The title Teacher is frequently used of Jesus in the first half of John’s Gospel (1.38; 3.2,10; 8.4; 11.28), but in the last part of the Gospel it is rare (13.13,14; 20.16). In two of these passages (1.38; 20.16) it is identified with the title “rabbi.” Lord is a frequently used title of Jesus in the Gospel of John. The fact that Teacher is more common in the earlier half, while Lord is more common in the second half, may reflect a development in the disciples’ understanding of Jesus.

You call me Teacher and Lord must be rendered as direct address in some languages, for example, “When you speak to me, you say Teacher, or you say Lord.” This translation avoids giving the wrong impression that whenever the disciples spoke to or about Jesus they referred to him by the composite title “Teacher and Lord.” What is meant is that they used both titles, but not necessarily together or in this order. In other words, the conjunction and is essentially equivalent to “or.” In some instances this clause may be translated “You call me your teacher and your Lord.”

And it is right that you do so (New English Bible “and rightly so”; New American Bible “and fittingly enough”) is more literally “you are speaking correctly.” The adverb “correctly” occurs also in 4.17, where “you are speaking correctly” is translated in Good News Translation you are right when you say; in 8.48 “were we not speaking correctly” is translated were we not right in saying.

It is right that you do so must often be restructured as “When you do this, you are doing what is right” or “… you do right.”

Quoted with permission from Newman, Barclay M. and Nida, Eugene A. A Handbook on the Gospel of John. (UBS Handbook Series). New York: UBS, 1980. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .