The words translated he is the man appear in an emphatic position in the Greek sentence, as in Good News Translation, though the position in Good News Translation is different from that in the Greek sentence. In the UBS Greek text there are three verbs in this sentence. They appear in the order “dipped … took … gave” in New English Bible, New American Bible, Goodspeed, Zürcher Bibel, and Luther, and as took … dipped … gave in Good News Translation, Phillips, and Moffatt. It is possible that took was not an original part of the Greek text, and so the UBS Greek text has this verb in brackets. It may have been added by scribes, to recall Jesus’ action at the last supper in taking bread (see Matt 26.26; Mark 14.22; Luke 22.19; 1 Cor 11.23). However, it is possible that it was omitted in some manuscripts as unnecessary, since in the Greek sentence order it comes after the verb dipped. It is omitted in Jerusalem Bible and Revised Standard Version, without a note, and in La Sainte Bible: Nouvelle version Segond révisée, with a note. As indicated, Good News Translation includes this verb, though placing it first in the sentence to achieve a more logical order.

The Greek word that Good News Translation renders a piece of bread (psōmion) is so rendered in several other translations. Revised Standard Version translates “the morsel,” while New American Bible translates “the bit of food” in its first use and “a morsel” in its second use in the sentence. The Greek word literally means “a (small) piece of bread.”

Although the Greek text simply reads “I will dip the bread,” Good News Translation supplies the words in the sauce, and some other translations supply the words “in the dish.” It is not possible to say of what sauce consisted. Some have suggested that it was a kind of gravy, others insist that it was wine, and still others believe that it consisted of various herbs mixed with olive oil. The action itself is an expression of hospitality (see Ruth 2.14).

There is some textual support for the reading “Judas Iscariot, son of Simon,” but the manuscript evidence is heavily in favor of Judas, the son of Simon Iscariot, and this reading is followed by most modern translators.

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 .