8:46a
Which of you can prove Me guilty of sin?: This is a rhetorical question that Jesus uses as a rebuke. Jesus was saying that none of them could show that he was guilty of any sin. He implied that this was because he had not sinned. He rebuked the religious leaders because they doubted what he said. There are at least two ways to translate this rhetorical question:
• Use a rhetorical question. For example:
Can any of you prove that I am guilty of sin? (Contemporary English Version)
• Use a statement. For example:
None of you can show that I am guilty of sin.
Translate this rebuke in a way that is most natural in your language. If you use a rhetorical question, it may be natural to supply an answer. For example:
Can any of you convict me of sin? ⌊No.⌋
Be careful not to imply that the people could not convict Jesus of sin because he had hidden his sin. Make sure that it is clear that no one could convict Jesus of sin because he had not sinned. For example:
Which of you can truthfully accuse me of sin? (New Living Translation (2004))
-or-
Which one of you can prove that I am guilty of sin? (Good News Translation)
sin: The word sin here refers to sin in general, any evil deed or word, not to a particular sin. Jesus denied that he had sinned at all. He was saying that he never sinned.
8:46b
If I speak the truth, why do you not believe Me?: This is a rhetorical question. Jesus used it to urge people to believe him. There are at least two ways to translate this rhetorical question:
• Use a rhetorical question, as in the Berean Standard Bible.
• Use a statement. For example:
If/Because I tell the truth, you should believe me.
If I speak the truth: The word If here means “since” in the sense of “because.” Jesus did not suggest that there was any doubt about him always telling the truth. For example:
since I am telling you the truth (New Living Translation (2004))
-or-
because I tell the truth
why do you not believe Me?: Here the word believe refers to believing what Jesus said. Of course, believing what Jesus said would naturally lead to trusting him. Here is another way to translate this clause:
why do you not believe what I say?
General Comment on 8:46b
In some languages it may be natural to reverse the order of the clauses in this sentence. For example:
Why will you not believe me? After all, what I say is true.
-or-
You (plur.) should believe in me because I am telling you (plur.) the truth.
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