πρὸς αὐτὸν ἡ γυνή, Κύριε, δός μοι τοῦτο τὸ ὕδωρ, ἵνα μὴ διψῶ, μηδὲ ἔρχωμαι ἐνθάδε ἀντλεῖν.
Free Grace Translation:
The woman said to Him, "Sir, give this water to me, that I may not thirst, nor come here to draw."
John 4:16
Greek Textus Receptus:
λέγει αὐτῇ ὁ Ἰησοῦς, Ὕπαγε, φώνησον τὸν ἄνδρα σου, καὶ ἐλθὲ ἐνθάδε.
Free Grace Translation:
Jesus said to her, "Go, call your husband, and come here."
John 4:17
Greek Textus Receptus:
ἀπεκρίθη ἡ γυνὴ καὶ εἶπεν, Οὐκ ἔχω ἄνδρα. λέγει αὐτῇ ὁ Ἰησοῦς, Καλῶς εἶπας ὅτι Ἄνδρα οὐκ ἔχω·
Free Grace Translation:
The woman answered and said, "I don't have a husband." Jesus said to her, "You rightly said, 'I don't have a husband.'"
John 4:18
Greek Textus Receptus:
πέντε γὰρ ἄνδρας ἔσχες, καὶ νῦν ὃν ἔχεις οὐκ ἔστι σου ἀνήρ· τοῦτο ἀληθὲς εἴρηκας.
Free Grace Translation:
"For you had five husbands, and now he whom you have is not your husband. This you have said truly."
John 4:19
Greek Textus Receptus:
λέγει αὐτῷ ἡ γυνή, Κύριε, θεωρῶ ὅτι προφήτης εἶ σύ.
Free Grace Translation:
The woman said to Him, "Sir, I perceive that you are a prophet."
John 4:20
Greek Textus Receptus:
οἱ πατέρες ἡμῶν ἐν τούτῳ τῷ ὄρει προσεκύνησαν· καὶ ὑμεῖς λέγετε ὅτι ἐν Ἱεροσολύμοις ἐστὶν ὁ τόπος ὅπου δεὶ προσκυνεῖν.
Free Grace Translation:
"Our forefathers worshiped on this mountain, and yet you say that in Jerusalem is the place where it is necessary to worship."
Study Bible Commentary:
"This Mountain or Jerusalem. The Samaritans had built a temple on Mt. Gerizim, which they claimed was the place God had chosen. The Jews, in accordance with His Word, had their Temple on Mt. Moriah, in Jerusalem. When awakened as to the importance of spiritual things, the age-old question as to which of these temples was the proper place to meet God pressed upon this woman’s heart. Jesus answered her anxious inquiry by showing that God can be reached anywhere, if there be sincerity in seeking His face. He is Himself seeking worshipers, and to this end has sent His servants to proclaim His message of truth and grace throughout the world." —H. A. Ironside, "Jesus Winning Souls." The Sunday School Times (January 2, 1943), Vol. 85, Issue 1, p. 9. Note: Dr. Ironside's commentary is based on the King James Version of the Bible.
John 4:21
Greek Textus Receptus:
λέγει αὐτῇ ὁ Ἰησοῦς, Γύναι, πίστευσόν μοι, ὅτι ἔρχεται ὥρα, ὅτε οὔτε ἐν τῷ ὄρει τούτῳ, οὔτε ἐν Ἱεροσολύμοις προσκυνήσετε τῷ πατρί.
Free Grace Translation:
Jesus said to her, "Woman, believe Me, that an hour is coming when neither on this mountain, nor in Jerusalem, will you worship the Father."
John 4:22
Greek Textus Receptus:
ὑμεῖς προσκυνεῖτε ὃ οὐκ οἴδατε· ἡμεῖς προσκυνοῦμεν ὃ οἴδαμεν· ὅτι ἡ σωτηρία ἐκ τῶν Ἰουδαίων ἐστίν.
Free Grace Translation:
"You worship what you do not know; we worship what we know, because salvation is from the Jews."
John 4:23
Greek Textus Receptus:
ἀλλ’ ἔρχεται ὥρα καὶ νῦν ἐστιν, ὅτε οἱ ἀληθινοὶ προσκυνηταὶ προσκυνήσουσι τῷ πατρὶ ἐν πνεύματι καὶ ἀληθείᾳ· καὶ γὰρ ὁ πατὴρ τοιούτους ζητεῖ τοὺς προσκυνοῦντας αὐτόν.
Free Grace Translation:
"But an hour is coming and now is, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and in truth, for the Father also seeks such as these to worship Him."
John 4:24
Greek Textus Receptus:
Πνεῦμα ὁ Θεός· καὶ τοὺς προσκυνοῦντας αὐτόν, ἐν πνεύματι καὶ ἀληθείᾳ δεῖ προσκυνεῖν.
Free Grace Translation:
"God is Spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and in truth."
John 4:25
Greek Textus Receptus:
λέγει αὐτῷ ἡ γυνή, Οἶδα ὅτι Μεσσίας ἔρχεται ὁ λεγόμενος Χριστός· ὅταν ἔλθῃ ἐκεῖνος, ἀναγγελεῖ ἡμῖν πάντα.
Free Grace Translation:
The woman said to Him, "I know that Messiah is coming, the one who is called Christ. When He comes, He will tell us all things."
John 4:26
Greek Textus Receptus:
λέγει αὐτῇ ὁ Ἰησοῦς, Ἐγώ εἰμι, ὁ λαλῶν σοι.
Free Grace Translation:
Jesus said to her, "I am He, the one speaking to you."
John 4:27
Greek Textus Receptus:
Καὶ ἐπὶ τούτῳ ἦλθον οἱ μαθηταὶ αὐτοῦ, καὶ ἐθαύμασαν ὅτι μετὰ γυναικὸς ἐλάλει· οὐδεὶς μέντοι εἶπε, Τί ζητεῖς; ἤ, Τί λαλεῖς μετ’ αὐτῆς;
Free Grace Translation:
And at this point His disciples came back, and they were surprised because he was speaking with a woman; yet no one said, "What do you want?" or, "Why are you speaking with her?"
Study Bible Commentary:
"To these men, jealous of their Master’s reputation, it seemed strange that He should give so much time to a woman of so disreputable a character. She was not only a despised Samaritan, but evidently of notoriously evil life. But it was to save such that the Lord Jesus came." —H. A. Ironside, "Jesus Winning Souls." The Sunday School Times (January 2, 1943), Vol. 85, Issue 1, p. 8.
"They could not understand why the Lord Jesus should take such an interest in a characterless Samaritan who, they felt, had no claim on Him as the Messiah of Israel (John 1:49)." —H. A. Ironside, "Jesus and the Woman at the Well." The Sunday School Times (Jan. 11, 1947), Vol. 89, Issue 2, p. 9.
John 4:28
Greek Textus Receptus:
ἀφῆκεν οὖν τὴν ὑδρίαν αὐτῆς ἡ γυνή, καὶ ἀπῆλθεν εἰς τὴν πόλιν, καὶ λέγει τοῖς ἀνθρώποις,
Free Grace Translation:
Then the woman left her water jar, and went away into the city, and said to the people,
Study Bible Commentary:
"The thirst of her soul quenched with the living water, she forgot her waterpot for love of Him, and hastened away to carry the good news to her townsfolk." —H. A. Ironside, "Jesus Winning Souls." The Sunday School Times (January 2, 1943), Vol. 85, Issue 1, p. 8
"Her soul satisfied, she seemed to forget the thirst of the body, and hastened to tell of Jesus." —H. A. Ironside, "Jesus and the Woman at the Well." The Sunday School Times (Jan. 11, 1947), Vol. 89, Issue 2, p. 9.
John 4:29
Greek Textus Receptus:
Δεῦτε, ἴδετε ἄνθρωπον, ὃς εἶπέ μοι πάντα ὅσα ἐποίησα· μήτι οὗτός ἐστιν ὁ Χριστός;
Free Grace Translation:
"Come, see a man who told me all the things I ever did! Perhaps this is the Christ?"
Bible Translation Notes:
See Bauer's Greek-English Lexicon (4th ed.), p. 575, "μήτι ⟦mḗti⟧ a marker that invites a negative response to the question that it introduces. [...] Also in questions in which the questioner is in doubt concerning the answer, perhaps (Ps.-Callisth. 2, 14, 9 μήτι σὺ ὁ Ἀλέξανδρος;) Mt 12:23; J 4:29". Dr. James Boyer of Grace Theological Seminary makes a similar statement: "When μή or μήτι is used with the indicative mood, most often a negative answer is expected. [...] Sometimes μή with the indicative is used in a question that does not demand a negative answer, but on the contrary, it almost seems to demand a positive answer yet with some HESITANCY. See John 4:29 and Matthew 12:23." (Boyer, "Greek Exegetical Methods", Grace Theological Seminary, 1973-74.) Also see: J. H. Moulton, A Grammar of New Testament Greek, vol. 1, p. 170; A. T. Robertson, A Grammar of the Greek New Testament in Light of Historical Research, p. 1167.
Study Bible Commentary:
"With holy enthusiasm, she told how she had found One who had torn off the veil that hid the sins of the past and revealed to her the true condition of her life. How could He who had done this — when He had never seen her before — be other than the promised Christ, that is, the expected Messiah?" —H. A. Ironside.
John 4:30
Greek Textus Receptus:
ἐξῆλθον οὖν ἐκ τῆς πόλεως, καὶ ἤρχοντο πρὸς αὐτόν.
Free Grace Translation:
Therefore they went out from the city, and were coming to Him.
Study Bible Commentary:
"So well did she do her part that the men to whom she spoke hastened out to the well to see and hear Him of whom they had heard, for themselves." —H. A. Ironside.
John 4:31
Greek Textus Receptus:
ἐν δὲ τῷ μεταξὺ ἠρώτων αὐτὸν οἱ μαθηταὶ λέγοντες, Ῥαββί, φάγε.
Free Grace Translation:
But in the meantime the disciples were urging Him, saying, "Rabbi, eat something."
Study Bible Commentary:
"Busied about temporal things, a hasty meal had been prepared,
to which, apparently, the Lord Jesus paid no attention, so absorbed was He in the salvation of this sinful woman." —H. A. Ironside.
John 4:32
Greek Textus Receptus:
ὁ δὲ εἶπεν αὐτοῖς, Ἐγὼ βρῶσιν ἔχω φαγεῖν ἣν ὑμεῖς οὐκ οἴδατε.
Free Grace Translation:
But He said to them, "I have food to eat that you do not know."
Study Bible Commentary:
"The all-engrossing passion of His soul was doing the Father’s will in saving the lost." —H. A. Ironside.
John 4:33
Greek Textus Receptus:
ἔλεγον οὖν οἱ μαθηταὶ πρὸς ἀλλήλους, Μήτις ἤνεγκεν αὐτῷ φαγεῖν;
Free Grace Translation:
Therefore the disciples were saying to one another, "Did anyone bring Him food to eat?"
Study Bible Commentary:
"So inquired the perplexed disciples one of another. They, as yet, knew nothing of that passion for souls which supersedes all other considerations." —H. A. Ironside.
John 4:34
Greek Textus Receptus:
λέγει αὐτοῖς ὁ Ἰησοῦς, Ἐμὸν βρῶμά ἐστιν, ἵνα ποιῶ τὸ θέλημα τοῦ πέμψαντός με, καὶ τελειώσω αὐτοῦ τὸ ἔργον.
Free Grace Translation:
Jesus said to them, "My food is that I should do the will of Him who sent Me, and that I should accomplish His work."
Study Bible Commentary:
"It was for this purpose He came into the world (Matt. 20:28), and He would never be satisfied until He could say, 'I have finished the work which thou gavest me to do' (John 17:4). It was the joy of His heart to do the Father’s will, even though it meant going to the cross to redeem mankind and to glorify the Father in the scene where He had been so terribly dishonored." —H. A. Ironside.
John 4:35
Greek Textus Receptus:
οὐχ ὑμεῖς λέγετε ὅτι Ἔτι τετράμηνόν ἐστι, καὶ ὁ θερισμὸς ἔρχεται; ἰδού, λέγω ὑμῖν, Ἐπάρατε τοὺς ὀφθαλμοὺς ὑμῶν, καὶ θεάσασθε τὰς χώρας, ὅτι λευκαί εἰσι πρὸς θερισμόν ἤδη.
Free Grace Translation:
"Do you not say, 'There are yet four months, and then comes the harvest'? Behold, I say to you, lift up your eyes and look at the fields, because they are white for harvest!"
Bible Translation Notes:
In the oldest biblical manuscripts of the New Testament, the Greek word ἤδη ("already") is joined with the next verse. (See Robertson's Word Pictures in the New Testament, Vincent's Word Studies in the New Testament; and The Expositor's Greek Testament.)
Study Bible Commentary:
"While they could see the growing grain all about them, it would be some months yet before the harvest would be ready for reaping. But He saw all about Him the ripened fruit, waiting for spiritual reapers who had opened eyes and burning hearts. He would have the disciples contemplate the waiting throngs in such need of the Gospel message that, spurred on by a holy zeal such as that which was consuming Him, they, too, might go forth to win souls." —H. A. Ironside.
John 4:36
Greek Textus Receptus:
καὶ ὁ θερίζων μισθὸν λαμβάνει, καὶ συνάγει καρπὸν εἰς ζωὴν αἰώνιον· ἵνα καὶ ὁ σπείρων ὁμοῦ χαίρῃ καὶ ὁ θερίζων.
Free Grace Translation:
"And already the one who reaps receives a wage, and gathers fruit into eternal life, so that both the one sowing and the one reaping may rejoice together."
Bible Translation Notes:
For the phrase "into eternal life," cf. Alford's Greek Testament, commentary on John 4:36: "The μισθός [wage/reward] of the θερίζων [reaper] is in the χαρά [joy/delight] here implied, in having gathered many into eternal life, just as the βρῶσις [food] of the σπείρων [sower] was His joy already begun in His heavenly work." Commenting on John 4:36, Alfred Plummer similarly notes: "Eternal life is the granery into which the fruit is gathered; comp. v. 14, and for similar imagery Matt. ix. 37, 38." (Plummer, The Gospel According to S. John [Cambridge: The University Press, 1882], pp. 124-125, italics his.)
Study Bible Commentary:
"For those who labored faithfully in the world’s great harvest field there would be sure reward in that day when all who served God here shall give account of their labors. Whether it be one’s lot to sow or to reap, the reward will be the same and both will rejoice together in that day of manifestation." —H. A. Ironside.
John 4:37
Greek Textus Receptus:
ἐν γὰρ τούτῳ ὁ λόγος ἐστὶν ἀληθινός, ὅτι ἄλλος ἐστὶν ὁ σπείρων, καὶ ἄλλος ὁ θερίζων.
Free Grace Translation:
"For in this the saying is true, that one sows and another reaps."
Study Bible Commentary:
"It is not given to all to see the immediate result of their labors, but he who first carries the message has as great a place in the divine economy of soul-winning as he who leads men to
definite decision for Christ (1 Cor. 3:5-8)." —H. A. Ironside.
John 4:38
Greek Textus Receptus:
ἐγὼ ἀπέστειλα ὑμᾶς θερίζειν ὃ οὐχ ὑμεῖς κεκοπιάκατε· ἄλλοι κεκοπιάκασι, καὶ ὑμεῖς εἰς τὸν κόπον αὐτῶν εἰσεληλύθατε.
Free Grace Translation:
"I sent you to reap what you have not labored for; others have labored, and you have entered into their labor."
Study Bible Commentary:
"Prophets and holy men in past years had given out the Word of God. In due time Christ came and He commissioned His apostles to continue the great work of calling the nation of Israel first, and the Gentiles later on, to heed the message of grace." —H. A. Ironside.
John 4:39
Greek Textus Receptus:
Ἐκ δὲ τῆς πόλεως ἐκείνης πολλοὶ ἐπίστευσαν εἰς αὐτὸν τῶν Σαμαρειτῶν διὰ τὸν λόγον τῆς γυναικὸς, μαρτυρούσης ὅτι Εἶπέ μοι πάντα ὅσα ἐποίησα.
Free Grace Translation:
And from that city many of the Samaritans believed in Him because of the woman's statement, testifying that "He told me all the things I ever did!"
Study Bible Commentary:
"Such is the power of fervent testimony. This redeemed woman became an evangelist to the men of Sychar, and through her witness many came to trust in the Saviour for themselves." —H. A. Ironside.
John 4:40
Greek Textus Receptus:
ὡς οὖν ἦλθον πρὸς αὐτὸν οἱ Σαμαρεῖται, ἠρώτων αὐτὸν μεῖναι παρ’ αὐτοῖς· καὶ ἔμεινεν ἐκεῖ δύο ἡμέρας.
Free Grace Translation:
Then when the Samaritans came to Him, they were asking Him to stay with them; and He stayed there two days.
Study Bible Commentary:
"So eager were these people of a despised race to hear more and to know Him better that they pleaded with the Lord Jesus Christ to remain among them. He therefore stayed on for two days, instructing them further in the way of life." —H. A. Ironside.
John 4:41
Greek Textus Receptus:
καὶ πολλῷ πλείους ἐπίστευσαν διὰ τὸν λόγον αὐτοῦ,
Free Grace Translation:
And many more believed because of His word,
Study Bible Commentary:
"These had not been influenced particularly by the woman to whom He had revealed Himself at the well, but they were ready to hear His own message, and faith came by hearing (Rom. 10:17)." —H. A. Ironside.
John 4:42
Greek Textus Receptus:
τῇ τε γυναικὶ ἔλεγον ὅτι Οὐκέτι διὰ τὴν σὴν λαλιὰν πιστεύομεν· αὐτοὶ γὰρ ἀκηκόαμεν, καὶ οἴδαμεν ὅτι οὗτός ἐστιν ἀληθῶς ὁ Σωτὴρ τοῦ κόσμου, ὁ Χριστός.
Free Grace Translation:
and they were saying to the woman, "It is no longer because of what you said that we believe; for we have heard for ourselves, and we know that this is truly the Savior of the world, the Christ!"
Bible Translation Notes:
Some of the oldest New Testament manuscripts do not contain the words: ὁ Χριστός ("the Christ").
Study Bible Commentary:
"Note the fullness of their confession — a recognition of the mystery of His person that compares favorably with the declaration made by Peter some time afterward (Matt. 16:16)." —H. A. Ironside.
John 4:43
Greek Textus Receptus:
Μετὰ δὲ τὰς δύο ἡμέρας ἐξῆλθεν ἐκεῖθεν, καὶ ἀπῆλθεν εἰς τὴν Γαλιλαίαν
Free Grace Translation:
And after two days He departed from there, and went away into Galilee.
John 4:44
Greek Textus Receptus:
αὐτὸς γὰρ ὁ Ἰησοῦς ἐμαρτύρησεν ὅτι προφήτης ἐν τῇ ἰδίᾳ πατρίδι τιμὴν οὐκ ἔχει.
Free Grace Translation:
For Jesus Himself testified that a prophet has no honor in his own country.
John 4:45
Greek Textus Receptus:
ὅτε οὖν ἦλθεν εἰς τὴν Γαλιλαίαν, ἐδέξαντο αὐτὸν οἱ Γαλιλαῖοι, πάντα ἑωρακότες ἃ ἐποίησεν ἐν Ἱεροσολύμοις ἐν τῇ ἑορτῇ· καὶ αὐτοὶ γὰρ ἦλθον εἰς τὴν ἑορτήν.
Free Grace Translation:
Therefore when He came into Galilee, the Galileans received Him, having seen all the things which He did in Jerusalem at the feast, for they also went to the feast.
Bible Translation Notes:
On the verb ἐδέξαντο ("received"), see Moulton and Milligan's The Vocabulary of the Greek Testament, s.v. δέχομαι. It should also be noted that there is a connection between this verse (4:45) and John 2:23. Commenting on John 4:45, Alfred Plummer writes: “at the feast. The Passover; but there is no need to name it, because it has already been mentioned in connexion with these miracles, ii. 23. Perhaps these Galilaeans who then witnessed the miracles were the chief of the many who then believed.” (Plummer, The Gospel According to S. John [Cambridge: The University Press, 1882], p. 126. The Greek text in Plummer's original statement has been translated into English.)
John 4:46
Greek Textus Receptus:
Ἦλθεν οὖν ὁ Ἰησοῦς πάλιν εἰς τὴν Κανᾶ τῆς Γαλιλαίας, ὅπου ἐποίησε τὸ ὕδωρ οἶνον. καὶ ἦν τις βασιλικός, οὗ ὁ υἱὸς ἠσθένει ἐν Καπερναούμ
Free Grace Translation:
Then Jesus came again into Cana of Galilee, where He made the water wine. And there was a certain royal official, whose son was ill in Capernaum.
John 4:47
Greek Textus Receptus:
οὗτος ἀκούσας ὅτι Ἰησοῦς ἥκει ἐκ τῆς Ἰουδαίας εἰς τὴν Γαλιλαίαν, ἀπῆλθε πρὸς αὐτόν, καὶ ἠρώτα αὐτὸν ἵνα καταβῇ καὶ ἰάσηται αὐτοῦ τὸν υἱόν· ἤμελλε γὰρ ἀποθνήσκειν.
Free Grace Translation:
This man, after hearing that Jesus had come from Judea into Galilee, went to Him, and was imploring Him that He would come down and heal his son; for he was about to die.
John 4:48
Greek Textus Receptus:
εἶπεν οὖν ὁ Ἰησοῦς πρὸς αὐτόν, Ἐὰν μὴ σημεῖα καὶ τέρατα ἴδητε, οὐ μὴ πιστεύσητε.
Free Grace Translation:
Therefore Jesus said to him, "Unless you see signs and wonders, you will never believe."
John 4:49
Greek Textus Receptus:
λέγει πρὸς αὐτὸν ὁ βασιλικός, Κύριε, κατάβηθι πρὶν ἀποθανεῖν τὸ παιδίον μου.
Free Grace Translation:
The royal official said to Him, "Sir, come down before my child dies."
John 4:50
Greek Textus Receptus:
λέγει αὐτῷ ὁ Ἰησοῦς, Πορεύου· ὁ υἱός σου ζῇ. καὶ ἐπίστευσεν ὁ ἄνθρωπος τῷ λόγῳ ᾦ εἶπεν αὐτῷ Ἰησοῦς, καὶ ἐπορεύετο.
Free Grace Translation:
Jesus said to him, "Go, your son lives." And the man believed the word that Jesus spoke to him, and started on his way.
Bible Translation Notes:
Commenting on John 4:50b, A. T. Robertson writes: "Went his way (επορευετο). Inchoative imperfect middle, 'started on his way,' acted on his faith." (Robertson, Word Pictures in the New Testament.) Describing the inchoative imperfect Greek verb, Herbert Weir Smyth explains: "Inchoative Imperfect.—The imperfect may denote the beginning of an action or of a series of actions". (Smyth, A Greek Grammar for Colleges [New York: American Book Company, 1920], p. 426.)
John 4:51
Greek Textus Receptus:
ἤδη δὲ αὐτοῦ καταβαίνοντος, οἱ δοῦλοι αὐτοῦ ἀπήντησαν αὐτῷ, καὶ ἀπήγγειλαν λέγοντες ὅτι Ὁ παῖς σου ζῇ.
Free Grace Translation:
But while he was still on his way down, his servants met him and reported saying, "Your boy lives!"
John 4:52
Greek Textus Receptus:
ἐπύθετο οὖν παρ’ αὐτῶν τὴν ὥραν ἐν ᾗ κομψότερον ἔσχε. καὶ εἶπον αὐτῷ ὅτι Χθὲς ὥραν ἑβδόμην ἀφῆκεν αὐτὸν ὁ πυρετός.
Free Grace Translation:
Then he inquired from them the hour in which he got better. And they said to him, "Yesterday at the seventh hour the fever left him."
Bible Translation Notes:
Grk. "got better." See Moulton and Milligan, The Vocabulary of the Greek New Testament, s.v. κομψως: "With the adverbial phrase Jn 4:52 κομψότερον ἔσχε, 'got better' (rather than 'began to amend' AV, RV)". Commenting on John 4:52, A. T. Robertson similarly states: "Began to mend (κομψοτερον εσχεν). Second aorist ingressive active indicative of εχω (took a turn, got better) and comparative of adverb κομψως." (Robertson, Word Pictures in the New Testament.)
John 4:53
Greek Textus Receptus:
ἔγνω οὖν ὁ πατὴρ ὅτι ἐν ἐκείνῃ τῇ ὥρᾳ, ἐν ᾗ εἶπεν αὐτῷ ὁ Ἰησοῦς, ὅτι Ὁ υἱός σου ζῇ· καὶ ἐπίστευσεν αὐτὸς καὶ ἡ οἰκία αὐτοῦ ὅλη.
Free Grace Translation:
Then the father knew that it was at that same hour in which Jesus said to him, "You son lives." And he himself believed, and his entire household.
Bible Translation Notes:
Commenting on John 4:53, Alfred Plummer writes: "ἔγνω. Recognized. Perceived." (Plummer, The Gospel According to S. John [Cambridge: The University Press, 1882], p. 128.) Also see Bauer's Greek-English Lexicon (4th ed.), pp. 176-177, s.v. γινώσκω, "3. to grasp the significance or meaning of someth., understand, comprehend ... C. w. ὅτι foll[owing] ... J 4:53" (ellipsis and brackets added). Also note: I followed the early modern English Bible translations (Tyndale's NT - the NKJV) for the reading "the same hour". The Greek text simply says "in that hour", but the idea of course is "in that same hour". The KJV and NKJV both read "at the same hour".
John 4:54
Greek Textus Receptus:
τοῦτο πάλιν δεύτερον σημεῖον ἐποίησεν ὁ Ἰησοῦς, ἐλθὼν ἐκ τῆς Ἰουδαίας εἰς τὴν Γαλιλαίαν.
Free Grace Translation:
This was again a second miraculous sign that Jesus did, after coming from Judea into Galilee.
John 5:1
Greek Textus Receptus:
Μετὰ ταῦτα ἦν ἑορτὴ τῶν Ἰουδαίων, καὶ ἀνέβη ὁ Ἰησοῦς εἰς Ἱεροσόλυμα.
Free Grace Translation:
After these things there was a feast of the Jews, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem.
John 5:2
Greek Textus Receptus:
Ἔστι δὲ ἐν τοῖς Ἱεροσολύμοις ἐπὶ τῇ προβατικῇ κολυμβήθρα, ἡ ἐπιλεγομένη Ἑβραϊστὶ Βηθεσδά, πέντε στοὰς ἔχουσα.
Free Grace Translation:
Now there is in Jerusalem by the Sheep Gate a pool, called Bethesda in Hebrew, having five porches.
Bible Translation Notes:
John says, "Now there is [present tense] in Jerusalem...a pool" (5:2). Jerusalem was destroyed in 70 A.D. by the Romans. The fact that John writes in the present tense has led some to conclude that his Gospel was written before 70 A.D., because the pool was only unearthed last century (late 19th century, 1888), and rediscovered again in 1956. However, A. T. Robertson gives a plausible explanation for John's use of the present tense. Commenting on John 5:2, Robertson writes: "There is (εστιν). Bengel argues that this proves a date before the destruction of Jerusalem, but it is probably only John's vivid memory." (See Robertson's Word Pictures in the New Testament.) Commenting on the same text, Henry Alford writes: "ἔστιν has been thought by Bengel and others to import that John wrote his Gospel before the destruction of Jerusalem. But this must not be pressed. He might have spoken in the present without meaning to be literally accurate at the moment when he was writing (see Prolegg. to John, § iv. 6)." (Alford, The Greek Testament, commentary on John 5:2.) Also see the Wikipedia entry for "Koine Greek", when it says under the heading "New Testament Greek": "The 'historical present' tense is a term used for present tense verbs that are used in some narrative sections of the New Testament to describe events that are in the past with respect to the speaker. This is seen more in works attributed to Mark and John than Luke." (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Koine_Greek) Although it should be noted that Daniel B. Wallace takes the alternative view: that John's use of εστιν in 5:2 does lend credence to an early date of writing for John's Gospel. See Wallace's article: "John 5,2 and the Date of the Fourth Gospel," Biblica, Vol. 71, No. 2 (1990), as well as his follow-up article titled "John 5:2 and the Date of the Fourth Gospel ... again" (bible.org, Nov, 6, 2006). Also see a third article by Wallace on the subject, "John 5.2 Once More Time: A Response to Andreas Köstenberger" (bible.org, June 15, 2007). It is probably well to note that in his Biblica article on the topic, Wallace candidly states: "I will be the first, however, to admit that the arguments advanced in this paper are not air-tight.”
Study Bible Commentary:
"This [i.e. the pool of Bethesda], we are told, was located near to the Sheep Gate (rather than market), and the name means 'House of mercy.'" —H. A. Ironside, "Jesus the Great Physician." The Sunday School Times (January 9, 1943), Vol. 85, Issue 2, p. 8. Note: Dr. Ironside's commentary is based on the King James Version of the Bible.
John 5:3
Greek Textus Receptus:
ἐν ταύταις κατέκειτο πλῆθος πολὺ τῶν ἀσθενούντων, τυφλῶν, χωλῶν, ξηρῶν, ἐκδεχομένων τὴν τοῦ ὕδατος κίνησιν
Free Grace Translation:
In these were lying a great many of the sick, blind, lame, & paralyzed, waiting for the moving of the water.
Bible Translation Notes:
"The oldest and best manuscripts omit what the Textus Receptus adds here 'waiting for the moving of the water' (εκδεχομενον την του υδατος κινησιν), a Western and Syrian addition to throw light on the word ταραχθη (is troubled) in verse 7." (A. T. Robertson, Word Pictures in the New Testament [New York: Harper & Brothers Publishers, 1932], 6 vols., vol. 5, p. 79, comment on John 5:3.) Commenting on John 5:3b-4, H. A. Ironside affirms: "A Possible Interpolation. Many ancient manuscripts omit the last line of verse 3 and all of verse 4. They are not found in the Revised Version. It is possible that these words are not part of the inspired text, but, at any rate, they indicate the common view of the Jews and probably of the early Christians. The healing was the mercy of God extended to some who had faith to step into the troubled waters, whether an actual angel came down at times or not." —H. A. Ironside, "Jesus the Great Physician." The Sunday School Times (January 9, 1943), Vol. 85, Issue 2, p. 9. Note: Dr. Ironside's commentary is based on the King James Version of the Bible.
Study Bible Commentary:
"In the five porches of Bethesda there were gathered a great
group of distressed invalids, each hoping his turn would come to avail
himself of the relief when the waters were troubled." —H. A. Ironside.
John 5:4
Greek Textus Receptus:
ἄγγελος γὰρ κατὰ καιρὸν κατέβαινεν ἐν τῇ κολυμβήθρᾳ, καὶ ἐτάρασσε τὸ ὕδωρ· ὁ οὖν πρῶτος ἐμβὰς μετὰ τὴν ταραχὴν τοῦ ὕδατος, ὑγιὴς ἐγίνετο, ᾧ δήποτε κατειχετο νοσήματι.
Free Grace Translation:
For an angel went down at times into the pool, and disturbed the water; then the one stepping in first after the disturbing of the water became well, in reference to whatever sickness he was held by.
Bible Translation Notes:
"All of this verse is wanting in the oldest and best manuscripts like Aleph B C D W 33 Old Syriac, Coptic versions, Latin Vulgate. It is undoubtedly added, like the clause in verse 3, to make clearer the statement in verse 7. Tertullian is the earliest writer to mention it. The Jews explained the healing virtues of the intermittent spring by the ministry of angels. But the periodicity of such angelic visits makes it difficult to believe. It is a relief to many to know that the verse is spurious." (A. T. Robertson, Word Pictures in the New Testament, comment on John 5:4.) Dean Alford adds a helpful comment when he says: "As a marginal gloss, it certainly does good service, as explaining both the obscure points—the assemblage of sick, and the answer of the man, verse 7." (Alford, The Greek Testament, comment on John 5:4; cf. Alfred Plummer's comments on John 5:4 in his commentary The Gospel According to S. John.)
Study Bible Commentary:
John 5:5
Greek Textus Receptus:
ἦν δέ τις ἄνθρωπος ἐκεῖ τριάκοντα καὶ ὀκτὼ ἔτη ἔχων ἐν τῇ ἀσθενείᾳ.
Free Grace Translation:
Now a certain man was there who had been in his infirmity thirty-eight years.
Bible Translation Notes:
Some Greek MSS include the word αὐτοῦ after ἀσθενείᾳ, so that rather than "in bodily weakness", the text reads "in his bodily weakness". (See Alfred Plummer, The Gospel According to S. John [Cambridge: The University Press, 1882], p. 130, note on John 5:5.) The idea is basically the same either way; since even without the word "his", the context clarifies that the man is the one who had the infirmity.Study Bible Commentary:
"Long before the Saviour came to earth, this man’s illness began. At last, the set time had come for his relief." —H. A. Ironside.
John 5:6
Greek Textus Receptus:
τοῦτον ἰδὼν ὁ Ἰησοῦς κατακείμενον, καὶ γνοὺς ὅτι πολὺν ἤδη χρόνον ἔχει, λέγει αὐτῷ, Θέλεις ὑγιὴς γενέσθαι;
Free Grace Translation:
Jesus seeing him lying bedridden, and knowing that he had already been there a long time, said to him, "Do you want to get well?"
Study Bible Commentary:
"The question was direct and simple, and the same question comes to every needy soul today. The great Healer is waiting to manifest His power on behalf of those who are ready to be healed." —H. A. Ironside.
John 5:7
Greek Textus Receptus:
ἀπεκρίθη αὐτῷ ὁ ἀσθενῶν, Κύριε, ἄνθρωπον οὐκ ἔχω ἵνα, ὅταν ταραχθῇ τὸ ὕδωρ, βάλλῃ με εἰς τὴν κολυμβήθραν· ἐν ᾧ δὲ ἔρχομαι ἐγώ, ἄλλος πρὸ ἐμοῦ καταβαίνει.
Free Grace Translation:
The invalid answered Him, "Sir, I have no man that, whenever the water is stirred up, he might put me into the pool; but while I am going, another goes down before me."
Study Bible Commentary:
"Not realizing who it was that had so definitely inquired concerning his desire to be made whole, the palsied man thought only of being helped into the pool, and as he had no friend interested enough to assist him, he felt his case was hopeless." —H. A. Ironside.
John 5:8
Greek Textus Receptus:
λέγει αὐτῷ ὁ Ἰησοῦς, Ἔγεῖραι, ἆρον τὸν κράββατόν σου, καὶ περιπάτει.
Free Grace Translation:
Jesus said to him, "Arise, pick up your mat and walk."
Study Bible Commentary:
"The command of the Lord produced faith in the sick one’s heart [cf. Rom. 10:17]. There was that about the words of Jesus that led the hearer to definite action." —H. A. Ironside.
John 5:9
Greek Textus Receptus:
καὶ εὐθέως ἐγένετο ὑγιὴς ὁ ἄνθρωπος, καὶ ἦρε τὸν κράββατον αὐτοῦ καὶ περιεπάτει. Ἦν δὲ σάββατον ἐν ἐκείνῃ τῇ ἡμέρᾳ.
Free Grace Translation:
And immediately the man became well, and he picked up his mat and began walking. Now it was a Sabbath on that day.
Bible Translation Notes:
The imperfect περιεπάτει should probably be understood as an inceptive imperfect, and thus the translation "began walking". (See the discussion by Gary F. Zeolla, Companion Volume to the Analytical-Literal Translation, Third Edition [2007], p. 64.) Thus John 5:9b in the New American Standard Bible (the NASB) reads: "began walking"; the NET Bible: "started walking"; the Living Water translation edited by Art Farstad: "started to walk"; the Weymouth NT: "began to walk", etc.
Study Bible Commentary:
"As he acted upon the words of Jesus, new life entered his withered limbs, and he who had been helpless for so long sprang to his feet, a well man. One would have supposed everyone who saw what had taken place would have rejoiced because of so great a manifestation of divine power. But the narrow, bigoted legalists, who were looking on, remembered it was the holy Sabbath Day, and so engrossed were they with the letter of the law and their own human traditions added to it, they could not imagine God thus showing mercy to the poor cripple on His sacred day." —H. A. Ironside.John 5:10
Greek Textus Receptus:
ἔλεγον οὖν οἱ Ἰουδαῖοι τῷ τεθεραπευμένῳ, Σάββατόν ἐστιν· οὐκ ἔξεστί σοι ἆραι τὸν κράββατον
Free Grace Translation:
Therefore the Jews were saying to the man who had been healed, "It is a Sabbath day; it is not lawful for you to pick up the mat."
Study Bible Commentary:
"The law forbade labor on the Sabbath, and as Nehemiah had forbidden the Tyrean
Merchants and their customers to bear burdens on that day (Neh. 18:19), there had grown up a great body of rules and regulations regarding the size and weight
of articles that might lawfully be carried by the faithful at that time. To these Jewish legalists the punctilious observance of the rules. and traditions of the elders was far more important than the relief of human suffering." —H. A. Ironside.
John 5:11
Greek Textus Receptus:
Free Grace Translation:
But he answered them, "The one who made me well, He said to me, 'Take your mat and walk.'"
Bible Translation Notes:Study Bible Commentary:
"The man’s answer to their faultfinding was definite and based on logical reasoning. If Jesus had power to heal his body, He had the authority to command his obedience." —H. A. Ironside.
John 5:12
Greek Textus Receptus:
ἠρώτησαν οὖν αὐτόν, Τίς ἐστιν ὁ ἄνθρωπος ὁ εἰπών σοι, Ἆρον τὸν κράββατόν σου καὶ περιπάτει;
Free Grace Translation:
Therefore they asked him, "Who is the man who said to you, 'Pick up your mat and walk?'"
Study Bible Commentary:
"Whether actually ignorant or not of the name of the great Healer, they challenged the man who was carrying his bed to give his deliverer’s name, that they might accuse Him." —H. A. Ironside.
John 5:13
Greek Textus Receptus:
ὁ δὲ ἰαθεὶς οὐκ ᾔδει τίς ἐστιν· ὁ γὰρ Ἰησοῦς ἐξένευσεν, ὄχλου ὄντος ἐν τῷ τόπῳ.
Free Grace Translation:
But the man who was healed didn't know who He was; for Jesus withdrew, a crowd being in the place.
Bible Translation Notes:
Grk. "Jesus turned aside." See Bauer's Lexicon (4th ed.), p. 271, s.v. "ἐκνεύω ⟦ekneúō⟧ (νεύω ‘nod’) fut. 3 sg. ἐκνεύσει (Mi 6:14); 1 aor. ἐξένευσα (Eur., X. et al.) ‘turn’ (4 Km 2:24; 23:16; 3 Macc 3:22) to draw away from, turn aside, withdraw ... J 5:13" (ellipsis added). Commenting on this verse, Vincent adds, "Had conveyed Himself away [εξενευσεν] . The verb means, literally, to turn the head aside, in order to avoid something. Hence, generally, to retire or withdraw. Only here in the New Testament." (Vincent's Word Studies, comment on John 5:13, brackets his. Also see W. R. Nicoll, The Expositor's Greek Testament, commentary on 5:13.)
Study Bible Commentary:
"Actually, Jesus had not made Himself known by name to the one He had benefited. And He had mingled with the crowd, so that His presence was not readily discerned." —H. A. Ironside.John 5:14
Greek Textus Receptus:
μετὰ ταῦτα εὑρίσκει αὐτὸν ὁ Ἰησοῦς ἐν τῷ ἱερῷ, καὶ εἶπεν αὐτῷ, Ἴδε ὑγιὴς γέγονας· μηκέτι ἁμάρτανε, ἵνα μὴ χεῖρόν τί σοι γένηται.
Free Grace Translation:
After these things Jesus found him in the temple courtyard, and said to him, "See, you have become well; sin no more, so that nothing worse may befall you."
Bible Translation Notes:
Compare John 8:11, where Jesus say to the woman caught in adultery, "Neither do I condemn you; go and sin no more." (Grk. Οὐδὲ ἐγώ σε κατακρίνω· πορεύου καὶ μηκέτι ἁμάρτανε.) The Expositor's Greek Testament has this wonderful comment on John 5:14: "Though the healed man had failed to keep hold of Jesus, Jesus does not lose hold of him, but εὑρίσκει αὐτὸν ἐν τῷ ἱερῷ, 'finds him,' as if He had been looking out for him". Also note that the "something worse" that Jesus mentions should not be taken as a reference to hell or eternal punishment, for as Alfred Plummer points out: "Suffering serves other ends than punishment: 'whom the Lord loveth He chasteneth;' and comp. ix. 3." Plummer goes on to say, "χεῖρόν ['a worse thing']. Not necessarily hell: even in this life there might be a worse thing than the sickness which had consumed more than half [the] man's threescore and ten [years]." (Plummer, The Gospel According to S. John, p. 135, note on John 5:14.)
Study Bible Commentary:
"Who can doubt but that a sense of gratitude to God for his renewed strength had drawn the man to the house of the Lord, where Jesus found him again, and gave a word of warning, saying, 'Sin no more, lest a worse thing come unto thee.' This makes it evident that the man’s long illness had some connection with sin previously committed. He was warned to be careful in the future and not to
turn the grace of God into lasciviousness (Jude 4). When God deals with us in grace, we are not to abuse His lovingkindness, nor to presume upon its continuance if we walk after the flesh (Gal. 5:13)." —H. A. Ironside.
John 5:15
Greek Textus Receptus:
ἀπῆλθεν ὁ ἄνθρωπος, καὶ ἀνήγγειλε τοῖς Ἰουδαίοις ὅτι Ἰησοῦς ἐστιν ὁ ποιήσας αὐτὸν ὑγιῆ.
Free Grace Translation:
The man went away, and reported to the Jews that Jesus was the one who made him well.
Study Bible Commentary:
"Revealing the name of his benefactor to those who found fault with him for carrying his bed, he perhaps hoped that they would turn to Him also." —H. A. Ironside.
John 5:16
Greek Textus Receptus:
καὶ διὰ τοῦτο ἐδίωκον τὸν Ἰησοῦν οἱ Ἰουδαῖοι, καὶ ἐζήτουν αὐτὸν ἀποκτεῖναι, ὅτι ταῦτα ἐποίει ἐν σαββάτῳ.
Free Grace Translation:
And for this reason the Jews began to persecute Jesus, and sought to kill Him, because He was doing these things on the Sabbath.
Bible Translation Notes:
"Persecute (εδιωκον). Inchoative imperfect, 'began to persecute' and kept it up." (A. T. Robertson, Word Pictures in the New Testament, comment on John 5:16; cf. Marvin R. Vincent Word Studies in the New Testament; W. R. Nicoll, The Expositor's Greek Testament.) Commenting on the second half of the verse, Marvin R. Vincent points out: "And sought to kill him. The best texts omit." (Vincent's Word Studies, comment on John 5:16.) Everett F. Harrison affirms: "The words and sought to slay him lack sufficient manuscript authority." (Harrison, The Wycliffe Bible Commentary, p. 1083.)
Study Bible Commentary:
"With terrible malignancy, these men, who made their boast in the Law, would have destroyed Him who came to fulfill the Law and the prophets; had they been permitted to do so." —H. A. Ironside.
John 5:17
Greek Textus Receptus:
ὁ δὲ Ἰησοῦς ἀπεκρίνατο αὐτοῖς, Ὁ πατήρ μου ἕως ἄρτι ἐργάζεται, κἀγὼ ἐργάζομαι.
Free Grace Translation:
But Jesus answered them, "My Father is working until now, and I am working."
Study Bible Commentary:
"God’s rest after the work of creation was finished had soon been broken because of man’s sin, and He had never kept a sabbath of perfect freedom from service to mankind since. As the Father thus wrought [worked], so the Son was constantly occupied in repairing sin’s ravages. For Him there could be no true sabbath rest from toil and labor until the work of redemption was accomplished." —H. A. Ironside.
John 5:18
Greek Textus Receptus:
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.
Free Grace Translation:
For this reason therefore the Jews were seeking even more to kill Him, because not only was He breaking the Sabbath, but He was also calling God His own Father, making Himself equal with God.
John 5:19
Greek Textus Receptus:
Ἀπεκρίνατο οὖν ὁ Ἰησοῦς καὶ εἶπεν αὐτοῖς, Ἀμὴν ἀμὴν λέγω ὑμῖν, οὐ δύναται ὁ υἱὸς ποιεῖν ἀφ’ ἑαυτοῦ οὐδέν, ἐὰν μή τι βλέπῃ τὸν πατέρα ποιοῦντα· ἃ γὰρ ἂν ἐκεῖνος ποιῇ, ταῦτα καὶ ὁ υἱὸς ὁμοίως ποιεῖ
Free Grace Translation:
Then Jesus answered and was saying to them, "Truly, truly, I say to you, the Son can do nothing of Himself, unless it is something he sees the Father doing; for whatever He does, these things also the Son likewise does."
Bible Translation Notes:
Grk "of Himself." See Thayer's Greek-English Lexicon, s.v. ἀπό (apo), 2.d., "ἀφ' ἑαυτοῦ, ἀφ' ἑαυτῶν, ἀπ' ἐμαυτοῦ, an expression especially common in John, of himself (myself, etc.), from his own disposition or judgment, as distinguished from another's instruction (cf. Winer's Grammar, 372 [348]): Luke 12:57; Luke 21:30; John 5:19, 30; John 11:51; John 14:10; John 16:13; John 18:34 (L Tr WH ἀπό σεαυτοῦ)". Also see The Expositors Greek Testament, commentary on John 5:19.
John 5:20
Greek Textus Receptus:
ὁ γὰρ πατὴρ φιλεῖ τὸν υἱόν, καὶ πάντα δείκνυσιν αὐτῷ ἃ αὐτὸς ποιεῖ· καὶ μείζονα τούτων δείξει αὐτῷ ἔργα, ἵνα ὑμεῖς θαυμάζητε.
Free Grace Translation:
"For the Father loves the Son, and shows Him all things that He Himself is doing; and greater works than these He will show Him, so that you may marvel."
John 5:21
Greek Textus Receptus:
ὥσπερ γὰρ ὁ πατὴρ ἐγείρει τοὺς νεκροὺς καὶ ζωοποιεῖ, οὕτω καὶ ὁ υἱὸς οὓς θέλει ζωοποιεῖ.
Free Grace Translation:
"For just as the Father raises the dead and gives life, so also the Son gives life to whom He wishes."
Bible Translation Notes:
"So here, as it is the Father’s essential work to vivify the dead (see Romans 8:11; 1Sa 2:6 alli [82].), so the Son vivifies whom He will: this last οὓς θέλει not implying any selection out of mankind, nor said merely to remove the Jewish prejudice that their own nation alone should rise from the dead, but meaning, that in every instance where His will is to vivify, the result invariably follows." (Henry Alford, The Greek Testament, comment on John 5:21.)
John 5:22
Greek Textus Receptus:
οὐδὲ γὰρ ὁ πατὴρ κρίνει οὐδένα, ἀλλὰ τὴν κρίσιν πᾶσαν δέδωκε τῷ υἱῷ·
Free Grace Translation:
"For not even the Father judges anyone, but He has given all judgment to the Son."
Bible Translation Notes:
"For the Father [ουδε γαρ ο πατηρ] . The A. V. misses the climax in ουδε; not even the Father, who might be expected to be judge." (Vincent's Word Studies, vol. 2, p. 136; cf. W. R. Nicoll, The Expositor's Greek Testament, vol. 1, p. 739. Also see Alfred Plummer, The Gospel According to S. John, p. 138.)
John 5:23
Greek Textus Receptus:
ἵνα πάντες τιμῶσι τὸν υἱόν, καθὼς, τιμῶσι τὸν πατέρα. ὁ μὴ τιμῶν τὸν υἱόν, οὐ τιμᾷ τὸν πατέρα τὸν πέμψαντα αὐτόν.
Free Grace Translation:
In order that all may honor the Son, just as they honor the Father. The one not honoring the Son, does not honor the Father who sent Him.
Bible Translation Notes:
τιμῶν is a participle, thus I have translated it with the characteristic "-ing" ending. But τιμᾷ is a simple present active indicative verb, thus I translated it without the "-ing" ending. There is some flexibility here, but I think it is helpful to bring out the sense of the Greek into English when possible.
John 5:24
Greek Textus Receptus:
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.
Free Grace Translation:
"Truly, truly, I say to you that the one hearing My word, and believing in Him who sent Me, has everlasting life; and does not come into judgment, but has passed over from death into life."
Bible Translation Notes:
The phrase "does not come into judgment" (εἰς κρίσιν οὐκ ἔρχεται) is in the present tense in Greek, hence I have translated it with the English present tense. Also note the translation "has passed over" (μεταβέβηκεν), which I prefer in light of the Scriptural significance of the Passover (see Exodus chapt. 12).
Study Bible Commentary:
Notice that through his free will, man can change his fate. Also
note that salvation (justification) occurs at a point in time
(Jn. 5:24b; cf. Rom. 5:1, 9), whereas discipleship is a process (Lk.
9:23).
The "judgment" (Gr. krisis) spoken of in John 5:24 refers to the Great White Throne judgment for the unsaved, i.e. eternal condemnation. Believers will "not come into judgment" (5:24), but our works will be judged at the Judgement Seat of Christ: the Bema Seat judgment (cf. 1 Cor. 3:11-15). This is for rewards, not salvation.
John 5:25
Greek Textus Receptus:
ἀμὴν ἀμὴν λέγω ὑμῖν ὅτι ἔρχεται ὥρα καὶ νῦν ἐστιν, ὅτε οἱ νεκροὶ ἀκούσονται τῆς φωνῆς τοῦ υἱοῦ τοῦ Θεοῦ, καὶ οἱ ἀκούσαντες ζήσονται.
Free Grace Translation:
"Truly, truly, I say to you, that an hour is coming and now is, when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God, and the ones who hear will live."
Study Bible Commentary:
"This verse needs to be read in connection with what precedes it, especially in verse 24 and what follows, particularly in verses 28 and 29. It will then become clear that the expression 'the dead' here refers to those who are 'dead in trespasses and sins' (Eph. 2:1), not to the literally deceased. These come before us in verse 28. But it is in this hour of the dispensation of the grace of God that the Lord is quickening dead souls into newness of life through His voice as proclaimed in the Gospel. At the end of this age, He will raise the righteous dead, and a thousand years later the wicked dead. There is no such thought here of universal salvation of all men when raised from the dead, nor of what is commonly called a general resurrection of saved and lost at one time. The present 'hour' has lasted nearly two thousand years. The 'hour' of verse 28 is one thousand years in length, as Revelation 20 makes abundantly clear for all who take God at His Word." —H. A. Ironside, "The Future Life," The Sunday School Times (April 2, 1949), p. 8, ellipsis his.
John 5:26
Greek Textus Receptus:
ὥσπερ γὰρ ὁ πατὴρ ἔχει ζωὴν ἐν ἑαυτῷ, οὕτως ἔδωκε καὶ τῷ υἱῷ ζωὴν ἔχειν ἐν ἑαυτῷ·
Free Grace Translation:
"For just as the Father has life in Himself, so also He gave to the Son to have life in Himself."
John 5:27
Greek Textus Receptus:
καὶ ἐξουσίαν ἔδωκεν αὐτῷ καὶ κρίσιν ποιεῖν, ὅτι υἱὸς ἀνθρώπου ἐστί.
Free Grace Translation:
"And He gave to Him also authority to execute judgment, because He is the Son of Man."
John 5:28
Greek Textus Receptus:
μὴ θαυμάζετε τοῦτο· ὅτι ἔρχεται ὥρα, ἐν ᾗ πάντες οἱ ἐν τοῖς μνημείοις ἀκούσονται τῆς φωνῆς αὐτοῦ,
Free Grace Translation:
"Do not marvel at this; because an hour is coming, in which all the ones in the tombs will hear His voice,"
John 5:29
Greek Textus Receptus:
καὶ ἐκπορεύσονται, οἱ τὰ ἀγαθὰ ποιήσαντες, εἰς ἀνάστασιν ζωῆς· οἱ δὲ τὰ φαῦλα πράξαντες, εἰς ἀνάστασιν κρίσεως.
Free Grace Translation:
"and they will go forth, the ones having done good, to a resurrection of life; but the ones who practiced evil, to a resurrection of judgment."
Study Bible Commentary:
"Jesus urged His hearers not to marvel that it would be His voice
that would summon the dead eventually (cf. 11:43). All the
dead will hear the Son of Man's voice in the future, calling them
forth to judgment. Believers are those who do good, which in
this context means believing on the Son (6:29; cf. 3:21).
Theirs will be a resurrection resulting in eternal life. Those who do evil, by not believing on the Son (3:36; cf. 3:19), will
experience eternal condemnation following their resurrection." —Thomas L. Constable, Notes on John.
John 5:30
Greek Textus Receptus:
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 πατρός.
Free Grace Translation:
"I can do nothing from Myself; just as I hear, I judge; and My judgment is righteous; because I do not seek My will, but the will of the Father who sent Me."
John 5:31
Greek Textus Receptus:
ἐὰν ἐγὼ μαρτυρῶ περὶ ἐμαυτοῦ, ἡ μαρτυρία μου οὐκ ἔστιν ἀληθής.
Free Grace Translation:
"If I bear witness concerning Myself, My testimony is not true."
John 5:32
Greek Textus Receptus:
ἄλλος ἐστὶν ὁ μαρτυρῶν περὶ ἐμοῦ, καὶ οἶδα ὅτι ἀληθής ἐστιν ἡ μαρτυρία ἣν μαρτυρεῖ περὶ ἐμοῦ.
Free Grace Translation:
"Another is the one testifying about Me, and I know that the testimony which He testifies concerning Me is true."
Study Bible Commentary:
Jesus is referring here not to John the Baptist, but to the Father (cf. Jn. 5:36-38, 8:17). For more information see the comments on John 5:32 in the following commentaries: Alford's Greek Testament, Robertson's Word Pictures, Meyer's Critical and Exegetical Commentary on the New Testament, Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges, Bengel's Gnomen, and Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers.
John 5:33
Greek Textus Receptus:
ὑμεῖς ἀπεστάλκατε πρὸς Ἰωάννην, καὶ μεμαρτύρηκε τῇ ἀληθείᾳ.
Free Grace Translation:
"You have sent to John, and he has testified to the truth."
John 5:34
Greek Textus Receptus:
ἐγὼ δὲ οὐ παρὰ ἀνθρώπου τὴν μαρτυρίαν λαμβάνω, ἀλλὰ ταῦτα λέγω ἵνα ὑμεῖς σωθῆτε.
Free Grace Translation:
"But I do not receive the witness from a man, yet I say these things in order that you may be saved."
Study Bible Commentary:
See A. T. Robertson, Word Pictures in the New Testament; Marvin R. Vincent, Word Studies in the New Testament; and W. R. Nicoll, The Expositor's Greek Testament.
John 5:35
Greek Textus Receptus:
ἐκεῖνος ἦν ὁ λύχνος ὁ καιόμενος καὶ φαίνων, ὑμεῖς δὲ ἠθελήσατε αγαλλιασθῆναι πρὸς ὥραν ἐν τῷ φωτὶ αὐτοῦ.
Free Grace Translation:
"He was a lamp that was burning and shining, and for a time you desired to rejoice in his light."
Study Bible Commentary:
John the Baptist was "the lamp" (ὁ λύχνος), whereas Jesus is "the light" (cf. Jn. 1:6-8).
John 5:36
Greek Textus Receptus:
ἐγὼ δὲ ἔχω τὴν μαρτυρίαν μείζω τοῦ Ἰωάννου· τὰ γὰρ ἔργα ἃ ἔδωκέ μοι ὁ πατὴρ ἵνα τελειώσω αὐτά, αὐτὰ τὰ ἔργα ἃ ἐγὼ ποιῶ, μαρτυρεῖ περὶ ἐμοῦ ὅτι ὁ πατήρ με ἀπέσταλκε.
Free Grace Translation:
"But I have a witness greater than John; for the works which the Father has given to Me that I should complete them, the same works which I do, they bear witness concerning Me that the Father has sent Me."
Bible Translation Notes:
"It is not clear whether the genitive τοῦ Ἰωάννου refers to the witness born by John or to him. [...] Tοῦ Ἰωάννου appears to be used as a genitive of comparison, 'than John,' following the comparative adjective. If the alternate rendering would have been desired, the apostle John would have repeated the article τῆς or the article and noun τῆς μαρτυρίας (as his tendency was to repeat). In addition, John the Baptist was considered a witness; cf. v. 35 and 1:8." (See Robert Hanna, A Grammatical Aid to the Greek New Testament [Grand Rapids: Baker Book House, 1983], p. 159, comment on John 5:36.)
John 5:37
Greek Textus Receptus:
καὶ ὁ πέμψας με πατήρ, αὐτὸς μεμαρτύρηκε περὶ ἐμοῦ. οὔτε φωνὴν αὐτοῦ ἀκηκόατε πώποτε, οὔτε εἶδος αὐτοῦ ἑωράκατε
Free Grace Translation:
"And the Father Himself who sent Me has testified about Me. And you have not heard His voice at any time, nor have you seen His form."
John 5:38
Greek Textus Receptus:
καὶ τὸν λόγον αὐτοῦ οὐκ ἔχετε μένοντα ἐν ὑμῖν, ὅτι ὃν ἀπέστειλεν ἐκεῖνος, τούτῳ ὑμεῖς οὐ πιστεύετε.
Free Grace Translation:
"And His word you do not have abiding in you, because whom He sent, Him you do not believe."
John 5:39
Greek Textus Receptus:
ἐρευνᾶτε τὰς γραφάς, ὅτι ὑμεῖς δοκεῖτε ἐν αὐταῖς ζωὴν αἰώνιον ἔχειν, καὶ ἐκεῖναί εἰσιν αἱ μαρτυροῦσαι περὶ ἐμοῦ·
Free Grace Translation:
"You search the Scriptures, because in them you think you have eternal life, and yet these are the ones testifying about Me!"
Bible Translation Notes:
Several other Bible translations include the exclamation mark for emphasis: e.g. see the New Living Translation and the Good News Translation.
Study Bible Commentary:
See Alfred Plummer, The Gospel According to S. John, p. 142, commentary on John 5:39.
John 5:40
Greek Textus Receptus:
καὶ οὐ θέλετε ἐλθεῖν πρός με, ἵνα ζωὴν ἔχητε.
Free Grace Translation:
"And you are not willing to come to Me, that you may have life."
Bible Translation Notes:
Or, "And you don't want to come to Me, that you may have life."
Study Bible Commentary:
Jesus makes it evident that the unbelieving Jews could have had life, but they were unwilling to come to Him. Jesus' statement in John 5:40 highlights the error of Calvinism, because clearly Jesus wanted to give these unbelievers eternal life, but they refused! The reason people don't come to Christ is not because they are unable to come, but because they are unwilling to come.
John 5:41
Greek Textus Receptus:
δόξαν παρὰ ἀνθρώπων οὐ λαμβάνω·
Free Grace Translation:
"I do not receive honor from men."
Bible Translation Notes:
See Bauer's Lexicon (3rd ed.), s.v. δόξα, definition 3: "honor as enhancement or recognition of status or performance, fame, recognition, renown, honor, prestige [...] of public approbation [...] J 5:41" (p. 257). Note that the KJV and the NKJV both translate δόξα in John 5:41 as "honour" (KJV) or "honor" (NKJV), respectively.
Study Bible Commentary:
"He did not want their patronage, but He desired men to accept the salvation that He had come to provide." —H. A. Ironside, Addresses on the Gospel of John, p. 222.John 5:42
Greek Textus Receptus:
ἀλλ’ ἔγνωκα ὑμᾶς, ὅτι τὴν ἀγάπην τοῦ Θεοῦ οὐκ ἔχετε ἐν ἑαυτοῖς.
Free Grace Translation:
"But I know you, that you do not have the love of God in yourselves."
Study Bible Commentary:
Leon Morris aptly states: "despite the wonder of God's love, the Jews were so engrossed in their own self-love, their own darling ideas about religion, that they did not react to God's love." (Morris, The Gospel According to John, Revised Edition [Grand Rapids: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co., ], p. 294, footnote 121.)
John 5:43
Greek Textus Receptus:
ἐγὼ ἐλήλυθα ἐν τῷ ὀνόματι τοῦ πατρός μου, καὶ οὐ λαμβάνετέ με· ἐὰν ἄλλος ἔλθῃ ἐν τῷ ὀνόματι τῷ ἰδίῳ, ἐκεῖνον λήψεσθε.
Free Grace Translation:
"I have come in the name of My Father, and you do not receive Me; if another should come in his own name, you will receive him."
John 5:44
Greek Textus Receptus:
πῶς δύνασθε ὑμεῖς πιστεῦσαι, δόξαν παρὰ ἀλλήλων λαμβάνοντες, καὶ τὴν δόξαν τὴν παρὰ τοῦ μόνου Θεοῦ οὐ ζητεῖτε;
Free Grace Translation:
"How can you believe, seeing that you receive honor from one another, and the honor that comes from the only God you seek not?
Bible Translation Notes:
Grk. "receiving" (λαμβάνοντες). See Vincent's Word Studies on 5:44, when he says, "Which receive [λαμβανοντες]. Literally, receiving (as ye do): seeing that ye receive." (Vincent, Word Studies in the New Testament, commentary on John 5:44, brackets his.)
Grk. "honor" (δόξαν). See Bauer's Greek-English Lexicon (4th ed.), s.v. δόξα, definition 3: "honor as enhancement or recognition of status or performance, fame recognition, renown, honor, prestige [...] of public approbation [...] J 5:41, 44a al. [...] Of divine approbation of pers[ons]. δ. τοῦ Θεοῦ J 5:44b; 12:43b". (Walter Bauer, A Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament and Other Early Christian Literature, 4th Edition [Chicago: The University of Chicago Press, 2021], p. 228, ellipsis added.)
Grk. "the only God" (τοῦ μόνου Θεοῦ). "Not God only, which entirely overlooks the force of the definite article; but the only God. Compare 1 Timothy 6:15, 1 Timothy 6:16; John 17:3; Romans 16:27." (Vincent, Word Studies in the New Testament, comment on John 5:44; cf. Henry Alford, The Greek Testament; W. R. Nicoll, The Expositor's Greek Testament.)
John 5:45
Greek Textus Receptus:
μὴ δοκεῖτε ὅτι ἐγὼ κατηγορήσω ὑμῶν πρὸς τὸν πατέρα· ἔστιν ὁ κατηγορῶν ὑμῶν, Μωσῆς, εἰς ὃν ὑμεῖς ἠλπίκατε.
Free Grace Translation:
"Do not think that I will accuse you to the Father; the one accusing you is Moses, in whom you have put your hope."
Bible Translation Notes:
See Thayer's Greek-English Lexicon: "to direct hope unto one, John 5:45 (perfect ἠλπίκατε, in whom you have put your hope, and rely upon it (Winer's Grammar, § 40, 4 a.))". Also see Bauer's Greek-English Lexicon (1st Edition), s.v. ἐλπίζω, definition 3, p. 252, "w[ith] indication of the per[son] or thing on whom (which) the hope is based put one's hope in someone or someth[ing]...Moses, J 5: 45."
John 5:46
Greek Textus Receptus:
εἰ γὰρ ἐπιστεύετε Μωσῇ, ἐπιστεύετε ἂν ἐμοί· περὶ γὰρ ἐμοῦ ἐκεῖνος ἔγραψεν.
Free Grace Translation:
"For if you were believing Moses, you would have believed Me; for he wrote about Me."
Bible Translation Notes:
The verb ἐπιστεύετε is the imperfect form (i.e. the past continuous form of the verb) in both instances (cf. Alfred Plummer, The Gospel According to S. John, Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges, p. 136, comment on John 5:46). Thus, a more literal and wooden translation might render it: "For if you were believing Moses, you would have been believing Me". But since this is awkward English, I translated the second imperfect as "believed" (or "have believed") as in the King James Version (and several other English Bible translations). Cf. Bengel's Gnomen on John 5:46, "Ἐπιστεύετε ἂν, ye would have believed".
[To be continued....]
John 6:40
Greek Textus Receptus:
τοῦτο δὲ ἐστι τὸ θέλημα τοῦ πέμψαντός με, ἵνα πᾶς ὁ θεωρῶν τὸν υἱὸν καὶ πιστεύων εἰς αὐτόν, ἔχῃ ζωὴν αἰώνιον, καὶ ἀναστήσω αὐτὸν ἐγὼ τῇ ἐσχάτῃ ἡμέρᾳ.
Free Grace Translation:
"And this is the will of Him who sent Me, that everyone seeing the Son and believing in Him should have eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day."
Bible Translation Notes:
Technically πέμψαντός is a participle, so the phrase τοῦ πέμψαντός με could literally be translated "the One sending Me" (i.e. the Father). But since τοῦ is masculine singular, and πέμψαντός is an aorist participle, it is also valid to translate τοῦ πέμψαντός με as "Him who sent me". Also note the hina (ἵνα) clause and that ἔχῃ is in the subjunctive mood, thus I have translated it: "should have eternal life".
Study Bible Commentary:
God chooses to save those who choose to believe. This is the biblical balance between divine sovereignty and human responsibility.
1 comment:
Editor’s Note: In the comments section I’d like to sprinkle in some inspirational quotes related to Bible translation. The first is from Dr. William F. Beck, who writes:
“The preservation of our New Testament is a marvel of God’s wisdom. It came through fire and sword.
In the persecution of A.D. 303 Emperor Diocletian ordered a systematic search that swept away the Biblical manuscripts from Asia Minor and Syria. The sacred writings were shoveled into carts and hauled to the market places to be burned. The goal was to wipe out Christianity. Later the Goths, Vandals, Moslems, and Mongols did their worst to destroy the Christian faith.
But Jesus had promised, ‘Heaven and earth will pass away, but what I say will not pass away’ (Luke 21:33). How was it done? Not by keeping one original copy in an ark of the covenant which men could destroy but by sending out thousands of manuscripts all over the earth. We have almost 5,000 Greek manuscripts of the New Testament or parts of it plus many thousands of the Latin, Syriac, and other translations. Every manuscript and fragment is a flame of the Spirit’s fire appearing in such an inextinguishable quantity everywhere in the world no organized hostility of men can ever put it out.
To match this vast evidence for the truth, God wants us to have a passion for it, to use all the best evidence from the manuscripts, dictionaries, and grammars as light on the text, and to search with burning hearts for its exact meaning.”
—William F. Beck, Preface to The New Testament in the Language of Today (1963).
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