11:25a
I am the resurrection and the life: This clause indicates that Jesus is the one who makes dead people live and gives them true life. There is a textual problem here:
(1) Most Greek manuscripts say “I am the resurrection and the life.” This is followed by most English translations including the Berean Standard Bible.
(Berean Standard Bible, King James Version, New American Standard Bible, Revised Standard Version, New Revised Standard Version, English Standard Version, New International Version, God’s Word, NET Bible Bible, Revised English Bible, New Century Version)
(2) A few ancient manuscripts do not include the words and the life and just say “I am the resurrection.” For example:
I am the resurrection. (New Jerusalem Bible)
(New Jerusalem Bible, Contemporary English Version)
It is recommended that you follow option (1), along with the great majority of Greek manuscripts and English translations.
the resurrection and the life: The words resurrection and life refer to similar but not the same ideas. The word resurrection refers to rising from the dead, probably on the last day. And life refers to eternal, spiritual life. Jesus is the source of all life.
the resurrection: In some languages it may be natural to translate the resurrection using a verb phrase. For example:
I am the one who brings people back to life. (God’s Word)
-or-
I am the one who raises the dead to life! (Contemporary English Version)
the life: This phrase refers to Jesus as the source of all true life. And even more, he is life, so if we have Jesus, we have life. In some languages it may be natural to say:
I am life itself. (God’s Word)
-or-
I am the one who gives life
-or-
I cause people to live
-or-
I am the source of life
11:25b–26a
Whoever believes in Me will live, even though he dies. And everyone who lives and believes in Me will never die: These sentences can be rather confusing, partly because they seem to repeat the same idea. However, it helps to understand that 11:25b (Whoever believes in Me will live, even though he dies) seems to explain “I am the resurrection.” And then 11:26a (And everyone who lives and believes in Me will never die) explains “I am…the life.”
There is another reason that this sentence is confusing. It is not always clear whether the verbs live and die refer to living/dying physically or spiritually. It seems that Jesus meant, “Those who believe in me, even though they die physically, will come to life again on the last day. And everyone who lives spiritually and believes in me will never die spiritually.” However, see the notes below for other interpretations.
11:25b
Whoever believes in Me: The Greek phrase that the Berean Standard Bible translates as Whoever believes in Me is more literally “the one who believes in me.” It refers to anyone and everyone who trusts Jesus. The subject can be singular or plural, whichever is natural in your language. For example:
Anyone who believes in me (New Living Translation (2004))
believes in Me: This phrase includes the idea of believing the facts about who Jesus was and what he did. But it also includes the idea of trusting Jesus instead of trusting oneself or someone else. Both ideas are very closely related. If someone believes the facts about Jesus, it should result in trusting him. See how you translated similar phrases in 1:12b, 7:31a, and 7:38a. Here are other ways to translate this idea:
has faith in me (Contemporary English Version)
-or-
trusts in me
will live: Scholars interpret this phrase in different ways:
(1) Many scholars say that it refers to the resurrection at the end of time. It means “will come to life.”
(2) Other scholars say that it refers to eternal, spiritual life. It means “will have eternal life.”
All English translations can be understood either way. It is recommended that you translate live literally so that it can also be understood either way. However, it seems likely that this clause explains “I am the resurrection” in 11:25a. Therefore, if you must choose one of the interpretations, it is recommended that you follow interpretation (1). But if a major translation in your area follows interpretation (2), you may follow that. Here are other ways to translate this clause:
Everyone who has faith in me will live, even if they die. (Contemporary English Version)
-or-
Anyone who believes in me will live, even after dying. (New Living Translation (2004))
-or-
Even if he dies, the one who believes in me will come to life again
-or-
Even if someone dies, he will have eternal life if he believes in me
In some languages it may be natural to reorder the phrases in 11:25b. See the examples above for different ways to do that.
even though he dies: This clause refers to physical death. Believers may die in the normal physical way.
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