It is the Lord

Batik dye artwork by Hanna-Cheriyan Varghese, used with permission by the Overseas Ministries Study Center (OMSC) at Princeton Theological Seminary. You can purchase this and many other artworks by artists in residence at the OSMC in high resolution and without a watermark via the OSMC website .

“Hanna-Cheriyan Varghese (1938 – 2009) of Selangor, Malaysia, was the artist in residence at OMSC for the 2006–2007 academic year. She was born to Christian parents, and she remembered her mother taking her to a different worship service every week: ‘My parents encouraged me to attend different churches so that my siblings and I would appreciate the liturgy and traditions of the Christian believers of different denominations. Christians are a minority in Malaysia so we continue to struggle for our identity in a Muslim society. There is no open conflict as such.’

“She always had a passion for painting and drawing. She worked in the mediums of acrylic paint and Batik dye, the latter medium being an ancient decorative craft that has come into use as a high art medium in the last 50 or 60 years. A Batik image is created as a pattern or picture dyed in fabric. Certain parts of the fabric are covered with a wax, which acts as a “resist” to the colorful dyes. Hanna Varghese mastered the medium, and the sacred art images she created with it are original, bold and graphic.

“‘All creative work, be it the spoken word, the written word or the sung word, are essentials in praise and worship, meditation, education, inculturation and evangelism. This also includes art and pictures, which is universal seeing.’ Hanna Varghese.” (Source )

complete verse (John 21:5)

Following are a number of back-translations of John 21:5:

  • Uma: “He said to them: ‘My children, do you have fish?’ They said: ‘Not a one. / There aren’t any.'” (Source: Uma Back Translation)
  • Yakan: “He called to them, he said, ‘Friends, haven’t you caught anything?’ ‘None,’ they said.” (Source: Yakan Back Translation)
  • Western Bukidnon Manobo: “And Jesus said to them, ‘Say Brothers, have you caught anything?’ And they answered, ‘Nothing.'” (Source: Western Bukidnon Manobo Back Translation)
  • Kankanaey: “Jesus said to them, ‘Have you caught anything, companions?’ ‘Nothing,’ they answered.” (Source: Kankanaey Back Translation)
  • Tagbanwa: “Jesus called out to them, saying, ‘Children/Sons, isn’t it so that you didn’t get any fish?’ Their replies all coincided saying, ‘We(excl.) didn’t get any at all.'” (Source: Tagbanwa Back Translation)
  • Tenango Otomi: “Jesus said, ‘Hey, men. Haven’t you found any fish?’ The fishermen said, ‘Not a bit, friend.'” (Source: Tenango Otomi Back Translation)

Sung version of John 21

Living Water is produced for the Bible translation movement in association with Lutheran Bible Translators. Lyrics derived from the ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®).

For more information, see here .

Translation commentary on John 21:5

Then he asked them is literally “therefore (oun) Jesus says to them” The English discourse structure does not demand the inclusion of the proper name “Jesus,” since he was mentioned by name in verse 4.

The Greek term paidia, rendered here young men, is used elsewhere in John’s Gospel only twice. In 4.49 it is translated child by Good News Translation, and in 16.21 it is rendered baby. The form is perhaps best taken as a colloquialism such as might be used in addressing a group of fishermen. Moffatt, Phillips, and Barclay translate “lads,” while Jerusalem Bible and New English Bible render “friends.” “Children” (Revised Standard Version, New American Bible, Goodspeed) is pushing the literal meaning too far and does not suit the present context.

Haven’t you caught anything? is translated “Have you caught anything?” by Phillips, New English Bible and Jerusalem Bible (Barclay “have you caught any fish?”). Though the Greek form of the question expects a negative answer, this force should not be emphasized here (but note Anchor “you haven’t caught anything to eat, have you?”). The verb translated caught by Good News Translation and others is literally “have” (Moffatt “have you got anything?”; Revised Standard Version “have you any fish?”).

The Greek word rendered anything, “anything to eat” (so also New American Bible), and “fish” is prosphagion. It does not occur elsewhere in the New Testament or in the Septuagint, and it is rare in other Greek literature. Although the etymology of the word suggests the meaning “something to eat,” it is disputed just how it was used. Some maintain that it had the specific meaning “fish.” In the present context this meaning seems required, since the disciples were fishing for a living and not just for their breakfast. The meaning “fish” is implicit in Good News Translation‘s caught anything.

Not a thing is literally “No,” which Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch renders “Not one fish.” The translation should reflect colloquial usage. A literal translation of Not a thing could suggest that the net was completely empty, which is not very likely. It would be possible to say “We haven’t caught a fish” or “… a single fish.”

They answered is more literally “they answered him,” but in the context “him” is clearly implied and need not be expressed explicitly.

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 21:5

21:5a

So: The Greek text includes a word that is often translated ‘Therefore’ and the Berean Standard Bible translates as So. Most English translations leave this word untranslated. If it is more natural in your language to include a connector here, you may do so. For example:

Then he asked them (Good News Translation)

He called out to them: The pronoun them is plural and refers to the seven disciples who went fishing.

Children: This form of address was a friendly way of beginning a conversation with young men. A literal translation may give the wrong impression that the disciples were very young. We do not know their ages, but they were probably all young adults. (Simon Peter at least was married.) Use a form of address that would be natural in addressing young men in a friendly manner. For example:

Young men (Good News Translation)
-or-
Boys
-or-
Fellows/Guys
-or-
friends (New Jerusalem Bible)

do you have any fish?: This is a real question that expects an answer. The form of the Greek question implies that Jesus expected the answer, “We have no fish.” Translate this question in a way that shows that Jesus expected that they did not catch any fish. For example:

Did you not catch any fish?
-or-
No fish today?

fish: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as fish is more literally “something to eat.” The context makes it clear that it refers to fish that the disciples were trying to catch. Use the expression that is natural in your language. For example:

have you not caught anything ?

21:5b

“No,” they answered: The word No answered Jesus’ question in the way that the question expected. The disciples had not caught any fish. For example:

None at all.
-or-

⌊We caught⌋ none.
-or-
Not a single ⌊fish⌋ .

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