Translation commentary on John 11:27

“Yes, Lord!” she answered is literally, “she says to him, ‘Yes, Lord’.” A more dramatic effect is attained by placing Martha’s answer first, and then the words she answered; and so Good News Translation rearranges the sentence order. (See also verse 23).

I do believe translates a verb in the perfect tense in Greek, which most translations render “I believe.” John often uses the perfect tense of the verb “to believe” where one might expect the present tense (see 6.69, for example). If the use of the perfect tense has any significance here, it is to indicate that Martha continues in her belief that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God. On the other hand, it may indicate nothing more than an emphatic force, as suggested by the Good News Translation rendering I do believe.

On the use of the term Messiah, see comments at 1.41. Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch, which does not use the technical term Messiah, translates “Yes, I believe that you are the promised Savior.”

For Jesus as the Son of God, see 1.49.

Who was to come into the world (so also New English Bible, Goodspeed, Moffatt) is literally “The one coming into the world.” In 6.14 Jesus is spoken of as the prophet who was to come to the world, the same descriptive phrase used here of Jesus as the Son of God. Was to come into the world is difficult in some languages, since it involves a past reference was and a future reference to come. It is sometimes possible to translate “who was destined to come into the world,” but such a passive expression may not be possible in some languages. Therefore it may be necessary to employ a full and explicit statement of what is meant, “whom God promised would come into the world” or “of whom God said, ‘He will come into the world’.”

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 .

SIL Translator’s Notes on John 11:27

11:27

“Yes, Lord,” she answered: Martha declared that she did believe what Jesus said about himself. Translate this in a way that indicates strong agreement. For example:

‘I do, Lord,’ she answered. (Revised English Bible)

Lord: See how you translated this word in 11:3 and 11:21.

I believe that You are the Christ, the Son of God: This clause expresses belief that Jesus was the Christ, the one God chose and appointed to save his people. One of the titles of the Christ was the Son of God.

the Christ: The Greek phrase that the Berean Standard Bible has translated literally as the Christ is the Greek translation of the Hebrew word “Messiah,” and the two words have the same meaning. The Jews used this title for the person whom God had appointed and promised to send as king and savior. You may want to include a footnote to explain it. For example:

The word/title “Messiah” refers to the king and savior whom God had promised to send to save his people. It means the same as “the Christ.”

See how you translated Christ in 1:41, 4:25, 7:26, 41.

the Son of God: The phrase the Son of God is a title for Jesus. This title indicates that Jesus has the same nature and character as God. It also indicates that the relationship between God the Father and Jesus, his Son, is similar in some way to the relationship between human fathers and sons. God the Father does not have a physical body. He did not have a sexual relationship that resulted in Mary becoming pregnant and giving birth to Jesus.

See how you translated the Son of God at 1:34 and 11:4. For further information, see the note on this phrase at 1:34.

who was to come into the world: This phrase refers back to God’s earlier promise to send a Savior to the world. The prophets had written about the coming of this Messiah. See 4:25 and 6:14. Now this Savior had come, and he was Jesus. Consider what verb form is natural in this situation. English translations vary as to whether they use the past or present tense. For example:

who comes into the world (NET Bible Bible)
-or-
the one who has come into the world from God (New Living Translation (2004))

In some languages it may be natural to make it explicit that Jesus was the one the people were waiting for. For example:

You are the one we hoped would come into the world. (Contemporary English Version)

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