Scholars differ as to what is meant by the last … day of the festival. Originally it was a seven-day celebration. Later an eighth was added, but it was more a day of rest than of festive celebration. Did John mean the seventh day, the final day of the festival itself, or the added eighth day? Fortunately, the problem need not be resolved by the translator. It is even doubtful that John was aware that he would raise any problem by this phrase. The last … day of the festival may be rendered in some languages as “The last day on which people celebrated” or “The final day when the people were celebrating.”

In Greek the first part of this verse reads “but on the last day, the great day of the feast, Jesus stood up and cried out, saying.” That the last day of the festival was the most important is new information; that is why Good News Translation introduces it first, on the last and most important day of the festival. The observation that Jesus stood up perhaps indicates that he had been sitting and teaching, as was the custom with Jewish rabbis.

Most important may be expressed in some languages as “the great day of the celebration” or “the day when most important celebrations took place.” Other languages may speak of such a day as “the high day,” “the big day,” or even “the most valuable day.”

Said in a loud voice translates essentially the same expression used in verse 28.

Whoever is literally “if anyone” (see verse 17), equivalent in some languages to “all who.”

Some ancient manuscripts omit to me, but the UBS Committee on the Greek text judges this omission as accidental. In any case, the context makes it clear that Jesus intends that persons come to him. This information would have to be supplied translationally even if it had no support from the Greek manuscripts.

In some languages come to me and drink may seem too abrupt, since with such a verb as “drink” it is necessary to indicate what is to be drunk. One may say, for example, “let him come to me and drink something” or “let him come to me and I will give him something to drink.”

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 .