So Pilate asked him is literally “therefore (oun) Pilate said to him.” here again the verb “to say” is used to introduce a question (compare verse 33).

Then translates a Greek particle (oukoun), which occurs only here in the New Testament. This particle brings the conversation back to Pilate’s initial question in verse 33 (Are you the king of the Jews?), since Jesus has not answered the charge expressed in that verse. Here an affirmative answer is expected. New American Bible translated “So, then, you are a king?” To bring out the emphatic force of the pronoun you, Moffatt translates “ ‘So you are a king?’ said Pilate. ‘You!’ ” Pilate’s question may be posed as “But you are a ruler then?”

In Jesus’ answer, You say that I am a king, the pronoun you is emphatic. Jesus’ reply is generally taken as an affirmative answer to Pilate’s question (note, for example, Moffatt “ ‘Certainly,’ said Jesus, ‘I am a king….’ ”). Some translations, however, render otherwise (New English Bible “ ‘King’ is your word…”; New American Bible “It is you who say that I am a king”). The footnote of New American Bible is interesting: “It is a reluctant affirmative, equalling ‘Yes, but the terminology is yours!’ ” Since there is no consensus of scholarly opinion it is best to render this reply of Jesus in the most general way possible, implying neither agreement nor disagreement with Pilate’s statement. However, in some languages, it is impossible to employ a completely ambiguous answer. It may therefore be better to employ one interpretation of the text, while indicating in a footnote the possibility of another meaning.

I was born and came into the world are parallel expressions. Came into the world affirms the otherworldly origin of Jesus, who, like his kingdom, does not originate in this world. If one preserves both expressions, was born and came into the world, it may be necessary to reverse the order to approximate more nearly to what would appear to be the chronological sequence of events, namely, “I came into the world and was born.”

To speak about the truth is the one purpose for which Jesus has come.

Truth is one of the key words of John’s Gospel (see 1.14). Though John the Baptist spoke on behalf of the truth (5.33), Jesus is the truth (14.6), since he is one with the Father (10.30). Although in many contexts the truth may be interpreted as “the truth about God,” it is probably better here to understand the truth in the sense of “true words” or “what is true” or “what really is.” For Pilate’s question in the following verse (what is truth?) indicates that he understands the truth (verse 37) in the broadest sense.

Whoever belongs to the truth is a participial construction in Greek (“everyone being of the truth”). An indefinite relative clause, introduced by Whoever, is the natural way of rendering this construction in English, For the use of “to be of” with the sense of “to belong to” see verse 36 (My kingdom does not belong to this world). Moffatt and Goodspeed are similar to Good News Translation.

Listens to me is more literally “hears my voice.” But the focus is not merely on “hearing,” but on listening to and responding to with understanding and obedience. In this context listens to me may be understood as “pays attention to what I say,” or “heeds what I say.”

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 .