Translation commentary on John 7:39

In translating it may be more satisfactory to indicate specifically “Spirit of God,” rather than Spirit, especially in languages in which a term for “Spirit” may be associated with either neutral or mischievous spirits.

Jesus said this about the Spirit may be rendered “When Jesus was talking, he was talking about God’s Spirit.”

In place of the aorist tense believed, some Greek manuscripts have the present “believe.” Although the evidence is not conclusive, the UBS Committee on the Greek text judges that a scribe would tend to replace the aorist with the present tense of the verb, since doing so makes an easier reading in the present context.

Which those who believed in him were going to receive may be rendered as a separate sentence, for example, “Those who put their trust in Jesus were later going to receive God’s Spirit” or “This is the Spirit which those who put their trust in Jesus were going to receive” or “… were those upon whom the Spirit of God was going to come.”

The Spirit had not yet been given (similarly Revised Standard Version, New English Bible, La Sainte Bible: Nouvelle version Segond révisée, Phillips) is more literally “for there was no Spirit as yet” (Jerusalem Bible; see New American Bible, Luther, and Moffatt). It was not John’s intention to deny the previous existence of God’s Spirit; in 1.32 he explicitly stated that God’s Spirit descended on Jesus as the beginning of his ministry. What John meant is that the Holy Spirit had not yet been given in the specifically Christian sense, since this depended on the glorification of Jesus Christ. That is, the experience of God’s Spirit in the life of the believers is dependent upon Jesus’ having been raised to glory.

The passive expression the Spirit had not yet been given may be made active by saying “God had not yet given the Spirit to those who believe.”

Raised to glory is rendered “glorified” in most translations. In particular, 12.23 and 17.1 refer to the glorification of Jesus; and, according to the Gospel of John, Jesus’ glorification always comes by his being “lifted up.” Moreover, this “lifting up” always has a double connotation in John’s Gospel: it refers to his being lifted up on the cross and to his being lifted up to the presence of the Father (see 3.14). In some languages the double significance of “being lifted up” and “given glory” may be rendered as “lifted up and given honor” or “lifted up and made wonderful.”

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 7:39

7:39

Verse 7:39 gives some parenthetical information. It is a comment by the author John that is not part of the main story line. Indicate this in the way that is most natural in your language. For example, you can put the whole verse in parentheses:

(Now he said this about the Spirit, whom those who believed in him were going to receive, for the Spirit had not yet been given, because Jesus was not yet glorified.) (NET Bible Bible)

7:39a

The Greek begins with this verse with a conjunction that introduces the author’s explanation of the metaphor in 7:38c. Some translations like the Berean Standard Bible leave this word implicit, while others use a different word. For example:

Here he was speaking about the Spirit (Phillips’ New Testament in Modern English)

He was speaking about the Spirit: In this clause, the author John explained what Jesus said. He commented that Jesus spoke about the Holy Spirit, not literal water.

Here are other ways to translate this clause:

Jesus was talking about the Holy Spirit (Contemporary English Version)
-or-
When he said “living water,” he was speaking of the Spirit (New Living Translation (2004))
-or-
Jesus was referring to the Spirit of God

He was speaking: The expression He was speaking refers back to what Jesus just said about rivers of living water. In some languages it may be natural to make one or both of the pronouns explicit. For example:

Jesus said this
-or-
he said “living water” (New Living Translation (2004))

the Spirit: The Spirit here refers to God’s Holy Spirit. See how you translated this in 1:32b.

7:39b

whom those who believed in Him were later to receive: This clause indicates that at a later time believers would receive the Holy Spirit. This happened at Pentecost, ten days after Jesus went back to heaven (see Acts 2). At the time Jesus spoke, believers had not received the Spirit.

Here are other ways to translate this clause:

which believers in him would later receive (Revised English Bible)
-or-
who would be given to everyone that had faith in him (Contemporary English Version)

In some languages it is more natural to make this clause a separate sentence. For example:

Later, people who believed in Jesus would receive the Holy Spirit.

whom: The word whom refers back to “the Spirit” in 7:39a. If you use a pronoun to translate this word, use a pronoun that is suitable for referring to God.

those who believed in Him: This phrase includes the idea that the believers believed the facts about who Jesus was and what he did. But it also includes the idea that they trusted Jesus instead of trusting themselves or someone else. Both ideas are very closely related. If someone believes the facts about Jesus, it should result in trusting him. See how you translated similar phrases in 1:12b, 7:31a, and 7:38a. Here are other ways to translate this idea:

everyone that had faith in him (Contemporary English Version)
-or-
those who trusted in him

7:39c

For: The Greek conjunction that the Berean Standard Bible translates as For here introduces an explanation of the previous statement. It explains why believers had not yet received the Holy Spirit.

the Spirit had not yet been given: The Greek expression that the Berean Standard Bible translates as the Spirit had not yet been given indicates that the Holy Spirit had not yet come to live in believers. The Spirit has always existed as God, as a member of the Trinity. In many languages a literal translation will suggest that the Holy Spirit did not exist at that time. It is recommended that you make it explicit that this refers to the coming of the Spirit, or God’s gift of the Spirit. For example:

Up to that time the Spirit had not been given. (New International Version)
-or-
The Spirit had not yet been given to anyone. (Contemporary English Version)
-or-

⌊God⌋ had not yet ⌊given/sent His Holy⌋ Spirit ⌊to believers⌋ .

the Spirit: The phrase the Spirit refers to God’s Holy Spirit, as in 7:39a.

7:39d

because Jesus had not yet been glorified: This clause introduces the reason why the Spirit was not yet present in believers. Jesus had not yet received glory and honor from his Father. That means that Jesus had not yet been raised from the dead and taken up to heaven. In some languages it may be necessary to say this more explicitly. For example:

because Jesus had not yet been raised to glory (New Century Version)
-or-
because Jesus had not yet been honored by ⌊God⌋ raising him ⌊to heaven⌋

had not yet been glorified: This is a passive verb. The implied subject is God. God had not yet glorified (honored) Jesus by raising him from the dead and causing him to go up to heaven. It is implied that this would happen at some time, but it had not happened when Jesus spoke.

Here are two ways to translate this verb phrase:

• Use a passive verb. For example:

since Jesus had not yet been glorified (New International Version)
-or-
Jesus had not yet been given his full glory (Contemporary English Version)

• Use an active verb. For example:

Jesus had not yet entered into his glory (New Living Translation (2004))
-or-

⌊God⌋ had not yet caused Jesus to receive his full glory.

Translate this phrase in the way that is most natural in your language. In your translation, avoid implying that Jesus had no glory at that time. Also avoid implying that God the Father did not value or honor him. Although the Father had not yet raised Jesus from the dead to receive his full glory, he always honored him as his Son.

glorified: The verb glorified means “praised” or “honored.” See how you translated the related noun “glory” in 1:14b, c and 2:11b, and see the notes there.

General Comment on 7:39b–d

In some languages it may be natural to reorder the information in this verse. For example:

The Spirit had not yet been given, because Jesus had not yet been raised to glory. But later, those who believed in Jesus would receive the Spirit. (New Century Version)

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