Translation commentary on John 8:21

Again Jesus said to them is literally “therefore (Greek oun) he said to them again.” Since this verse begins a new section, Good News Translation introduces the noun Jesus in place of the pronoun “he” of the Greek text.

In Jesus’ statement I will go away (so also Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch), the pronoun I is emphatic. I will go away is more literally “I am going away” (New English Bible) or “I go away” (Revised Standard Version). As New English Bible and Revised Standard Version indicate, the Greek text uses the present tense, but the implication is that of a future going away, since Jesus is not presently leaving the persons to whom he is speaking.

You will die in your sins (so also New American Bible) is literally “you will die in your sin.” The Greek text of this verse has the singular “sin,” but later (verse 24), when Jesus refers to what he has said in this verse, the plural sins is used. In the present verse it seems preferable to translate by the singular “sin,” since here the focus is on the absolute sin of rejecting Jesus. It may be meaningless to translate literally you will die in your sins. In some languages the closest equivalent may be “as you continue to sin, you will die” or “you will die with all of your sins.” In some instances in your sins may be interpreted as a cause, for example, “you will die since you insist on continuing to sin.”

Go away is the same verb used in 7.33. This verb is generally used by John to refer to the death of Jesus, by which he would return to the Father. This same verb is translated go in the second part of the verse.

In the statement You cannot go where I am going, the pronouns you and I are emphatic.

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 8:21

Section 8:21–30

Jesus predicted his death

In this section Jesus told the Pharisees about his death, but they did not understand him. He also told them that he came from heaven. And he said that the Father had sent him and told him what to say and was always with him. He also told them that unless they believed in him, their sins would not be forgiven when they died if they did not believe in him. However, Many who heard him believed in him.

Here are some other possible section headings:

The Pharisees did not understand what Jesus said about his death or his Father
-or-
Jesus’ coming death and his relationship with his Father

Paragraph 8:21–24

Jesus warned the religious leaders that they would die with their sins not forgiven because they did not believe in him. He reminded them that they belonged to this world but he did not. He said that he was God.

8:21a

John starts the story again after his explanation in verse 20.

Again: This word reminds the reader that Jesus had said this before (John 7:34). Here is another way to translate this word:

Once more (New International Version)

He said: The speech indicator said introduces a direct quotation. Place this speech indicator where it is natural in your language. Because this is the beginning of a new paragraph, you may want to say:

Jesus said (New International Version)

to them: The pronoun them refers to the Pharisees or Jewish leaders (8:13a). It may be natural to make this explicit:

to the Pharisees

I am going away: This phrase refers to Jesus’ death and return to God. His listeners did not understand this, so you should not make this explicit. The Greek text emphasizes the pronoun I. And although the verb am going away is present tense, it refers to what Jesus would do in the future. You may want to use a future tense verb to make that clear. For example:

I will leave you (New Century Version)

8:21b

you will look for Me: This clause here possibly indicates that Jesus’ listeners would want to find the Messiah. After Jesus’ return to his Father, they would still look for and wait for the Messiah. Or they might realize too late that Jesus was the Messiah. The text does not say why they would try to find Jesus. This clause is the same as that in 7:34a.

8:21c

but: The Greek conjunction that the Berean Standard Bible translates as but can be interpreted here in two ways:

(1) It introduces something that is not expected. For example:

but (Good News Translation)

(New Revised Standard Version, God’s Word, Revised English Bible, NET Bible Bible, Good News Translation, New Living Translation (2004), New Century Version)

(2) It introduces a clause that continues the previous thought. For example:

and (New International Version)

(New International Version, King James Version, New Jerusalem Bible, New American Standard Bible, Revised Standard Version, English Standard Version, Contemporary English Version)

It is recommended that you follow interpretation (1) because the clause it introduces is not expected.

you will die in your sin: The Greek phrase that Berean Standard Bible translates as you will die in your sin means that those religious authorities would die with their sin not forgiven. The Greek word for sin, like the Berean Standard Bible, is singular. The word sin may be collective here, referring to all their various sins. But some scholars think that Jesus was thinking about one particular sin, which was rejecting the Messiah. Here are other ways to translate this clause:

you will die with your sins unforgiven (Contemporary English Version)
-or-
you will die while you still carry your sin

8:21d

Where I am going, you cannot come: This sentence is closely related to the previous clause. Because the leaders would die in their sin, they could not go to Jesus. It may be natural to show this connection by continuing the same sentence. For example:

and where I will go, you cannot come

Refer to your translation of 7:34c, where Jesus said something similar. In some languages it may be natural to reverse the clauses. For example:

You cannot go where I am going. (Good News Translation)

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