The phrase Just as … in the same way translate particles in Greek which help to convey the exact parallelism between the activity of the Father and the Son. The same particles occur again in verse 26.

Raises the dead and gives them life expresses a constant activity of the Father.

In languages requiring an identification of the relation between kinship terms, verse 21 may be rendered “In the same way that my Father raises the dead and causes them to live, in just that same way I, his Son, give life to those that I want to.” It is also possible to translate “… in just that same way I give life to those I want to” or “… to those I choose to give life to.”

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 .