Translation commentary on John 18:26

The word slaves is the same word rendered servants in verse 18. Since the same category of persons is referred to it is better to translate the same in each instance,

Spoke up is literally “says”; New English Bible and New American Bible translate “insisted.”

The first part of this verse is rather complicated, for the phrase a relative of the man whose ear Peter had cut off is in apposition with one of the High Priest’s slaves. However, the appositional phrase involves a complex relative clause whose ear Peter had cut off. It may be necessary to restructure as follows: “One of the High Priest’s slaves was there. He was related to the man whose ear Peter had cut off. This man spoke up. He asked Peter….”

The third question (Didn’t I see you with him in the garden?) expects an affirmative answer. One may employ such a form as “I saw you in the garden with Jesus, didn’t I?” It may be necessary to use the name “Jesus,” rather than the pronoun “him,” in order to avoid a possible misinterpretation of the antecedent of the pronoun, for in some languages the pronoun could refer to the man whose ear Peter had cut off.

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 18:26

18:26a

One of the high priest’s servants, a relative of the man whose ear Peter had cut off: This expression introduces one of the servants at the high priest’s house. It also tells us something significant about him: he was related to the man mentioned in 18:10. A few hours earlier Peter used his sword to cut off this other man’s right ear. This is important because it implies that this servant would remember who Peter was and would consider him an enemy.

In some languages it may be natural to translate this expression as two separate sentences. If you do this it may be necessary to make it explicit that this servant was there in the courtyard. For example:

One of the servants of the high priest was there. This servant was a relative of the man whose ear Peter had cut off. (New Century Version)
-or-
One of the high priest’s servants was there. He was a relative of the servant whose ear Peter had cut off. (Contemporary English Version)

One of the high priest’s servants: The word servants can also be translated as “slaves” and refers to people who are not free and are not paid for their work. See how you translated this word in 18:18. The main idea in this phrase is that this man worked for the high priest. For example:

One of the slaves of the high priest (New Revised Standard Version)
-or-
A man who worked in the high priest’s house

a relative of the man whose ear Peter had cut off: The clause whose ear Peter had cut off refers back to the event recorded in 18:10. Peter had cut off the ear of one of those who arrested Jesus. The slave or servant mentioned here was related to that man. John does not say what the relationship was, so it is good to leave this general. In some languages it may be natural to translate this idea using a verb. For example:

who was related to the man whose ear Peter had cut off

Peter: Here and in the next verse Simon Peter is referred to as just Peter.

18:26b

asked: The Greek verb that the Berean Standard Bible translates as asked introduces a question that expects a positive answer. Translate this verb in a way that is natural in your language. For example:

challenged him (New International Version)
-or-
said (NET Bible)
-or-
insisted (Revised English Bible)

Didn’t I see you with Him in the garden?: This is a rhetorical question that expects a positive answer: that Peter was in the garden. It is used to say that the man had seen Peter in the garden with Jesus. The man implied that because Peter was in the garden with Jesus, then he must be Jesus’ disciple. He was challenging Peter’s answer in 18:25, implying that he did not believe it. Here are other ways to translate this challenge:

• Use a rhetorical question. For example:

Didn’t I see you in the garden with him? (New Jerusalem Bible)
-or-
Didn’t I see you out there in the olive grove with Jesus? (New Living Translation (2004))

• Use a statement. For example:

I’m sure I saw you (sing.) there in the olive grove with that man!
-or-
You (sing.) were in the garden with Jesus—I saw you there!

with Him in the garden: The phrase the garden refers to the grove of trees where Jesus was arrested. (A grove is a piece of land where fruit or nut trees grow.) See how you translated the word garden in 18:1. Use the same expression in both verses so that the connection will be clear.

with Him: The pronoun Him refers to Jesus. Peter had been one of the disciples near Jesus when the guards came to arrest Jesus. In some languages it may be natural to translate this phrase in one of these ways:

with Jesus (God’s Word)
-or-
with that man (Contemporary English Version)

General Comment on 18:26

In Greek, 18:26 is one long sentence. In some languages it is more natural to break it into two or three sentences. For example:

One of the high priest’s servants was there. He was a relative of the servant whose ear Peter had cut off, and he asked, “Didn’t I see you in the garden with that man?” (Contemporary English Version)
-or-
One of the servants of the high priest was there. This servant was a relative of the man whose ear Peter had cut off. The servant said, “Didn’t I see you with him in the garden?” (New Century Version)

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