Paragraph 5:14–18

Jesus found the man he had healed and told him to stop sinning. The man immediately went to the Jewish leaders and told them who had healed him.

The Jewish leaders came to Jesus and asked him to tell them who he was. Jesus told them that God was his Father. Jesus said that his work, like his Father’s work, continues on and does not stop on the Sabbath. The Jewish leaders were upset with him because he implied that he was equal to God.

5:14a

Afterward: The Greek expression that the Berean Standard Bible translates as Afterward is the same as the one in 5:1. It does not indicate how much later the next event happened. Here are other ways to translate this expression:

A little later (Revised English Bible)

Jesus found the man: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as found means “saw, noticed.” It does not mean that the man was lost. It probably implies that Jesus was searching for the man. In some languages it is more natural to say that Jesus saw or met him. For example:

Jesus met the man (Contemporary English Version)

the man: This refers to the man who had been healed. In some languages it would be more natural to say:

the man who was healed
-or-
that one he had healed

temple: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as temple here refers to the general area of the temple. That included the courtyard that surrounded the temple building. The temple was a place where the Jews understood that God was present in a special way. They worshiped and sacrificed to him there. See the note on 2:14a, where the same word is used and it also refers to one of the temple courtyards. Here are some ways to translate the word temple in this context:

• Use a descriptive phrase. For example:

courtyard of the house of sacrifice
-or-
courtyard of God’s house
-or-
just outside the holy/sacred house

• If your language has a word for “temple,” consider using it. But you may need to adjust it. For example:

the temple of the Lord
-or-

courtyard of God’s temple

See temple 1 in Key Biblical Terms for more information about the temple and how to translate it.

5:14b

See: The Greek word the Berean Standard Bible translates as See is a short word that calls attention to the following statement. It does not mean “look.” Translate it in a way that is natural in your language for emphasizing the next statement. For example:

Listen, you are well now; so stop sinning or something worse may happen to you. (Good News Translation)

you have been made well: In the Berean Standard Bible this is a passive verb. The Greek text uses an active verb and says, “you have become healthy.” Here are other ways to translate this clause:

You are now well. (Contemporary English Version)
-or-
you are strong/healthy again

you: This pronoun refers to the man who was healed. It is singular.

well: This is the same word as in 5:9a.

5:14c

Stop sinning: The Greek clause that the Berean Standard Bible translates as Stop sinning is a command. Jesus warned the man to stop doing wrong. It does not imply that the man was doing something wrong at that moment. Here are other ways to translate this clause:

Do not sin any more (New Revised Standard Version)
-or-
Give up your sinful ways (Revised English Bible)

sinning: This verb here means “doing something bad” or “disobeying God.” See the note about the noun form of the word in John 1:29b. See also how you translated the noun in that verse.

or something worse may happen to you: The phrase that the Berean Standard Bible has translated as or introduces a warning about what could happen. If the man did not stop sinning, there could be a bad consequence. Jesus urged the man to avoid this consequence. He did not place a curse on him. Here are other ways to translate this clause:

so that nothing worse happens to you (New Revised Standard Version)
-or-
so that something worse does not happen to you (New Century Version)

worse: The word worse means “something worse than being lame.” Jesus was warning the man about what could happen. God might cause him to suffer worse than what he had suffered before.

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