Translation commentary on John 8:46

The verb prove … guilty is translated “convict” by most translators. When used with a personal object, the verb basically means “to show (somebody) up for what he is.” Here the personal object is “me,” which is followed by the phrase “concerning sin,” and so the entire expression means “to show that I am guilty of sin.” This meaning is also conveyed by such a translation as “convict me of sin,” but this expression may prove ambiguous to the average reader. New English Bible reads “convicts me of sin” in its footnote, but in the text it has “can prove me in the wrong.” The question is whether Jesus is claiming to be sinless in an absolute sense, or that he is right in what he is saying in this particular controversy. Although either viewpoint is justified by the context, John could have expressed himself more clearly and unambiguously if he had intended the second meaning. The word sin seems to be used here as it is used elsewhere in John’s Gospel, and not merely in the sense of “to be in the wrong.” This opinion is evidently held by most commentators and translators.

Believe me has the same force here as in the previous verse.

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 8:46

8:46a

Which of you can prove Me guilty of sin?: This is a rhetorical question that Jesus uses as a rebuke. Jesus was saying that none of them could show that he was guilty of any sin. He implied that this was because he had not sinned. He rebuked the religious leaders because they doubted what he said. There are at least two ways to translate this rhetorical question:

• Use a rhetorical question. For example:

Can any of you prove that I am guilty of sin? (Contemporary English Version)

• Use a statement. For example:

None of you can show that I am guilty of sin.

Translate this rebuke in a way that is most natural in your language. If you use a rhetorical question, it may be natural to supply an answer. For example:

Can any of you convict me of sin? ⌊No.⌋

Be careful not to imply that the people could not convict Jesus of sin because he had hidden his sin. Make sure that it is clear that no one could convict Jesus of sin because he had not sinned. For example:

Which of you can truthfully accuse me of sin? (New Living Translation (2004))
-or-
Which one of you can prove that I am guilty of sin? (Good News Translation)

sin: The word sin here refers to sin in general, any evil deed or word, not to a particular sin. Jesus denied that he had sinned at all. He was saying that he never sinned.

8:46b

If I speak the truth, why do you not believe Me?: This is a rhetorical question. Jesus used it to urge people to believe him. There are at least two ways to translate this rhetorical question:

• Use a rhetorical question, as in the Berean Standard Bible.

• Use a statement. For example:

If/Because I tell the truth, you should believe me.

If I speak the truth: The word If here means “since” in the sense of “because.” Jesus did not suggest that there was any doubt about him always telling the truth. For example:

since I am telling you the truth (New Living Translation (2004))
-or-
because I tell the truth

why do you not believe Me?: Here the word believe refers to believing what Jesus said. Of course, believing what Jesus said would naturally lead to trusting him. Here is another way to translate this clause:

why do you not believe what I say?

General Comment on 8:46b

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

Why will you not believe me? After all, what I say is true.
-or-
You (plur.) should believe in me because I am telling you (plur.) the truth.

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