Paragraph 15:26–27

Jesus told his disciples that the Holy Spirit would come and tell what he knew about him.

15:26a

When the Advocate comes: This clause refers back to the Advocate that Jesus told his disciples about in 14:16–17 and 14:26. You may want to include a footnote that refers your readers to those verses.

the Advocate: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible has translated as Advocate means “one who is called to help” and so “Encourager” or “Helper.” Jesus was referring to the Holy Spirit. See the note at 14:16b and how you translated this word in that verse. For example:

the Helper (English Standard Version)
-or-
the Encourager
-or-
the defender

comes: This verb here is short for “comes to you here on earth.”

whom I will send to you: This clause gives additional information about the Advocate or Holy Spirit. It is not telling which Advocate or Spirit will come. See the General Comment on 15:26a–c for a way to avoid this wrong meaning. Jesus would send the Holy Spirit to earth when he returned to heaven. The Greek text emphasizes the word I.

from the Father: This phrase means “from God the Father.” Even though Jesus will send the Holy Spirit, he comes from the Father. Jesus and the Father are also both involved in sending the Holy Spirit in 14:16 (“And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Advocate”). Later in this verse it says, “who comes from the Father,” which has the same meaning as this phrase. In some languages it may be more natural to combine the two phrases. For example:

I will send you the Spirit who comes from the Father and shows what is true. (Contemporary English Version)
-or-
But I will send you the Advocate—the Spirit of truth. He will come to you from the Father (New Living Translation (2004))

15:26b

the Spirit of truth: This phrase means “the Spirit who reveals the truth about God.” For example:

the Spirit, who reveals the truth about God (Good News Translation)
-or-
the Spirit who…shows what is true (Contemporary English Version)

The phrase of truth describes the Holy Spirit, giving additional information about him. In some languages it will be clearer to put this information into a separate sentence. For example:

The ⌊Holy⌋ Spirit will explain the truth ⌊about God⌋ .

who proceeds from the Father: This clause refers to the mission of the Holy Spirit to come from God to be with believers. In some languages it is more natural to make this a separate sentence. For example:

He will come from God the Father ⌊to you⌋ .

15:26c

He will testify about Me: This clause means “the Holy Spirit will tell people who I really am.” The Holy Spirit will tell disciples and unbelievers alike who Jesus is. For example:

will declare the truth about me (God’s Word)
-or-
will tell you about me (Contemporary English Version)

General Comment on 15:26a–c

In some languages a literal translation may suggest that there is more than one Advocate or Spirit. In those languages it may be helpful to translate the verbs “send” and “comes” in independent clauses and combine the information in 15:26a–b. For example:

26a–b But I will send you the Advocate—the Spirit of truth. He will come to you from the Father 26c and will testify all about me. (New Living Translation (2004))

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