Jesus answered is literally “therefore Jesus answered and said,” again reflecting a Semitic style which is redundant in English.

What I teach is not my own teaching is literally “My teaching is not mine.” New English Bible translates “The teaching that I give is not my own.” In place of teaching New American Bible has “doctrine,” but “doctrine” suggests a formal body of collected teachings, which is certainly not the meaning here. The idea that Jesus’ teaching comes from God rather than from himself is implied in 5.30 and stated explicitly in 8.28; 12.49; 14.10,24.

A literal rendering of What I teach is not my own teaching may result in “What I teach is not what I teach,” a complete contradiction. It may be useful to introduce the real source of the teaching and then explain Jesus’ relation to it, for example, “What I teach comes from God, who sent me. My teaching doesn’t come just from me.” In other languages the closest equivalent may be “God, who sent me, has told me what I must teach. I have not decided this just by myself.”

In the last part of this verse Good News Translation makes explicit the reference to the one who sent me, that is, God. John’s Gospel constantly emphasizes that both Jesus and his teachings come from God the Father.

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 .