In Greek this verse begins with “they answered him” which appears in Good News Translation they answered. As in verse 19, the restructuring is for the sake of English style.

We are the descendants of Abraham (so most translations) is literally “We are Abraham’s seed.” Anchor Bible translates “descendant from Abraham.” It is true that the Greek word is singular (“seed”), and that in Galatians 3.16 Paul argues on the basis of the singular “seed” that Jesus is the only real descendant of Abraham. However, the singular “seed” is sometimes used collectively in the New Testament (see Rom 9.7; 2 Cor 11.22) with the meaning “descendants.” It seems oversubtle to indicate that John, like Paul in Galatians 3.16, is making a play on the singular “seed” to indicate that Jesus is the only true descendant of Abraham. We are the descendants of Abraham may be rendered “we are Abraham’s children” or “We have come from the lineage of Abraham” or “Abraham was our forefather.” In some languages “ancestor” is expressed as “the one who began our tribe” or “… clan.”

We have never been anybody’s slaves is taken by some commentators to suggest that these Jews are disclaiming that they have ever been in political subjection to any other people. This argument seems ridiculous, since the history of the Jewish nation would have been a flat denial of this affirmation, unless they interpreted political subjection not so much as a matter of their being slaves as of God’s punishing them for their sins. On the other hand, it is possible to understand their affirmation in reference to an assumed inner freedom. That is, though they had been enslaved by other nations at various times in their history, they had never really lost their freedom of soul and of life. Whatever the background of their affirmation, Jesus’ argument in the following verses indicates that the Jews were in fact “spiritual slaves,” since they were in slavery to sin (see verse 34), and once again his hearers miss the point of what he is saying.

In languages in which there is no technical term for “slave,” or in which such a term may be inappropriate, it is possible to say “we have never been completely dominated by anyone” or “no one has ever controlled us completely.” This meaning may even be expressed idiomatically as “we have never completely bowed our hearts to anyone” or “we have not made our hearts the slaves of anyone.”

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 .