Honorary "are" construct denoting God ("say")

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Like a number of other East Asian languages, Japanese uses a complex system of honorifics, i.e. a system where a number of different levels of politeness are expressed in language via words, word forms or grammatical constructs. These can range from addressing someone or referring to someone with contempt (very informal) to expressing the highest level of reference (as used in addressing or referring to God) or any number of levels in-between.

One way Japanese shows different degree of politeness is through the usage of an honorific construction where the morpheme are (され) is affixed on the verb as shown here in the widely-used Japanese Shinkaiyaku (新改訳) Bible of 2017. This is particularly done with verbs that have God as the agent to show a deep sense of reverence. Here, iw-are-ru (言われる) or “say” is used.

(Source: S. E. Doi, see also S. E. Doi in Journal of Translation, 18/2022, p. 37ff. )

Translation commentary on John 14:7

In verse 1 Jesus began by addressing all the disciples, and in verse 6 he replied to Thomas’ question. Now he resumes his address to the disciples, and Good News Translation marks this fact by the words he said to them (Anchor “If you men…”), thus removing the ambiguity of the word “you,” which in English may be either singular or plural.

Now that you have known me, … you will know my Father also follows the reading chosen by the UBS Committee, which takes the words of Jesus as a promise. However, if one follows the alternative reading of the UBS Greek text, the following translation results: “If you really knew me, you would also know my Father.” In this case the text reads as Jesus’ reproach of the disciples because they have not really come to know him. The UBS Committee believes that the alternative reading developed either because scribes recalled Jesus’ reproach against the unbelieving Jews of 8.19 or because Philip’s question and Jesus’ answer (verses 8-9) intimated that the disciples knew neither Jesus nor the Father. The second half of the verse could also be taken to support the reading of the UBS Greek text, but it seems doubtful that a positive statement regarding the disciples’ faith would have been changed by a scribe to a negative statement; on the contrary, pious scribes generally had a tendency to change texts in the other direction. The UBS text choice here is rated by the Committee as “C,” indicating considerable doubt.

Now that you have known me may be rendered best in some languages as a reason followed by a result, for example, “He said to them, ‘Since you have known me, you will know my Father also.’ ” In this type of context, it is important to select a term for know which will be more meaningful than merely “get acquainted with.” In some languages the most appropriate would be “since you have come to know who I really am, you will therefore know who my Father really is.”

From now on refers not to the moment when Jesus is speaking but to the hour of his passion (see 13.31 and 16.5).

For thoughts similar to those expressed in this verse, see 12.44-45. It is a recurrent theme of the Fourth Gospel that whoever knows Jesus knows the Father, and whoever has seen Jesus has seen 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 .

SIL Translator’s Notes on John 14:7

14:7a

If you had known Me, you would know My Father as well: There is a textual issue here:

(1) Some Greek manuscripts say “If/Because you have known me, you will also know my Father.” This is a promise to the disciples that because they know Christ they will know God the Father as well. For example:

Now that you have known me,…you will know my Father also. (Good News Translation)

(Good News Translation, New Jerusalem Bible, New Revised Standard Version, God’s Word, NET Bible, NIV2011)

(2) Some Greek manuscripts say “If you really knew me, you would have known my Father as well.” This is a rebuke to the disciples for not recognizing who Jesus really is. For example:

If you had known me, you would have known my Father also. (English Standard Version)

(Berean Standard Bible, New International Version (1984), Revised Standard Version, English Standard Version, King James Version, New American Standard Bible, Contemporary English Version, New Living Translation (2004), Revised English Bible, New Century Version)

It is recommended that you follow option (1). The UBS Handbook Committee accepted this reading and gave it a C rating, meaning there is much doubt as to the correct reading.

If you had known Me: These notes follow option (1) above and recommend that you translate this as a condition that was fulfilled. For example:

Because you know me

you: This pronoun is plural and refers to all the disciples.

you would know My Father as well: Although they are distinct from each other, God the Father and God the Son have the same divine nature and glory. Therefore, if someone knows Jesus the Son, it means that he will know God the Father also.

14:7b

From now on: This phrase means “starting from this time.” It refers to the time following Jesus’ death and resurrection, when the Holy Spirit would come to the disciples. After Jesus rose from the dead and the Holy Spirit filled them, the disciples understood that Jesus was really God.

you do know Him and have seen Him: Knowing Jesus and realizing that he was God enabled the disciples to know and understand God the Father. Because they had seen Jesus, they had seen God.

General Comment on 14:5–7

In 14:5 Thomas asks a question, and in 14:6 Jesus answers it, speaking only to Thomas. In 14:7 he then addresses all the disciples. In English this is not clear, because there is no difference between a singular and a plural second-person pronoun (“you”). In some languages it may be natural to make this clear by supplying this information. For example:

14:7a “…Now that you have known me,” he said to them, “you will know my Father also….” (Good News Translation)

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