The question Where is your father? is yet another instance in the Gospel where Jesus’ hearers misunderstand him, and where, on the basis of their misunderstanding, Jesus gives further teaching. This question may be raised by the Jews as a means of trapping Jesus, since they assume that they know where he comes from (7.27).

Good News Translation rearranges this verse slightly for the sake of English style, and the same restructuring is followed by Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch. In the Greek text, the words they asked him come first in the sentence and are followed by the question Where is your father? Then come the words Jesus answered, and his answer is given in one part, not broken into by these two words. This verse is a good example of one where restructuring is necessary to achieve good style in the receptor language. In deciding on the kind of restructuring, the translator must always consider his audience. In many languages it would be more natural to follow the order of the Greek text and to translate, for example, “They asked him, Where is your father?” The response would then be “Jesus answered, You know neither me nor my Father.”

Jesus’ words You know neither me nor my Father represent a basic theme of the Fourth Gospel, namely, that one can know the Father only through the Son, and that those who do not know the Son cannot possibly know the Father.

In some languages it would seem anomalous to say “you do not know me,” for obviously his audience was acquainted, in a sense, with Jesus. What needs to be emphasized here is “you do not really know me” or “you do not really know who I am” or “you do not know who I really am.” This would then form the basis for the final statement in verse 19, “if you really knew who I was, you would also be acquainted with my Father” or “… recognize who my Father is.”

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 .