SIL Translator’s Notes on John 17:14

17:14a

I have given them Your word: The word word here refers to a message. Jesus had proclaimed a message from God, telling the disciples all that God wanted them to know and do. See how you translated word in 5:38, 8:55, and 14:24. Also, see how you translated a similar idea in 17:8a. The Greek text emphasizes the word I to contrast with “the world” in 17:14b. Here are other ways to translate this clause:

I passed your word on to them (New Jerusalem Bible)
-or-
I have told them your message (Contemporary English Version)
-or-
I have given them your teaching (New Century Version)

17:14b

and the world has hated them: The result of Jesus teaching the disciples God’s word was that the disciples changed. They were no longer like most people in the world. So the world (community) of unbelievers hated them because they were different. They began to hate them when the disciples received God’s word, and they continued to hate them until this time. Use a suitable verb tense to indicate this. For example:

and the ⌊unbelieving⌋ world began to hate them
-or-
so ⌊those who do not believe in me⌋ hate them

the world: This phrase here, as often in John, refers to people who do not believe in Christ. They are people who love this sinful world and its evil systems. See how you translated this phrase in 14:17, 27.

17:14c

for they are not of the world: The clause is more literally “because they are not from/of the world.” This indicates that Jesus’ disciples were not like the unbelievers of the world. They had different values and loyalties. In your translation, it is good to avoid indicating that Jesus’ disciples came from a different world, or another planet. You may be able to imply that Jesus was speaking figuratively, using words in a deeper or spiritual sense. For example:

because they do not ⌊actually⌋ belong to this world
-or-
because they are not part of this ⌊unbelieving⌋ world

17:14d

just as I am not of the world: The word the Berean Standard Bible has translated as just as introduces a comparison. The disciples were like Jesus in that they belonged to God, not to this evil world. Translate this clause in a way that connects it to 17:14c, which has a very similar clause. For example:

just as I am not ⌊really⌋ part of this world
-or-
in the same way that I am not part of this ⌊unbelieving⌋ world

General Comment on 17:14c–d

In some languages it may be natural to compare Jesus and his disciples without repeating the verb “belong.” For example:

They are like me in this: they do not belong to this world
-or-
they don’t belong to this world, just as I don’t (Contemporary English Version)

-or–

They are strangers in the world, as I am. (Revised English Bible)

© 2020 by SIL International®
Made available under the terms of a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License (CC BY-SA) creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0.
All Scripture quotations in this publication, unless otherwise indicated, are from The Holy Bible, Berean Standard Bible.
BSB is produced in cooperation with Bible Hub, Discovery Bible, OpenBible.com, and the Berean Bible Translation Committee.

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