16:8–11

The Holy Spirit would come to Jesus’ disciples after Jesus leaves them. He would help them, and he would work in the world too. He would show the people in the world that their sin and even their righteousness and judgment were all wrong.

16:8a

And when He comes: This clause is short for “When the Holy Spirit comes to earth.” If you do not use a pronoun here, refer to the Spirit as you did in 16:7c. For example:

When the Helper comes (New Century Version)
-or-
When the Comforter/Encourager arrives on earth

16:8b–d

He will convict the world in regard to sin and righteousness and judgment: This clause is very difficult to understand. First, there is more than one way to understand the word that some English versions translate as “prove…wrong.”

(1) It means “convict” or “prove that someone did something wrong” as in a court of law. That is what the word means in 8:46. For example:

he will reprove the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment (King James Version)

(Berean Standard Bible, King James Version, God’s Word in part, New Living Translation (2004))

(2) It means “prove that someone’s thoughts are wrong.” For example:

he will prove to the people of the world that they are wrong about sin and about what is right and about God’s judgment (Good News Translation)

(Good News Translation, NET Bible, English Standard Version, New American Standard Bible, New International Version, New Century Version, Revised English Bible, Revised Standard Version, New Revised Standard Version, God’s Word in part)

(3) It means “show that someone is wrong” or “show what is right.” In 3:20, the Berean Standard Bible translates this word as “exposed” (revealed something that was hidden) and this meaning is similar. For example:

he will show the world how wrong it was, about sin, and about who was in the right, and about judgement (New Jerusalem Bible)

(New Jerusalem Bible, God’s Word in part, Contemporary English Version)

It is recommended that you follow interpretation (1). That follows the way the Greek text uses the word in 8:46, which has a similar context. There the Berean Standard Bible says “Which of you convicts me of sin?” Interpretation (2) is not wrong teaching and most English translations follow it. However, 8:46 cannot be understood in that way, so it is better to follow interpretation (1). However, if a major language translation in your area follows interpretation (2), you may want to follow it.

It may seem difficult to understand why the Holy Spirit would convict the world of righteousness and judgment. But as the notes below explain, the righteousness and judgment of the world is not good. That is what the Holy Spirit will seek to correct.

Another issue with this Greek word is whether the Holy Spirit convinces the world that they are wrong. A few English translations say or imply that the world will be convinced (Good News Translation, New Century Version, Revised Standard Version, God’s Word in part). The other translations can be understood either way (that they are convinced or not convinced). It is recommended that you follow those translations that can be understood either way. However, the meaning that someone is convinced is often included in the Greek word. So if a major language translation in your area says that the world is convinced, you may want to follow that translation.

The word that you use to translate convict must be suitable for the three words that follow (sin, righteousness, and judgment). Here is another way to translate this word:

rebuke

16:8b

He will convict the world in regard to sin: This clause probably means “the Holy Spirit will convict unbelievers of the sin in their lives.” The Spirit will show that the people of the world have sinned and are guilty. Here is another way to translate this clause:

he will convict the world of its sin (New Living Translation (2004))

the world: The word world refers to the people in the world, specifically unbelievers (see 16:9). This phrase refers to unbelievers as a group. It does not imply that all unbelievers will be convinced of their sin and turn to God. Here are other ways to translate this phrase:

the people of the world (Good News Translation)
-or-

⌊many⌋ unbelievers in the world

in regard to sin: The Greek phrase that the BS translates as in regard to sin here probably means “of sin” as in 8:46. The world was guilty of sin and so the Holy Spirit would cause them to know that. Here are other ways to translate this phrase:

of its sin (New Living Translation (2004))
-or-
that ⌊it⌋ has sin
-or-
that ⌊it⌋ is sinful

sin: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as sin here refers to a sinful condition rather than individual sins. (Note that the word here is sin and not “sins.”) This sinful condition leads to acts, thoughts, and attitudes that are not what God wants or approves. See how you translated this word in 1:29. See also Key Biblical Terms Sin, Sinner A.2. The singular noun sin here refers to the idea of sin, not to one particular individual sin.

Try to translate sin with a general term that can include any wrongdoing against God. Here are problems to avoid:

(a) The term should not imply that only serious crimes like murder or stealing are sins. Other offenses like gossip and greed are also sins.

(b) The term should not include accidents or mistakes.

Here are some other ways to translate sin :

being sinful
-or-
offending ⌊God⌋
-or-
wrongdoing

16:8c

and righteousness: The Holy Spirit will also convict people about their righteousness. It may seem strange that he would convict them of righteousness as he would convict them of sin. However, here it probably means that their own righteousness is not enough. They need God’s righteousness. (See this use of the word “righteousness” in Isaiah 64:6, Romans 10:3, and Philippians 3:9.) This probably means that the Holy Spirit will show them what is wrong with their righteousness.

In some languages it may be necessary to repeat the verb (“convict”) here. For example:

He will prove that their righteousness is wrong
-or-
and he will convict the world for their righteousness

righteousness: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as righteousness refers to moral goodness. It refers to that character and action that God approves. The Spirit would show people that the righteousness that they think that they have is not true righteousness. Here are other ways to translate this word:

⌊their⌋ righteousness
-or-

⌊their supposed⌋ goodness
-or-

⌊their failures to be truly⌋ righteous

16:8d

and judgment: The Holy Spirit would also convict the people of the world of their judgment (deciding if someone is right or wrong). This could refer to two things. First, they thought that they were right to judge Jesus wrong for calling himself the Son of God. But actually on the cross God would judge and condemn Satan (6:11), not Jesus. Second, Jesus earlier challenged people for judging wrongly by outer appearance (7:24).

judgment: This word here refers to deciding if someone is guilty or innocent of wrong. In some languages it may be natural to translate it using a verb. For example:

how ⌊it⌋ judges ⌊good and evil⌋
-or-
how ⌊it⌋ decides who is wrong/guilty and right/innocent

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