Gospel of John (A Reading)

[John Reece]

NA27 Text (John 6:49):

οἱ πατέρες ὑμῶν ἔφαγον ἐν τῇ ἐρήμῳ τὸ μάννα καὶ ἀπέθανον·

Transliteration:

hoi patéres humōn éphagon en tȩ̄ erēmō̧ to mánna kai apéthanon;

Translation (ESV):

Your fathers ate the manna in the wilderness, and they died.

Glossary:

ἔφαγον : aorist of ἐσθίω : they ate.
ἔρημος : uninhabited region or locality, desert, wilderness.
μάννα : indeclinable Hebrew, manna.
ἀπέθανον : aorist of ἀποθνῄσκω : they are dead.

[John Reece]

NA27 Text (John 6:50):

οὗτός ἐστιν ὁ ἄρτος ὁ ἐκ τοῦ οὐρανοῦ καταβαίνων, ἵνα τις ἐξ αὐτοῦ φάγῃ καὶ μὴ ἀποθάνῃ.

Transliteration:

hoũtós estin ho ártos ho ek tou ouranoũ katabaínōn, hína tis ex autoũ phágȩ̄ kai mē apothánȩ̄.

Translation (ESV):

This is the bread that comes down from heaven, so that one may eat of it and not die.

Glossary:

ἵνα : consecutive, so that, such that (if).
τις : one (impersonal), a man.
ἐξ αὐτοῦ : literally "(some) of it", English idiom, simplify it
φάγῃ : aorist of ἐσθίω eat.
ἀποθάνῃ : aorist subjunctive of ἀποθνῄσκω die.

[John Reece]

NA27 Text (John 6:51):

ἐγώ εἰμι ὁ ἄρτος ὁ ζῶν ὁ ἐκ τοῦ οὐρανοῦ καταβάς· ἐάν τις φάγῃ ἐκ τούτου τοῦ ἄρτου ζήσει εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα, καὶ ὁ ἄρτος δὲ ὃν ἐγὼ δώσω ἡ σάρξ μού ἐστιν ὑπὲρ τῆς τοῦ κόσμου ζωῆς.

Transliteration:

egō eimi ho ártos ho zōn ho ek tou ouranoũ katabás; ean tis phágȩ̄ ek toútou tou ártou zēsei eis ton aiōna, kai ho ártos de hon egō dōsō hē sarx moú estin hupèr tēs tou kósmou zōēs.

Translation (ESV):

I am the living bread that came down from heaven. If anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever. And the bread that I will give for the life of the world is my flesh."

Glossary:

ζῶν : participle of ζάω : living.
καταβάς : aorist participle of καταβαίνω to move downward.
ζήσει : future of ζάω : he will live.
εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα : for ever.
δώσω : future of δίδωμι : I will give.

[John Reece]

NA27 Text (John 6:52):

Ἐμάχοντο οὖν πρὸς ἀλλήλους οἱ Ἰουδαῖοι λέγοντες· πῶς δύναται οὗτος ἡμῖν δοῦναι τὴν σάρκα [αὐτοῦ] φαγεῖν;

Transliteration:

Emáchonto oun pros allēlous hoi Ioudaĩoi légontes, pōs dúnatai hoũtos hēmĩn doũnai tēn sárka [autoũ] phageĩn?

Translation (ESV):

The Jews then disputed among themselves, saying, "How can this man give us his flesh to eat?"

Glossary:

ἐμάχοντο : imperfect of μάχομαι fight, quarrel, dispute violently.
πρὸς ἀλλήλους : with one another, among themselves.
δύναται : 3rd person singular of δύναμαι : he is able
δοῦναι : infinitive of δίδωμι : to give.
φαγεῖν : aorist infinitive of ἐσθίω : to eat.

[John Reece]

NA27 Text (John 6:53):

εἶπεν οὖν αὐτοῖς ὁ Ἰησοῦς· ἀμὴν ἀμὴν λέγω ὑμῖν, ἐὰν μὴ φάγητε τὴν σάρκα τοῦ υἱοῦ τοῦ ἀνθρώπου καὶ πίητε αὐτοῦ τὸ αἷμα, οὐκ ἔχετε ζωὴν ἐν ἑαυτοῖς.

Transliteration:

eĩpen oun autoĩs ho Iēsoũs; amēn amēn légō humĩn, ean mē phágēte tēn sárka tou huioũ tou anthrōpou kai píēte autoũ to haĩma, ouk échete zōēn en heautoĩs.

Translation (ESV):

So Jesus said to them, "Truly, truly, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you have no life in you.

Glossary:

πίητε : aorist subjunctive of πίνω : (unless) you (plural) drink.
ἔχετε : in sense of a modal future, you can have.
ἑαυτοῖς : 3rd person plural reflexive for ὑμῖν αὐτοῖς : in yourselves.

[John Reece]

NA27 Text (John 6:54):

ὁ τρώγων μου τὴν σάρκα καὶ πίνων μου τὸ αἷμα ἔχει ζωὴν αἰώνιον, κἀγὼ ἀναστήσω αὐτὸν τῇ ἐσχάτῃ ἡμέρᾳ.

Transliteration:

ho trōgōn mou tēn sárka kai pínōn mou to haĩma echei zōēn aiōnion, kàgō anastēsō autòn tȩ̄ eschátȩ̄ hēméra̧.

Translation:

He who eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day.

Glossary:

τρώγων : participle of τρώγω, classical munch ; later = ἐσθίω : ὁ τρώγων = he who eats.
πίνων : participle of πίνω : ὁ ... πίνων = he who drinks.
ἀναστήσω : future of ἀνίστημι : I will raise (him αὐτὸν) up.

The NRSV rendering is typical of the degree to which the translators were willing to distort the reading in order to avoid masculine terminology.

Those who eat my flesh and drink my blood have eternal life, and I will raise them up on the last day.

Note how the singular subjects and verbs, and the pronoun, are changed to plurals.

[John Reece]

NA27 Text (John 6:55):

ἡ γὰρ σάρξ μου ἀληθής ἐστιν βρῶσις, καὶ τὸ αἷμά μου ἀληθής ἐστιν πόσις.

Transliteration:

hē gar sarx mou alēthēs estin brōsis, kai to haíma mou alēthēs estin pósis.

Translation:

For my flesh is true food, and my blood is true drink..

Glossary:

ἀληθής : true, actual.
βρῶσις : food.
πόσις : a drink.

[John Reece]

NA27 Text (John 6:56):

ὁ τρώγων μου τὴν σάρκα καὶ πίνων μου τὸ αἷμα ἐν ἐμοὶ μένει κἀγὼ ἐν αὐτῷ.

Transliteration:

ho trōgōn mou tēn sárka kai pínōn mou to haīma en emoì ménei kagō en autō̧.

Translation:

Whoever feeds on my flesh and drinks my blood abides in me, and I in him.

Glossary:

ἐν : connoting mutual indwelling.

[John Reece]

NA27 Text (John 6:5):

καθὼς ἀπέστειλέν με ὁ ζῶν πατὴρ κἀγὼ ζῶ διὰ τὸν πατέρα, καὶ ὁ τρώγων με κἀκεῖνος ζήσει δι᾿ ἐμέ.

Transliteration:

kathōs apésteilén me ho zōn patēr kagō zō dià ton patéra, kai ho trōgōn me kakeĩnos zēsei di’ emé.

Translation (NET)

Just as the living Father sent me, and I live because of the Father, so the one who consumes me will live because of me.

Glossary:

καθὼς : Just as.
ἀπέστειλέν : aorist of ἀποστέλλω : he sent.
με : me.
ζῶν : participle of ζάω : ὁ ζῶν the living.
πατήρ : father.
κἀγὼ = καὶ ἐγώ : and I.
ζῶ = ζάω I live.
διὰ τὸν πατέρα : because of the Father.
καὶ : so.
ὁ τρώγων με : the one who consumes me.
κἀκεῖνος = καὶ ἐκεῖνος : also he.
ζήσει : future of ζάω : he will live.
δι᾿ ἐμέ : because of me.

[John Reece]

NA27 Text (John 6:58):

οὗτός ἐστιν ὁ ἄρτος ὁ ἐξ οὐρανοῦ καταβάς, οὐ καθὼς ἔφαγον οἱ πατέρες καὶ ἀπέθανον· ὁ τρώγων τοῦτον τὸν ἄρτον ζήσει εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα.

Transliteration:

houtos estin ho artos ho ex ouranou katabas, ou kathōs ephagon hoi pateres kai apethanon; ho trōgōn touton ton arton zēsei eis ton aiōna.

Translation (ESV)

This is the bread that came down from heaven, not like the bread the fathers ate and died. Whoever feeds on this bread will live forever."

Analysis (Zerwick):

καταβάς : aorist participle of καταβαίνω go or come down.
καθὼς : literally "not in the way the fathers ate..." but meaning "(bread) not such as the fathers ate".
ἀπέθανον : aorist of ἀποθνῄσκω : they are dead.

[John Reece]

NA27 Text (John 6:59):

Ταῦτα εἶπεν ἐν συναγωγῇ διδάσκων ἐν Καφαρναούμ.

Transliteration:

Taũta eĩpen en sunagōgȩ̄ didáskōn en Kapharnaoúm.

Translation (NRSV)

He said these things while he was teaching in the synagogue at Capernaum.

Analysis (Zerwick):

ἐν συναγωγῇ : without article, prepositional phrase (cf English "in church"), in the synagogue, publicly, cf John 18:20.
διδάσκων : participle of διδάσκω : teaching.

[John Reece]

NA27 Text (John 6:60):

Πολλοὶ οὖν ἀκούσαντες ἐκ τῶν μαθητῶν αὐτοῦ εἶπαν· σκληρός ἐστιν ὁ λόγος οὗτος· τίς δύναται αὐτοῦ ἀκούειν;

Transliteration:

Polloì oun akoúsantes ek tōn mathētōn autou eĩpan; sklērós estin ho lógos hoũtos; tis dúnatai autou akoúein?

Translation (NRSV)

When many of his disciples heard it, they said, "This is a hard saying; who can listen to it?"

Analysis (Zerwick):

ἀκούσαντες : aorist participle of ἀκούω : when they heard.
πολλοὶ ... ἐκ τῶν μαθητῶν : with partitive genitive ἐκ is pleonastic.
σκληρός : hard, here in the sense hard to take, unacceptable.
ἀκούειν : to listen to something said.

[John Reece]

NA27 Text (John 6:61):

εἰδὼς δὲ ὁ Ἰησοῦς ἐν ἑαυτῷ ὅτι γογγύζουσιν περὶ τούτου οἱ μαθηταὶ αὐτοῦ εἶπεν αὐτοῖς· τοῦτο ὑμᾶς σκανδαλίζει;

Transliteration:

eidōs de ho Iēsoũs en heautō̧ hóti goggúzousin perì toútou hoi mathētaì autoũ eĩpen autoĩs; toũto humãs skandalízei?

Translation (NRSV)

But Jesus, being aware that his disciples were complaining about it, said to them, "Does this offend you?"

Analysis (Zerwick):

εἰδὼς : participle (perfect) of οἶδα know : εἰδὼς ... ἐν ἑαυτῷ inwardly conscious.
γογγύζω : to express oneself in low tones of disapprobation, grumble, murmur (BDAG).
σκανδαλίζω : to shock through word or action, give offense to, anger, shock (BDAG).

[John Reece]

NA27 Text (John 6:62):

ἐὰν οὖν θεωρῆτε τὸν υἱὸν τοῦ ἀνθρώπου ἀναβαίνοντα ὅπου ἦν τὸ πρότερον;

Transliteration:

eàn oun theōrēte ton huiòn tou anthrōpou anabaínonta hópou ēn to próteron?

Translation (NRSV)

Then what if you were to see the Son of Man ascending to where he was before?

Analysis (Zerwick):

ἐάν : interrogative and without apodosis, as elsewhere close to ὅταν in meaning [...] : ἐὰν οὖν; (then) what if/when...? understand 'if you demur at this, what are you going to say to something yet more difficult to accept?' or, 'you demur now but when you see the flesh of the Son of Man glorified you will understand'. Others explain otherwise.
θεωρῆτε : subjunctive of θεωρέω : when you see? The question remains open.
ἀναβαίνοντα : participle of ἀναβαίνω go up ascend.
πρότερος : former, neuter as adverb before.

[John Reece]

NA27 Text (John 6:63):

τὸ πνεῦμά ἐστιν τὸ ζῳοποιοῦν, ἡ σὰρξ οὐκ ὠφελεῖ οὐδέν· τὰ ῥήματα ἃ ἐγὼ λελάληκα ὑμῖν πνεῦμά ἐστιν καὶ ζωή ἐστιν.

Transliteration:

to pneũmá estin to zō̧opoioũn, hē sarx ouk ōpheleĩ oùden; ta rhēmata ha egō lelálēka humĩn pneũmá estin kai zōē estin.

Translation (NET)

The Spirit is the one who gives life; human nature is of no help! The words that I have spoken to you are spirit and are life.

Analysis (Zerwick):

ζῳοποιοῦν : neuter participle of ζωοποιέω make alive, give life to ; the spirit it is which gives life.
σάρξ : (human nature) in and of itself, uninformed by the spirit.
ὠφελέω : benefit, be of value.
ῥῆμα : word.
λελάληκα : perfect of λαλέω : I have spoken.
πνεῦμά ἐστιν καὶ ζωή ἐστιν : i.e. to those who have received the faith to overcome the objection.