The manuscript evidence is strongly in support of connecting Iscariot with Simon rather than with Judas, and so most modern translations read Judas, the son of Simon Iscariot. Judas in the second sentence is actually a pronoun in Greek (literally “this one”), which Good News Translation renders by the noun Judas, in order to avoid suggesting that Simon Iscariot was one of the twelve and one who would betray Jesus.

In Greek was going to betray him comes before even though he was one of the twelve disciples. Jerusalem Bible, Phillips, and Revised Standard Version have essentially the same restructuring as Good News Translation. Here, as in verse 67, the twelve disciples is literally “the twelve.”

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 .