You are the children of you father, the Devil is literally “You are of your father, the Devil.” It is obvious that the expression “of your father, the Devil” means the children of your father, the Devil. Phillips and New English Bible both translate “Your father is the devil” (Jerusalem Bible “The devil is your father”). It is best to translate as Good News Translation does, since the pronoun you is emphatic in the Greek sentence structure.

Underlying the expression the children of your father is the concept that a son partakes of the characteristics of his parents, especially of the father; but this concept may be utterly lost in some languages. In fact, it may be preferable to shift the focus and say “the Devil himself is your father.” In other languages it may be better to indicate likeness by saying “you are just like your father, the Devil.”

And you want to follow your father’s desires is literally “And you are willing to do the desires of your father.” In some languages this clause may be rendered “and you like to do the same things your father likes to do.”

In some languages it is difficult to speak of from the very beginning without indicating precisely what began. At the same time, one should not use a translation of from the very beginning which would suggest the eternal existence of the Devil. The closest equivalent in many languages is “he has always been a murderer” or, in some languages, “… one who destroys people” or “… one who kills people.”

[Ulrich Wendel argues (in Jahrbuch für Evangelikale Theologie 21/2007, p. 127ff. ) that the relationship between the two clauses mentioned above could also be in the sense of “namely” (“You have the devil for a father, namely you want to do what your father wants you to do”). The labeling of the adressees (not Jews as such, but Jewish Christ-believers, see 8:30-31) as the children of Satan would therefore be only a refection of their acts, rather than a suggestion of an actual deeper relationship. Wendel says that that “translation would be grammatically possible, though not the first choice in terms of the micro-context, but yet perhaps necessary in terms of the overall tone of Johannine theology and the message of the New Testament.”]

And has never been on the side of truth is more literally “And he was not standing (some Greek manuscripts, “has not stood”) in the truth.” On truth, see Appendix II. The UBS Committee on the Greek text indicates that there is a high degree of doubt concerning the reading selected for the text, and it is almost impossible to determine which of the two Greek texts the various translations follow. However, the meaning comes out essentially the same, whether the imperfect (“was not standing”; “did not stand”) or the perfect (“has not stood”) is followed. Revised Standard Version translates this cause “and has nothing to do with the truth”; New English Bible “and is not rooted in the truth”; Jerusalem Bible “he was never grounded in the truth”; and Moffatt “he has no place in the truth.” In some languages one may say “he has never encouraged that which is true” or “he has never favored that which is true.”

Because there is no truth in him is essentially the same translation as a number of others (see Revised Standard Version, New English Bible, Jerusalem Bible). Phillips changes the focus considerably by rendering “since the truth will have nothing to do with him.” The purpose of this verse is to indicate that God and truth are one, and that the Devil has no relation with God because he has nothing in common with truth. In some languages because there is no truth in him may be rendered “because he has never spoken the truth” or “because he has never said that which is true.”

Jesus’ judgement against the Devil proceeds a step further. He has already affirmed that the Devil has nothing in common with truth, and now he declares that it is the Devil’s very nature to lie. Good News Translation (he is only doing what is natural to him), Revised Standard Version (“he speaks according to his own nature”), Moffatt (“he is expressing his own nature”), and Phillips (“he speaks in character”) all express, at various levels of language, the same meaning. New English Bible (“he is speaking his own language”), Jerusalem Bible (“he is drawing on his own store”), and New American Bible (“Lying speech is his native tongue”) make it difficult for the reader to see immediately what Jesus is talking about. It is not that these translations miss the point, but rather that they fail to communicate clearly and readily the meaning of Jesus’ words. In some languages the closest equivalent of the clauses When he tells a lie he is only doing what is natural to him may be best expressed in a single clause, for example, “because of his own character he habitually lies.” One may, of course, also translate “Whenever he tells a lie, he is only behaving in accordance with his own character” or “… he is true to his own heart” or “… he is speaking from his own heart.”

Because he is a liar and the father of all lies is literally “because he is a liar and the father of it (him).” As the literal rendering of this clause indicates, the phrase translated of all lies by Good News Translation may be taken either as neuter (“of it”) or as masculine (“of him”). If it is taken as masculine, the meaning is “the father of all liars.” Most translators take this phrase to be neuter, and so translate “the father of lies.” In most languages it is easy enough to say “he is the father of all liars,” but difficult to say “he is the father of lies.” One can, of course, say “he is the one who causes people to lie” or “he is the one who prompts lies,” but this translation loses the figure of speech involved in the use of “father.”

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 .