Translation commentary on John 7:37

Scholars differ as to what is meant by the last … day of the festival. Originally it was a seven-day celebration. Later an eighth was added, but it was more a day of rest than of festive celebration. Did John mean the seventh day, the final day of the festival itself, or the added eighth day? Fortunately, the problem need not be resolved by the translator. It is even doubtful that John was aware that he would raise any problem by this phrase. The last … day of the festival may be rendered in some languages as “The last day on which people celebrated” or “The final day when the people were celebrating.”

In Greek the first part of this verse reads “but on the last day, the great day of the feast, Jesus stood up and cried out, saying.” That the last day of the festival was the most important is new information; that is why Good News Translation introduces it first, on the last and most important day of the festival. The observation that Jesus stood up perhaps indicates that he had been sitting and teaching, as was the custom with Jewish rabbis.

Most important may be expressed in some languages as “the great day of the celebration” or “the day when most important celebrations took place.” Other languages may speak of such a day as “the high day,” “the big day,” or even “the most valuable day.”

Said in a loud voice translates essentially the same expression used in verse 28.

Whoever is literally “if anyone” (see verse 17), equivalent in some languages to “all who.”

Some ancient manuscripts omit to me, but the UBS Committee on the Greek text judges this omission as accidental. In any case, the context makes it clear that Jesus intends that persons come to him. This information would have to be supplied translationally even if it had no support from the Greek manuscripts.

In some languages come to me and drink may seem too abrupt, since with such a verb as “drink” it is necessary to indicate what is to be drunk. One may say, for example, “let him come to me and drink something” or “let him come to me and I will give him something to drink.”

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 7:37

Section 7:37–39

Jesus promised living water

During the festival of Booths the Jewish people remembered how God provided what they needed. He provided water for them in the past and continued to do so. Each day of the festival, the priests took some water from the pool of Siloam. Then they poured it out before the Lord at the base of the altar. This represented God’s gift of water and life. This ritual reminded the people that God had given them water and that he would also give them the Holy Spirit. On this occasion Jesus stood up and claimed that he fulfilled the hope expressed in this ritual.

Here are some other possible section headings:

Jesus told those who were thirsty to come to him
-or-
Jesus spoke about the Holy Spirit

7:37a

On the last and greatest day of the feast: This phrase refers to the most important part of the Feast. It probably refers to the seventh day, but it is best not to make this explicit.

Here are other ways to translate this phrase:

On the last and most important day of the festival (God’s Word)

7:37b

Jesus stood up: Jesus apparently watched the priests pour out the water before the Lord. Many English translations imply that he had been sitting down and then stood up to speak, as in the Berean Standard Bible.

called out in a loud voice: This phrase indicates that Jesus spoke loudly so that all the people around could hear him. See the note on 7:28a. Here are other ways to translate this phrase:

and said in a loud voice (New International Version)
-or-
and shouted out (NET Bible Bible)

7:37c–38c

If anyone is thirsty, let him come to Me and drink. Whoever believes in Me, as the Scripture has said: ‘Streams of living water will flow from within him.’: The original Greek text did not include punctuation. Greek manuscripts punctuate these clauses in different ways, leading to different meanings. English translations vary in which manuscripts they follow. There are two main options:

(1) The subject of the verb drink is any person who is thirsty. The Greek words that the Berean Standard Bible translates as Whoever believes in Me begin a new sentence. For example:

If anyone is thirsty, let him come to me and drink. Whoever believes in me…. (New International Version)

(Berean Standard Bible, King James Version, New American Standard Bible, Revised Standard Version, New International Version, GNT1976, Revised English Bible, God’s Word, Contemporary English Version, New Century Version, English Standard Version)

(2) The subject of the verb drink is Whoever believes in Me. For example:

Let anyone who is thirsty come to me! Let anyone who believes in me come and drink! (New Jerusalem Bible)

(New Revised Standard Version, GNT1992, NET Bible Bible, New Jerusalem Bible, New Living Translation (2004))

It is recommended that you follow option (1). This reflects the punctuation of the best early Greek manuscripts. It is also followed by modern editions of the Greek text and many scholars.

7:37c

If anyone is thirsty, let him come to Me and drink: This is an invitation. Jesus was speaking to anyone and everyone who fulfills the condition in the first clause, meaning anyone who is thirsty. He quoted from Isaiah 55:1 but added the words to Me. You may want to write a footnote to refer the reader to Isaiah 55:1. If you have already translated Isaiah 55:1, it is good to translate it in a similar way.

Here are other ways to translate this sentence:

If you are thirsty, come to me and drink! (Contemporary English Version)
-or-
Whoever is thirsty may come to me to drink.
-or-
All who are thirsty can come to me and drink.

This is a metaphor. This metaphor uses physical thirst to represent spiritual thirst. Being thirsty for water represents people desiring God. Their desire for water is a desire for something necessary and good, something that gives life. In a similar way people can be spiritually thirsty, desiring to know the God who gives life.

In some languages a literal translation of this metaphor may be difficult to understand. If that is true in your language, here are some other ways to translate it::

• Change the metaphor to a simile. For example:

If someone ⌊desires God like they desire water when⌋ they are thirsty, let him come to me to meet their desire.

• Use a metaphor or simile and make the similarity clear. For example:

If anyone is thirsty ⌊for God⌋ , let him come to me and drink.
-or-
If anyone thirsts ⌊to know God as though God is water⌋ , come to me and quench/satisfy your thirst.

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