Translation commentary on John 8:24

That is why I told you is more literally “therefore (Greek oun) I told you.” Since this verse lays the basis for Jesus’ affirmation in verse 23, Good News Translation introduces it by the words That is why. New English Bible and New American Bible also handle the text in this way.

As indicated in the comments on verse 21, the Greek has the plural sins here, while there it has the singular “sin.” Good News Translation translates by sins in both places. Here the reference is not solely to the cardinal sin of rejecting Jesus, but to the totality of sins that these people have committed. In some languages you will die in your sins may be rendered “You will die with your sins” or “… with your sinning.”

On the meaning of the phrase I Am Who I am, see 4.26. In this passage, as in some others in John’s Gospel, the statement “I Am” is used absolutely, without a predicate. In such instances this expression identifies Jesus with God. The Greek order of this last sentence is the reverse of the order in Good News Translation (“for if you do not believe that ‘I Am,’ you will die in your sins”).

In some languages it is almost meaningless to say “I am who I am.” One may be obliged to say “I am really the person who I am” or “I am the one I claim to be.” Since such a translation obviously obscures the underlying allusion, it may be necessary to introduce a marginal note to explain the meaning which underlies the form of the Greek text.

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 8:24

8:24a

That is why: The Greek text includes a conjunction that is normally translated as “therefore.” The Berean Standard Bible translates this phrase as That is why. Some translations do not explicitly translate this conjunction, though many other English translations do. For example:

So I told you that you would die in your sins. (New Century Version)

Translate this conjunction in a way that is natural in your language.

I told you that you would die in your sins: Jesus referred back to what he said to the religious leaders in 8:21c. See how you translated his words there. Although in 8:21c, the singular word “sin” is used, while the plural form sins is used here. Here Jesus referred to all the sins that people did.

8:24b

For: The Greek conjunction that the Berean Standard Bible translates as For here introduces the reason why Jesus told the religious authorities that they would die in their sins. He said this because it was true unless they believed what Jesus said about himself. Here is another way to translate this conjunction:

because

unless you believe that I am He: Here the word believe refers to believing that something is true. It does not include the idea of trusting in Jesus except that trust is a natural result of believing the truth about Jesus. Jesus was saying that they would die in their sins if they did not believe that I am He. Here are other ways to translate this idea:

if you do not believe that I am he (NIV2011)
-or-
unless you believe that I AM who I claim to be (New Living Translation (2004))

I am He: The Greek expression that the Berean Standard Bible translates as I am He is more literally “I am.” There are two ways to understand this in this context:

(1) It refers to Jesus’ own claims (what he declared) about himself. For example:

I am the one I claim to be. (New International Version (1984))

(New International Version (1984), Revised English Bible, God’s Word, Contemporary English Version)

(2) It refers to the holy name of God, “I am who I am.” See Exodus 3:14, where God revealed himself to the people of Israel by this name. This interpretation says that Jesus claimed to be God. For example:

I Am Who I Am (Good News Translation)

(Good News Translation, New American Standard Bible, New Jerusalem Bible)

The Berean Standard Bible, King James Version, English Standard Version, NIV2011, New Century Version, NET Bible Bible, Revised Standard Version, and New Revised Standard Version can be understood either way. The New Living Translation (2004) includes both ideas. It is probably good to translate this clause so that both interpretations are possible. Jesus probably implied (but did not state) that he was God and was from above. But the Pharisees did not fully understand that until the end of the chapter. So you should not be very clear here that Jesus said that he was God.

you will die in your sins: The Greek clause that the Berean Standard Bible translates as you will die in your sins here is exactly the same clause as the one translated “you would die in your sins” in 8:24a. In some languages it may be more natural to not repeat the clause. For example:

Therefore I told you that you would die with your sins not forgiven, because that is what will happen if you do not believe that I am the one.
-or-

The reason that I told you that you would die without your sins forgiven is because that will be true unless you believe that I am he.

General Comment on 8:24b

In some languages it may be natural to reverse the order of these clauses. For example:

For unless you believe that I am he you will die in your sins (NET Bible Bible)

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