complete verse (John 15:13)

Following are a number of back-translations of John 15:13:

  • Chol: “There is much love in the one who will give himself to die on behalf of his friends. There is no one who has more love than this.”
  • Ojitlán Chinantec: “If one is willing to die for a friend, he has loved that one to completion.”
  • Huehuetla Tepehua: “The biggest love is this, when a person gives up his life for a friend of his.”
  • Shipibo-Conibo: “Only upon very really loving their friend can they want to die in his place.”
  • Yanesha’: “There isn’t love which surpasses this: We let go of ourselves to die for our loved ones.” (Source for this and above: M. Larson / B. Moore in Notes on Translation February 1970, p. 1-125.)
  • Uma: “If there is a person who gives his life so that his companion lives, his love is indeed big. There is no love greater than the love of a person who gives his life in order to help his companion.” (Source: Uma Back Translation)
  • Yakan: “If a person submits to die because of his love for his friends, there is no human love greater than this.” (Source: Yakan Back Translation)
  • Western Bukidnon Manobo: “If there is a person who allows himself to be killed in order to free his friends, this is a sign that his friends are very dear in his breath. There is no dearness which can equal this.” (Source: Western Bukidnon Manobo Back Translation)
  • Kankanaey: “This is the largest love that a person is able-to-show, if he dies so that his friends may live.” (Source: Kankanaey Back Translation)
  • Tagbanwa: “True valuing which can’t be exceeded is the valuing by a person who will give his life/breath in place of the life/breath of his friends.” (Source: Tagbanwa Back Translation)
  • Tenango Otomi: “The most important thing one can do when he loves his friend is to give his life for his friend.” (Source: Tenango Otomi Back Translation)

In Ogea the word for “love” is “die for someone,” echoing the content of this verse. (Source. Sandi Colburn in Hiolzhausen 1991, p. 22)

Translation commentary on John 15:13

This verse literally begins “greater love than this no one has that…”; and so the construction is similar to the first part of verse 12 and to verse 8. Good News Translation renders this part of the verse The greatest love a person can have for his friends is. The superlative degree of love may be expressed in some languages as a negative with a comparative, for example, “A man cannot love his friends any more than….”

To give his life is more literally “to lay down his soul.” Here the verb “lay down” is used in the sense of “to give up,” while “soul” is used with the meaning of “life” (see 10.11). This verse interprets and makes explicit the implication in verse 12. That is, it explains the way in which Jesus loves his disciples. To give his life for them is to manifest the greatest possible type of love. Therefore in some languages one may translate verse 13 “If a man dies for his friends, that shows that he has the greatest love that anyone could have” or “When a man dies for his friends, that shows that he could not have any greater love” or “… could not possibly love any more.”

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 15:13

15:13a

Greater love has no one than this: Jesus explained the sort of love he was talking about. It is the love that he showed by dying for us. This is the greatest love that exists. In some languages it is more natural to express this as a positive statement. For example:

The greatest love is
-or-
The greatest way to show love (Contemporary English Version)
-or-
The greatest love a person can show (New Century Version)

love: This word is a noun that refers to the attitude and behavior that prefers the welfare of others above oneself. In some languages it may be more natural to use a verb form. For example:

No one can love in a greater/stronger way than by…

this: This pronoun refers to 15:13b. In some languages it is more natural to put 15:13b before 15:13a. For an example see the General Comment following the note on 15:13b.

15:13b

that he lay down his life for his friends: The Greek phrase that the Berean Standard Bible translates as lay down his life means “willingly die.” See how you translated this phrase in 10:11. Dying for the benefit of others is the greatest expression of love for them. A person who willingly dies for someone else shows that he truly loves that other person. Here are other ways to translate this phrase:

The greatest love a person can have for your friends is to give your life for them (Good News Translation)
-or-
The greatest love a person can show is to die for his friends. (New Century Version)
-or-
if he dies so that his friends may live (Kankanaey Back Translation)

for: The word that the Berean Standard Bible translated for means “for the benefit of.” In this context it implies “to save/help.”

his friends: This phrase refers to the friends of the man who is willing to die. Jesus was referring to how he would die for his followers. The same word in the singular (“friend”) is used to describe Lazarus in 11:11.

General Comment on 15:13a–b

In some languages it is more natural to put 15:13b before 15:13a. For example:

13b If someone dies for the benefit of his friends, 13a that is the greatest love.
-or-

13b If a person is willing to die for his friends, 13a he loves them in the greatest way possible.

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